The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-07-20
The LadrOnss and the CaroHnss.

The Ladrones and the Carolines.
Far out In the Pacific, where the map
looks as if a charge of bird-shOt had
peppered spot no larger than your
thumb, the American flag is flying
over the LadrOnes. They are but specis
on the face of the deep. Yet, here is
an empire of island wealth amid the
rarest scenery in the world An earthly
paradise, it is called.
The capture of the Ladrones by the
United States, with prospective seiz-
ure Of the Carolines, just to the south
of the group, makes them Of new in
terest to Americans.
The Ladrones are chain Of volcanic
islands extending north and south from
latitude IS degrees Y minutes north to
latitude % degrees 81 minutes south,
and in longitude about l46 east. They
were discovered by Magellan, March g,
l52l, and named Ladrones from the
supposed stealing propensities OF the
natives. Later, in 166s, the islands
were named Mariana, in honor of Ma
ria Anne of Austria, the widow Of
Philip ", King Of Spain. The in
habited islands are Agrigan, Saipan,
Tinian, Rota and Guam. On the other
islands are volcanoes spOuting fire and
steam. The mountains range from one
thousand to three thousand feet high,
about the altitude Of the biggest Of the
CatskiIls.
The Spaniards have controlled the
islands without interference or serious
trouble from the natives. There is a
small garrison at Agana, the capital,
where the egovernor-generalh has resided.
Many natives of the Caroline islands
have been imported into the Ladrones,
and the races are interestingly mixed.
The blending OF the tall, eopper-color-
ed, curly-haired, long-bearded and mus
tached Carolinians with the Philippian-
looking Ladrones, with their dark
Malay skin, has given new tint to a
large number of the young men and
women.
The chief products for sustaining
life are coeoanuts and bread-frait. They
grow spontaneously everywhere. 1t is
said that one eocOanut tree will feed a
man. A grove Of the fruit trees TO the
islander is what a herd Of cows is to
the Pennsylvania farmer.
These, with the tons of fish in the
lagoons, which are natural fish-pOnds,
are responsible for the profound indo-
lence OF the natives. They can support
life without labOring. Some OF the
bread-fruit trees are 10 or y feet in di-
ameter. A single tree is considered
equal in life-supporting capacity TO two
acres of wheat. Then there are other
products corn, ordinary wheat,
bananas, figs and arrowroot.
The Carolines are like the LadrOnes.
only more extensive in number and
area, and densely populated. The ISL
ands are widely scattered into three
great groups, the eastern, western and
central. Spain originally claimed all
the groups, but Germany recently took
the Marshall Islands. The central or
main group, now belonging to Spain,
comprises IS smaller groups. making a
total of ,our or five hundred islands.
Among the products of the country
are rice, corn, wheat, sugar, cotton,
tobacco, indigo, bread-fruit, castor oil
and kindred necessaries OF life Among
the curious natural features are the
palm trees that produce vegetable
ivory; banyan trees that grow down
ward, the seeds being planted by birds
high up in other trees, deposited in
bark and creyices, sending down root
lets to gather sustenance and moisture
from the soil.
/ Another tree bears a fruit so often
sive in odor that no man not in prae-
tice can endure it, but once in the
mouth, the fruit tastes 50 delieiously
that he can not stop eating until it il
devoured.
The women Of the CarOlines are neat
and attractive at home or among their
eoooanut trees. The men are indus
trious-everywhere displaying ingenu-
ity and thrift.
Rude will be their awakening when
from steamers and locomotives they
hear the echoing warwhoops Of Amer
lean civilization.