The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-24
Columbus Hoped Always to Find
Fighting Females.
WHERE IRISH is SPOKEN
Montserrat British Possession, Where
Limo Juice Is Made-The Island
an Ideal Plantation
Home.


fierce fighting women, who have held
men at bay for so many centuries. They
were located in various parts of ASIA
and finally in Africa, but long after the
capitalization of the myth into the Gre
clan stories of gods, heroes and heroines
the tale survived, or rather reappeared,
in the new world.
Columbus, as we know, when seeking
passage across to Asia was all the
time dwelling upon old world traditions
and had in mind only what had been
written by voyagers and travellers in
the East. In the island of Cuba he
sought the court of the grand khan, In
Hayti the Cipango of Marco Polo, and
throughout his first voyage to America
looked for the verification of oriental
fables and expected at every turn to
come across their fabulous monsters
Near the termination of that voyage,
when in the Bay of SANTANA, on the
north coast of Santo Domingo, he heard
of something that set his blood tinglinS
and caused him to shape his course
southwark instead Of toward Spain
and the home port. Some CT the In
dams captured there tod him of an
island of the Caribbees that r-as in
habited solely by women, and, taking
lneln dDOdTd as ne SleeIcu III lilt
direction they indicated. resolved to
add their discovery and conquest to the
fruits of that voyage.
The prevailing trade winds, however,
were battling, his provisions and water
ran short, and instead he turned about
and bore up for the Azores and SPAIN
taking along with him the unfortunate
Indians.
But he did not lose sight of the story
| and when, nearly a year later, he set
| sail from Cadiz with his fleet IF II ships
| and caravels he was so far infiuerced
| by the reports of Caribs and ArlazCns
| to be found nearer the equator than
| the island he had discovered on the
| first voyage that he went several de-
| grees farther to the southwark.
| First land was made at Dominica, and
then followed Gaudeloupe, the SainteS,
ETC., where he saw and fought with the
| CARDS, though the island inhabited by
| the fighting females he never discov-
| cred. But according to his journel he
| located it as the island of Madanino,
| which he named Montserrat, after
| mountain and monastery in old Spain.
| 1t was one of the dsappointments of
| his life that he failed to find the Anna
IONS, and he cherished all his life the
| delusion that they lived somewhere in
| the Caribbean sea.
| Nearly so years later, or in $40, we
| have evidence that the legend vas not
! forgotten, for it appears in the account
| of that wonderful voyage made by Orel-
| lana down the great rivers of South
America, and survives in the name he
| bestowed-the Amazon. Says writer
who followed him 20 years after: "Orel-
| lana having met during his voyage
| with some women of fair stature, who
| defended themselves from him and his
| soldiers, and opposed his advance, gave
! the river the name of Amazons be-
1 NT
| Scythia, who lived on the banks of the
great river Annals. He had some rea-
son for calling these women Amazons;
| yet in many provinces of the West In
| dies other women have done the same,
| nor do we see why this river should be
called the Amazons merely on account
| of this occurrence. The most prevalent
| custom is to call it Maranon."
| So we see that not only was the
| Greek myth deemed credible in Spain,
| but that come of the Spanish explorers
| claimed to have met the woman of
whom the Asian and African warriors
| were the prototypes. AS the Spaniards
never made a settlement on the Ma
| danino or Montserrat. the theory that
| it was inhabited by AmaZons was never
| exploded by them, and they may be-
| lieve it yet, so far as we can tell.
When a successful settlement was
started by the English in the near ISL
| =,
to Montserrat, allured bv the rich lands
suitable for sugar cultivation. 1t was
| the disconnected part that left Nevis
| for Montserrat. and composed mainly
of Irish Catholics. In proof of this, al
though the event occurred so far back
as 1852, may be pointed out the fact that
| many of the present inhabitants, even
the negroes, speak English with a
brogue, having an Hibernian accent
| perfectly delicious.
| 1t Is told of an exile from Erin, VINO
| had concluded to seek a refuge in Mont
| serrat, that as the ship he was on cast
| anchor in the harbor of Plymouth. the
the rail and entered into conversation
with a black bumboatman who came
out To sell his provisions.
Say. Cuffee, pwhat's the chance for
lad ashore?"
Good, yer honor, if yer not afraid
of wurruk. But me names not ounce
| an. please We, it's Pat Mulvaney."
"Mulvaney? And do yez mean to say
yer Oirish?'
"Oi do"
"The saints day find us. An how long
have yez been out here?'
"A matter NV tin year or So
Tin year. An yez black as me hat!
May the divil fly away wild me if liver
set fut on this ould oisland. Save me
sowl but I TUX yez fer naygur!"
According to recent reports from the
West Indies the island suffered severely
from the hurricane that devastated
Porto Rico, several hundred people
have been killed and nearly all the
sugar and lime estates destroyed. AS
Montserrat is but IL miles in length by
eight in greatest breadth, with an area
of scarcely so miles, it must have been
mighty mean hurricane that could
search it out and turn it upside down
in the twinkling of an eye, as 1t were.
Hitherto it has escaped the worst OF
those tropical storms, probably from its
very insignificanCe, and has had an en-
viable reputation as one of the most
beautiful as we'll as salubrious Islands
owned by the English in the Antilles.
1t has been in continuous British pos
session for more than hundred wears,
or ever since 1884 and until some 80
years ago its people We're almost eX-
clusively devoted to the raisin" of
sugar cane. About that time some mer-
chants having business with the island