Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-16
LIFE on TRISTAN D'ACUNHA.
A Lonely Island in south at,hntic'
with n Population Of siaty-fo"r'


Yesterday afternoon. writes corre-
spondent. 1 had long ana intereS'i"s
talk with Max Smith, late cook ana Sue
ward of the bark Glenhuntiy, which
snrung a leak in the South Atlahlc III INC
oarlv mart of the year. ana was aDai'"orot
i.tit sieht Of Tristan d'Acunha. Most
,,'o,,lo have heard of that lonely volcanic
Island which rears its solitary peak so,ii'
eight thousand feet into the elouus' -.
core the opening of the Suez cahai II pr
pered on whalers, passenger sHip9, a.
s,ndr,, vessels. which bought fresh nnea,'
Gsi, fruit and vegetables from It's manu-,
mi of colouists. To-day II u III
wav. according 10 Smith. 80
All hands cot safe ashore, though one
20 tba two boats was stove IN by the SUI
,,htcb ever beats upon Tristahs ION
ro,,nd shore. There was just slop'ns
ntoIs of beach upon which the twelve men
W. able TO stand. In the rear was ~
-, Goa in their faces were sheei
- which lowered up three thou-
sar1 .eet In the boat when
lived the landing they had biscuit
water hams. and some shial 10
,itv az clothing. In vain the e"I.N -,
tried 10 scale the preciplce; III E''n Sioh
endeovored 20 discover IAN - 90
H. email settlement which they ma" - -.
III - 81 they made a sort or ihdl"h
-, of blankets. which at all events IT.
- hon, more or less from the ron,
~ Ind ON the sixth day they resoit.u
~ send some OF their number 10 co'9' W,
tsfand and after many mario" ,"a
froro drowning their boat was laul'e'i ~,
and tho moor fellows pulled a"N' 10 ~
aaet If they had gone west they Noulu
-. ,'oched fhe settlement IN an houl'
a. a. was II was not until sunset nc
-, osniad A few stone cottages Wili0I,
com me smallest town IN tine VIZ
eunnose-namely, Edinburgn-so cali'u a..
ter The Duke OF Edinburgh. VINO ~
landed there. The community Vic
hoat manned by some stalwart coioliI.-'
vent back for the remainder Oh wy Ia
',.,aci,ed men. and after much iatlsue Nu
- dancers the whole twelve or tnem
were comfortably installed III ''i7
NJ smith and Captain Shaw were
chartered on Peter Green, VINO Is NJ Wv,
e,no- of Tristan d'Acunha, ana AaN 80
,,, a most curious account Oh tnl9 |"
r,,nfstlc colony of sixteen fainii'sS' -,
sIvtv-four souls. They are OF spi ..'ui"
nbvsioue and die only OF old age NJ
80 their nroperty IS held in common. la
fa,nilv has one Of the stone cottasvS W.
ruah roofs the furniture or "hich -
mostly Of driftwood and wreckagf. nay
in0 only themselves 10 rely on cay" .
almost by instinct carpenter ,..,,-
mason a sailor, a fisherman an az
turist. and an egg-huntel IN ~
,,erecl]aqe comes ashore It Is divided INTO
49, nortions and distributed. Disputes
-, seldom arise. and II they do Peer
GREEN'S word is final II one party goes
o,t- dshlng the catch is shared, ana eve"
nototoes. cattle, sheep, pigs, ana l2"'s'
though not held quite In common -
customary TO share on the do ut des pm
ciple. . .,,,,,,,
shins Tristan dAcunha was extremely
nrosperous. Now IL is in very pad way
/ stream and the Suez canal have diverted
trade so that only once year are they
sure OF a visit from one OF her MaJes.y
eunhoats. That is one reason. But they
could live I'm their primitive way very
. comfortably without even shps' tvr IhS
/ three or four square miles OF SOIL upon
walch the settlement lives Vhe res, u
nearly all dizzy rocks IS very fertlle' anu
( how is IL that they cannot Because 'hs
rats are rapidly eating mem pue ~
hearth and horne. Some ten years ago 4
/ Norwegian vessel went ashore there. IL
was full OF rats, and these unfortunately
/ landed. and found the place so much "a
| their liking that they have Increased 10
enormous numbers. No grain can De
grown. no cereals OF any sort. no trult;
ana il is only by the exercise or increai-
Bile precautions that the potatoes nave
survived. Let no enterprising whiting
ton think that cats are wanted In Tristan
dAcunha. There are many OF them. tame
and wild Also dogs But in vain 90 tncy
hunt. In vain do they set traps. what