The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-19

and definite end to their labors seems
to be beyond question, and the likeli-
hood is that it was a volcanic erup-
ton. This it may have been that over
threw all the images, destroyed the in
habitants and even wiped out all the
trees on the island. Though the soil
of the island Is very rich. almost the
only trees are very dwarfish, being not
more than ten feet in height and two
or three inches in diameter. The wood
of these trees is extremely hard and is
used by the islanders of to-day in the
manufacture of household gods. Such
gods are rudely carved and hideous i'm
itations of the nude human form, two
to three feet in length, with prepos-
ferrous development of chest and pre-
ternaturaI collapse of abdomen, as
though famine had long brooded over
the land. They have long and slender
arms and legs, COATES and prominent
ears The eyes of these idols are very
curious, the iris being represented US
Nuallye by a circular button of bone
which is cut from human skull. In
round hole in the center of this disk
is set a bit of volcanic glass which,
glistening in the light, makes a fair
imitation Of pupil. Skulls out of
which such disks were cut were i'm
agined by earlier explorers to afford
evidence of prehistoric trephining, but
Dr. Cooke discovers that this was
mistake.
The bottom of the crater of Rama
Roraka is occupied by lake of con-
siderable size and of such depth that
sounding lines 300 feet long have failed
is covered by a sort of vegetable floor.
composed of thick intertwined
growth from which spring many
bushes and even small trees. Over this
floating and elastic carpet cattle actu-
ally Craze, exhibiting very Interest,"
Low ctr M ny
ing through the break in the crater
wall already described has formed two
small islands off shore, called Mutu
Nui and Mutu Raukan. To the latter
as a goal are directed the annual swim
ming matches of the islands, the OBJ
ject of which is to obtain one of the
sacred sea BIRDS eggs. To this first
captured egg superstitious value at
taches, and it's possession confers king
ship for one year upon the lucky cap
tor The rock is covered with blrd
guano, and at little distance 1t looks
like a huge stalagmite projecting out
of the ocean depths. The difficulty OF
mounting it is very great.
There are now only about $50 natives
on the island-a degenerate, no-account
people, who claim descent from the
image makers, though apparently With
out lust ground. 1t seems likely that
the fate of the prehistoric race, so
strangely wiped out, Will forever re-
main a mystery, though some light
upon the subject is thrown by certain
| wooden tablets bearing inscriptions
which have been discovered and to
some extent deciphered. In 1864 there
was a population of 1900 souls on Eas>
ter Island, and so recently as 1868 900
of them were left. In 1875 500 of these
were taken to Tahiti under contract to
work the sugar plantations, and three
years later 300 more were transferred
by missionaries to settle the Gambler
archipelago. Up to 1854 cannibalism
| is known to have been practiced.
A few years ago lumber vessel from
Oregon was wrecked on Easter Island
and much of the cargo was brought
ashore and utilized, under missionary
instruction, for building houses for the
natives. These dwellings, though much
better than what they had before, con-
sist of only one room and have floors