The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-21

The ona Men Arc Dying East, Thus
Taking Away the Most Wonder
full, Formed People on Earth.


full, Formed People on Earth
Shrouded in icy mystery, the south po-
lar regions have remained, since the ear
lest times, an en- gina TO man.
For three hundred years the glacial
Star have been gradually made to yield
their ice strongholds TO the daring as
saults of the explorer, while the portion
o. the globe illuminated by the Southern
Cross has been LETT almost invested.
Up to the time of the Belgian expedition
no mortal being had sojourned an en-
tire season in the South Polar seas. [
consider, therefore that in penetrating
through the first antarctic night the little
band of explorers OF which had the
honor to be one, has marked an era in
the records OF polar research. Their work
is the stepping-stone to new ventures.
In the end Of 1897 nineteen men intrust-
ed their lives TO the little Belg4ca-an aux
tackled the previously unpenetrated bar
riers Of ice which hedged III the region
south Of Cape Horn.
They discovered q new and beautiful
highway. in size comparable to the Straits
Of Magellan. and through this pushed into
Il new world of ice, visiting q hundred ISL
ands and several hundred miles of land
upon WITCH no other human eye had eyer
rested.
Upon this land were found great cities
or weird creatures and q profusion of Gu
rous otller-world life. After passing
through this unknown land our little party
entered upon an equally unknown sea-
This sea forged its ice manacles about
us and for an entire year we were pris-
in INN OIL Of
We We're the football Of Fate. at the mer-
cy of every wind, which drove us to and
fro over a mysterious ocean.
For the first time in the history of man
we passed through an antarctic wnter-a
continuous nist.t OF inky blackness, which
lasted seventy seemingly endless days.
During this eternity Of gloom the Bel
gca was the only speck OF human life with
III the antarctic and sub-antarctic regions
| An area equal to the combined spread of
Europe and Asia
! Our one years imprisonment would have
heightened into many years--and doubtless
our ccrlnes would to-day relose in the
fIczer silence Of some ice rack-nad we
not. by almost superhumaa efforts extrI-
Gated our ship from the ice by digging
| great canal more than two tflousend feet
! long and sufficiently wide to allow Of the
(; passage Of the ship.
| ALMOST UNKNOWN
! But it was not only in the South Polar
! regions that we made interesting d.scov-
| cries. We had an opportunity to study that
! strange race of giants lima biting the
! southernmoss portions Of the Southern
HenisIs1ere-the Fuegians. These people
J called O9as by Their neighbors, have hith-
erto resisted all the efforts of civilization
l They have persistently withstood all at
tempts of white men 10 enter into re
lations Of friendship. As a consequence.
they remain to-day more unknown than
1 the pisnlies of Africa.
1 The home OF the giants is on the main
land of TERRA del Fuegp. Their island is
nearly as large as the State OF New York.
It has great 3rairies. mountain forests
4 unknown lakes and hunting grounds, which
! the island dwelers have kept through
ages exclusively for themselves. resist
ing up TO within recent years all efforts
of the invader.
Gradually however, the onward marcel
/ of civilization has made its conquests
White sheep farmers have overcome by
trade where they could not succeed by
4 force The Onas are at length yielding tt
the subtle influence of the luxur.es ant
& comforts Of civilization. The mining canl
Of tho ..ioaleface"a is croHdtng The ousky
ace uaea mao tha Ioiesl-covered low
lands and the ice-camped highlands OF
2 the Inferior, waera they must either
Z Itocze or starvt, at the ms.cy Of The
4 l Cdutc1Sidi! 4ils
Ilere Is perhaps 10 race in the world
with a more perfect physical development
Iaan the Ona Men. Their average heish
is about six feet, While a few attain 81,
/ feet six inches. This wonderful develop
3 ment has arisen through the eSigenc.er
i of their life and the distribution OF game
| which make long marches necessary. In
z Ona men are certainly the greatest cross
| country runners on the American cont
! Gent.
,rne only weapon which these giants us
effectively is the bow and arrow. The boy
Is made OF the wood Of the antarct-
beech, scraped into shape by the edge Q
n SHELL. The string is composed of I'll
4 sinews OF the guanaco-an animal OF tn
camel species-which resembles a eros
!. between a goat and an antelope The tip
| OF their arrows are COMPOSED OF gas:
! This glass they do not make thmselVes
II is picked up from wreckase found aoou
: the barren shores.
"a whole Oua family participates in tn
, .-,orts OF the chase They march for day
3 ever wind-swept plains, through lie
streams into regions seemingly deserte
: nv animal life The women and chlldre
Il .trayel in one group, the men IN anothe
a Sick and helpless persons are LETT penn
& 70 s.arye or support life as best the
{. When a herd Of gnanaco IS found III
IS roan creep on ti.e!. hands and feet. covel
= inr their bodies with their robes to i'm
r fate animals. When close to their pre-
9 tfey rise. throw aside Their robes ar
: srring naked upon the glanacos, KILN
e. some witt their bows, others by NEAR
3 of knife and club som finest they secrl
- AN entire herd. Then besins an orgies 4