The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-08-01

: With all Of it's solitude. writes Doug
Las White In the Overland Monthly: In
regard to Robinson Crus0e's island.
there is not speck Of land upon the
surface Of the Pacific or any other
ocean which Is better known or more
widely discussed than this same island
Of Juan Fernandez. Strangely enough.
1t is not the islands history which has
made It's name 80 well known through
out the English-speaking world. for to
most people there is little Of its history
known; but the fame Of Juan Fernan-
DEE has all arisen from q work OF nc
ton which has been since its first pub
LEGATION more widely read than any
similar work in the English language.
From the passing Of Fernandez and
his Spanish cOlonists the island was
seldom visited save by some ship which
was pressed for water and fresh food,
in which case it furnished both In am
pie quantities, the goats supplying
fresh meat, the fruit trees set by Fer
nandez giving Of their products. whiie
several kinds Of wild vegetables grew
in abundance on different parts OF the
island. History, however. records but
few Of these visits up to the beginning
Of the eighteenth century. From
rough survey Of the island, 1t was set
down as being about twelve miles long
by four miles in its widest portion.
curving in a northwest and southwest
direction, with Its highest peak at the
bend of the curve. This peak
was named by Fernandez Eel YunQue"
(The AnviD, from its close resemblance
to that mechanical implement.
For considerably over 100 years Ell
Yunque's solitude was broken only by
the coming and going Of these few Wis
itOrs, until In 100 the ship entered
Cumberland Bay which was to give to
Juan Fernandez its possibility of be-
coming one of the best known islands
upon the worlds charts. This was the
Cirque Ports galley. under the COM
mand Of one Capt. Straddling. Now.
this British skipper does not seem to
have been extremely popular with his
men, for upon this first visit to Fer
nandez more than 40 of his "Jackies"
deserted to the island. preferring the
life on It's solitary shores to existence
aboard the galley. Before the ship
sailed, however. all but five Of these
deserters changed their opinions and re-
turned to the galley's decks. -Four
years slipped by and again Standings
ship dropped her anchor in Cumber-
lands waters. OF the five men left in
100 but two remained. the others hay
ing been carried away by a French
ship which called in the meantime.
But this second visit Of the Cirque
Ports was to be productive of the great
event in Fernandez's history. for while
in the bay the commander Of the gal
ley had an argument with his sailing
master, one Alexander Selkirk, who
demanded that he be given an allow
ance Of stores and landed on the ISL
and. His request was complied with,
and the galley sailed without him. For
four years and four months did Selkirk
maintain his lonely vigil at the top Of
the islands mountain range. scanning
the sea for the sail which might come
to end his dreary life. In 1704 he was
taken of by the Duke. an English priv
ateer, on board Of which he returned to
England. bringing with him an extern
sive note book covering his experiences
during these years of solicitude. This
note book was presented by him to the
novelist Defoe, and on 1t the writer
founded what at once became one Of
the most popular flctional works Of
that and each succeeding generation.
OF course. Defoe used an authors lati-
tude in its construction. but there ex-
lists to-day upon Juan Fernandez every
one Of the principal landmarks describ-
ed in the chapters of Robinson Crusoe.