The St. Johns herald., 1901-10-19
WRAPPEDINROMANCE
ROBINSON CRuSoE'S ISLAND,
 FAMED IN FICTION.
Little Dot in the Pacific That Is Better Known Than Many of the Larger and Much More Important IsIands- Scene of a Boys' Classic.

With all of its solitude, writes Doug las White in the Overland Monthly, in regard to Robinson Crusoe'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 its name so we'll known through out the English-speaking world, for to most people there is little of its history known; but the fame of Juan Fernan- deg has all arisen from Q work of fc- tion which has been since its first pub Hcation 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, while 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 a rough survey of the island, it 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 "El Yunque" CThe AnviD, from its close resemblance to that mechanical implement.
 For considerably over 100 years El Yunque's solitude was broken only by the coming and going of these few vis- itors, until in 1700 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 Cinque Ports galley, under the com- mand of one Capt. Straddling. Now, this British skipper does not seem to
 
 men, for upon this first visit to Fer nandez more than 40 of his "Jackies" deserted to the island, preferring the life on its 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 Straddling's ship dropped her anchor in Cumber- lands waters. Of the five men left in 1700 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 Cinque Ports was to be productive of the great 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 off by the Duke, an English priv ateer, on board of which he returned to England, bringing with him an exten- 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 f1ctional works of that and each succeeding generation. Of course, Defoe used an authors lati- tude in its construction. but there ex- ists to-day upon Juan Fernandez every one of the principal landmarks describ- ed in the chapters of Robinson Crusoe.