Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-07

Special Correspondence,
st. Eustatlus, Dutch West indies
April 10. Besides Curacao, the big ISL
and OF ,he north coast OF Venezuela,
Holland claims several other West In
Ola Misunderstanding saba, st. Eus-
tatlus, 81. Martin. Bonaire and Arubo.
Their area. all told Is not much more
than 400 miles, half OF which IL In
Curacao. ST. Bonalre contains d little
less than 100 niles Arube, TO- 81. Mar
i'm. II; st. Eustatlus, seven, and queer
little Saba has to It's credit only about
five square miles. The latter is moth
ing but the peak Of a stupenduous
mountain, rising from the bottom Of
the ocean TO the height OF about 1000
feet above Il. II ~ the northernmost
volcano Of the Caribbee islands, and,
happily, has been totally extinct for
many centuries. OF course all these
tiny Dutch dependencies have their
general seat OF government at Curacao,
while each lsland-colony Is under the
direct rule Of an officer appointed by
Queen Wilhelmlna, who Tejoiceg under
the euphomious title OF "Gezaghebber'
Think OF spending ones life away
down In the depths Of a yolcano-f0r
that IL exactly what the 1900 or 5000
people DO who make up the population
of Saba. The island used to be known
as "Napoleons Cooked Hat" because
IN contour II very much resembles that
obsolete article OF head-gear AT first
view you think there is no landing
ulace at all--only solid wall OF un-
scalable cliffs, against which the sea
beats with resistless fury Around on
the leeward side OF the bald cone you
discern tiny break IN the cliffs, above
which hangs suspended what looks
like couple Of grey threads, or part
OF the web Of some gigantic spider. IL
Is a staircase, the only entrance TO the
city OF saba--1 900 feet almost straight
UP In the air, and then down again
TO the bottom OF the old volcano. Your
steamer approaches with extraordinary
care, feeling her way very slowly,
When 40 near that the stairway is well
defined against the dark mountain side
and you can distinctly hear the roar
OF surf against the base OF the cliffs
you are stlll wondering how landing
Is 70 be made where there is no such
thing as hafbor nor rod OF level
ground. Anchor Ia cast three miles
from shoreif one can properly call
the perpendicular height a shore--at
the mercy OF every spoftiye hurricane
that 30 frequently sweeps these vat
ers. Finally a boat Is let down from
the dayits and word goes forth that
passengers who desire to land are re-
quested 10 be quick about IT, for there
ID La, ttfb, N mi hiring
forth In this compositions latitude, II |
requires some courage TO obey the or
der. All who have tried II viii agree |
that II Ia neither The easiest nor the |
safest thing In the world 20 scramble |
down the swinging stairs outside a ship |
at sea, and to drop therefrom into lit |
tie boat that comes dancing along on |
the waves. coquettlshly advancing and |
receding-nOw humping against the |
vessels side, now waltzlng far away, |
leaving between stretch OF bottom |
less ocean which yawns to receive you |
II any miscaculatlon Is made as 10 the |
precise second OF letting go the stairs. |
Arrived within haillng distance OF the |
cliffs still no silver strand Of beach Is |
visible and not the slightest trace Of |
human habltaton-nOth but gray !
rock and black forest, broOded over by |
silence as profound as II no man had |
set foot here since the foundation Of |
the world. the whole encompassed by |
raging seas. The b0atmen rest upon l
their oars and make the welkin ring |
with cries Of come down. apparently !,
addressed to denizens Of the skies. Az
ter q long hours waiting, during which |
you are buffeted by surges and beat
en- about by trade winds--a welcoming
shout Is heard inland and you see men
running to and fro upon narrow
shelf Of rock near the base Of the cone,
reckoning and gestlcuatlng. The boat
shoots ahead, through foaming breakers
and between huge boulders, aiming
straight for the ledge with force
that threatens destruction In two
minutes you ARE wet TO the skin with
spray, and Just as the terrific shock Of
the Impact with those rocks knocks the
last breath out Of you. friendly Though
black hands seize you. wipe the salt
water from your eyes and set your feet
on terra nrma. Other hands haul the
boat up 10 safety and rescue your lug
gage which Is all afoat In the pound
Ing surf; and presently you are ascend
Ing the so-called ladder" up the face
Of Sabas tremendous precipice.
II II well that stalwart negro walks
on either side OF you--unless you have
been bred to such gentle exercises as
scaling church steeples and climbing
telegraph poles, for the narrow trall
Is by no means so reassuring 20 the
nerves as a flight OF stairs. with West
India gales doing their worst 10 blow
you of. into that horrible surf raging
directly below. Your sable guides.
climbing like goats and never making a
misstep, beguile the time with cheer
full conversation concerning accidents
that have occurred here, allowing you
10 sit down at every frequent platform.
10 rest awhile and recover breath, They |
tell you that this Is the best landing
place on the island-a very good one
as landing places 20 IN Saba~murh |
better and easier than the one on the
western side, When the wind blows
west they use the eastward landing.
called the fort" and when II blows
east. they use this one. the Ladder"
but whatever the weather the wind is
always high upon this isolated peak
and the seas that encompass it are
tough as the toughest They assured
me that In the days OF pirates their
ancestors thanked heaven for their in
accessible height which kept them
safer from those murderous gentry
than any other people Of the West In
dies. The early settlers OF Saba were
the sturdy Dutchmn who sailed with
Van Horne and Won Tpmpe,and many
sangulnary encounters they had with
the buccaneers and the latter would
have liked no better sport by way OF
retaliation, than TO steal In upon them
some fine night and murder an In
their beds, But in those days there
were not even ladders TO climb by, and
one man with n handful OF rocks at the
head Of a trail up the mountain side
could defy all the pirates that ever
sailed the Spanish main
Though Saba has no semhlance Of a
harhor It has a harbor master who
draws a respectable salary as captain
OF the port--down IN the DEPTHS OF the
volcano. He also acts In other capaci-
ties. one Of which Is to entertain stran-
gers, IN lieu OF a hotel and incidental
w 10 keen n sharp eve upOr them mend. |