The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-02-17
Splendid Record For Morality by the Less Than 100
Inhabitants Isle in South Atlantic Ocean.

In 1888 great disaster Defell the
islanders. Fifteen men. comprising
nearly the whole adult male popula-
ton, were lost in a boat that left the
island to board a passing vessel, max
ing of Tristan, as one OF the survivors
expressed it, IAN island of widows and
children" But the women and the
boys and girls had been trained i'll the
rugged school of self-help, and instead
of abandoning themselves to weeping
and moping they set to work to make
the best of the situation, and with
the aid Of some supplies from the Brit
ish Government, stuck 1t out, strug-
Cling against many difficulties and tri-
umphing over disaster that would
have wrecked colony of carefully Sc
lected idealists.
Nature has been at no pains to pre-
pare an earthly paradise on this lonely
isle. It's remoteness from the world
of strife and unrest is what has con-
tributed most to the establishment of
an Arcadia there. The island is a
vast volcanic cone, almost 5000 feet
in height, which was hurled up out
of the sea aeonS ago. The base is
rough circle, the circumference of
which, something over twenty miles in
extent, is defined by steep cliffs from
1000 to 1000 feet high.
On the northwest plateau some five
| miles long and about mile broad in
| tervenes between these cliffs and sea,
and this also drops abruptly about 10C
| feet to the actual sea beach. 1t is on
this low-lying stretch of ground that
| the little community dwells and cult.
Yates what crops they can obtain,
mostly potatoes.
! A copiouS stream of fresh water
bursts out at the foot of the lofty cliffs,
running across the northern end of the
plateau and falling over the lower
| cliffs into the sea, making q pictur-
esque cascade and refreshing sight for
mariners whose water casks need re-
plenishing
Near the rivuet the fifteen or six
| teen dwellings Of the settlement are
grouped. Some years ago part of the
spring was diverted near its source by
cutting a furrow, so that tributary
stream now passes by the door of
nearly every one of the houses, to re.
unite just above the cascade.
The houses are built of soft stone
obtained from the high slopes of the
mountain dressed to fit so exactly
that the scanty mortar used is scarcely
needed. They are all built on substan-
! TALLY the same plan, about thirty feet
! long and ten broad and only one story
| in height. One-half of each house is
devoted to the sitting room, with
large fireplace and chimney in the
gable. the remaining being divided into
| two or more smaller rooms with COM
municating passages.
The wood used in the partitions has
been obtained from ships that have
called at the island or been cast ashore
there. A relic Of one of these ship
wrecks is seen in the inscription
Unable Clark" which appears on a
piece Of timber used in constructing
one of the bedrooms. For rescuing the
crew of this vessel in 1873 the island
ers were handsomely rewarded by the
United States Government.
They have troubles of their own, like
other peoples. The worst of them
came from the outside world. Over
twoscore years ago a schooner was
wrecked on the island and a lot of rats
escaped from her to the shore, multi
plying so fast that they soon Overran
the island, rendering the cultivation
of grain impossible and sweeping bare
the hillsides where grew the tussock
grass with which they used to thatch
their cottages.
Now each householder has to raise
what he needs of it in q walled-in in
closure from which the rats can be
kept at bay. The rats are the curse
of the island The Tristanites will
erect q monument to the memory of
anybody who will rid them Of the pest
Tor many reasons it would seem to
be eminently desirable that the exist
ence of this island Arcadia should be
: perpetuated. AS an object lesson in
the solution of some of the most
vexed problems Of sociology the little
community may some day be deemed
worthy of the study of our learned pro
2 fessors who have evolved various
theories as to how the greatest happi
4 ness may be attained by the greatest
number.-Los Angeles Times.