Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-05

d NOlse plIdbS WHO pun huScp
upon them Fare is the old Scandi-
navian word for sheep. They famous, too,
as being the islands where Columbus first heard
OF the existence of America.
In 1903 British cruiser captured these islands,
but in 1914 they were abandoned as worthless
and went back to Denmark. Yeb Sudero, the
southernmost of the group, which is about 80
miles long by II miles wide, is nothing but one
gigantic mass of COAL Big ships can steam right
into land-locked bay and there fill their bunk
ers from the seams which crop through the cliffs
And by steam, this island is only forty-eight
hours from the south of England. Is it not
enough to make the patriotic Britsher tear his
hair to think that they gave away this treasure
island worthless? --
FAVORITE THEME
The Treasure Island has always been favorite
theme for the writer of fiction, and without
doubt there are, in actual fact. such things as
pirates hordes of gold buried in certain island
cliffs and beaches. Such men as Admiral Palliser
and Earl Fitzwilliam do not risk money and
time as they have done for nothing, and there is
pretty good proof that Keatlng's treasure of
millions was actually buried in Cocos Island and
that another huge mass of loot was secreted in
Trinidad. Whether either will be discovered is
quite another matter.
buried millions when many of the tens of thou
sands of islands which strew the oceans are laden
with such natural riches, like the island of Su-
dero already mentioned Another instance is
White Island, in the Bay of Plenty New Zealand.
About three miles IN circumference, and rising
in its centre to 800 feet above level this ISL
and is a mass of minerals principally gypsum
and sulphur. Of course, it is purely volcanic,
and a cloud of steam always hangs over it, In
the centre is lake about fifty acres in extent,
which is practically nothing but dilute sulphuric
acid There ought to be money in White Island.
RICH IN NATURES TREASURES
Guano to the value of many millions has been
dug from the Chincha Islands, small barren sun
baked rocks, off the southwest coast of South
America, and there are islands rich with similar
deposit and known Plum Pudding and Possess
sion Islands, close to the coast of German South
West Africa. Guano is now running Short but
there are still few islands rich in the fertilizing
material which have not yet been worked at all.
One was recently discovered about 400 miles
southwest of Clipperton Island in the Central
Pacific This low coral atoll is covered with the
richest phosphates, and has proved fortune to
its discoverers
Of the coast of Spanish Honduras are the five
Bay Islands. The largest of these, Ruatan,
is veritable treasure island. 1t has the richest
soil and the most extraordinary climate. The
temperature never rises above SS degrees falls
below sixty y-slX The natives hardly ever do any
work for there is no need to do more than plant
patch of cocoanuts and cane and sweet pota-
toes These renew themselves year by year. If
anyone could buy that island and had little
money to develop it, he could make an immense
fortune.
What are probably the most valuable islands in
the world are the Fur Seal Islands in Behring
Sea. and Robben Island, in the Sea of Ohkotsk
The average take of the Kamochatka Industrial
Comnany for years past has been 25,000 fur seals
worth $3.50 900, and 300 sea otter SKINS valued
ON an average at $3.50 apiece. During the late
war the Japanese raided many rookeries and are
said to have secured over million pounds worth
of furs.
The weirdest treasure islands in the world are
the Kabihoos. Frost bound, utterly barren and
repulsvely desolate, no one could imagine them
10 be worth landing upon. Yet under their eter
nal ice are such huge stores of fossil ivory, the
remains of long extinct monsters, that the islands
produce a revenue of about one million sterling
YEARLY.