The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-12-07

iron or tin, through Wnich Ihe'
not cut their way.
According to those who make thelF
homes on the island there is nothing
the crab will not try TO eat. NO green
thing grows on this island except tna'
which grows in the strangest garden
in the world, described below.
viii Devour Shoes.
The crabs not only eat the green as
soon as It makes its appearance above
the ground. but they go below the sur
face to seek out the seeds. They eat
Ianvthing soft mad many things that
are hard. Pieces of wood are gnaWed
at until they are reduced to spiinters'
lClothing, especially shoes and leather
lbelts. disappear in night II lert
where the crabs can get at them.
It is this constant struggle OF the
lcrabs for existence that is responsible
Tor q strange garden. On the Clipper
lion island there is no soil, notwith-
standing the fact that certain shrewd
iEnglishmen have made fortunes by
Eal,,ne from it the material necessary
lto enrich other lands. When the Pa
lciHc Islands Company established its
Istation on this lonely rim of rock, Il
. Thought to save much hardship on the
mart Of its employees and carried a
. shipload of soil from the mainland for
line purpose Of making garden The
) loan was spread out in proper posi-
, ttiou and the seed planted Next morn
ling the garden spot seemed to have
: Turned brilliant red. 1t was alive
: with crabs. and within week not
vestage of seed or loan remained.
The crabs took it to be new delicacy
land ate seeds and soil and began on
, the garden utensils.
Plants Garden on Stilts.
Determined not to be outwitted1 by
e the crabs. the company tried again,
t but this time the garden was built on
$ stilts. and the raised platform was
, protected from inroads Of crabs by In
II verified tin pans at the top OF the sus'
n tanning posts in a manner similar
re that used by Missouri farmers to pro
J. tect their corn from rats. In this ele
u waited garden the manager of the Is
er land raised a few vegetables, going tc
the garden by means OF a short ladder
Of which he was compelled to remove
n as soon as used, for the crabs were
Is as exDert at ladder climbing as they
7r were at eating vegetables. AS 1t rains
"a every night on CNppeIton Island
is there is never a lack of moisture To-
an the garden, and good crops are thu
rule.
n, The crabs seem possessed of hu
Id man intelligence in some things ant
he they have learned that visit on Tn
rt mart of the manager to the gardel
m means a feast for them, and when tn
at garden is being titled there is Away
i'll a swarm of crabs on the ground be
low waiting for the weeds and surplu
ne vegetation that are thrown oVel
ell When the cook pays visit to thi
at aerial garden he is followed on his re
er turn to the kitchen and the crabs ar
If ready to feast on the refuse whic
90 they seem to know will come If the
wait long enough.
he Leuend of Pirates Gold.
at At the time of my visit to the il
IN land the half-buried hulk Of the goo
10 British shin Kinkora lay along shor'
It was due to the invention of tn
he CAPTAIN of this vessel that Clipperto
is blessed with legend OF bur1e
gold from pirates store, and in man
!. places near the foot Of the masslN
rock which stands as landmark II
"9S' seafarers are the great holes dug .
the the castaway sailors of the Kinkor
lily kept from wearing their lives out
an. vain longing for the ship which seer
4. ed never to come, by feverls
search for mythical wealth that hs
g" its being only in the fertile mind
my the Captain. When he found his me
va pining away ne invented the story
anu pirate and gold and furnished the me
II with picks and shovels to dig. II
en- search continued until the longed-f
lin ship was sighted and then the ere
eai was too willing to forego possiD
wealth in the certainty of gettil
home.
IAN This story Is the basis OF one OF q
ess most persistent stories OF buried go
OF in the islands of the Southern Sea
OF and since then several expedition
Ioie have been fitted out by misguided ca
eel italists who have taken the tale OF
pro Kinkora's sailors as the basis for the
seS hopeless venture.
'ab-
leet ANY skin itching is temper-test
:" Tho moro You scratch the worse