The Columbus journal., 1908-04-08
"A STRANGE ISLAND.
Americans Should Be Interested in
=: -: This Place. -. &.

r. Inns -fIace. -. q.
=. While: Americans and : Canadians
have been running over the world in
search of novelty, exploring the ma
larial, jungles of Africa and the frozen
regions of the north, looking for
strange peoples and customs. they
have overlooked, a very strange coun,
try close at hand. The island of
Anegada is one of the strangest of all
the strange places in the world
=. First of all, where is Anegada? IT
is one OF the Virgin islands, and it
lies northeast: of, Porto Rico, one OF
the; Great Antilles: and its: first pc:
culiarityis that it is fiat and low, the
neighboring isles all being steep and
. mountainous, a. It. is nine miles long
ans two miles across. and lies so low
that in heavy gales the sea makes a
clean breach over the lower portions
: of it. whence its name-for anegada
is the Spanish for drowned island.
-, Next we come to its strange history.
In 1881. it had only. 1f9 inhabitants, of
whom but three, We're white people: ,
= Its population is noted for idleness.
and the main occupation for many
years was wrecking-for. an extensive
and very dangerous coral reef sur
rounds the. island and once gave it
very melancholy nOtoriety But since
the establishment of the lighthouse on
the island of Sombrero (i7 miles to
the eastward, there have. been few,
III. any. wrecks on Anegada. since the
main cause of the shipwrecks was the
constant and swift current which sets
upon the island from the east: =: :. :
-. Accordingly the natives are now:
not often: aroused by: the Cry. of "a
vessel on the. :reef'+-the only. call in
the old days which would arouse them
from: their almost perpetual inactivity.
In faet.Ihey are about the LATEST peo-
pie in,the West Indies. although that
is saying a great. deal. @-:c::, IT,
Anegada used to be covered with:
Internationally of the kind called
seaside grape. which here is ~:partichs,
larry rich in the valuable gum. known,
as Jamaica kino. .Anegada is the home
of very numerous and -singular-tropicai
plants, but it is perhaps rather more
noteworthy FORTS immense numbers of
mosquitoes, gallinippers and scorpions.
not to Speak of yenomous and other,
reptiles. The surrounding seas are,
rich in scale and: Shell fish of. many
kinds. = - - -. -,
:: Among its singular birds the: fla
mingo is one of the most: numerous
species. and most of the ponds are the
abode of ducks which. on the approach
of. man, rise and fill the air with their
dangerous cries. .,.:>. .::..~
1t is not an easy matter to reach the
island: A: few, years ago AN. attempt
was made to open mines upon it.. but
nothing came of the effort. but disap-
pointment and loss. Among the many
disagreeable features of life in this hot
and steaming climate is the presence
Of large salt ponds. which in; the dry
season give out an :intolerable stencil
and the same ponds in the wet season
fill up with singular rapidly. and food
a considerable portion of the island.
=: As we may infer from the name.
Anegada is. pretty frequently flooded
Whenever a hurricane comes: sweep
ing along the waves roll completely
over the island. and the people have
to look ont for their: safety. ~ sd
:: When Schomburgh. a German %trav-
Weller. was in Anegada many years ago
there was one morning a great, cutlery
that all the north part of the island
was Hooded. and so to all appearance
it. was but on examination it. was
found that. the supposed waves; of the
sea were in reality only "a low-lying
fog which was rapidly sweeping along.
= Another curious thing is the aerial
and this often brings into
view other islands which lie below the
and; which, according to the
ordinary. operations of nature, ought to
be invisible: -: 49,: =. 80: =. II
A part of the surface is composed of
sand dunes, but there is a considerable
of .calcareous; or coral land. |
with. belts of. fertile loan. and if the
soil were intelligently. and faithfully |
cultivated. it. would no. doubt yield |
good returns - =: =; i
~ In ordinary seasons the fresh water /
supply appears to be. ample: On the |
northeast side: of the island there is a
singular !. succession of very deep |
natural wells of fresh water. some of
them % feet across the top -; = = i
:. 1t would be: hard TO find anywhere a T
hotter. wetter, worse smelling, or. more /
disagreeable*. place to live
than Anegada; but. csinSularly enough. |
it appears to be for the most part "a
pretty healthy place at least for the
natives: Of whom nearly all are black
or colOred. =. :: -:
! In the; ante-coloniai' days the In
dams: used to. come: hither in: their
but no Indian, could : ever
bring himself make. "a permanent
hore in Anegada. with its 'steaming
fogs. its squalls. its sea floods, its
fresh-water: foundations. - its ;. strong
SMELLS. and its dense swarms Of in
sects::- and no American. could be per:
Suaded to spend more than "a hours
Oh: the island. in spite. of its: strange"
ness. -. /