The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-08-10
THE MOST PRIMITIVE PEOPLE
SOMETHING OF INHABITANTS OF
THE SOUTHERNMOST VILLAGE.
DR.. Charles HI. Townsend Returns
From Straits of Magellan With
SururiSing Exploration Tales.

DR.. Charles H. Townsend Returns
From Straits of Magellan With
Surprising Exploration Tales.
DR.. Charles H. Townsend, director
of the New York Aquarium, who re-
Gently spent month in and about
the Straits of Magellan, contributes
to the Popular Science Monthly an
account of his experience.
The perpetual snow-line is only
1000 to 5000 feet above tideWater,
and yet in the summer season won
derful flowers and ripe berries are
to be gathered, while humming blros'
parrots and famingoes abound. For
tunately there are no mosquitoes. lie
writes:
''No ordinary description can con-
yey a clear idea of the generally I'M
penetrable character of the forests,
which are more tangled and difficult
than those of the tropics. Fallen
trees and branches cover deeply the
whole forest floor, these in turn be-
ing mostly concealed with MOSES and
large plants, the whole always sat
urated as if by a recent rainstorm.
After clambering over decayed logs,
heavily blanketed with moses, one
may land waist deep in Doggy vege-
tation Progress is possible only by
constant and laboriOus climbing over
distractions.
At Punta Arenas, the most south
erly settlement in the world, as Etah
is the farthest north, a few vege-
tables are raised, there is some gold
digging, and sheep raising is -four
ishing industry. From Punta Are
mas, on a clear day, the snOw-clad
peak of Mount Sarmiento may be
seen in TERRA del Fuego, 100 miles
to the southwark. 1t has never been
assembled, in spite of the fact that it
is only 900 feet high, little higher
than Mount Washington. Sir Martin
Conway, the famous mountaineer,
attempted it, and was driven back
by storms of sleet at 1000 feet.
DR.. Townsend believes that the
native Fuegian represents the closest
approximation to primitive man to
be found in the world today. In half
a century it is supposed that the
Fuegians have dwindled in number
from perhaps $4,000 to about 1000.
He says of them:
Sell Everything But Canoe.
"They were always eager to come
aboard the ship and to trade their
bone-pointed spears, bows and ar
rows or rough paddles for ship bis
cult and misfit clothing. They were
even willing to trade their children.
The canoe was apparently the only
article not for sale. 1t seems to rep
resent home and fireside, the few
brush and leaf covered bowers we
saw on shore being merely hastily
made night camps, and wet ones at
that. The canoe conveys the people
from mussel bank to sea-bird rock
cry in the continual search for food
1T is not likely that they often
get seals, as their spears appear too
rude-merely short poles with the
bark on, the bone points being tied
on in the toughest manner. Besides
there never seemed to be enough seal
skins to provide each member of the
group with a cover for his should
ers~ Naked children huddled close
to their mothers for shelter from
wind and rain. We made no meas
urements, but my recollection is that
none of these savages exceeded five
feet in height. The faces of the
adults were all utterly barbarous."'