Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-25
STORE FOOD FOR cRUsoEs
Lonely Islands Fitted With Provisions
for Castaways Of the Future.


That all expeditions, whether arctic
or otherwise, place food depots within
reach In case Of need Is, of course. well
known, but few people are aware that
there are certain rarely visited islands
and desolate coasts where dapots of
provisions and necessities have been
placed for the use Of shipwrecked
crews. The most extensive supplies of
this sort are those existing on some Of
the lonely islands in the south Indian
ocean. South of the liner track to Aus
tralia, via the cape, lie Crozet and
Kerguelin islands
In the jubilee year Of Queen Victoria
French warship placed in hut on
one Of the CroZets a good stock of
food and necessities, including two
spears and two hatchets., 1t Is highly
probable lat the bulk, If not all Of
these stores, are still there, for the
warship In question found the proYi-
sions left by British warship eight
years before absolutely intact.
The handbooks furnished to all
British shipmasters indicate exactly
the whereabouts Of these cached stores.
A seal hunter, who sought to find the
depot on Kerguelen island, wrote: 1T
was as easy as II we had sign post"
The Kerguelen depot was fitted out
by the French ship Eure, which, in
1893, left "2,250 pounds of preserved
beef in boxes Of 8 pounds, 1,125 pounds
Of biscuits, 20 swanskin shirts, 20 pairs
Of woollen drawers, 20 woollen blan-
kets, and 4 packets, Of matches" Fur
protect the stores from the weather.
The beef boxes were coated with tar
as were the iron-hooped barrels con-
tanning the biscuits and clothes, and
the matches were In boxes painted
over with re dead. ... NV .r.
Fourteen years afterward Captain
du Baty, who spent many months
sealing on the island, examined the
depot. Even though the goods had
been buried beneath a cairn Of stones,
the casks had rotted away, and the
clothing fell to pieces when opened
out. The biscuits had been turned to
sour pulp. and long green strands OF
moss were growing on the barrels. The
timed beef was perfectly good, and
was agreeable to the taste. He failed
to find the matches, but left some of
his own, together with needles and
twine N ~ ~ - -
On Amsterdam island, farther north,
the board Of trades handbook notifies
the fact that the French supplies are
In a cavern where have also been left
cooking pot, cots and dry wood. On
this island the stranded Crusoe will
find, too abundance Of wild cabbage
and celery growing, and Holsters and
fish are plentiful.
On the west coast Of Tasmania there
are some very lonely districts. AT
Rocky Point shipwrecked mariners
may find relief stores, and, in order to
aid them to regain civilization tracks
have been made for their benefit, with
iron index fingers every quarter mile,
pointing in the direction Of the reli
station And, on a river where ford
ing Is necessary, raft has been left
in readiness.
Similar provision exists on some Of
the outlying islands Of New Zealand,
and those are visited bya government
steamer once or twice each year In
case castaways are needing rescue. In
Vancouver shelter-sheds are erected
on some lonely shores, and thence the
shipwrecked sailor can ring up a GEN.
tral station on the telephone. AK
Refugees in Tierra del FuegoH learn
from the same source above quoted
that "they can trust the Yaghans to
conduct them to mission stations or
settlements" but the "Alacalufs are
aggressive and treacherous, though,
however great their number, they will
not attack a combination of three or
four persons, especially II they are
aware that these persons possess fire.
arms or implements resembling them" !"
|-Pearson's Weekly.