The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-08-27
Stations With Provisions Estab>
IIshed on Lonely Islands.
Most Extensive of These Supplies Are
Those Existing South of the Liner
Track to Australia Via
the Cape.


That all expeditions whether arctic
or otherwise, place food depots with
III 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
depots of provisions and necessities
have been placed for the use of ship
wrecked crews. The most extensive
supplies of this sort are those exist
ing on some of the lonely islands in
the South Indian ocean. South of the
liner track to Australia via the Cape
lie Crozet and Kerguelen islands.
In the jubilee year of Queen Vic
toria French warship placed in hut
on one of the Crozets good stock
OF food and necessities, including two
spears and two hatchets. 1t is high
ly probably, says Pearson's Weekly.
that the bulk, If not all OF these stores,
are still there, for the warship in
question found the provisions left by
British warship eight years before
absolutely intact.
The handbooks furnished to all Brit
ish 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 If we had signpost."
THE Kerguelen depot was fitted out
by the French ship Eure which in 1898
left "2,250 pounds of preserved beef in
boxes of 9 pounds, 1,125 pounds of
biscuits, 20 swanskin shirts, 20 pairs
of wooden drawers, 20 wooden blankets
and packets of matches" Further
more great trouble was taken to pro-
tect the stores from the weather.
The beef boxes were coated with
tar, as were the iron hoped barrels
containing the biscuits and clothes
and the matches were in boxes paint
ed over with red lead.
Fourteen years afterward Captain
du Baty, who spent many months seal
ing 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 cloth
ing 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
Irvine.
On Amsterdam island, further north,
the Board of Trade handbook mott
fies the fact that the French supplies
are in cavern where also have been
left cooking-pot, cots and dry wood
On this island the stranded Crusoe
will find, too, abundance of wild cab
bage 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 bene
fit, with Iron index fingers every
quarter mile pointing in the direction
to the relief station" And on a river
where fording is necessary raft has
been left in readiness.
Similar provisions exist on some
of the outlying islands Of New Zea-
land and these are visited by a gov
eminent steamer once or twice year
in case castaways are needing rescue.
In Vancouver shelter sheds are erect
ed on some lonely shores and THENCE
shipwrecked sailor can ring up a
central station on the telephone.
Refugees in TERRA del Fuego learn
from the same source about quoting
that "theY can trust the Yaghans to
conduct them to mission 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 If they are aware that these
persons possess firearms or implt
ments resembling them"