The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06
Strange South American Islands
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER

These islands were for a long time I'M
inhabited, and not long ago they had a
sort of Robinson Crusoe. who lived
there for years rpon fruits and roots and
upon the, wild cattle and pigs which he
was able TO kill lie caught the animals
in traps and killed them with a spear
made of pocket knife tied to a stick.
lie had hut with a roof of cowslxins and
pigskins. When found he was naked, and
was carrying a pig on his back. He had
been on the islands for years having been
left there by some ship. He had almost
lost the power of speech. and it took
some time for him to grow accustomed
to Civilized ways
At several times during our history
the United States has considered the
getting possession OF the Galapagos Is
lends. In 1851 prelminaries of transfer
were arranged with Ecuador, and at that
time S3,000000 was offered for the right
of collecting the guano on the Islands
The sale fell through. however, and so
far none of the subsequent negotiations
has succeeded. Now that we have the
canal, the sale may again come up III
connection with our Pacific coast trade
1t is claimed that the islands are fer
tile. Some parts of them are now being
settled. The Ecuadorians have estab-
lished several plantations, and say that
they have enough grazing grounds 70
feed thousands of cattle. The islands
have excellent cod fisheries along the
shore. and are also famous for turtles OF
enormous size, which are found nowhere
else. These turtles when full grown
measure about three feet thick and weigh
as much as 600 pounds. They are valu-
able for their oil, which can be used
In place of lard. An ordinary turtle will
yield about six gallons of oil. and this
will sell for 70 cents a gallon. Inc is
lands have also seals and wild dogs. as
well as wild donkeys and cattle. all OF
which are the descendants of those
brought by colony from Ecuador, which
once attempted to settle the island, but
failed.
There are other Islands lying off the
west coast of South America that have
yielded more money than any other spots
upon earth of a similar size. l refer to
the guano islands, which have produced
more than one billion dollars worth of
fertilizer, and which, If the present move-
ment for their renovation succeeds. will
produce hundreds OF millions of dollars
more This movement is backed by the
Peruvian government, and is based upon
scientific Investigations. l will describe
1t further on in this letter
The guano islands begin at the north
ern part Of Peru. and they run here and
there through the sea off the west coast
of the South American desert far down
into Chile. They are SO situated that
they have no rain, and they are abso-
lutely barren except for the vast flocks
of birds which use them for their breed
ing places. #
I saw many of these islands on my
way southwark through the Pacific. At
first they seemed to be rocks of white
chalk. The white. however was made
by the droppings OF birds. which come
there by the tens of millions every year
to nest and raise their young.
The great value comes from the drop
pings or manure of these birds. At the
time they We're discovered the deposits
were so large that the Peruvians were
two generations in developing them. They
shipped the guano to the United States
and Europe, and fleet of vessels was
er gagged in carrying it. The receipts paid
a large part of the expenses of the gov
eminent, and they kept the country rich.
Then Peru had its war with Chile and
was conquered. The result was an enor-
nous foreign debt in the settlement of
which the best of the guano islands were
given over to the foreign bondholders,
and came under what is known as the
Peruvian corporation, which corporation
is still shipping from them $1,000 or more
tons every year
The guano deposits are now almost .ex-
hausted. The most of the product had
been consumed before the war with Chile
and q continual export has gone on since
them. The output now amounts to only
a few thousand tons year, but through
the plans now making by the Peruvian