davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

LONDON, November 70, 1918
!: IS: s: :: -: :: :; :.: IS:
aristocracy. untutored in the
ways of war. are volunteering for serv
ice i'll the ranks. and are marching to
their death shoulder to shoulder with
the sons of butchers. bakers and can
dlestick makers. And by no means the
least of all the revolutions in customs
and habits, British cabinet ministers
are slipping harmless and delightful
tea with the London correspondents of
the leading American newspapers.
This official condescension is due, pri-
arily. to the happy thought of two
l.nglishmen, St Loe Strachey, editor
of the Spectator, and Harry Britain,
founder and honorary secretary of the
Pilgrims. The weekly teas, at which
the American newspaper men are
brought into fleeing but none the less
pleasant contact with the high and
mighty. were first held a the home of
ST. Loe Strachey, but they have now
been transferred to the little old-world
home Of Harry Britain, buried away
in a quiet street behind Westminster
Abbey and the houses of parliament.
There recently several writer's met
and talked with Herbert Samuel, presi-
dent of the board of trade, and Walter
Runcirnan. president Of the board OF
agriculture. of course, these meetings
are not arranged to furnish us with
any inside information, but rather TO
give us a small bond of sympathy with
the men about whom we are writing
from week 70 week, and whose efforts
in the way of government we are con-
stant!y called upon to discuss. and even
10 criticise.
Some such movement has long been
wanted in England Many of the edi-
tors of the London papers were per-
sonal friends of certain members of
The cabinet and. because OF their large
part in politics. are constantly being
brought into contact with holders OF
responsible public positions But for
the American correspondent nothing
mas been harder at critical moments
than for him to reach the men higher
up. not necessarily for an expression of
opinion. but Father for authoritative
Information that would be useful in
helping him rightly to Judge the trend
OF affairs. II is only thus. of course,
that correspondence can be made to
serve its greatest usefulness.
The writer remembers a colleague
who. not many months ago, succeeded,
not as a newspaper man. but as an
agent for the time being of the United
Edward Grey. The colleague took the
opportunity Of telling the British
foreign secretary that he thought
something ought to be done in the
way of making the British heads of
departments as accessible to American
newspaper men in London as are
american government officials, includ-
ing even the President. to British cor
respondents in Washington you
astonish me-" declared Sir Edward ~
never knew that American correspond-
ents wanted to talk to us or that they
had any difficulty in doing SO il they
did,
Although many of the papers here
are making bother about the alleged
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

1909, just a little more than 200 years
ago. He went to London and there
met Defoe. who had many talks with
him and therefrom got the idea and
Robinson Crusoe" was publiehed ten
years later 1t ran through four edi-
tons in as many months and was the
big seller of its time. 1t is one of the
biggest sellers of today. and it ranks
with the Bible and John Bunyan's
Pilgrims Progress" as the greatest
sellers of history. Robinson Crusoe"
has been translated into nearly every
known language. 1t has been printed
in Spanish. German, Russian. italian,
Creek and Arabic. 1t is one of the
boys books of Japan, and Chinese
edition has been recently issued which
is having an enormous sale.
Now that the Panama canal is COM
pleted there will probably be some
special steamship excursions to Robin
son Crusoe's Island. The round trip
from Valparaiso can be made in three
or four days. and it might include a
Selkirk lived, at the Lookout. where
for four long years he scanned the sea
for ships. and. 1 doubt not, at vestiges
of Crusoe's man Friday. and perhaps
a petrified footprint of that which the
savage made upon the sand.
-
Selkirk was found by a ship that had
seen the fire on the Lookout. Accord
ing to the narrative of the captain who
took him to England, he was clad in
goatskins and was running about as
though crazy. When he reached Lon
don his talk was the wonder of the
coffee houses and his adventures were
discussed by every one. Sir Richard
Steele told of them in one of his pa
pers. and Selkirk published little
pamphlet of twelve pages describing
his wanderings.
The Robinson Crusoe cave, where Sell
kirk lived, lies in a ridge of volcanic
rock. 1t is easily identified. 1t is about 80
feet deep, and it's roof is from ten to
fifteen feet from the floor. The en-
trance is about fifteen feet high, and is
almost hidden in ferns The cave shows
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

interests have been remarkably success
full in the past three months in imposing
their will upon the members Of the cab
met and the war office. They forced the
government to change its original and
reasonable attitude toward enemy aliens
and compelled the arrest of thousands OF
more or less harmless Germans and
Austrians, many of whom hadn't even
correspondent with Germany for many
years.
These same papers. before the war, de-
clared that England was overrun by
German spies. no Immediately upon the
outbreak of would commit all man
ner of outra .. Yet, despite the fact
that thousands of Germans walked about
England unmolested for weeks after the
outbreak of war, according to the nome
secretary. not single outrage has been
attempted or committed by one of them.
These same interests compelled the
resignation of Prince Louis of Batten-
berg from the post of first sea lord OF
the admiralty. That they should play
such large part in affairs is all the
more remarkable when remembers
that, without exception. they are opposed
to the government in politics, and exact
ly the opposite views on all these Ques-
tons are held by the liberal newspapers.
OF the hundred thousand Belgian
refugees who have come to England some
sixty thousand have passed through the
governments hands. Many of these un-
fortunate people are now blleted on
willing families all over the country. but
there still remain many who are giving
the officials much food for thought. In
population like Belgium's there are al
ways many families whom, because of the
low standards that obtain in some parts
of the country, it is impossible to ask
any British family, of sufficient stand
ing to shoulder the additional burden in
these hard times, to support. Thus the
government will place them in various
institutions as soon as convenient. Also,
among the refugees are many who, al
though not actually criminals. neverthe-
less may be termed semi-criminal. 1t is
desired to separate this class, but in
finite tact is necessary in carrying out
the scheme.
In more peaceful times part of my
days used to be spent in writing on
affairs Of the drama and the tickle for
tunes of theaterland. How far away
that time seems and how fiat and
tasteless what news there is from day
to day appears! After many weeks
absence few nights ago l dropped into
a popular theatrical club where actors
and actresses, especially American, were
wont to gather for companionship in
the days "befOr' de war" Instead of
room full of life and high spirits,
filled with famous figures of the the
alter. 1 found a half-deserted place in
dejectedly of the days news-or lack
of news-from the front.
This is typical of the whole of the
aterland. Many of the houses are closed
md the others are leading a precarious
existence. The almost total extinction
of lights in the heart of London at
night has acted like wet blanket upon
the spirits Of the few theatergoers. and
the one-time popular comedians of the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

Islands as well. and upon the smaller
islands still in the hands of the Peru
Wan government.
When these islands were first discov-
cred they had guano deposits sixty
feet deep, and Alexander Humboldt, who
visited them 10 years ago, said that
they then contained enough manure TO
enrich all of the worn-out lands of the
old world. They were not thought to
be of value. however, until about fifty
years later. when a Frenchman called
attention to certain of the deposits.
and claimed one-third of the product
by right of discovery. The Peruvian
Congress voted him 5000 tons, but it
is said that he never got it, and died
in a poorhouse in Paris.
Other deposits were discovered by IN
American named Landreau, and he was
treated in the same way, although our
State Department took up his case.
and President Hayes referred to it in
one of his messag to Congress. The
deposits Landreau discovered were
worth s400.000.000. and according to
the Peruvian law he should have had
$133,000,000 from them. He received
nothing FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

has been sent by the President of
Peru to report upon the islands and adj
wise the government as to their future.
DIR. Forbes has visited the whole coast
in a motor boat, and has investigated
all the islands and roosting rocks.
studying the birds and their possibili-
ties. He has caught some of the birds
and kept them with a view to see how
much guano each will produce. He
finds that the amount of Ash consumed
by them is enormous. A single pelican
will eat from eight to ten pounds day
and it deposits an enormous amount of
son. A sea gull will drop from four to
six ounces per day or something NM Xix. IKE
il is breeding. Other birds produce
more and the total amount is very
great.
DR.. Forbes has divided the guano ar
chipelayo into zones and it is his idea
that each zone will be worked only
once in four years. during which times
the other zones will be accommodating
guano In this way the supply will be
continuous and the islands may again
be enormously profitable.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

the guano comes from eight species of
birds. The chief of these is Bougain-
villes cormorant, whose chief nesting
place is the Chincha Islands. Last Feb
ruary DR.. Forbes found ten millions of
these birds nesting in the middle OF
one of these islands. The nests were
close together. and the whole formed
one of the most wonderful bird sights
of the world. He watched them, and
found that each nest had its male and
female. and that one bird sat on the
nest while the other was feeding. ana
that it, in turn, was relieved by its
mate. The cormorants started for their
fishing grounds at or in the morn
ing, and flew In a broad stream perhaps
$50 feet wide. This stream continued
for hours.
Inc next plrd in Importance is the
pelican. This also nests in great hocks.
and in the same neighborhood as the
cormorants. When the pelicans are
feeding five or six thousand of them
may be seen diving together. They fill
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

lack of recruits. you would be well ad-
vised to accept their statements with
caution. 1t is pretty certain that the
British authorities have about all the
troops they can handle and train for
the time being. OF course, on the face
of 1t one would agree that it would be
fine and desirable thing for the re-
cruits to roll up in their thousand
every day, go through their training
with as little delay possible and
take their places in the firing line
some time early next spring in over
whelming numbers and bring the war
to a close. That would he fine thing
from the British viewpoint. although it
probably would not please the Ger
mans.
Unfortunately for the British, how
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

the great pouches under their bills. and
carry the fish away to eat them at
their leisure.
Another bird is the gannei. whose
young are beautiful little creatures
covered with the purest white down
The gannets fly in flocks of from ten
to twenty thousand. and they go down.
like SO many rockets. into tho sea
The guano OF the Lobos Islands is
found in pockets covered with layers
OF sand from two to fifteen feet deep.
These are old deposits. The. sand il
shoveled Off. and the guano is dug out.
The stuff looks like fine sand. As II is
dug up a strong smell OF ammonia
rises and the workmen wear iron
masks over their faces to keep the
dust out of their lungs. Tue
guano is loaded upon trucks and car
ried on a tramway to the shore. whers
it is transferred TO the ships for Eu-
rope or the United States. such load
ing is now being done on the Chincha
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
Strange Tales of Wild Cattle, Mules and Enor-
NOUS Turtles-Peruvian Islands Which
Have Produced a Billion Dollars Worth cf
Fertilizer-The Guano Deposits and How
the Peruvian Government Will Renovate
Then1-Days on the West Coast

During my trip OFF the guano islands
We had millions of pelicans flying over
our steamer. There were also sea gulls,
wild ducks and divers of many kinds.
In places the was covered with
birds, and a great flock of cormorants
or pelioans would drop out of the sky
on to the water. covering an acre or so
at one time. The birds feed in the sea.
The pelicans have pouches or bags OF
yellow skin under their necks. and they
scoop the fish into these. They often
gorge themselves to such an extent
that they cannot rise from the water.
but remain there until they have di-
gested sufficient of their catch to light
en- the weight. They always hunt in
fiocks, and when they settle on some
place where the fish are abundant. they
form islands on the sea a mile or so in
diameter. DR.. Forbes says that they
sit so close together that those on the
outside have to rise first before the
birds in the interior are able to get
enough air under their wings to enable
them to rise from the sea-
DR.. Forbes has found that the most Of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

The grass is excellent and COW
ers every open spot on the northern
side of the island There are wild oats
on some of the hills and also wild vege-
tables. There are wild fruits which
have reproduced themselves from the
trees planted by Alexander Selkirk. and
from the same souace there are wild
grapes as delicious as those which Robin
son Crusoe dried for raisins.
Alexander Selkirk was the hero OF
Defoe's story and the real Robinson
Crusoe. He was cast away on this is
land more than 9bo years ago. and
there is a monument to him, consist
ing of a marble tablet set in the rocks
on one of the higher parts of the is
land. The place is known as Robin
son Crusoe's Lookout. and it is where
he is supposed to have kept watch
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

Copyrighted 1914. by Frank C. Carpenter
VALPARAISO, Chile.
p DINED the other night on Holsters
caught on the shores Of the island
wheye Alexander Selkirk the real
IL Robinson Crusoe, was cast away.
They were large, tender and juicy,
and ! doubt if better can be found in the
world. Robinson Rrusoe's island is
becoming great fishing grounds. 1t
has fine cod in its waters. and it is
noted for it's Holsters and other she'll
fish, 1t has also large Chilean fishing
colony. and the Japanese, who are or
ganizing a fishing industry in northern
chile. are considering the exploitation
of that territory.
Robinson Crusoe's Island is known on
the maps as Juan Fernandez. 1t be-
longs to Chile, and it lies about 400
miles west of this port of Valparaiso
and 2,600 miles south of the Panama
Canal. 1t is reached by government
steamers. which go there to supply the
colony at certain times of the year. and
II is ruled by officers of the Chilean
government During my stay here I
have met men who know the island
well
They describe ii as paradise. 1t has
plenty of rain and is covered with a
luxuriant vegetation. 1t is affected by
the antarctic current, which keeps it
perpetually cool. and the northern half
on which the rains fall is covered with
green.
The island is only twelve miles long
by seven miles wide 1t consists of a
Nf
ocean to height of more than four
thousand feet. 1t is made up of hills
and mountains, with many ravines and
short valleys. The most of the shores
are inaccessible, hut at Cumberland
Fay there is an excellent landing place
Behind this is a settlement of cottages
and huts made of cane wattled with
straw The houses have gardens about
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
mi PALACE HAS BEEN TURNED FOR WAR BUSINESS

vise-s and helpers appear he has gone
over the dispatches and other docu
ments that have arrived by the early
delivery and made notes in the margins
of many of them. in readiness for the
Forthcoming conferences.
Merely the sight of the contents OF
the numerous dispatch boxes would
make most men quail Admiralty. war
Office. home office and India office all
contribute their daily quota. while
from the prime minister and chancel-
Tor of the exchequer comes tremen-
dous amount Of pressing business
which cannot be settled without the
kings sanction. and thankful King
George must he that at this time con-
troversial matters have sunk into OBJ
liVion.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
NTRooFs
n ii L her
p A

and the consequent decision of the bus
companies to run no buses on many
routes after IL or even 1890 o'clock, has
absolutely put the lid on the West End
of London as night amusement center.
In company with some thousands of
others. including no end of Belgians.
French people and Canadians in uni
forms. stood in the Mall today to see
the king drive through on his way to
open parliament. and, thanks to a po>
lice pass, got a close view of him. He
looks well and in good spirits. but
rather tired, thought, and no wonder.
considering that, owing to the war he
is harder worked today than he ever
has been in his life before. That is say
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

way southwark through the Pacific. At
nrst 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 were discovered the de-
posfts were SO large that the Peruvians
were two generations In developing
them. They shipped the gLano to the
United States and Europe, and a feet
The receipts paid a large part of the
expenses OF the government, and they
kept the country rich.
Then Peru had its wa, with Chile
and was conquered. Tho result was an
enormous foreign debt in the settle
lands were given over to the foreign
bondholders. and came under what is
known as the Peruvian corporation.
which corporation is still shipping from
them thirty or more thousand tons
every year
The guano deposits are now almost
exhausted. The most of the product
had been consumed before the war
with Chile, and a continual export has
gone on since then. The output now
amounts to only a few thousand tons
year, but through the plans now
making by the Peruvian government
the islands may be renovated. and
continual supply received from them
for all time to come. These plans are
based upon the work of DR.. H. Q.
Forbes, celebrated ornithologist. who
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

Most newspaper readers. one mag
ines. regard as pleasing fiction stories
of the strenuous duties of monarchs.
but I have the word of famous Lon
don business man who lately has been
brought closely in touch with court cir
cles that buckingham Palace is today
one of the best and one of the hardest
working business houses in London. and
the king an interchangeable head, who
never seems tired"
King George always has been an
early riser During his years in the
navy he was forced to be-, and soon
after $3.50 nowadays he 10 busy in his
study. By the time his OFFICIAL adj
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

All the dispatch boxes. which are
blue in color, are taken to the palace
by the recognized special messengers
OF the various offices. Every box is fit
ted with a patent lock, to which there
are only two keys. one for the use of
the king or his chief secretary and the
other for the minister or official from
whom the box comes. Then there are
the dispatches from the foreign pow
ers-those from France and Russia
being now especially heavy-brought
over almost daily by the silver gray
hounds" as the kings messengers are
known from the insignia they wear,
and last. but by no means least. the
important and weighty dispatches
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

Germany prepared much more thor
oughly than any of the allies for the
inevitable war"
OF course. it is easy TO see the colored
man in the woodpile in all this news
paper agitation about the alleged dearth
of recruits Certain powerful interests.
who preached CONSUMPTION many months
before the war, think the present time
favorable to forcing the hands of the
government. And it must be acknowl-
edged by an onlooker that these same
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

graph of it, The inscription reads as
follows:
IN MEMORY OF
ALEXANDER SELKIRK. MARINER.
A native of Largo. in the County OF
Eyfe, Scotland, who lived on this is
land. in complete solitude, four years
and four months.
He was landed from the "Cinque
Ports" galley, So tons, is guns. A. D;
1904, and was taken Off in the Duke
privateer 18th. of February 1908.
He died Lieutenant of II. NJ. S. "Wey-
mouth" A. D. 1923, aged Al years.
This tablet is erected near Selkirk' s
Lookout by Commodore Powell and
the officers of H. NJ. s. Topaz"
A. D. 1868.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

ever, there are many considerations
that make it a much more complicated
first place there is woeful shortage OF
officers to train the men, shortage
that is becoming greater and greater
as casualties at the front increase and
drawn upon to make good the wastage
Secondly. there is bound to be a short
age, even next spring, of equipment.
Rifles. for instance, are by no means
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

plentiful. | was told by high Ger
man official before the war started that
full equipment. including rifles. was in
storage in the fatherland for about
5000, 900 men. That may or may not
be true, but it is probably a fact that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

music halls find 1t impossible to raise
q laugh even with their oldest and best
tried witticisms. The shortage of
buses and drivers. thousands of whom
have gone to the front to replace the
hundreds lost in the retreat from Mons.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
CHILE BUILDING
Carpenter Says Island of Daniel Defoe's Hero Is
Becoming Great Fishing Ground-Other
Strange South American Islands-W Be
Opened by Panama Canal Traffic-The
Galapagos Archipelago as Coaling Sta
ton for the United States

them. and at one time there was an at
tempt to start a stock-raising indus
try. One settler is said to have had as
many as 10000 cattle and an equal
number of sheep. In time. however,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
Man
LevelN Shortage
Saws Conronen-Bea
Theter-A High fora Fat

ing something. too. for, unlike his
late easy-going father. England's sailor
king takes his duties as head of the
state mighty seriously and never has
spared himself since he came to the
throne
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

Alexander selkirk was rescued in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, November

LONDON, November Is. 1914.
n" PAR is great leveler. Ger
NJ man princelings are fight
NM ing in the line with Ger
man clerks; the English
arisfnc 1lnfnforad in the