The herald., 1917-05-31

lies in III. mid Pacific @.&9I
miles from san Francisco.
~ The i~IauH about rs large as
greater Nrw York is l.ruG miles in"
east az Manila.
Magellan. in lI21, discovered Oh"
group Of islands of which Guam is IN"
most important. AMI named them tn"
Ladrouc>. or Robh"r islands, h"cau~"
OF the natives thicyiu- prnpru~iti"S.
Later. sometime in the seventeenth
century. they were renamed MarianaN
islands in honor of Queen Maria Ana
de Austria, who established the first
school in Guam. This name has been
accepted by the navy department but
the group is still fumiiiarly called the
LadrOneS, writes Vrrn" SimkinS in Sea
Power
Guam is classified as naval rcS"r-
walton and the cummandaUt of the sta
tiOn Is also governor OF the island. re
CeivinC his commission rs such from
the president.
During the war with Spain. Capt.
Henry Glass. commanding tn" cruiser
Charleston. took the island. When, in
1898, the Charleston sailed into the
harbor of Agana and opened fire upon
the fort. the Spanish governor at once
surrendered, explaining his nOnrcSiSt-
ance by the statement that he had no
powder; mot even enough to return a
salute"
The government was created by ok
ecutive order of December %, 1898.
People of Mixed Blood.
When the group was found by Eu-
ropeanS, the natives were a branch
of the Malay race called ChamorrOs.
but now few are Of pure blood. The
admixture of Spanish, Filipino. Jap
nnese and Chinese blood is plainly
Indicated. Early navgatorS described
the ChamOrrOs as tall. cOrpulent, aC-
tive and strong, and. like other South
Sea Islanders, much at home in and
On the water. Both men and women
tinged their hair reddish yellow and
stained their teeth. Their clothing was
scanty and generally made of grass.
When Magellan arrived, the islands
had n population estimated at 10000.
This number was so reduced by war
and plague that half century later
there were probably not NOR" than
1000 left At the present time the
native population is approximately
1900.
Guam is of volcanic formation, with
coral reefs and platforms completely
surrounding the island. The surface
is very uneven, varying from low sandy
beaches and fertile valleys to lofty
and rocky plateauS and mountains
the highest of which is 1920 feet. The
coast line is very irregular.
Agana. the capital of Guam and It's
principal town, is the seat of the naval
Headquarters. Here also are the prin
cipaI church and the main schools and
the commercial establishments. Most
of the natives live in Agana and in
Accordance with old Spanish custom
20 daily from town to work on the
farms and ranches.
The graceful canoe of the ChamOrrC
was admired by the early navigatOrS
who described it as long and vel
fashioned, sharp ut both ends, fitted
with an Outrigger to prevent CapSiz
Ing and often with an Ornamentally
carved bow. 1t was equipped with
large triangular sails of woven palm
IrOnds. The largest canoes were 81
Feet long and feet wide and were
lug out Of solid logs. Similar craft
are in use now but they have deteriOr
,ted somewhat from those of the old
en- time.
, Rhe ChamOrrOS were skillful sailors
I Doubtless had some knowledge
igution for they made long vOy
n ut sea including regular trips Il
NE Philippines, 1900 miles away
Trips To Manila are known to hav,
6een made in If days and certain
words in the native language seem L
Indicate that they Ind communication
with the CarOlineS end even the Ha
waiian islands, Il distance of 800
miles.
The present day natives are rapid
~ becoming Americanized. partly be
cause certain American customs ant
traits appeal to them and partly be
sause of certain rules and regulation.
laid down by the American governor,
for their good which compel Il lean