Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-04
ROBINSON CRUSOE
NOT TO Be P|T|ED
Dr.. Schmitt Finds Island of
Hermit Is Beautiful
Place.

Robinson Crusoe was more to he on
WED than pitied, according to Or
Waldo l.. Schmitt of the Smithsonian
Institution, who recently visited JuaI
Fernando Island, off the coast d
Chile, upon which the reputed orieina
of De Foes character, Alexander Sci
kirk, lived for four years.
DIR. Schmitt who was engaged IN q
survey of South Americas vast re
sources of shrimps and crabs, found
this island one of the most picturesque
and fruitful spots in South America.
1.-The island is part of The crater
edge of an extinct volcano, $40 miles
from Valparaiso" said DIR. Schmitt.
EVERY imaginable plant seems to
grow on the island. including such
widely divergent kinds as the cork
oak of Spain and apple, cherry and
olive trees IT is the base OF the sriny
lobster fisheries, 5000 a year being
shipped as far as Buenos Aires, whcr>
they command a very high price.
Population Is Mixed.
'The population of PSF souls is
miXeG-Frenck Italian, German and
Spanish. One Frenchman was ship
wrecked on the island 40 years ago
fused to leave
zone curious feature of the island
ia that it depends for medical treat
ment on the wireless. The fishermen
have built a little hospital. completely
equipped with medicines supplied bT
the Chilean Red Cross. and an oper-
ating room. but without doctor.
When any one is i'll the symptoms
are wirelessed 10 Valparaiso, whence
~f..g... rIy
operations, Of course, surgeon mas
to be sent over"
DR.. Schn1itt covered 10000 miles
along the coasts of South America in
his survey of crab, shrimp and other
marine invertebrate fauna. lie worked
from Ecuador on the west to Rio de
.Ianeiro on the east, reaching his far
thest south at Deception Island, With
in one-half days run of the Antarctic
continent. The trip from Punta Arenas
to the Falkland Islands was made in
n small schooner which shipped such
heavy seas as to flood the galley and
break in the engine room door.
Sends Many Specimens.
As a result of his expedition DIR.
Schmitt shipped back TO the National
Museum for study some II 900 speci-
mems of all kinds of marine life, prob
ably the largest and certainly the most
varied marine collection which has
ever come out of South America. The
many new species included shrimps
and crabs new to the west coast Of
South America. Among the more Curl |
Gus creatures gathered are a crab |
which haunts the beaches at night |
and hides in the daytime. and a tiny |
shrimp able to bore holes in stones.
THE fisheries of South America are |
capable of extensive development. |
says DR. Schmtt and the scientists |
and business men of the continent are |
far more active than is generally real |
lied UP here in forwarding that de- |
vclopment The Chilean Bureau of |
Fisheries has arranged TO make ex- |
tensive marine collections to be sent TO /
the Smithsonian for study"
Dr. Schmidt Will publish some Of |
the results OF his expedition in a mono
graph on the shrimps of South Amer
lea. while his crab collections will be /
studied by Miss Mary Fathbun. also
of the National Museum, for publica-
ton in a monograph on crabs This
fundamental scientific work is essen
tial TO proper commercial development |
of the crab and shrimp fisheries
The Walter Rathbone Bacon travel
ing scholarship established at the
Smithsonian by Mrs. Virginia Purdy
Bacon, financed DIR. Schmitt's expedi-
ton, as also the one he made to the
coast of Brazil a year earlier.
Sir Hall Game recently wrote the