Evening star., 1942-10-04
Europe's Outpost in
the AtIuntic
By Frederic J. Hdsktst.


| the United States nonor the Father OF
| their country, the Azorians honor, by
| annual celebration, not the father OF
their isles, but the finder OF them, and
somewhat in the same manner as many
parts of this country annually honor
Christopher Columbus.
Azorians are the inhabitants OF that
archipelago of "sea-grown mountains
which constitutes Europe's westernmost
outpost, and appears on the map as a
| cluster of nine small dots. These are
the Azores which have so far played
an important part in the war and
which seem destined for an even greater
| role.
The celebration in the Azores always
takes place on August IS. the Sl0th
anniversary having been celebrated this
summer, but the details have only re-
Gently found their way to the United
States and other parts Of the world
through censored mail.
In 1882 q Portuguese mariner, Goncalo
Velho Cabral, not to be confused with
the Cabral who planted Portugal's coll
ors in Brazil, was sent out into tho
western unknown by Prince Henry the
Navigator, father of modern exploration.
who had cleaned from an old Arabic
map faint hint that there were islands
somewhere in the Atlantic. Cabral, car
| rying out instructions, finally came
across small Isle, the southeasternmost
| of the group of the Azores, which he
christened Santa Maria. 1t took nearly
two years, however, to discover the full
nine. as they are quite widely scattered.
One in particular, Pico, must have been
rather a surprise, for it consists OF
cone rising sensatlonally out OF the
bosom of the Atlantic to a height OF
1872 feet. 1t is one of the many nat
ural wonders of the world.
The group of islands was given the
name Azores, which is the Portuguese
woro for hawks. Cabral being better
navigator than ornithologist, made
mistake in Identification, for what he &C
tually saw and mistook for hawks were
hundreds of buzzards lowering over the
crags. Nevertheless, the name has per-
sisted for $40 years, since no one seenl-
ingly was willing to propose change.
Colonization of the Azores began i'm
mediately on Prince Henrys offer Of
free transportation and free land, VOL
canic soil being proverbially fertile, and
migration at that time being the oroer
of the day. The islands were made per-
manently Portuguese, and today are not
a colony of the republic but part of it.
| There is slight difference in the value
of Portuguese money in the Azores from
similar money in Portugal proper. Each
currency too, has different rate OF ex.
change.
The isolation of the Azores Is no longer
due to their position. The opening of
the Panama Canal put them in direct
sealane between the English Channel and
the Pacific. Having been already on
| the main route from New York to the
Mediterranean, the Azores now occupy
the crossroads of the Atlantic Hence
the coaling and repairing Of ships that
ply the route became, In normal times,
a profitable business.
Each OF the nine islands which CONF
pose the Azores has name, but pos
slbly the most important, and certainly
the one known to most of the world, is
Fayal, on which is the town of Horta, its
capital and sole seaport. Here, too, is
located the largest and most modern
cable station in the world and in many
respects the worlds most important
center OF communication. Housed in an
earthquake proof building constructed
by an American engineering firm are 13
underseas cables. controlled by six diff
terent companies that clear messages
for the principal nations.
Messages exchanged at Horta consti-
tute about the only excitement for the
men who handle them, for locally
nothing happens. So dull and Quaint is
the place that cableman, before OBJ
tanning an assignment must agree to
stay at least three years. Most of these
wire servlcemen are British or American.
ana IN nearly all instances they are ready
to leave when they have complied with
the time provisions of their work con.
tract. After being surrounded by tho
Atlantic for three years worker is glad
to get away.
Inc most remote Of the Azores ts the
Island OF Corva. Here steamers call
ABOUT four times a year to bring mes.
sages and supplies to some 600 souls
dwelling at the base of an extinct
Volcano the most archaic community IN
t'e western world. And happily so, for
ruled by council and with a priest a,
the only physician, Corva has no crime
no contagious disease. no poverty ,rd
no vice and there is not a lock on anv
uooi' IL is truly an isle of innocence and +,
~ Is doubtful If its inhabitants .ven
know that world war is now raging
several years ago visitor to Corva
asked a native about a young man r,ha
mad emigrated to the United states and
was told: They say he went to . wsr
somewhere and got killed. There was
war somewhere not so long ago. wa.n,t
there?" "so' "asi
The population of the Azores is on
proxlmately 250,0OO, surnris,na,u
large number of people to occupy an area
OF only s22 square miles. However tho
climate Is inviting and the cost Of living
relatively small, largely because Of tho
many tropical fruits and the great ah,,n.
dance OF fish. Fruit-growinp oather-
ing tea. the production of sugar nshino
ana oasket-making are the PRINCIPAL
occupations. 'p"i
ontn American immigration restr,c-
lions came into force, thousands of tho
islanders sailed across tn IN. rrn,.I