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About The Advocate-Democrat. (Crawfordville, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1897)
THE MIDWAY CROUP. UNCLE SAM'S TERRITORY IN THE FAR PACIFIC. A Deserted Island Empire in Southern Seas Which Belongs to Thi. Govern ment-Millions of Wild Birds Its Sole Inhabitants. How many persons in America know that the United States Government is the bona-fide owner of a very small group of islands and an excel ent bar , bor more than half-way across the K d C avs r ’ m .tearn n ing K r of Yokohama? AMc an Englishman, Japanese the or Hawaiian to what country does Midway group of islands belong and he will promptly answer, “The Uni ted States ” it is even so. This group is as much a part of the Great Republic as are the islands off the coast of Maine and New York. All foreign powers dealing in the Pacific recognize the, Midways as American territory, and consequently give them room in their promiscuous search for unclaimed domains. From 1867 until beaten threadbare by wind and rain the Stars and Strif.es floated triumph antiv over the group, and a flagstaff ; still remains as a declaration of Amer iean supremacy there. ' Tbe Midway group was first made known to the world by (apt. Brooks, of the hark Gambia. He named the tw< principal islands Upper Brooks and Lower Brooks, in honor of him self as discoverer. Welles harbor, the lagoon in which the islands are lo cated. was also named by him. The 7 IC whh”ttie' e 0 l stim. to the east it miles and is without a break save on the western side the channel leading ; into Welles harbor, At the north- ; rock*/ westpoint however, there are detached which break at high tide. From there all around the wall is compact | ami is about five feet high by eight or ; j ten wide This rock barrier juts ses around east and south to Sami, or i Lower Brooks island, where it dips] down to reappear two miles to the vff- t It then continues four miles in a se rai-cireular line, terminatingat is nearly the] harbor. This entrance a . mile, '***At ivijr, 1 th6 eastern extremity of Welles j J harbor, or stem of the pear, is Green island (also pear-shaped), nearly one bv two miles in extent, and of an t-le- ! ration varying from five to fifteen feet. | It is covered with low shrubbery, j abundant green grass and flower: I ing vines. The soil is a mixture of I powdered coral and sand, except on j the south side, where the moulds ex tends to a depth of two feet. Away ! from the bench the land ia very fertile I and almost any semi-tropical plant I will flourish. No black earth is to be fouiid anywhere. and The is beach exceedingly sand is j remarkably white hurtful to the eye. Excellent w ater is | found at a depth of only five feet. There are at present two good wells on that island. * Thiiir mih s southw est of Green is Hand island, the largest and most iiu important in the group. It is fifty si-vi-n ted at its loftiest point. Upon this eminence is the stall referred to ! above, w hich at one time supported the American flag. Below it is an old j Injhse, occupied at various times in j me years gone by, but now deserted ’ fihdljljjppidated, with considerable Tins island shrubbery, is cov-! 1 ered grass 'and vines, but is not so fertile ; as its smaller neighbor the to swell the north- from j cast. In line w ith the harbor channel. it is sub- j jeet to frequent alterations and tran sfornuit ions by the sea. Some- : times several hundred yards of end terra tii inn are built up on its south bi the waves, only to he washed away and restored at some other point, As this island appeared a few months ogu it was beautifully enrobed inn coat of running vines, bright green and budding shrubbery On the western side lay the wreck of an old vessel, which had evidently ventured too clone to the reel an»1 gout* AgrotunV. Near the shore, on the same sole, was to be seen what is perhaps the most impressive cemetery in all the worlyl. Each grave is marked by n coral slab and protected by coral walls. There: is not a word nor sign of any kind to indicate the names of the dead or their nationality. ^Vith only the splashing of the waves about them they have a quiet resting place indeed. lint if tin Midway islands are noted certainly for any one thing, that specialty is the number and variety of its feathered population Myriads of birds, large and small, are always hovering about the group -flying overhead and running about on the ground. Their nest s are so thick at certain seasons that it is almost ini po ssible to walk without stepping into them. The principal species of birds to be noticed are the suti-alba* tross, man-of-war hawk, tern, gannet, curlew, plover and ducks, the latter of several kinds. I he suti-albatros^ is vory larg^. frequentlvmeasurinp t'lghf feet from tip to tip. For table us- 1 ? w ould fill the f’.-u-v of the ordinary goose. .......' consist' merely of a hole in the and into w - " del---- uou , uc egg w eiguiug at>out a pound. So thick are the eggs over the ground collected in a a premium in the Midway Islands market. The lagoon teerns with fish and tur tic. As at the French frigate shoals and other land points in the same chain, the turtle are of the finest and en0 rmous proportions. They intercepted along the sandy beach without difficulty, turned on their backs and dragged away to a pot of belong chiefly to the m , ]ll( . t and per ,. h families. Many * of them are brilliantly colored, re88 bling tbe dolphin . \ few hair geaj flre tobe found, but as they have - commercial value they are never molested. The Midway islands were never per manently settled. Shipwrecked par ties have frequently found refuge there, but they were usually picked up by passing vessels before they had bad a long residence on the gronp A family by the name of M alker, w ith five or six others, lived for two years on Sand Island m the latter 80 s They subsisted well, but did not like the isolated life. It is estimated that, with proper facilities for cultivating the soil and developing the resources of the group, a hundred people could live there and make money 1 he American tit e of the group dates from 1867. In that year Captain UniteT Uluted Sta^^steameTLackawanna States steamer Lackawanna took formal possession ami raised the United States flag over Sand Island. Captain Reynolds was m search of a suitable coahug station tn the Pacific Being impressed with the advantages " f';' jdw^v 1 "tVenropertv wronp to^’e une aime l by any tcrrito’ry to the of the United States'. For Home yi'-ars the Pacific Mail station *eamship there, Company maintained a but finally gave it . up for a similar post at Honolulu, which affords su pern.r . business advantages, _ Just now the islands are umnhabt by man. Their pecuniary value to the Government of United States w not considerable, but m event ot war the post might be of importance. —San hrancisov Examiner, “DOMESDAY BOOK." Two Rare Volumes Preserved at West¬ minster. The Domesday Book, often referred to, and perhaps very little understood, consists of two volumes, preserved in the Chapter House at Westminster, Lorn o i. The volumes are written on vellum, and are of unequal size. The larger- con t ai afl — 382 . pa g e o^ in - foliftc written in a small hand in double col minis. The smaller book is a quarto, has 450 pages, and is written in a larger hand. Why the volumes are called “Domesday” is still in dispute, Some say that it is because,the re turns therein preserved were first de posited in one of the crypts of the Winchester Cathedral called Dennis Dei, the House of God, and ijthat Domesday is a perversion of Dofipus (ioM’s Dei. But the Dennis Dei, house or hospital, did not have its ril^e until a century after the books wer|P placed at Winchester, and there is an ancient chronicler, who probably had means of knowing, who says they were called Domesday because of their resemblance to “the last judgment in their universality and completeness.” instrument Originally intended as an of oppression by William the Con queror, whose death followed quickly flpou its completion, Domesday Book became afterward the great autliorita five document in all matters of disputa relating to boundaries and privileges connected with the real property of the British realm, which then embra ced all the counties except Northum berlaud, Cumberland, Westmoreland and Durham. 1 lie King, on Christ mas, lOHo, ordered a general survey of the land to be made forthe purpose of learning whether or no any advance could be made m the values, and that the royal‘revenues might thereby be increased. The returns showed a de crease m values in estates held by the subjects of the crow n And so thorough aud apecihc was the survey that no other country possessed such accurate materials for its geographical history “liomesday as are furnished for England by l»ot»k ---- Bicycle vs. Cow. \ damage suit has just insti tuted by Edson McCormack, a bicyclist t ,f Monroe comity, New York, against Charles Topliffe. a farmer of Brighton, % y The bicyclist wants $1,000 damages for injuries to himself and wheel, caused by a collision with a oow on the bicycle cinder path at Churchville. Farmer Topliffe sent his hired man to bring home a cow. It being dark, the man drove the cow on the bicycle path. McCormack who was riding without a light, ran into the cow. The latter was frightened tried to jump a fence, the hired man was knocked into the ditch, the cyclist was hurt and his wheel was w recked. McCormack says Toplifle responsible for the violation of the law l.y his bire.l man in driving his ^» 0 w < n the cycle path. Farmer Top liflV savs he w as vi,dating the speed or dinane. and ha-brought a counter suit for u.i ;: 0 cs to Lis con. Xnouuedauui a i Sl > tafks of seeking solace ia oouit for hi* injuries. THROUGH GEORGIA. Th e contract for building a new jail j or j> od g e county, at Eastman, was awarded to the Pauley .Jail and Manu f actuldn g CO mpany for the sum of gg,635.50. Co]]ectorof sterna! Revenue Kneker h ed that Miss Brunner, the ^ Mfle on, and H. E. Wilson, who holds a similar position at Savannah would both be retainel » their positions. The Georgia ^nt Mining, Co. will Manufacturing be able and InTefit not to pay the court costs and the com pe nsation of Auditor Rosser. An affi davit has been filed in the clerk s office a t Atlanta declaring there were no funds in the treasury with which the f ees could be paid, After forty-two years of active pro¬ fessional life, still vigorous in intel¬ lect and stujdy in body, holding a leading position at the bar of Georgia, Judge George Hillyer, of Atlanta, closes his lav books, turns over his clients and cases to younger men and retires to the quietude of private life. Cohm}us cit y council passed a resolution qtarautining against Bir ( Montgomery. g An or ^ (d 0 p ted requiring vacci within “ in ten days. / These steps f who “"v.l^nCo from Birmingham ^ ^ ^ ^ )leyeloped ease of smallp.x. The patient was few at once removed to the pestbouse, a of miles from the city, and no fears the disease sheading are entertained. The rifle tesm,consisting of eighteen men, which w 11 represent Georgia at the internatierfal meeting at Seagirt, N. J., has been selected by the com¬ mittee which iias been taking note of the recent rtnge work done, From these eighteei a .- fate team of twelve I will be chosen according to the show¬ ing the men n%ke in practice on the Seagirt ranges. They will leave Sa¬ vannah Angus t 20th. The matches take pkice from August 30th to Sep¬ tember 6th. ' The corporations of Atlanta who have not returned to the county tax receiver their state and county taxes will be double taxed md placed on the list of defaulters, notwithstanding the decision of Jnj coinptrolier general upon the subject* TfiiT announce¬ ment was made at a session of the board of county commissioners, and the tux receiver was instructed to put the names of ill corporations upon the defaulting list who had not return¬ ed their property for taxation. According to the latest returns re ce ived by Comproller General Wright, there will be n< fallingoffinthetax a j do property of Georgia this received year, Captain Wrigh il! has already figures from counties and of these, three—Chathan, Columbia anil Lin ( ^ 0 i n —pave hit B returned for correc¬ ji. i u -X 109 show a net de crease i, c d*v.o t - 791. Estimates re ceived from the other twenty-fix e counties indic a i e that this loss will not only be • made up, but that the state will coibe out about $200,000 ahead. The State Normal school at Athens may be moved to Atlanta. Although it has been an open secret that there was more or mss dissatisfaction among the members j’f the board of ti ustees of the school dm account of certain con ^ ftre but few who have l,,.,,,, jiiformetl that the question Should of re , , talked about. ? , , *‘ f rom Athens to Atlanta, . bft bl e that the old Sol "l “,he the latter citv would be d h>me for the school. The ' ha8 been visited bj ’ trUBteeS and it is known lue has been favorably re ported upon. After liavip# been identified with the Georgia volu>d<*er force since 1882,and after serving jis inspector general of ride practice for tp* volunteer force forovei two years, ^ T * su ^ ) mitted his Resignation to Governoi Atkinson, a f ew ( ^ a N s a o° an ^ ^ was accepted with a protest. This was the second time nithin two months that Colonel Obee r sen * resignation, The first siut e was prevailed upon to withdraw jit, but the second time he insisted tha^^ accepted. He his reason that he found the office occupying td° mmdi of his time, thus forcing him either to neglect his bus iness or perfj orm duties of the offic* in a half*hed rtet ^ wa N Demr nt * th/gr^at’tf/mand ^ 1 r ^ * *' . at the Treasury Department. Washington, for email notes. The Department officials ate fairly L.TJT'iX' ^’^ cTCiei loacjaoOciu. CAROLINA 1 SOUTH The Dispensary Board Lays in a Supply of Corn Juice. The board of control at Columbia, S. C., was in session last week. In his report Commissioner Taner among other things says: “It is with pleasure that I inform yon that in accordance with the reso¬ lution passed by your honorable board at yonr last meeting I have turned over to the state treasurer the sum of | 815,000. This makes a total of $55, 000 paid the state treasurer since I was elected commissioner, taking charge in May, and a grand total of $155,000 in the last eight months. “We owe comparatively nothing, everything being paid for as the bills are presented. and "Our stock of liquors supplies amounts to about $150,000 here in the state dispensary, and the stock on hand in the local dispensaries will amount, in round numbers, to $200, 000, and we have money enough on hand to pay for all your honorable board may see fit to buy this month. This I consider a good showing for the financial standing of the dispensary, notwithstanding the charges of cor¬ ruption made by the enemies of the dispensary. ” The board then devoted itself to purchasing liquors. All the beer comes from Georgia this month, 200 barrels being ordered from the Acme Brewing Company, of Macon, and 100 barrels from the Atlanta Brewing Company. Fifty barrels of corn were ordered from the Kohn distillery, Montgom¬ ery, Ala. Baltimore and Philadelphia houses got orders for upward of 400 barrels. UNEARTHED A CORPSE. Lightning Plays a Curious Prank in a Small Town in Florida. A telegram from Fort Ogden, Fla., says: Lightning has been very fatal in this section the past month, more than eight people haviDg been killed by it. Many strange incidents are related, the most extraordinary Jieing a story from across the Ixissimee river. Henry Myers was killed by light¬ ning there last week while in a field and was buried next day. The second day a thunder storm arose and his grave was struck, the j lightning tearing open the grave, throwing the coffin out and breaking it nren It was found two days afterwards 1,,- relatives land the hmlv reburied. The body was not disfigured by the last electric bolt, but the coffin had been torn to pieces, the body being ; left on top of the upturned earth with the splintered coffin fragments around lt. This is vouched for by several people 1 L from that section. Bid tEES. Lawyers in the Fair Case Will Receive ji.ooo.ooo for Services. A telegram from San Francisco says: A low estimate puts the fees which the lawyers will get from the estate of the late James G. Fair at $1,000,000. Messrs. Llovd and Wood, who are at- ' torneys for ‘the two daughters, Mrs. Herruauu Oelrichs and Miss Virginia Fair, will receive 4 per cent of the amount recovered. As the daughters will receive at least $8,000,000, the lawyers will re¬ ceive $320,000. A similar amount will •} go to Garber, Boult A Bishop, who have an ironclad contract for 4 per cent. Wilson A Wilson will get $160, 000, and there are a score of minor lawyers who will take from $50,000 down. IN NEED UF REFORA1. An Investigation in Georgia Which Ha* Created Much Interest. vestigatiug the State Agricultural school at Athens, Ga., completed its labors last week. The committee has not yet made its report publio, but it is learned on good authority that a recommendation will be made that the technical or practical feature of thi school, as represented by the model farm, m in need of reform. It* un derstood, however, that the university is in no danger of losing the land script fund. The investigation has been watched with interest all over the fitfll e. _ Are Now One Body. The Americau Aesociation v *; „ of -n„„ Den tis-s and the Southern Dental Associa¬ tion, which organizations have recently been in convention at Old Point Com¬ fort hare united into one body, with Dr. Thomas Fillbrown. of Boston, as president, and Dr. George H. Cush¬ ing, of Chicago, aa secretary. The fir-t bale of new cotton was ].] in Meridian. Mi.-s., last week in • of the Board of Trade and Cot j x,- ce to the highest bidder. vv ids Cotton Agency se¬ cuic-u ll loi cents per pound. A no cotton was raised by three pfomiueht negro farmers of Clark county. TRUMPET CALLS. Bam’b Horn Sounds a Warning Note to the Unredeezned. HE wish to shine makes men fools, j The devil’s head Is longer than his Jit tail. Don't try to im¬ part ideas by your H V 1 feelings. mi 3 The man who can tell all he knows of religion knows 5 Tery little. n The profit on ■ whisky Is conspic nously advertised in the clothing of the laloon-keeper’s wife. You cannot fool God with a pinch of sieves. A little sin has as much death in it as l big one. The gurgling of the faucet is the dev¬ il’s delight. Make a call too short, rather than be yawned out. The was is not over because we have lost a battle. Whoever knows God well wants to know him better. Some would rather face a cannon than their own evils. Prayer is always easy, when we kneel on praying ground. The man who knows how to live well will not have to learn how to die well. Our prayers for guidance will not be heard, unless we are willing to be led. The devil has to fight hard for all he gets In every home where Christ is king. In the robin redbreast speaks the same Christ who came to “seek and save.” Nature Is God’s; botany and geology are man’s; so religion is divine, theol¬ ogy human. The man weighs little on the Lord’s side who is not throwing an ounce of weight against the saloon. The prohibition that gives society the children who never saw a drunkard can't be such a bia failure, CHINESE COLLEGE yy,n p. sorted in Shanghai on a Large Scale. A . , , le S r «» fr . ° m ,, brtn ^ F f QCISC ° Dr JohQ Freyer, professor of oriental languages and literature of tne University, has arrived irom China, where lie has been ini consulta tion witn high government olheia s about the founding of a great college at Shanghai for the education of Chi ™6e in western art, sciences and liter ature. L ’*- freyer decuned an offer ,, to , , be¬ “me the president of he institution b lt ^nted to assist the project It is intended that the institution will be an educational center, where the fa¬ vored youth of the empire may go to gain knowledge of the occidental civ ilization. There is now at Tien-Tsin an academic institution, but it is plan ned to have that at Shanghai of a much higher standard, As the nucleus of the Shanghai uni versitv a normal training school is now in operation with thirty pupils, who are preparing to become mstruo tors. CRUELLY ASSASSINATED. An Old Italian Musician Murdered by White Caps. An old man, supposed to be an Ital¬ ian, and whose name has not been as¬ certained, was shot and killed by un¬ known persons near Ashoen Hill, Giles county, Tenn., last Friday. He had been affiliating with negroes several weeks, teaching them music. He re¬ ceived an anonymous letter Tuesday night, signed “White Caps,” warning him to leave within forty-eight feathered. hours, or he would be tarred and covered. He refused to leave, and death followed. His body was found in his cabin riddled with bullets. OVERWHELMINGLY DEFEATED. _ Const;tutional Conventioa will Not Be HeU in Tennessee, A general election was held in Ten nessee last week to determine whether or not a constitutional convention should be held. Keturns received show that the call for a convention has been overwhelmingly defeated A light ^ vote was ^ polled, but m most dis Qot C0Dsidered . Ia Nashville with a voting population ol 15,000, the total vote cast was not over 1,000. The University of Alabama. The advantages of being educated in ones own Stats University cannot be overestimated. Equal strength ac¬ quired abroad or in an Institution of lees prestige, would be far less valuable in a practical sense. University Alumni are and are to be leading men in all walks of life. should Parents with sons to educate make a note of thi* _ .
