Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 163, 8 July 1906 — Page 3

ARELESSLY tiered on the fringe of tbe Caff and since forgotten by the people and neglected by 'the government of America, Guam cornea Into public view only In the deplorable role of Intermittent victim of natural calamities. In 1900, when torn by a hurricane, and two yeara later, when shaken by an earthquake, thla despised stepchild of the United States attracted momentary notice. Again, within the past few weeka newspapers have briefly recorded a typhoon and tidal wave that devastated the Island In the early part of last November. The story of this latest disaster, carried by a tramp schooner, only reached us three months after the event. We did nothing for Guam In 1900, nor In 1002. We shall probably do nothing on the present occasion. Not that we are ungenerous or callous to the cry of our needy. The Philippines and Porto Rico have been beneficiaries of our bounty under less distressing circumstances, but ao great Is the pressure of larger affairs on our attention that we can spare no thought for a mere speck la the Pacific, hardly 200 square miles in extent and with fewer than 11,000 Inhabitants. Ths Guameae are the poorest of all our people end the moat helpless. They have no reserve resources nothing but relenting Nature to atand between them and starvation when the harvest of a year is swept away. Many time in their history have the entire population been forced to subsist upon the nnhealinful cycaa nut. Their condition la little, if at all, better than tt was a century ago, and Infinitely worse than when the Spaniards discovered them, race of splendid physique, to whom disease and vice were strangers. The Malay blood of the Guamese is an Inheritance from the Chamorro mothers, who were spared the process of "paclfltlon" which exterminated the male aborigines. Very few foreign women ever came to the Marianne, and the Spanish ' soldiers,, as well as the settlers, rovers of the Bea from every quarter of the Western Hemisphere, married the female Chamorros. The Guamese of today bear names derived from Spanish, English, 8cotch, French and Portugueae ancestors. They speak the Chamorro language of their maternal forbears modified by Spanish influences. The sword and the cross were Inseparable Instruments of Spanish colonisation. The aborigines who survived the one came under the egls of the other. Christianity has long been Implanted In Guam. The Islanders are amiable people, shrewd and Intelligent, contented, and easily controlled. Like all Malays, they are apt and eager to learn, but the tendency has received little encouragement .up to the present. Long before the expiration of the Spanish sovereignty the Island had relapsed i Into a condition of peaceful lethargy. Life was less arduous then than now and the cost of living perhaps one-third aa great. Little was done for the native, but then little was asked of him. Under Spain hardly one-fifth of the expenae of government was borne by the Island. Now the coat of administration, which la five times aa great as then, falls entirely upon the inhabitants, and 25tlmea as much as formerly must be raised. The annual revenue of the government la $20,000. That Is less than $2 per capita, but that paltry Bum is a burden upon the people, and although each year emphasises the crying need for a larger fiscal Income, it la found Impossible to Increase the taxation. The Guamese are unspeakably poor, and It they contrive to keep body and soul together by their own exertions It Is as much ss we may reasonably expect of them until conditions are materially changed in the Island. We are under distinct obligations to the people of this almost least of our territorial assets, whose country we acquired from motives of self-interest. They welcomed us ss a nation whose generosity and paternal regard for Its subjects had been heralded to the most remote quarters of the earth. They had a right to the expectation that under American rule their condition would be at least an Improvement over what It had been under Spain. Up to the present thla expectation has not been fulfilled, but, on the contrary, In some respects the islanders are . worse off than before. During the Spanish regime fcuam waa visited regularly Of all disasters at sea everything else pales luto Insignificance before that of a Bbtp afire. Fires at Bea have claimed many thousands of victims and have also been the occasion for he display of the greatest heroism and Intrepidity on the part of those who risked and gave their lives for others. By the wrecking of the Independence off Lower California In 1853 and atterwarda taking afire 140 people were burnt to death. The flames spread wltr terrible rapidity, fanned by the high wind. The blate very soon became un- ! controllable. A fe-x of the crew acl p -songers managed to reach land In an open boat, but so frightful . were their sufferings from hunger snd thirst that death would have been welcome. Some lout their reason, while others died and only a very small unmber were nltl- , mately rescued. A terrible death roll re- ; suited from tbe complete destruction by Are of the emigrant ship Cospatrick. The flames were discovered at midnight on November IS, 1874, when she waa on her way to Auckland, New Zealand. Out of 476 souls on board only six were saved. Tbe survivors described the scenes on deck aa being terrible. They were miles from land and all hope was abandoned ' from the first, but the captain and the -ar shoved great coarage and coolness.

by a subsidised line of steamers from Manila, whose freight rates were under government . control. There Is now no regular service. A few email sailing vessels ply between Guam and Japan at uncertain Intervals and charge exorbitant freight rates. Now and again a casual American schooner drops anchor In the port. Government transports call on the way out to Manila, but they are not permitted to carry merehandlae. The lack of adequate communication with the outer world la one of the chief causes that operate to make the cost of living three or four times as great aa it used to be under the old administration. There Is ao market for any surplus produce that the Guamese might raise. Thus they are confined to a hand-to-mouth existence, producing sufficient for domestic needs year by year, generally enjoying abundance and accepting the Inevitable periods of scarcity with a philosophy born of experience. There la very little money In circulation, for, although the Japanese and American Itinerant traders sell their wares for cash, which Is carried away, they pay for copra, the only export of the island.' In goods. In the year 1004 the Imports approximated $80,000 In value and consisted principally of lumber, cotton fabrics, flour, rice, sugar, 'kerosene and candles, while less than $10,000 worth of copra waa ahlpped out. A large proportion of the imported merchandise ought to be produced by the Islanders, and with better facilities probably would be. They have a country capable of maintaining an agricultural population of 100,000 that Is. 10 times as great aa at present. Last year upwards of 123,000 was paid for foreign lumber. Guam contains forests amply sufficient to supply all the needa of the Island for many years, but, lacking roads, the natives cannot avail themselves of this otherwise available resource. The paucity of means of Inland transportation Is one of the greatest drawbacks to the development of Guam. There are only a few miles of highway anywhere available for carta. Aside from these, traffic Is forced to depend upon trails, which are often Impassable except by carabao. To our Ideas the requirements of the island In this respect will appear trivial. They would not seem very difficult of attainment to the average village of the United States. Something like $ 25,000 would give Guam such roads as ber governors only hope for In dreams, but the beggarly revenue is not, indeed, sufficient for the ordinary expense of government and leaves nothing for much-needed public Improvements. Each year finds the administration scheming to avoid a deficit. It la only by the most devious economies that ends are made to meet. The mayor of Agana la also warden of the prison and chief of the Insular constabulary, a body of 13 men who act as jailers and furnish the entire police force of Guam. In many cases the government baa been forced to ask gratuitous aervlce from minor employes and In some Important movements has been entirely dependent upon volunteer aid. When we took over the Island from Spain the nubile buildings were dilapidated and unfurnished; there waa no bosFIRES AT There Is a romance, too. In the burning of the ship Eden, November 8, 1S73. She was bound for Valparaiso with a cargo of gunpowder of 150 tons. She was set on fire by her mod captain, who ultimately perished. Part of the crew were saved by taking to tbe boata and were resoued after many hardships by a passing vessel. The Eden blew up. An air of mystery and horror surrounds the fate of the great ship Queensland, which carried 569 people and a cargo of Impure patent gunpowder. It la supposed that she blew up, as pieces of charred timber bearing part of her name were found near Flnlstere in August, 1S7C Not a soul haa returned to tell the awful tale of the Ill-fated vessel. One of the most terrible fires at sea In recent years waa the burning of the Shanghai In IKK), belonging to the China Navigation Company. The great fire started very auddenly and soon became unmanageable as she was passing near Chlng Klang. There was a mad panic on board and many of the passengers and crew perished either In the flames or In the sea. Nearly 300 lives were lost In May four years later another petroleum ship, tbe Flown, caught fire between Gorleeton and Yarmouth. She was soon enveloped In flames and only a dense cloud of black amok Indicated her

I)

of (1 pltal; the roada and bridges were out of repair; there were no educational facilities worth mentioning; the lepers were at large and scattered among the population. This was not altogether a stated condition, but largely one growing out of the complete abandonment of the territory by our predecessors. The Spaniards moved out. lock, stock and barrel, and when we tooK possession the only representative of the former occupation was an octogenarian native priest. The little

1-1

SEA SOME . GREAT MARITIME CALAMITIES.

whereabouts. Tugs were dispatched from Yarmouth, but only In time to rescue a small portion of her crew. She was burnt to her water line. The terrible calamity that overtook the St. Pierre at' Martinique by the awful eruption of Mount Felee on May 8, 1902, has no parallel In history. The steamer Roddam, manned by the gallant Captain Freeman, was the only vessel that escaped the shower of hot ashes and molten fire. AV 8 o'clock In the morning of May 8 the Roddam lay off St. Pierre, and, without any warning, the top of Mount Pelee literally blew off. A great dense black column of smoke arose to a gigantic height and plunged everything Into darkness. Then the liquid fire and burning dust rained on to the decks of the Roddam and a burning mass thrown up by the volcano sfruck the vessel broadside on, almost capsizing her. A great wall of quivering flame spread over everything. Captain Freeman ran to the bridge and ordered the boat to go full steam ahead. The intense beat was almost unbearable many of the crew had their feet burnt and blistered nnder them. The Iron portions of the vessel were red hot. So terrific was the. downpour of burning matter that no one could walk her decks and live, and her steering geer was clogged with the scalding aah. The dense darkness added to the confusion

ft housekeeper In a six-roomed cottage hasdifficulties and problems to contend with which the mistress of a Fifth avenue mansion would hardly understand. The task of administration in Guam has. In its way, been no less difficult than the government of the Philippines or of Porto Rico.' One governor after another has devoted himself with whole-souled energy to improving the conditions. No assistance whatever has been received from outside, and what has been achieved would have and terror. Seventeen of the Roddam's crew were burnt to death and Captain Freeman suffered agonies also, but' he managed to bring his vessel out and on May 17 reached port. For thla magnificent pluck and heroism he was Justly rewarded by Sir Donald Cnrrie eventually offering him the captaincy of one of the Castle liners. Few vessels afire have claimed more victims than the General Slocum, which was almost completely destroyed on the East River, New York, on June 15, 1904. It Is one of the most. If not the most appalling fires ever known to have raged on a vessel. The fire origlna'ted In the storage-room on the forward starboard side. In which were stored oil and other inflammable materials. Tbe steamer carried' 1,500' excursionists, mostly women and children. At 3 In tbe afternoon flames were seen forward, and they spread' with awful rapidity. Mad panic seized the passengers. Some ran about' in the flames and threw themselves in the water. The lifeboats were burned before the crew could reach them. Many deeds of bravery were performed. One man stood on the paddle box' and threw 2S children Into a net; they were all saved, whilst he lost his life. Many of the crew were burnt or drowned In attempting rescues. Near It a thousand lives were lost la all.

- " ' ' " s wp I v oft t

been quite impossible but for the generous aid of the medical officers and other Americans stationed on the island, and of their wives. The lepers, who ahouta properly be a charge upon the national government, have been segregated and taken care of; a general hospital has been established and Is efficiently maintained; the people have been instructed in hygiene. Schools have been opened, and are conducted by volunteer teachers, but the restricted facilities only permit of A few years ago the captain of the British tramp steamer Hector when far out at sea saw a great blaze of light. Immediately the Hector altered her course and made for the great red glow which began to appear In the sky, and, after forging full steam ahead, they sighted the Loodlana. The sight was truly an awful one. The unhappy vessel waa blazing from stem to stern. When a man and woman were discovered on the burning deck of the Ill-fated vessel all on tbe Hector were filled with horror. The Loodlana was carrying petroleum, and she was all but a sheet of quivering flames. The captain of the Hector with a few other gallant fellows endeavored to rescue the man and woman, bnt unfortunately the frightful heat prevented their getting sufficiently near. Suddenly there was a greats, hiss, and with a roar the Loodlana had blown up. And 'so the curtain fell on a terrible tragedy. An ill fate befell the naphtha-laden vessel Ma rpesla on Christmas Day a few years ago, when she was bound from New York to Cette. All on. board were preparing to keep up the festive season when, as the boatswain was piping all hands on deck, on Christmas morning, a sort of qrflver ran through the ship. This was followed by. a quick dull roar, and

. f

KeSNQBsY BT BBBBi w-wwj

the attendance of children between the ages of 7 and 12, the boys in the forepart of the day and the girls In the afternoon. These half measures are the utmost that It Is possible to contrive. Agana contains upwards of seven-tenths of the entire population of the island. Almost all of the remaining 8,000 are divided among four villages strung along the coast between the capital and the bar. bor, a distance of less than 10 miles. There are a few little barrios upon the western littoral, but the Interior Is wholly uninhabited. Agana stands upon the seashore at an elevation of a few feet above the ocean. A torpid stream passes through the town and serves the Joint purpose of laundry, bath and open sewer. Its water Is undrlnkable, and being brackish, would be bo even though uncontamlnated. The Inhabitants depend upon wells dug to a depth of from three to six feet. Universal suffering and an unnecessarily high mortality are the consequences of a condition which might easily be remedied. A good water supply for Agana might be secured at a cost of about $20,000. This state of affairs is a very discreditable reflection upon our government, and subjects us to a charge of criminal carelessness, for should cholera or typhoid be introduced to Guam the result would be appalling. This little Island, figuring as inconspicuously upon the map as In the current of the world's progress, has been in our possession for eight years, and we have remained utterly unmindful of Its needs. The Filipinos, the Porto Ricans, the alien Cubans and even the foreign negroes of Panama have our solicitous, attention; but the far-off Guamese are left to work out their difficulties as best they may unaided. Their voice la lost In the Insistent call of the Islands. Something more than humanltarlanism Is Involved In this question. Our own Interests demand that we should alleviate the distress of these people, that we should educate tbem and help them to develop their country. Remote and Insignificant of value as the Island is at present. It will surely grow Into Importance as American Interests extend In the Orient. Lying as It does in the direct route between Honolulu and Manila, and containing the only good harbor In the Western Pacific, It will be highly valuable as a navol depot. At no very distant date the requirements of the station will demand a number of men to fill clerical positions and to perform intelligent work as mechanics and laborers. If, when that demnnd arises, the Island cannot furnish a large proportion of the needed force, it will only be possible for the government to fill the positions at comparatively great cost and Inconvenience. Guam Is to be one of the stations of the trans-Pacific cable, and after the opening of trie t'anama Canal should become a frequent point of call for coal and suoplles. In justice to the Guamese we must give them the sanitation and training that shall enable them to avail of the opportunities which may grow out of the future. No doubt Guam will eventually be the subject of beneficial legislation, but If action is much longer delayed we shall have no ground for surprise or complaint should a change take place in the present feeling of friendliness entertained by the people of this little Island for America. C. IL FORBES-LINDSAY, suddenly the greater part of the forward section of the vessel literally shot Into the sea. Then came an awful sheet of roaring flame. Fed by the naphtha the flames spread with appalling rapidity, but a gallant effort was made to battle with the raging fire. All on board did their utmost, but their efforts were futile. By dawn the next day the beat was so frightful that to remain on deck was Impossible. The gallant crew erected a platform 30 feet out beyond the stem with high wooden shields to protect them from the heat. Here they crowded together for three hours, when they were mercifully sighted by a Danish steamer the Gallia. The crew was literally ablaze when they leaped Into the sea and clambered into the boats sent by tbe GsUla. No lives were lost, but the Marpesla blew up almost directly after the last man had leaped overboard. Some three years ago the North German Lloyd liner Barbarossa left Hoboken. America, with hundreds of lives aboard and a heavy freight in her hold. She had scarcely gone a mile or so when a fire was discovered forward. The captain immediately headed the vessel towards the harbor, and she arrived with dense volumes of smoke bursting from her sides. The Blengf ell. which caught lire off Margate on October 17th, 1893, waa a line

'; ; . ': V ' , - a

7 2 insurance Oddities, High as are Insurance rates on animals lives. It proves the pluck of the underwriters. Consul, the famous chlmpansee, was insured for no less than $100,000. Only a short time previously the death of tne son's famous elephant Jumbo hit the underwriters to the extent of some $23,000. Another sum of 910,000 was paid over by one firm at the decease of the celebrated boxing kangaroo, and numbers of other similar losses mlght.be Cited. Lloyds of England will only refuse to Insure one animal, namely, bull pups. Some years ago a number of these dogs were Insured for a 10 per cent, premium and all died. The premium was doubled for new risks, but still the bull pups died, and apparently that was the end of the Insurance. There Is hardly any known risk which cannot now be losured against, from taxes to twins and back again. One of the most remarkable Insurances ever effected at Lloyda is that of a building standing In Monument yard. Its owner, having made urs his mind that If the monument should fall It would undoubtedly wreck his premises, has paid a very small premium on a policy heavily la sured against this contingency. There 1b a French company which does a very large business in frost Insurance. It has branches In Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Holland and Belgium, and will shortly extend Its operations to England. In France it Is the vines which Buffer most severely from late frosts, and with respect to whlca the company In question does the heaviest business. Two years ago the coffee crop In Brasll suffered heavily from a late frost and the French company was approached with a ' suggestion that they should establish a branch in that country. Some of ths strangest risks are to be found In legal matters. There Is a company which will trke contingencies covering legal defects lit titles to property. The same company will also provide against lunatics recover Ing their sanity and willing away their property from tueir natural heirs. Probably there is no company or underwriter who would Insure against an adverse decision of the court of law; but, on the other band, It Is quite possible to Insure against the decision of the House of Lords upsetting a verdict obtained from the lower courts. In a recent case of art action for compensation for personal Injuries the two lower courts both gave a verdict for-the plaintiff with $3,500 damages. The esse was taken by the defendants to che House of Lords and a contrary Judgment was Insured against for a sum of $1,000. Many companies now grant accident Insurances which also cover a number of Infectious diseases. But It Is also possible to Insure against certain specified diseases at extremely low rates. Life policies are held by almost every., ruling monarch In Europe, with1 perhaps the sole exception of King Peter of Servla. It Is believed that no company will accept a policy on his Ufe upon any terms whatsoever. There Is one case on record of a member of a royal family insuring himself against assassination. This was Prince ITenry of Prussia, who. before he left. Germany to take command of the fleet In the China Seas, Insured himself against assassination for $900,000. A strange kind of lnsurace has quite recently been started In Denmark. By a payment down of $220 on the birth of a daughter ber parents are able to Insure ber an annuity of $25 a year If she be not married before she reaches the age of 80, and If she remains a spinster for another 10 yeara this yearly Income Is doubled. On the other hand. If she does marry before she la 30 years of age she receives the whole $220 down as a wedding portion. The biggest policy under existence Is believed o be that nnder which the steamships of the Elder Dempster Line are Insured. Three millions Is the Bum, and the premium is $750,000 a year. The biggest on any building is that which covers the British Museum, and Is for a quarter of a million sterling. Among animals toe racehorse Fly Fox carries $150,000. Birds That Dance. There Is no longer any doubt that biro's are addicted to the dance. The bower bird and the prairie fowl are adepts la the art, while the American grouse Is a veritable master of ceremonies. It Is the custom of these birds to prepsre their ballroom by beating down the grass with their wings and to dance something suspiciously like the lancers. By twos and fours tbey advance bowing their heads and dropping their wings when tbey recede and then advance again and turn on their toes, swelling their feathers and clucking gently. three-masted Iron barque, and had left New York a few weeks previously with a large cargo of naphtha on board. She was sailing calmly off the Downs and making for the Thames, and refnsed the services of a tug to tow ber to her destination. On board her was a crew of 2L tbe captain and bis wife and children and a Dover pilot. As the tag was standing off, when the Blengfell was about seven miles of Margate, without tbe slightest warning tbe whole after portion of the vessel blew off. The man at the wheel, tbe captain, the pilot, the captain's wife and child and the two mates were blown up with it. Such wss the terrific force of the explosion that It burled the debris hundreds of feet Into tbe air. and It fell In showers onto the deck of the tng, which lay some three hundred yards away. The captain of the tug determlnd to put alongside the BlengfelL but by the time she reached ber she was a mass of flame. The unhappy survivors were able to jump from the burning decks on to the tug as Bbe passed. The burning Blengfell was left to her fate. Wrapped la smoke and flame she was carried by the tide until she struck on tbe Tongue sandbank, about five miles from Margate, where, after burning for hours, she waa engulfed by the waves.