TI-IE GUAIVI RECORDER Volume
3
MARCH,
Numb er 12
323 I
1927
5 cents per copy $
I. 50
!)e r ye ar
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LOOt<lNG FORWARD Without any b oa st it is belie·n :d th at thi s , the last issue of the third volume of ' ' The Recorder, ' ' vvill commend it self to the intelligent confidence of our readers , as showin g the hi g h leyel on which vve ha ve strived to collect and p ubli sh a1l matter of hi storical interest in conn ection with the I sland of Guam and the other isl an d s of th e Ma ri anas group. Much h as been written about the I sland of Guam and its p eople, but we know of no place where one may av:1ii himself of so mnch inform a tion, without w adin g t h ro ugh volumes of readin g matter, as the files of Th e Rec order for the past three years . L oo kin g forward , we a re soo n to present a series of very valuable let ters w ith illu stra tion s of life in Gu:1m in the yea r 1818 , :as interpreted by an nnknovv n member of the Scientific Expedition financed by the French government and hea ded by Louis de Freycin et, who was en gaged in the exploration of the Pacific during the y ears 1817-1820. Furthermore we have in hand extracts from the note-book of a naturalist on the Island of Guam by vVi 1liam E. Safford, which our local readers, and all tho se who have sojourned with u s during the past quarter of a century, will find of much interest . Also, ye editor hopes, in the not distant future, to beg in a seri es of pa pers which he ventures to present as c lupters o f a lecture by \Villiam E . Safford delivered before the District of Columbia Society of the Son s of the American Revolution, at Washington, D. C., April19, 1911, giving an account of Guam, its di scovery and reduction, physical g eograp hy, and n atnral history, and social and economic condition s on the I sla nd during the fir st year of the American occupation. · Fnrther , beginning with the first number of volume IV of "The Recorder," we hope, by the courtesy of t he Bishop Mu-enm at Honoluh1, 1'. H., and th e kind offices o f rvir. Hans G. Hornbo stel, member o f the st aff of th a t in stitution, to present to our r eaders a series of articles ,~· ith illu stration s of the buildin gs, clotl1in g , Dnd general cu stoms of the peoples of other Pacific I slands. O nce more let it be said that the pages of ''The Recorder'' are open to the public, inviting discu ssion of every aspect of Guam - i ts hi story, legends , and myths. lectures. old document s, biographical sketches, <HJd any kind of information of value fr om a better g ove rnment and hi storical po int of YiEw. No one need hes itat e to offer any suggestions, for ''Tbe Rec order'' ex ists only to s erve as a permanent record of all inform ation pertaining to Gt1am, its pa st, present and future. I
PROBABLE MARINE DISASTER There is a grave probability that the S. S. ELKTON, a 6,000 ton Shipping Board freighter operating for the American Pioneer Line , bound from the Philippines to New York, via the Panama Canal, vdrh a
million dollar cargo of su ga r and cocon ut oil, fc t1ndered in a severe typhoon about 540 miles wes t by north of Gu am during the night of 1-''ebruary 15th. The center of the typhoon is presumed to have passed directly over her. The firs t information received locally that the ELKTON had been in trouble came through an intercepted me ssage dated F ebruary 15th from the Shippin g Board a t Manila, stating that the S. S. LI BERATOR had been in radio touch with the ELKTON G.uring the day of F ebru ary 15th, that the ELKTON had on that elate been fi g hting a gale, and that at about 9:15 p. m. the LIBERATOR received the unfortunate ELKTON's S. 0. S. The LIBERATOR resp onded at full speed. After being held back by very rough weather, she fin ally arrived about midnight of February 16th at the Er,KTON's la~t reported position, apparently too la te. The LIBERATOR made a protracted search, but found only an extensive oil patch covering an area of about two hundred square miles. The fact that no wreckage was located led the captain of the LIBERATOR to believe th at it was barely possible for the ELKTON to have weathered the storm and to be proceeding, with 11er radio out of commi ssion, to Guam for repairs; at this late writin g , however, no communication has been had with the di stressed vessel by anyon e si nce the LIBERATOR received her S .O.S. She is revorted to have carried a crew of thirty-six, and was commanded by a captain Schnellhardt. Immediately after it was learned here that the steamer had asked for as sistance , the Governor-Commandant radioed all known facts to the Commander in Chief of the U. S. Asiatic Fleet, and four destroyers were at once despatched from Manila to take up the search. Also, there was put in operation here a seap1ane patrol to co ver a n area of fifty miles off the west co2st of Guam . \Xlhile hope neect not be entirel y a bandoned, probn.bility of the vessel's survival would appear to be doubtful. As a re sult of the E-sKTON incident the Governor-Commandant has communicated to th~ Shippin g Boarct, and the Marine Exchange at San Franci sco, the suggestion that vessels pa f.s ing within five hundred miles of Guam report their presence in this vicinity.
CREDIT ASSOCIATION Guam Business Men Meet to Discuss the Organization of a Credit Association.
On . 31 January, J927, at the r equ e~t of Lieut. N. E. Disbrow , (SC), U.S.N., Cashier of the Bank of Guam, the below named business men m et at I,.ieut. Disbrow's residence to discuss the present credit condition of Guam:Mr. D. Atkins, Member of the firm of Atkins, Kroll & Co., of San Francisco. Mr. F . W. Fall, Resident Manager for Atkins, Kroll & Co. Mr. P. Boteler, Resident Manager of J ohn Roths· child & Co., San Franci sco.
THE GUAM RECORDER
324
Mr. J.H.Underwood, Assistant Resident Mannger, for John Rothschild .j: Co. Mr. C. C. Butler, Merchant, and President, Guam Chamber of Commerce.
MARCH 1927
THE GUAM RECORDER Published Monthly at Agan::>., Guam. For Progress, Education and D evelopme nt in this I sland. W . W. R owl ey
Mr. P. Martinez, Merchant and Secretary , Gu Chamber of Commerce.
.~ m
Mr. J. M. Torres, Merchant. Mr. J. K. Shimizt1, Merchant. Lieut. N. E. Disbrow, (SC), U.S.N., Cashier, Bank of Guam. After considerable discus sion of the crcdit situation it was decided that a credit as sociation ·would, to a gn·at extent , be the means of controlling credit in the futur e . The Cashier of the Bank was selected Chairman protempore. The Chairman appointed the following as a committee on rules and regulations under which the association should be formed; Mr. D. Atkins, Mr. P. Boteler and Mr. C. C. Butler. The committee was directed to make their rep ort at the next meeting to be called by the Chairman.
Editor
ASSOCI A'l' E EDI'I'ORS
H .G. Hornbostel
S. R. Vanden berg
W. G. J ohn ston P. Nel so n Mis s Isabelle Spoonemore vV. \V. Ro wl ey - Business M an ager
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PUBLIC WORKS AND INDUSTRIES WATER \VoRKS
The project of piping water from Santa Rosa Mountain to the Yigo school has been completed and is in satisfactory operation. Two concrete darns '"'ere built, one on Meme -A g uil a Spring at an eln:ati on of about 625 feet abov e sea level and one on Canoa Sprin g at an elevation of about 640 feet. Outlets were provided at con venient intervals to serve the need s of the district traversed. Practically all of the labor for the con struction of this sy stEm vYas furnished free by the people: of the district and much credit is due them for their energy and enterpri s e in securing this ve ry desirable improvement. An allotment of $ 1,000.00 has been received for the in st a11ation of a press ure regulating valve toreduce th e p re s~ ure on t he Fonte sys tem from approximatel y eig hty pounds to about forty pounds in orc1er to decreas e the amount of leakage and v\'<'l stage on thi s sys tem . It vvas found practically impossible to keep the ordinnry plumbing fi xttues ti g ht against the present pressure as supplied by the Fonte re servoir located at an elevation of nearly two hundred feet above the city. A consiclera ble savi ng in the use of w ater is expected to re sult from the installation of this red ucing valve. A by-pa ss will be provided to be op ened in c as ~ of fire. FIRE PROTECTION
An allotment of $2, 095.00 was recently received for extension of fire mains, being the unexp ended balan ce of an a p p ropriation for fire protection, Naval
Station, Guam, included in the Naval Appropriation Act of May 28, 1924. This allotment will be u sed to extend the high pressure main s on the plaza from the P ay Office east to the Ho spital, from the Marine Barracks galley south to the stables, from Maria Ana de Au stria and Aniceto Streets vYest t o the Comm issary Store and from Susana and Soled ad Streets north and eas t to the Navy Barracks and for the purcha se of addition al equipment. B UILDI NGS
A special allotment of $ 2, SCO. CO h as been recei \·ed from the Bureau of Yards and Docks for re pa irs to and r a isin g the r oo f of the p1nmbing shop. \~l ork on thi s project will be started shortly. The completion of the project of repladng the cc Jrugated iron roofs at the Hospital with asbestos shingles is being delayed pend1ng the arriY al of nEw skyli g hts for the operating rocm expected on the next Dollar boat. A temporary storage shed for surplu s and sun·eyed machine tools and equipment was recently completed at Piti. MARINE R AILWAY
The cradle of the marine railway is under repairs and the outboard end of tbe track is under reconstruction preparatory to dockin g the stael dred g e later in the season. The marine railway, while small, is one of the busiest and most u seft1l item s of equipment on the island.
TH.E GUAM RECORDER
MARCH 1927
POWER PLANTS
The 300 horsepower boiler, which was received to replace two old boilers. has been installed but is not yet in service due to broken and missing parts for which replacement is expected shortly. ROADS
Surveys and plans have been completed for an extension of the Ylig Road from the Y lig River to the Togcha River and proposals have been invited for the construction of this section of road two miles in length by Naval Government contract", bids to be opened at 10:00 a. m. Febru:uy 28th. Surveys are p ractically completed for a .sect icn of road north fro m Inarajan across the Pauliluc valley approximately one and one-quarter miles in length. It is al so intended to construct this section of road under Naval Government contract quring the present dry season. The project of constructing a road on one or both sides of the island to connect the southern end with the central and northern end has been ·the subject of discussion for years and was more particularly brought to the fore by Congressman Oliver's interef.t in the matter during his visit here last September and by his s uggestion that the Governor make recommendation to the present Congress . In accordance with this suggestion, a supplement~ry e ~ tim a te was sent in requesting an appropriation of $150,000. with the following comment which, in view of tbe great importance of this project for the development of the island, may be of general interest to the public. HJSTORY
Federal appropriations for the project of building ro ads to connect the southern end of the i~hmd were requested in th e st1.tion's annual estimates as follows: Fiscal Year
Amount Requested
Total Estimate
325
GENERAL CoNSIDERATION
A road connecting the south a.nd· north end of the island has been recommended as noted above as of primary importance by each Commandant of the · naval station on duty since 1916. The earlier recommendatiot:Is were for both sides of the island later on the east side and since 1923 on the west sid~ from Agat to Merizo. The road from Merizo to Umatac was constructed last year under Island Government funds but with the small revenues of the isla_nd it will be impossible to complete a co11nection on "either side for years to caine. As the northern half of the island has no streams and only the southern half has flowing water the year round it is of the greatest importance to provide access to' get out the products by road to the principal towns of the island from Agana to Sumay and stimulate the development of these principal agricultural areas. The only means of bringing out products or communication at present are a semi-weekly boat service to Merizo, from which point roads extend to Inarajan and Umatac. In making request for Federal aid the question of limitations imposed by the Status' Quo Agreement must be considered. . However the d~ 1 partment has decided that. ' there is no re~triction upon the construction of roads provided they ar~ not for military purposes," indicating a point of view and decision that the commercial rather than the military need and use of them is paramount. It mi g ht be further ar g ued that nothing is more definite than the right of a community to improve its roads for commtrnication and commercial purposes. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
As the connection in the past has been recommended both on tlte east side from the Ylig River to Inarajan and on the west side from Agat to Umatac and eith er side will serve the purpose of providing an outlet for the roads of the sou theTn end, an analysis of comparative cost has been prepared as follows: EAs·r .siDE (IN ARAJAN):
1918
$37,500.00
$ 150,000.00
Bot.h sides of island; cascajo 1919
40,000.00
300,000.00
1920
40,000.00
300,000, uo
1921
40,000.00
300,000,00
Both sides of island; bituminous macadam 1922 60,000.00 240,0(10.00 1923 60,000.00 240,000 .00 J 924 100,000.00 240,000.00 1925 100,000.00 200,000.00 Road on east side of island from Ylig River to Inaraja.n and eventually a.rou nJ south and n o r1h-ward to Agat 1926 23,400.00 23,400.00 1927 23,400.00 23,400.00 Bridges only on road from A gat. to M erizo 1928 Not included in estimntes sent in.
16-ft. concrete roadway, maximum grade 5%, concrete bridges 16-ft. width, 45-ton capacity, $274,000.00 9-ft. conc.r~te road way with cascaj o shoulders, making total width 16 feet maximum grade 6o/o; bridges concr~te 1O-ft. width, 15-ton capacity $193,280.00 9-ft. width cascajo road, maximum grade 7%, 10-ft. width creo soted wooden bridges and concrete culverts $56,960.00 \VEST SIDE ( UMATAC):
16-ft. concrete roadway, maximum grade 4o/o, concrete bridges 16-ft. width , 45-ton capacity $224,404.00 9-ft. concrete roadway with rock shoulders making to_tal width 16-ft. maximum grad'e 5_% , bridges concrete, 1O-ft. width, 15-ton capacity $150,000.00
(Con tinutd on page 349)
326
THE GUAM RECORDER
MARCH 1927
THE VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY GEORGE ANSON, ESQ. LATER LORD ANSON; COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF A SQUADRON OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS As compiled from his papers, by the Reverend Mr. Walter,
Lord Anson, in command of a squadron of English ships, left England, Septe·mber 18, 1740, bound for the Americas and the South Seas to luna~s the Spaniards, attack their cities and destroy their tn; dc. Incidentally the voyage was one of exploration. After leaving the coast of America on the 6th. of Ma)r, 1742, a southerly course was set to get into latitndfs where the Pacific ·Ocean was most u sually crossed, and where it 'i•v as expected they would fall in with Spanish ships engaged in the Manila auu Acapulco trade. :More than three months \'Yere to pa~s before the sick and famished crew of Lord Anson's ship were to again set foot on land. · The following chapter gives an account of their stay on the Island of ;finian, one of the Marianas group. ''In the morning a party was sent on shore well armed, of which I myself was one, to make ourselves masters of the landing-place, since we were not certain what opposition might be made by the Indians on the island. We landed however without difficulty, for the Indians fl~d into the woody parts of the island. We found on shore many huts which they had inhabited, and which saved us both the time and trouble of erecting tents; one of these huts which the Indians made use of for a store house was very large , being twenty yards long, and fifteen broad. This we immediately cleared of some bales of jerked heef, which had been left in it, and con verted it into a hospital for our sick, who were brought on shore, being in all a hundred and twenty-eight, and it is almost incredible how soon they began to feel the salutary influence of the land. "The island lies 15° -8' north and 114° -50' \\lest longitude from Acapulco. Its length is ab out 12 miles and its breadth about half as much; it extends from the south-southwest to theN. N . E. The soil is everywhere dry and healthy, and being with all somewhat sandy, it is thereby the less disposed to a rank and over luxuriant vegetation, and hence the meadows and the bottoms of the woods are much neater and smoother than is customary 1n hot climates. The land rose in gentle slopes from the very beach where we watered, to the middle of the isl and, thou g h the general course of its ascent was often interrupted by valleys of an easy descent, manv of which wind irregularly through the country. -The woods consisted of tall and well spread trees; the lawns were usually of a considerable breadth, their turf quite clean and uniform, being composed of a very fine tresoil, intermixed with a variety offlowers. The woods too were in. many places open, and free from all bushes and underwood, so that the neatness of the adjacent turf was fn~quently extended for a considerable distance, under the hollow shade formed by the trees. Hence arose a great number of the most elegant ancl entertaining prospects, according to the differ~nt blendings of the~~ woods and lawns,
Chaplain of the CENTURION
and their various intersections with each other. Nor were the allurements of Tinian confined to the excellency of its landscapes only, since the fortunate animal s, which during the greatest part of the year are the sole lords of this happy soil, partake in some measure of the romantic cast ofthe island, and are no small addition to its wonderful scenery, for the cattle, of which it is not uncommon to see herds of some - thousands feeding together, are certainly the most remarkable in the vvorld, as they are all of them milk-white , except their ears, which are generally known as black. And there are no inhabitants here, yet the clamour of domestic poultry, which range the woods in great numbers, perpetually excite the idea of · the neighborhood of farms and villages, :and greatly contribute to the cheerfulness and beauty of the place. ' ' This place was not only extremely grateful to us, from the plenty and excellency of its f1 ~sh provisions, but was as mnch admired on account of its fruit and vegetable production, which wer~ most fortunately adapted to the cure of the sea scurvy, the di sease which has so terribly reduced us. In the ·woods there were inconceivable quantities of coconuts, with the cabbages growing on the same tree: there were besides guavas, limes, sweet and sour oranges and a kind of fruit peculiar to the islands, called by the ~ndi~ns Rhymay , but by us the l>readfruit, for it was con stantly eaten by us during our stay upon the island instead of bread, and so universally preferred to it that no ships bread 'i-vas expended in that whole interval. Th~ fruit is found indifferently on all p arts of the branches; it is in shape rather elliptical than round; is covered with a rough rind, and is usually seven or eight inches long; each of them g row s singly and not in clusters. This fruit is fitted to be used when it is full grown, but still g reen, in which state, after it is properly prepared by being roa sted in the embers , its taste has some dist a nt re semblnnce to that of an artichoke's bottom and its texture is not very different, for it is soft and spo ngy. As it ripens it becom~s softer and of a :vellow color, when it contracts a luscious ta ste and an agreeable smell , not unlike a ripe peach; bnt then it is esteemed unwholesome, and is said to produce flnxes. It is described in Ray's history of plants. "It will easily be conceived from what has been already said, that our cheer upon this island was in s ome degree luxurious; but I have not y et recited all the varieties of provisions which we here indulged in. Indeed we thought it prudent totally to abstain from fish , the few we caught at our first arrival hQving surfeited those who at~ of them: but considering how much we had been inured to that s pecies of food, we did not regard this circumstance as a disadvantage, esp~cially as the defect was so amply
THE GUAM RECORDER
!\l ARCH 1927
no mention of it nor U.id the primitive savages live on it.
GUGUAN This islnucl, kn ow n also as Gugan, and called ''San Felipe'' by Padre Sanvi~cres, lies about sixteen miles to the north of Farallon de Torre s, its situation being this: 17 de~. 22' 00" North Lon g. 15 2 de g. 2 ' 4 5 " East (San Fernando, Spain)
L at.
Conformation.-\Ve do not understand how this active volcanic peak could ever have been inhabitedat le as t in its present condition, which may be due to recent volcanic ch~nges. From the heights of the we s t side we could not disco\·er a sin g le tree of any kind, nor did we se e any ve ge tation whatever on the barren north shore; the ground is all arid sand or lava from the great volcano whose crater is s plit clown to sea-l evel, leaving 8. g reat g3p in the western rim. Within it is a lake of bitter brackish water, while from the top of the crater pit, on the east si de, smoke still pours ont of nnmeron s fis :o uref. In all the t err itory explored we came across just one coconut trunk, almost completely decayed, which lay in a large dry g ulch cut apparently by the heavy r ai ns ; from the sea we saw, in the ea st and so uthea ~, t p a rt s of the isla nd, what looked like a few poor trees. Th e coa st line curves in a little on the eas t side an d again somewhat further soutb, at the break in the cmt er rim, it forms another s mall bay of cle<-tn sa nd. On both of the beach~s are landin g places for small craft, a nd, as this island is about h<llf way between S aip an a nd Agrigan, it might be made use of as a pla ce of call for small coastwise vess els plying np a nd down th e archipelago. If there were sufficient traffic to make it worth the trouble , it mi g ht not be difficult to dredge the loo se sand of tl1e beach ne a r the crater-gap, to a gentle slope, on which sma ll craft mi g ht beach them selves, being carried in with the s urf. In our jud g m ~ nt Gnguan at present is of no value.
ALA MAGAN This island, also called Alama g uan, was given the name of '' Con ~ epcion'' by Padre S a nvitores . It is about nineteen miles to the north of Gu g uan and its position fro i11 ob se rvations taken is as follo\v ~ :Nort:least P oint
Lat.
18 deg. 4' 32" North Long. 152 deg. 13' 34" East (San Fernando, Spain)
Conformation.-From southeast to northwe st its base is som ewhat eliptical and it must measure about ten miles in circumference. In form it is a loft y ridge at w ho se eastern end is an extinct crater. Coconuts and other trees grow on the shore, being particularly noticeable on a low point projecting northwest, which shelters a r a ther poor l a nding place. The tree growth is s tunted and the coconut palms bear no fruit, nor , on the word of a person who 1i1·E cl
329
here fo r about a year, does the isl and possess so much a s an acre of fertile soil or a single well or spring of sweet water: consequently Alamagan is of little u se as long as there are better islands to be colonized.
Thi s island, kno·wn also as Pagon and named ' 'Sa n I g n acio' ' by Padre Sanvitores, is twent y -six miles north-north-east of Alamagan. It measures from northe as t to southwest eighteen miles long and nine miie s w ide; its position is as follow s: 1
Sonth\vestern Point
LZ~t. 18 deg. 1' 00" North Long. 152 deg. 13' 34" East (San Fernando, Spain)
Conformation.- This island looks like two separate island s, for it is composed of two high volcanic peaks independ e nt of each other and joined onl y by a low i st hmus. Its plan at sea le1·el is that of two circles or elipses joined by double reentran t curves m aki ng two la rg e hays or roadsteads, one on the west, the other on the east coast. In the center of the wes tern bay, cuttin g it in h :\'O, projects a rocky point connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. The ea~t. ern b<1y is a lso divided into two parts by a line of three or four rocks which stand in single file one behind the other, all of them lon g and n2.rrow a nd crov\' ned with sh nrp pi 11112cles of diffe-rEnt heigl-!t~ , so that they look li k e icicles or stala g mites. Coasts.-Throu gho ut the gre at er part of its circ uit the coast is rocky and unapproachable, but th e tv.o little western bay~ and the continu ati on of th e northern one to the northw est point of the island a re lined with beaches of loose black sa nd, apparently volcan ic in origin. There is also a cliff on the so utlnve~ t, at wh ose foo t lie s a be ach of white sc-lt1d protected howe,·er by fringin g reefs so that only in one p a rticnlnr J>lace (s it possible to laud. The eastern bay is s urrounded with reefs at some distance from the shore. Anchorages.- Ships of any tonn age may anchor in the western bay and find a bottom of sa nd and stones fr0m twenty to forty fathoms deep; and in the little bays small craft g-oing close inshore will find sa nd bottom at six fathoms. On the eastern s ide there is also good bot tc m, but as the prevailing wind con:es from this side, it is convenient to u~e it onl y on tr: e f <." w occasions when the we st wind m a k es the other anchorage un sa fe. Landing Places.-Sm all b o;-t ts m a v l a nd a nywhere in the northern h alf of th e western bay, but a t only one spot b etween rock s in the sout11ern h nlf d tlJe s ame ba:v. Also th e ~onthwe s t bench , 8. nortl ~ ern b f;' dl nr:d
330
THE GUAM RECORDER
the eastern bay may be reached by means of rather dangerous passages through the reefs. Geographical Features.- In the vicinity of the three great volcanoes the isl a nd is very mountainous and rocky. The two E: OU thern peaks constantly give forth a small qu a n t ity of va p or , whil e the northern one omits a la rge column of smoke that hangs in a thick bl a ck cloud over t he mounta ins. Along the northern co ast of this most active volcano extends a well-timbered tableland, from thirty to seventy fe e t above sea le vel; and connecting th e v olcanic pea ks is a low ridge of fertile land which flattens out between the two h arbors . Tho soil is largely volcanic sa nd and clay; in certain pl aces th ere is nothing bu t ro ck covered with a little red cl ay, yet about baH the island say, 15 square mil es , may be con sidered as worthy of cultivation. Minerals.-In spite of the volcanic origin of P agan it docs n ot seem pofs ib1 e to obtain from it any other mineral s than s t on es of m rr ny different v a ri eties, many of which a re extremely bard, as well as lime, slate, and volca nic snnd, whi ch might perhnps be used in cr ment work. It is snid tl.a t sul phur c:tn be obta in ed in the volcanoes but we do not thir;k this is to be t a kev very seriously. Climate.- The cli m ate is somewhat W[l,rm due to the dryn ess of th e soil and the und erground heat but nm ong those who have li.verl on the iflland good health was the rule , not one of those hn.ving died who we re sent here. alth ough among them were foreign ers a nd Chinese as 路well as n a tives. In winter it is cooler here than in Guam. Vegetation. -Th e growth of v egetation in P :1 gan is luxuria nt, with nu m bers of coconut palms in full bearing , m a ny breadfruit trees and other useful trees , especially .fago nnd gago. B a mboo and ifil are not found, or a t least are v ery scarce. Corn grows well and all kind s of food tubers, especially that called Dago or }.lame a s well as tbe Piga so much use d in Rota, flourish here in great n.bunrlance. Water Supply.- Given so burning a soiJ, water is a prim8 n cce3sity; unh;tppily it is very scarce on th e island, doubtless beca use the mountains which 1:hould serve as res ervoirs, are instearl fiery hollows or else they arp so greatly disturbed th nt th ey will not hold water. Nevertheless two springs of living water are known to exist. one of these, a stream of hot wa.ter, comes out of th e southwest slope of the volcano itself, at a considerable height above sea level, only to lose it~ 0 1f directly in a bed of r aw sand. A.s far as we could ascertain from hearsay - we rlid not visit it bnc:1.u se the trip would have taken more time than we had at our disposal-this is good water and might be piped down to sea level. where the water boats could get it, for even though it is not a large stream, it would suffice for all current harbor necessities. The other spring of sweet water, close to sea level at the eastern foot of the mountain, runs out over
MARCH 1927
sand in which it is soon los t. Wells have been dug in cliffe ren t places a nd although the water is ra t her bra ckish , b oth me n a nd animal s have used it without bad r es ult s . Population.-There are no inh a bi ta nts on the isla nd where it would he most conve nient to kee p a colony of three or four thousand pe opl e who coul d live very well th ere, and who would m a ke of P a ga n a regular port of call on the tra de rou te between Ame rica and Asia. Animals.- vVild pigs, the only a nim a ls, are the descend a nts of stock left he re a t variou ... tim es by settl ers . Birds.- There are also chi ck ens , do ves a nd the other usu nl wild bird s of the archi pelogo. H;mnful Creatures.-Iguanas, liza rds t~ nd centip edes are seen; also, there are us m a n y Hies as in Tin ia n. Fish.-The sea is full of fi sh and occasion ally sperm whales pass by. Things Worth Noting.-In a ddi t ion to its t hre e a ct ive volcanoes, the island of P aga n b as also two curious lakes at the foot of the northern volcan o, th~ ou t er one separated from t he bay by a n is t h mus of sand not more th a n one hund red a nd fi f ty feet wi cle, while the inner one between it a nd th e foot. of the volcano, is separated fr om it by a narrow ri dge . All around t hem rise hi ghly r ocl路y hill s. According to all s.ppea mnces th ese l:tlcc路c; must be old crll ters flooded with sea-wa ter, b 11 t wh a t cv er mny h~ve be en their ori gin, it ~ce m s as if t. bc out er oiJe had once h rt d an openi ng into t bc bn:'{ , for the sand barrier between them ri Fes n o mo re th a n four fe et ab ove water-level. Wh ether this h as ahvays bee n an inner h::n bor or whether a volcanic eruption broke dow路n th e vvall be tw een the sea and the fo rmer cra t er ma kes no difference. In either case this lagoon mu s t ha v e haci a sen outlet, since closed by sn. nd washed in with the surf. 1\lloreover, to the wes t of t he old outlet, arc wind-blown sa.nddun es which, in storm s , m ov es across the isthmus ; they must h a ve crea t ed the isthmus. I did not sound thi s lagoon bu t it s waters are deep and it proh a biy h a s a good bottom. Its size is somethin g over two cab les in wi d th by five in len()'th so tl1at, if the openin g \vcre d redge d out, it wo~ld make a m ost exc ell ent little :1 r tific in l l!nrb cr for Pagan, a work that would hnve to be undertaken a s soon ns tlw isla n d was colonized. Another peculi a rity of P a ga n is a c:e rie s of v ertical cliffs cutting the island in two, s o tb n t pigs n bancloned on on e-h a lf of the isla nd find n o \v a y of crossing over to the oth er h alf. A1 so, in m a ny places n.long th e shore, hu ge broke n r ocks , mc 2stni ng three and four m eters ar.ro PR, nrc pil ed hit- or-miss in so haza rdous n mann er that t he pigs cannot scram blc across . Lastly, this story is told. In th e y ear 1825 a small ship coming from Sydney put into Saipa n. It bad been chartered there by an Englishma n who was sailina on her as supercargo . He is sa id to have been~ commander in the British N a vy, C a ptain of
332
THE GUAM RECORDER
MARCH 192?
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NOTES The follQwing extracts are t aken from the report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the month of January; ''All schools of the island were visited during the month with the exception of those at Umatac, Merizo, Inara.jan, Talofofo and Yigo. Classroom work was especially commended on at Sinijana, Sumay, and Agat schools. :M iguel Salas' room at Piti, and Miss Maria Gutierrez' room at the Anigua school also received commendatory mention. The Guam Evening High School at Agana, opened for the new term January 3rd . , with a total enrollment of 83 students. Thirty -four of th em nre taking all of the work, and twenty-three, four pericds only. Five students are taking only Engli5h and Spani:;h, and three geometry anrJ algebra alone. Th ere are 18 students enrolled in the bookkeeping cla ss . The Piti Night School has an enrollment of twenty-three. The Garden and Athletic Supervisor visited all of the schools of the southern districts during the month, and also those of Yona, and Talofofo. The visits were for the purpose of giving in struction in Agricultural Club work, and to stimulate interest in athletic games and drills. A champion ship trophy valued at $15.00, has been offered by Lieutenant Leon Dancer, (SC),U.S. Navy, for the boys' indoor baseball school tournament. The presentation of which will be mad= to the winning team after the championship game is played at the Fair in March. Sixteen schools were visited by the Supervisor of Music, who gave instructions in solfeggio and songs, music appreciation courses were given in 9 schools outside of Agana, and 8 monthJy solfegf!io examinations were held. Five weekly solfeggio and music appreciation courses for teachers was part of the work for the month. Reports from the Library show a total attendance of 378, and 349 books issued. Captain John Waller, U. S. Marine Corps, presented the Library with a set of \Vinston's Cumulative Loose-leaf Encyclopedia, comprising ten volumes. The privilege for annual cumulations until 1934 were includ{d with the gift. The principals, teachers and school children wrote 576 letters to school children in the United States, th anking them for the Christmas boxes vvhich were received throu g h the Junior Red Cros~ . The office of the Department of Education sen t a la rge number of photographs to Miss Eva Hance, Assistant Director, Junior Red Cross, at San Frnncisco, Cal., for distribution to the various schools of the Western Divi sion who sent Christmas boxes to the school children of Guam.
School Girls Receive Practical Instruction At Naval Hospital Acting upon the suggestion of the Principal of the Intermedi ate School, Mr. Simon San che z, arrangements have been made with the hospital authorities for the girls of the senior class to spend two hours
three days each week during the month s of February and March at the hospital, for the purpose of gaining practical information under the instruction of Dr. Holman and Miss Dean, a Navy Nurse. The girls of this class are; Ana Indalecio, Maria Garrido, Maria Andersen, Emily Gay, Catherine N el so n, Clotilde Perez, Rosario Sanchtz, and Oliva Untalan. The studies to be pursued are; Ca use, care and prevention of som e of the most prevalc:nt dis~ase~ of the island which include, worms, dysent ery, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, etc. Care of the living ro oms and premises, cleanliness, ventilation, bed s , and b(d clothing. Proper diet to be used in di:fferen t ca ses of sickness. The care of infants and their bathing, clothing, carrying, and most of all proper feedi ng . The aims of this short course are; to de ve lor: e more intelligent and worthy WC路ll1(n of the pru'<:nt generation, to help in promoting the standard of health by practicing that which it is hoped they will learn, and by communicating this knovvleclge to tbeir neighbors and friends. To appreciate the yalue and necessity of prompt medical attention. One of the greatest problems of the teachers of Guam, i~ to convince parents to seno their sick to the l:o spital , it is hoped that the present method of instruction wi11 overcome 路the fears and objections of the pa~t . Percentages of school attend a need uring the month; ATTENDANCE:
1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
Asan Yigo Post Office Bilibic No.1 B'a rrigada Anigua Piti San Antonio Guam In stit ute Sumay Dorn Hall Agat Inaraj an Intermediate Dededo American Agana Yona Sinajana Guam Eve11ing HighS. Merizo Umatac Talofofo
100% (81 enrolled) 100 % (24 enrolled) 99.66% 99.60% 99.40% 98 .80o/o
98.59 o/o 98.00% 97.99 o/o 97.91% 97.76% 97.70% 97.40% 97.33% 97.29% 96 32% 95.74<;la 94.91 o/o 94.86% 94.35% 90.21% 89.69% 88.36%
Guam Music Week In order to stimulate more th e interest of the pe ople of Guam in the art of music, the public schools have taken the initiative to inaugurate an In sular Music Week in Agana during the ]~ s t part of the
(Continued on page 350)
340
THE GUAM RECORDER
MARCH 1927
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THE VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY GEORGE ANSON, ESQ.
THE GUAM PRESS
(Continued from page 327)
c ~ ~
Designers and Producers of
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<1000 PRINTING
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Opposite Officers' Club
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Aaana b
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City Tailor F. Suzuki NEAR BUTLER'S MAIN STORE
1927 UNIFORMS For Officers-Navy and Marine Corps 'Ve are prepared to furnish the new pattern uniforms for Marine Corps Officers. Lot 567
Telephone lObL
J. K. SHIMIZU WHOLESALE
AND
RETAIL
Your attention is invited to our shipment, from Japan, of Beads, Toys, Cigarette Cases, etc,
Prices Reduced in all Departments.
their comrade; and therefore begged leave to send one of their own party into the country, who, they E-ngaged, should both bring back the arms, and persuade .the whole detachment from Guam to submit to us. The Commodore granted their request; and one of them was dispatched on this errand, who returned the next day, and brought back the firelock and pistol, but assured us he had found them in~ path-way in the woods, and ptotested that he had not been able to meet with anyone of his countrymen. This report had so little the air of truth that we suspected that there was some treachery carryi ng on, and therefore, to prevent any future communication amongst them, we immediately ordered all the Indians, who were in our power,on board the ship, and did not permit them to go any more on shore. When our sick were well settled on the is1and , we employed all rhe h a nd s that could be spared from attending them, in arming the cables with a gocd rounding, several fathoms from the anchor, to SEetHe them from being rubbed by the coral rocks which here abounded. Thi s being · completed , our ntxt occupation was our leak, and in ·order to rai se it out of the water, we, on the 1st. of September, began to get the guns dt to bring the ship by the stern; and now the carpenters, being able tn c.ome at it on the outside, they ripped off what was left of the old sheathing, caulked all the seams on both sides of the cut-water, and leaded them over, an then newsheathed the bow to the surface of the water. But this and some farther attempts at secndng it proved unavailable; for the water, notwith standing all their care , continued to force its ·way in. We, on this , desi sted from all further efforts, heing at le1 st well assured that the defect wns in the stern it self, and that it was not to be remedied till we should have an opportunity of heaving down. In the first part of the month of September, ~cv eral of our sick vvere tolerably recovered by their re ~ i deuce on shore; and, on the 12th. of September, all those who were so far relieyed since their arrival, as to be capable of doing duty, were sent on board the ship. Then the commodore, who vvas him self ill of the scurvy, had a tent erected for him on shore, where he went with the view of staying a few days to establish his health. As the crew on board were now reinforced by the recovered hand s returned from the island, we began to send our casks on shore to be filled up, which, till this time, could not be done, for the coopus v;ere not well enou g h to work. We likewise weighed our anchors, that we might examine our cab1es, which we suspected had, by this time, received con siderable damage. And as the new moon was now approaching when we apprehended v!oJent ga les, the commodore, for our greater security, ori1ered that part of the cables next to the anchors to be armed with the chains of the fire-grapnel s; beside which they were cacxled (shackled) twenty fathoms from the
THE GUAM RECORDER
MARCH 192/
SOCIAL DOINGS IN GUAM (Continued from page 333)
On February 24th. Colonel and l\lrs. G. C. R eid, Lieut. and Mrs. John B. Cooke, and Lieut . and .Mre. F. D \Valker 路were the guests of the Satted ees' . Th e h ome of Li e ut.-Comd r. nnd Mrs. L. J. R oberts was the sce ne of two dinner parti es r ecently . Th eir gu es t:3 on I1"'ebruary 8 th. were Governor and 1\Jrs . L. S. Shn,p ley , Li e ut.-Comd r. n,nd Mn3. H. 1\.JcDonald, l\Ii ss Polly McHugh , Lieut. and Mrs. G. \Valk er , and ~f rs . R. 8 . Vi all. On February 18th. th e guests of the R oberts were Capt. a nd Mrs. Adrian R . Alfred, Miss ~I ary Alf red, Lieut.-Comdr. H. C. Fischer, Li eut. and Mrs. Lamar L ee , .Ylr. McAllister, and Miss Jo a nna F erri s . Lieut. and Mrs. L eo n Dancer entertained on F ebruary 22 nd. with a dinn er party at th eir home in A <pna. Th eir guests were Lie11t.-Comdr. and Mrs. L. J. Rob ens, Capt. and Mrs . A. H. Page, Jr., and Lieut. n,nd Mrs. Tyl er W. Spear. A 3ridge Dinn e r w:t.s given February 12th. by Li eut. and :.\lrs. Alfred D:m ce t at their home in Agana. T hose prese nt. were: Li ~ ut. and Mrs. T. A. Durham, Lieut. and l\l(rs . G . \.Valker, .Mrs . H. \V. Bradbury , C tief \f ar ine Gunner and Mrs. E . T. Ozabal, Chief Rtd io T拢l ec trician lind Mrs . R.J. S\vint, and .Mn.chinist and .\frs . Harry E. Millard. On Feb n1 n, ry 19th. Li eut. and Mrs. G. YValker ent erta in ed with a Bridge Dinner. Cove rs were laid for Lieut. and l\Irs. John B. Cooke, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel ~ [ orr i so n , :\h. and Mrs. Edwards, First Lieut. and l\hs. C. F. \'[ erz , ::tnd Ch. Phar. and ~Irs. W.E .Saxton. On Friday m orning , February 2.5th, the Agana Bridge Club rn et at the hom e of :\.frs . G. \\Talker. Th ose present wer e Mrs . \V. R. Hall, Mrs.C .J.Brown, Mrs. T . A. Durham, l\Irs. P. A. Decker, l\Irs. Alfred Dou ce t, Mrs. \V . E. Saxton, and l\1rs. C. F. :\1 erz. On February 7th, l\Ir. and Mrs. C. H. Ortman ent ertn.i ne<l with a Din ne r Party at the Cable Station. Ci)ve rs were hid for Governor and Mrs. L. S. Shapley, Li eut . and Mrs. J. C. H eck, :Mr. and 1\frs.W.J.Kealy, Mr . and Mr~. D. Morri so n, .Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Smith, Mr . and. Mrs . R. H. Hunter, Chief R ad io Electri cia n and :\-I r:3. R. J. Swint, l\fiss J oa nna Ferri s , l\1r. McAllis ter , :\1is'3 Snllivan and Mr. Hem sworth.
KNOCKS WITHOUT MALICE 'To those persons w ho have traveled a bit, the Plaza of mo st towns they have visited constituted one of the chief sights, presenting a combination of beauty in la nd scape architecture and utility which is generally the pride of the community. Here the people gather at ni g ht, listen to some sort of community music, and ~troll around and around while the children play on the grass. In common with other towns Agana has a Plaza which is a sight,
351
although a g ood portion of it is cut off from view by the b ack stop and baseball bleachers. This however is of value, for when viewed from the Plaza itse1f, the se bleachers hide the kindlin g pile, open air garbag e box, a uto repair sh op and signpost paint shop th at some times almost block s the sheet in front of the j ai l. The old axiom ''Never knock a thing unless you h ave a better suggestion" holds g ood here. It is s uggested th at th e Police Departm en t do their repair \Vork somewhere el se , a nd that the backstop and bleach ers be mo ve tl to a newly located baseball diamond. Then if the s pirit of beautitude moves toward a la rger fulfilment, it is su gges ted that the bandst a nd be moved to its orig inal position at the center of the Pl aza , surround it with an esp anlade of white c ascajo w ith walks of the sa me material radiating from it, and place a few benches around for the lazy ones . \Ve don't get the full benefit of the Plaza as it is no w , and what do visitors think of it? Baseball p la y ing in the streets of Agana has become a re al nui sance, and an ordinance prohibiting t his practice would be appreciated by many who lh路e in the vicinity where the se dail y ga mes annoy hour a fter hour. 'The continual noi se of the ball striking the g loves, and the loud and boisterous conYers aticn which accompanies these games, is vexatiotJs to say the least. These ball gam es which usually take place bet ween servants and lo afers, are not only annoying to tho se who have re g ular work to perform, but it is impossible for residents in the vicinity to read , or enj oy an afternoon n a p while these games are in progres~. 'They are also a menace to pedestrians, and particul arly to children; automobiles passing or parked ne ar are in da nger of having their windshields and windovvs broken with very little chance of their owners being reimbursed. Thi s form of recreation should be C01J:5nc:d to the b all field and not permitted on the main thoroughfares.
Enlisted Man Sets Pace for Rice Farmers Vicente Lizama, a member of the Insular Naval Service , and a resident of the di strict of Piti, has complet ed harvesting two hundred sacks of rice, of about 10) p o'.1nds each, and estimates that he will r eceive an other fifty sacks before the end of the season. 'The di strict of Piti is the only section of the isla nd that is producing rice this year. 'The other o wners of rice land shottld sit up and take notice of the pace w hich Lizama has set for them, and either culti va te 路 th eir .own land or lease it for a reasonable , am ount to other p'rogressive farmers, -vvho will produce . rice, which is one of the stable articles of focd, and one of the greatest item of import. If all of the rice land of the island were under cultivation, the balanc e in trade for the year would be considerably in favor of the island.
,