Wichita eagle., 1888-05-04
A VISIT TO JAMAICA.
SECRET OF THE PLANTERS Sue
CESS IN FINANCIAL MATTERS.

Few Cane Fields, but Banana and Cocoa
nut Groves Everywhere-Port Royals
Decadence-BeautifuI Kingston Harbor.
Taking a Jolly Jamaica Ride.
! The high Cuban mountains faded out or
| eight Just before dark, and ON Friday morn
| ing, seven DAYS after leaving New York, the
mountains of Jamaica lay before us. By the
middle of the morning we were close by the
| north side Of the island, but as Kingston,
/ our destination, is on the south side, we still
| had to 90 around the eastern end OF the
! island and about half way up the south side.
| This sight of land, the promised land for
most of us on board, brought out all the
| finery again Those rough looking fellows
| in flannel shirts and Scotch caps disappeared,
| and in their places there came out on deck
wonders of starched linen and black coats,
| and 1larvels of summer bonnets and SILK
| dresses As we ran along the Jamaican
| shore we had fine chance to see something
| of the island, for we were not more than
mile away-and in that clear cir and bright
| sunshine a mile is nothing. There were
! houses on shore-that was one OF the hrst
! things we noticed-some good, big ano com
| Portable looking houses, too, surrounded by
| great plantations of cocoaput trees, and In
| other places cane fields.
| This peculiarly at once distinguished
Jamaica from the other islands we had
| passed At Fortune Island we were favored
with the sight of one little house. In Cuba,
not single building of any kind nor living
| creature, though we went close enough to
have seen cat walking on the beach! Moth
| ing could be more desolate than the eastern
| end of Cuba-rugged mountains, bare rocks,
and utter solitude. When Columbus first
saw the island it could not have been more
as nature made and left it, at the east end,
| than it is today And this least end, as far
as its ruggedness and barrenness go, extends
| half way down the island nearly We in the
north are apt to think Of Cuba as vast gar
den spot, covered with cane fields and green
tobacco But this Is a mistaken notion. The
| cultivated land is a surprisingly small pro-
portion of the surface, and every year it
grows smaller, if anything can grow" small
er. The Same cyclone that has hit all other
West India islands has not passed Cuba.
Away back in 1900 there were more than
| 1900 coffee plantations in Cubs; now there
are-quien sabe'-probably less than 2OO, and
| the others have gone to seed
SEEN FROM THE SEA.
But the aspect of Jamaica is very different.
Seen from the sea, the entire island seems to
be under cultivation. 1t has, indeed, many
high mountains, but the mountain land is
some of the best on the island, producing
| coffee that is second to none in quality or
price Away up almost to the mountain tops
are cultivated fields. Down by the shore are
Of 1arp IF IA
ever seen, numbering their trees by thousands,
with vessels moored alongside waiting to
carry away the ripened nuts. And ba1anass
Bananas growing everywhere, wherever a
shoot can be set out! The houses to be seen
are generally large and low, as open as pos
sible to let in the breeze Cane feldsl Very
/ few, and therein lies the secret Of Jamaica's
keeping herself afioat, while all the neighbor-
ing islands are struggling with bankruptcy.
Instead of waiting in vain for sugar to pay
again. as they are doing, the Jamaica plant
ers plowed up their cane fields and went to
raising bananas and cocoanuts, and now de-
rive the greater part Of their incomes from
these articles of ready and profitable sale.
So Jamaica gentleman and fruit grower on
the steamer told me, and certainly this first
look at the island seems to confirm his state
ment, for there are bananas and cocoanuts
growing everywhere.
How many pirate ship has sailed along
this same shore that we are bugging SO
closely! Old Port Royal, now just coming
into sight used to be the headquarters of all
these fellows. There they scuandered the
gold they captured on the high seas, there
found rest after their long, hard voyages.
Poor fellows, they needed rest, of course
after their arduous labor Of capturing and
pundering all the ships they could! But Port
Royal is no more. Once one of the greatest
cities of the western world-ranking third
believe, only Lima and Mexico exceeding it
in size and wealth-it is now a hot little
town of few hundred inhabitants. Stand
ing as it does on the end of an exceedingly
narrow strip of land that juts out into the
sea- one wonders where there ever could
have been room for great city. But the
earthquake that destroyed the city and
killed nearly all its inhabitants sank good
share Of the land into the sea, and today we
could, if we were to 60 over the spot in row.
boat, see the crumbling ruins Of some of the
buildings that on that fatal day were buried
forever.
BEAUTIFUL KINGSTON HARBOR.
This tongue Of land, on which stands the
REMAINS Ol Oib lDILlc LILO OcduliIul
Kingston harbor, into which the Alvo slowly
stearns at l o'clock on the seventh day out
from New York. Kingston lies before us,
about twenty miles away, on the edge of an
almost level plain. Behind it, perhaps ten
miles inland, the mountains begin to rise,
and continue up, up, till their peaks are lost
in the clouds 1t is a beautiful sight under
this hot tropical sun. Cocoanut trees every
where, far overlapping the houses of Port
Royal and lining tho shore Forts to tbs
right of US, forts to the left of US One might
think the whole world had banded together
to capture this little island Of Jamaica, from
the number and size Of its forts.
Gradually we approach the city, and slowly
the pleasant voyage draws to a close. Kings
ton, a city of 40 o00 inhabitants, is almost in
visible, hidden by its trees The streets are
full of them, the yards, the parks-so it looks
from the water. There are ships in the
harbor, of course; dozen steamers, perhaps,
and any number Of sailing vessels. The Alvo
is drawn up TO the Atlas line wharf. and we
are beset by an army Of hotel runners, who
have all the cheerful characteristics of their
brethren in New York But with them come
some Of the friends through whose invitation
this voyage has been undertaken The
weathera Well, comfortably warm; and the
surrounding darkies look on dismayed 70 see
the number of heavy coats our party pile
Il. 81 H.