The Dickinson press., 1888-04-28
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
Observation-Disclosures Kingston Harbor.
Taking IL Jolly Jalnaica Ride.
The high Cuban mountains faded out of
Sight 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 We're close by the
north side of the island, but us Kingston,
oWr dcstina,!":,, is on the south side, we still
had to &" around the eastern end of the
island and airol:t 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,
aud i'll their places there came out on deck
wonders of Starcllcl linen and black coats,
and marvci> of sImmer bonncts and silk
dresses. AS we ran along the Jamaican
shore we had Il fine chance to see something
Of the island. for we We're not more than IL
mile away-and in that clear air and bright
sunshine Il mile is nothing. There were
houses on shore-that was one of the first
things we notircd-some good, big and COM
Portable looking houses, too, surrounded by
great plantations of cocounut trees, and in
other places cane fields.
This popularity ut once distinguished
jamaica from the other islands we had
passed. Al Fortune Island We were favored
with the sight of on" little house. In Cuba,
not Il single building of any kind nor II living
creature, though we went close enough to
have seen Il cat walking on the beach! Moth
| ing cnlll he more dcsolatc than the eastern
end of Cuia-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,
| tl:in it is to-day. And this least end" us far
as its ruggc.lncss and barrenless go, extends
half way ,n"n the island nearly. We in the
north are apt to think of Cuba as a 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 lSUO there We're more than
1000 coffee plantations in Cuba; now there
nrc-rnien ahc:-probably less than POO, and
the others have gone to seed.
SEEN FROM THE SEA.
But the aspect of jamaica is verydiffcrent.
Seen from the sea, the entire island seems to
lc 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 uuality on.
price. Away :, almost to the mountain tons
! are cultivated fields. Down by the shore are
some of the largest cocoanut groves | nave
cvcrseen, numbering their trees by thousands,
with vessels moorel alongside waiting to
carry away the ripened nuts. And bananas.
Bananas growing everywhere, wherever Il
| shoot can he Set out! The houses to be seen
are generally large and low, as open as pos
Sible to let in the breeze. Cane fields? Very
few, and therein lies the secret of Jamaica's
keeping herself atloat, while allthc neighbor-
ing islands are struggling with bankruptcy.
Instead of waiting i'll vain for sugar to pay
again, us they arc doing, the Jamaica plant
crs p!owe1 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
tile steamer told me, and certainly this first
lock III the island seems to confirm his state
ln Mt, for there are bananas and cocoanuts
growing everywhere.
How many u pirate ship has sailed along
this same shore that we are hugging so
closely! Old Port Royal, now just coming
INTO sight, used to be the headquarters of all
these fellows. There they spuandered the
gold they captured Oh the high seas; there
found rest after their long, hard voyages.
Poor fellows, they needed rest, of course.
after their ar,luous labor of capturing and
plundrring all the Ships they could! But Port
Royals no more. Once one of the greatest
cities vi the western world-rankiny third, |
believe. only Lima and Mexico exceeding it
in size and wealth-it is now IL hot little
town of Il few hundred inhabitants. Stand
inS as ii 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 II great city. But the
earthquake that destroyed the city and
killed nearly all its inhabitants sank Il good
share of the land into the sea, and today we
could, ii we were to go over the spot III a row.
boat, see the rrulnblilg ruins of some of the
buildings that on that fatal day were buried
forever.
BEAUTIFUL KINGSTON HAaBoR
This tongue of land, on which stands the
remains of Port Royal, forms the beautiful
Kingston harbor, into which the .Alvo slowly
stcalns 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
i'll the clouds. 1t is Il beautiful sight under
this hot tropical sun. Cocoannt trees every
where. far overlapping the houses of Port
Royal and lining the shore. Forts to the
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 Il close. Kings
ton, u city of 10000 inhabitants, is almost in.
visible, hidden 10y its trees. The streets arc
full of them, the yards, the parks-so it looks
from the water. There are ships in the
harbor, of course; n dozen steamers, perhaps,
and any number of sailing vessels. The Alvc
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. Tho
weather! Well, comfortably warm; and til,
surrounding darkics look on dismayed to Sc,
the number of heavy coats our party pile
into the carriages. So, in one of the gorgeou:
Kingston "busses' we take the first of man,
- !. I T-- .:1. n