New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-15
AMONG THE BAHAMAS.
TUE LUSCIOUS FRUITS AND LOVELY
WOMEN OF ELBOW CAY.


va ,,,nk old sol fairly active when the franhin
- nasan 10 perspre. Iut that war III 'ne udSs
- had reached 20 degrees north lautuoe our
-, &c riding at anchor on breezeieSs sea- P"snou
"a ,,esmne as q mirror, while oVerhead rum "oiiHoh
- r,,on the sly shows never NECK OF ciouu' All -
-, bro,nc mephtc, Internal neat OH eS''n anu
hea'' - ,o the air The old sea tales OF bOyhoOd
h,rne IN mon the mind. and It is not dinicult 10
tU w. -, ,he mich I'm the seams of the deck VIII
poHe'0 100, stonewall Jacksing, our cook, is
p"V''0 a.. she statement that steak could be
So =, tho capstan head. Certain 1t Is that the
ao,er hung in the shade OF the foreSai' winch
thefi'Oni' nm ss a makeshift awning, reads 100 de-
mas U0o" ,s oven worse in Hopetown the capital
So 80 cav whence returned an hour since.
VI ,,or-n ( sui generis. 1t was settled shortly
rornwalliss surrender by sturdy little band OF
a'ei rho IN high chagrin had forsaken the soil
ho' ora Dominion and had adventurOusly set sail
VI - ~, e,arsb Main resolved TO found colony loyal
- V,rr George Many tales, more or less TRUTHFUL
= told Of the rough experiences Of the fugitives III
: tnoup however, that in the closing months OF
,-so a small schooner carrying four families, under
h leadership Of Captain Rupert Roberts passed within
,bs outlying reefs Of the northern portion OF the
pabama group and anchored at what is now Elbow
cav Captivated by the beauty of the island the
,antan landed and founded settlement TO which, for
an obvious reason, he gave the name "Hopetown"
sj,ce that day the settlement has lived liz peaceful
,coluded life and obeyed handsomely the divine COM
pand to increase and multiply, until It now includes
early 400 souls besides the inhabitants Of several
villages on the ne ghborng keys.
The whole 400 were much interested yesterday
morning when two Of our yachts people were landed
and proceeded up Parliament Lane TO The LOOKOUT
The visitors saw as they paced the fg-shaded lane
clusters of roomy one-story houses built of the white
coral rock which is the foundation If the keys, ana
we're greeted by the savOry scent Of frying fish, Bu
ngs were located I'm ali varieties of Impossible places
every foot on the island having been utilized as pd'
ing property Above the rdge-pole of nearly every
house loated small flag with white field on "hon
was sewn a red Maltese cross. These hags nao poon
mt in place the preceding Christmas, and now aiter
lapse of over eight months, were flying as DraNeS a
ever The houses were picturesque, uopicai anairs
bullt low and with huge stone blocks for founuaoh
order 10 resist the violence Of the August HURRICANES
Two or three had queer second stores naue vi "'o
washed sapodila planks, and ooaSted airy yalousoS
All were built like the ancient spanish residences III
ST Augustine flush with the street lines ana eeeiheu
to have been arranged in a social happy -eo-lucKy
fashion the main entrances of many fronting the back
doors of their neighbOB. The visitors passed one
Of the two groceries of the town, and were SHOWN
sponCes of all sorts and conditions, from the dainty
8 cups suggestive of pOmpOn, TO the huge hey
vesters suggestive Of the map of Switzerland All,
9cuD.s woolp grass yellow Key Vesters,'
etc. were on blIlHse, iuuhVDi W WV "--'o'
sbulngs was the price of string of fine bath sponges'
such as retail in the Broadway drug stores at 20 cents
zach In front OF the grocery were also green tur'
weighing from 800 to 400 pounds, lying suplne ana
with their ppes tied together with sap0dilla t"lgS'
During their stay on the key the two strangers
were the observed Of all observers. Their progress u
Tie Lookout was. 10 their CONSERVATION something
dramatic As guide they had no less person than
raptan Ithuriel Russell, by the grace OF victoria
Reg. crown banlH resident magistrate, and police
officer i'm and for Her Maestys loyal island OF ELBOW
Cav Al a discreet distance followed citizens Al
adva nce guard Of children, little sun-DroWned saNdss
almost I'm puris naturalbus, announced the advent %
the furTiners" Doorways along the line OF march
were occupied by wondering Cayese, whose races IN
Dictated that the visit the sensation OF the year
All Elbow Cay was in an uproar NO other AhcIi0d"s
had landed on the island since 1888.
The view from The Lookout was an Inspiration
The white water Of this of the globe responds
TO distance with shadiDgs which only the eye VI d"
artist can appreciate. At the horizon II shows as
bazy purple merging into indigo in the nearer reaches
toward the middle disan it lghtens by subtle grada-
lions until f. is resolved into a cerlean hue; with
be nearer sweep of the eye it passes into VIVID
emerald of a warmth Of tone which would De con-
.iiered sensational in painting FROM Inc Ioohou'
mo vis,ble Hopetown's two churches the Wesleyan
MISSION and the chapel of the High Church of Eng
and Could that stanch old Royallst, Rupert hoD-
from his coral grave uuucI lHC bIoi' @iN
Il the royal cocoanut palm in the Gays burial ground
i hair ,pouId stand on end to hear his degenerate
descendants singing Methodist hymns, nne by Inc
ptoninr each line as il is read by the minister. NOT
would the last-century refugee, slaVeboidef thaV ho
VAS be much cOus0led TO learn that the rector ol
he chapel OF the English church, and the most ol
i've re,tor's flock are colored people. Some OF the
bahamas have had cOlored population since the
ime Morgan and his merry marooners haTied the
rates of the Western World and slavers wrecked on
he Windward Reefs have increased that population
rippe of activity from the outer world hoated INTO
Great HarbOr during the American war VI the 40
teion and the routine of nsular lie was broken ny
The fitting out Of blockade runners. According 10
the statement of one Of the eleven Captains Roberts
now resident on the island, no fewer than twenty |
attempts 10 pass the Federal blockade were made by
parties from Elbow Cay. But the halcy0n blockade
unnlng days are over and for quarter OF century
he Cay has lived lis slumDerOus ne, following us
outline of spOnging, fishing and fruitgrowing
That nyinng vegetable can grow on these rocks
: a miracle stranger eyes. There Is no soil worth
Mentioning in the northern Bahamas, the keys are of
acareous formation. Here and there are small pockets
bright red loan, but they are few and are reserved
or the culture OF pneappes All but small fraction
the surface of the land consists of peculiarly soft
and Yet seemingly, that is just the combination
yhch the cocOs nucifera prefers for the finest
nus north of Cuba are grown heieabOuts In spite
the devastation OccaOned by the August hugrcanes,
estimated that the crop of the kegs north of the
iOred Hole in the " all passage VIII amount 10 10000
luis valued at about 5000. Fine large cOcOanuts,
which would retail al u TO 20 cents each in New
FORK grocery. bring only "tlppence' apiece In the
,aSssu market, or So TO S23 thousand American
money. And next February pineapples Will DO sold
ere for shnhngs a bundred-better pines than can
e bought three months later In NcwYork for 10
ents each Best grade oranges in season sell az 81
: S14 per thousand, the same fruit which Tetas in
ew-fOrk at and > cents an orange give this
Information for the ediicatiOn OF thrifty American
Ousewives. The said housewives would. i fear,
scandaliZed al the culinary arrangements Of the
ayese. In this hot climate the kitchen is very
roperly separate from the residence The stove is
n Immense coral affair with smoked dome and has
le appearance OF a mammoth beehive. charcoal
" Is kindled in the concern: the fish and the Vegcta-
les 10 be boiled are put together in shallow pan
wafer Frequently salt water. as fresh water is
carce, the pan is placed the Goals and an effort |
made go keep the smoke IN tho hive. In
holetown wUmcn-I write II with due reverence |
Ne w peculiar. They are beautiful, and vet they are
~ Desuful. The climate in this quarter OF the
,', 80 ~ made for love, iaZiness and what CanuS |
o oidnnu up in the word "vOluptas" There IS a
nnIiou-. sDW 10 the atmosphere, dreamy tropic =
,uoncs2 WHICH nlLnds tho anclar Ilnrest nf