St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-26
IN THE BERMUDAS.
The Land Of Perpetual Sum-
mer Sketched by a st.
Paul Man.
Delightful Ocean Voyage Of
Two Days Across the
Ocean.
History Of the Islands and
How They Are Gov
erned.
Hamilton the Leading City,
Expense of the Winter
Trip.
Written for the Globe.


Written for the Globe.
About 600 IN lies east of Charleston,
s. c., and about 700 miles southeast of
New York, lies the coral-reared summit
of an isolated submarine mountain,
which is marked on the maps as the
Bermuda Islands. This mountain,
most probably of volcanic origin. rises
abruptly on the bed Of the Atlantic
from depth of about 1000 fathoms,
and to height about equal to that OF
Mount Blanc.
Many people have scarcely heard of
the BermudaS, and do not have a very
definite idea of where they are, and
this is not to be wondered at, for they
are but little speck on the map of the
great world, and have to be searched
for in order to be discovered.
The only way of reaching the Islands
from America is by the Quebec Steam
ship company's line of steamers plying
between New York and the BermudaS
weekly during four months of the year,
and every two weeks during the re-
mainder of the year. Leaving New York
Thursday afternoon, the green hills of
the land of perpetual summer are,
usually to be seen by the traveller, If
the voyage has been fair, on the follow
ing Sunday morning, and if the tide
happens to be in at the hour of the
steamers arrival, so that she can come
directly to the wharf, he may land i'll
time to attend church in Hamilton, the
metropolis of the islands.
Tine entrance to Hamilton harbor is
very intricate, and steamship has to be
guided for distance of fifteen miles
through a channel which is thoroughly
known only to native pilots and one OF
these "a cOlOred NAM always boards the
steamer off St. Georges, at the eastern
extremity of the islands, where is the
entrance to Hamilton harbOr,a and brings
her through the tortuouS channel to her
docks. In some places the vessel runs
so near to the little islands that dot the
harbor that biscuit can be thrown to
land on either side, and it is only at
high tide that steamer OF large tom
mage can come to the wharf at Ham
ilton.
The change, when these islands are
visited in the winter season, from snow
and ice to the summer greenness,
the balmy air and bright skies
of this almost. yet not altogether
tropical cline, is most delightful one,
and for the first few days the transition
seems to the traveller almost like
dream; but the dream is not dlSpelled
as the days glide by in happy process
sion, and one enters into the full enjoy
ment of basking in May-day sunshine,
and feels delicious softnesS in the air,
| and breathes in the perfume of roses in
their full glory in January; and such
roses as grow only under Bermuda skies
| and in Bermuda air.
The islands are known under the
name of the BermudaS. OF SomerS
islands. The first name is from Juan
BermudeZ, a Spauiard, whose vessel
touched at the islands on voyage to
| the West Indies, and through him their
| existence was first made known to the
| world. The other name, that OF SomerS
| islands, is from Sir George Soniers, an
| Englishman, who, bound for the settle
| ment of Jamestown, in Virginia. with
| fleet of vessels loaded with supplies and
| emigrants, was wrecked upon the
islands and made the first settlement.
| 1t is after him that the town of st.
George, the oldest town in the islands. is
| named.
The islands thus became and have re-
manned British possession, their chief
| Importance as such growing out OF their
| advantageous location near the
AMERICAN COAST.
| as military and naval depot. Here Is
| a fine horbor, affording safe anchorage
| for the largest fleets; a harbOr, the en-
trance to which is so intricate that only
| through the treason of native pilot
| could an enemy's vessel enter it. Here
| the British government keeps great
| quantities of military and naval sup
plies for distribution among the West
| Indian dependencies and for use in case
| the occasion should ever arise. Here
| she has the largest floating dock in the
world, in which her largest armored
| ships may be placed for repairs. Three
| months of the year this is headquarters
| for the Atlantic squadron of her maj
| esty's navy, and Admiralty house, beau
| tifullv located on Spanish Point, is the
| residence of the admiral while he is
here.
One OF two regiments of troops are
| always stationed here, and an occasional
| sham battle. special dress parade, or
some sort of military display, is one of
| the diversions offered visitors and cit
liens of the islands. The red coats of
the British soldiery make them look
| very gay, but certainly afford con-
| spicuous target for the rifles of an
| enemy, and for that reason L learn that
| in some cases they are discarded for an
other and less conspicuous color, when
| the soldiers are sent into battle.
The Bermuda islands lie northeast
and southwest, and are shaped some
thing like fiSh-hook, with the stem of
| the hook to the northeast. The great
est length is about twenty-five miles,
| and greatest width nowhere more than
lf,c md in mo MI N
| more than quarter of mile. There are
| a great many small islands. l can count
about thirty from my temporary abiding
place. looking up Hamilton harbor. But
| there are but three islands of any size,
| and these are all connected by cause
ways, so that you can drive from one eX-
| tremity of the islands (St. George's) to
the other the dockyards). The cause
way connecting st. Georges to the
mainland, as it is called, is over one
mile in length, ana cost in construction
| $500, 900.
| Hamilton is the chief town, and has a
| population of about 1000. ST. Georges,
| the only other town, has about 800. 1t
has by far the best harbor, being within
| a mile of the open sea and easy of &C
cess, while Hamilton barbor is fifteen
miles from the open sea, and the chan
| mel tortuOus and intricate. But Hamil-
| ton has gained the ascendency over her
rival, and thither the
| SEAT OF GOVERNMENT,
| once at st. Georges, has been trans
| ferred, and in Hamilton is the center of
| the commercial and social life Of the
| islands.
| Hamilton hotel is the most conspicu-
GUS building, having been erected at
the first by the corporation of Hamilton
with view to attracting American Wis
| itors. LatterIy it has been leased to ali
American gentleman, Mr.. Aitken, VINO
has had large hotel experience, by
whom the capacity Of the establishment
has been greatly enlarged, and it is now