Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-26
A WEST INDIAN CRUISE
Trip of the o. s. s. Atlanta to st.
Thomas.
EXTENSIVE SUGAR PLANTATIO
How the Different Grades of Sugar Are
Made-Boys scrambling and Diving for
Money-A Peculiar Cocktail-Relics Of the
Old Buccaneers tn BE Seen.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

ST. THOMAS, December, 81.
ON THE 10TH OF DECEMBER THE
OCnited States Steamship Atlanta was lying
at Hampton Roads ready for sea-" The night
before few officers who had been on a two
days leave to say goodbye" came hurrying
back, and at 10 O'Clock the executive officer
took the deck and the boatswain's mate sung
out s.All hands up anchor" The anchor chain
came rafting in and the screw churned the
water as the white cruiser started out for her
long voyage TO Aontevideo, one-third the dis
lance around the world. Cape Henry faded
into the distance and the ship held her course
for St Thomas till noon the next day, when
the lookout at the mast head sung out, Wreck,
hor'
On near approach the wreck proved to be
the schooner Tamos, built in Bath, Me-, in
lSs2- Her crew had long since deserted her
and the masts were carried away, but the hull
looked strong and sound. 1t being a part of
the duty of n man-of-war to destroy wrecks the
crew we're called to quarters, and for an hour
the shells were poured into the wreck, tearing
great holes in her and blowing the fragments
into the air, but as she was loaded with lumber
she did not sink easily. Two gun cotton tor
pedoes were exploded under her. and it was a
pretty sight to see the fragments of the wreck
age hy into the air a. the torpedoes exploded
with u dull, heavy report
The weather was nne and the good ship
steamed along at u speed of from ten to twelve
Knots. The third day out the weather was
warm and the sea began 20 show the beautiful
indigo blue of the tropical seas The surface
times The .Dpearance of the far-famed
''SATgasso seas that are covered as far as the
eye can reach with boating vegetable life.
Schools of flying fsh we're passed. These
dr.l. .nI ,xhsn nursu.d nv tLei, greatest
enemy the ..herneatas" thew lean from the
water. sometimes as high as twenty or thirty
fa.t GIVING th.,n the nayna ~ ..avipc, fsh
AT ANCHOR AT ST. THOMAS.
On the fifth ,iay the erv of ..land ho,, cones
from the masthead and little later xs male ON,
from the deck the bsyh lands an the eastern
and of 81 Tbomas and tina. NIGHT xe are at
,neho- in the ha,ho, % 8, Tbo,oas - ,bs
,brss naaLs wbich ,ha hIr. ;sctstnnaII,ha 49,
mar, nj ,,;xz., " risIny bs,o-aus - Tbau'o,
= nan;.I cnio,'v "a a. t.,.., % i''ni,..
GA nls.. h,;I, ~, a. .,,rr 49, - az -
HiIi ,~,,b ,ba "a 80. 81, -, 49,.
tn,, o.. ,Nr>;.sI soi;",s - 81 , - KS
ga,Jsns
- Ill .h. W.. lii. :,
.h;as on"-'y,; 49, t.a ; i.'AS' ~. ~
,J.e,.,;o AZ, ,h iss , sio~ins anu 'ns
-. ,1,a-;ors ;,a-a-.;l, -, ~ " G.e "
In - go. 80 ,oh 30 ~ .ae sisi'oi'
,h. rai,aS So - :, - .i.'4. 49, ~
,.a,ra. - ~ :, r., ~ =, =! 20
Lssn ar, - ~ 49, vSha.- 70 ' a-- ~
r{pe 4, 4. e.,, 81 ca-,al a. r. s,,S..- x.,.o;-
where it Is first run through the crushers and
the juice is taken To the huge evaporating pans.
while the crushed stalk furnishes the fuel 10
evaporate the Juice After the mice ia evan
o-ated till il is of the consistency of thick mo-
lasses II Is put in barrels and allowed TO settle
When the surface fluid is allowed to drain
off some DAVIS later the remaining smear i. bar.
relied up and sLipped to every mort of the
world as the ..brown .upar,' of commerce wbiIe
the molasses drained off Is made into rum.
WHICH Il one of the stapIe products of the West
Indies
,yr v,xv, c.,rrs or .r
o'
me hiAAihg OF we inner grades OF sugars,
such as the ''grAnulated and loaf sugars of
commerce, is a much more complicated pro-
cess and involvs. tina uss os r,ucb co,,,;ca I'll
and costly maehipery For making the ..cnbe,,
.ugar u..i ,or table 1rrrose. -, sitoaa.bor
In late years the puriied molasses is run into
mods and cast into long square sticks, which
eas Up INV VIC euoes w suiIaoie
by ..IunbIipg' the irregnlar crvstsis from tbs
purifier in huge revolving barrel the grade
being determined BY the size of the grain and
purity OF the sugar
While the thousands Of barrels Of rough
brown sugar that are ready TO be shipped are
lying at the wharves the sirup oozes through
the cracks and an army of dirty half-clad COL
ored urchins scratch it up and, regardless of
sand and dirt eat il with great relish besmear-
ing THEIR faces Win IL
Nipsts,th. of ,b. ,.n,Iat;or .ra ,oo-oo, -.
crsoIss Ia ,Sord ,bst r ~. w, I.Ii'e 49,, 80
r.rtIv biael and nsr.Iv wL;,er and ,hsv ~ IL
6appiest nost conte,tsd 10, ~ hnnai,,
evsr ~ Tbsv 90 10 ,bsir wo,I i, ~. 80,
iny .;rgino and nisving at GO haoI - .;rh,
still NOR inbiI.nt M mn 49, -. $50
ned straw hats dunceree ,roussrs 80 .aiioo
shirt. xhils the vomsn war gandv aowns ~
calico and NO hat. or ben,lrear ss a rnis ercsnt
TIE ribband. Win wbicb tSsv he,iscL ,hs;r hag
while scarcely any Of the 1eproe. (tLat il ~
the working class wear either sboss or s,ocI'
ing- The vomen's dresse, generally ston In =
below the Knee. and from a ji,tance one xxonIJ
take them for a crowd Of children Tba cbiI
dren generally wear only n short ssirt or II
tbs notion please. them nothing a. all and "a
thew cambol in the street, and suek the Sweet
stalks of the cane, thew seem To be true ..ehiI.
dren of nature"
e"AoLI ~oaHS'
Inc women are accustomed from childhood
70 carry burdens on their heads and this gives
them . grace Of carriage and straightness of
form that is noticeable throughout the islands.
MANY OF them have beautiful forms, and, with
NSll-rOunucu limbs and plump figures. II