Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-10-10
A VISIT TO JAMAICA.
secRET or THE PLANTERS sue.
CESS IN FINANCIAL MAT TIERS.


Pew Game Fields. hut Banana and Cocoa
nui Groves Every here--i'ort Royals
p.eaa.nee-neautifuI Kingston Harh"r.
| Taking "a JON, Jamaica Ride.
Ib, high Cuban mountains faded out OF
| sight just before dark, and on Friday morn
| inr. ss.ven DAYS after leaving New York, the
mountains ~ Jamaica lay before us, BY the
| middle 1t the morning we were close 10y the
orth side VI the island, but as Kingston,
| sur destination. is ON the outh side, We stiil
had to go around the eastern end Of the
| island and about hnlf 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 in their places there came out ON deck
wonders Of starched linen and black coats,
and mnryels Of summer bonncts and silk
dresses. A. We ran along the Jamaican
/ shore We had a fine chance to see something
OF the island, for We were not more than "a
mile away--and in that clear air and bright
sunshine n mile is nothing. There we're
houses on shore-that WIS ono OF the irst
things we noticed SOME good, big and com
/ Portable looking houses, too, surrounded by
| great plantations of cucoanut trees, aud IN
other places cane fields.
| This regularity at once distinguished
| Jamaica from the other islands we had
passed AL Fortune lslnnd 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 IA 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 IL Is today. Aud this east end, as FAR
ns It's rugge,inrss and barrenneas 80, extends
half way down the island nearly. We IN the
north are apt 10 think Of Cuba as a vast gar
den spot, covered with cane fields and green
tolacco But this is "a mistaken notion. The
cultivated land Is surprisingly small pro
portion Of the surface, and every year 1t
grows smaller, if anything can grow small
ar. The same cyclone that has hit all other
West India islands has not passed Cuba.
Away hack ia 1900 there were more than
2 900 cofFeo plantations in Cuba; now there
are-quien sabei- probably less than 2OO, and
the others have gone to seed.
SEEN PROM THE SEA.
s,e.n from the sea, tho entire island seems 10
be under cultivation. 1t has, indeed, many
high mountains, but tho mountain land Is
some Of the best ON the island, producing
coffee that IL second 20 none ia quality oi
price. Away up almoa, 10 the mountain top
are cultivated fields. Down hy the shore ar,
some of the largest cocoanut groves hav'
ever seen, numbering their trees by thousands
with vessels moored alongsi side waiting u
. | carry away the ripened nuts. And bananas
Bananas growing everywhere, wherever
shoot can lie set outl The houses To bc seeI
: are generally large and low, as open Us pos
siblo u let in the breezc. Cane iiedsi Yer
few, and therein lies the secret Of Jamaica
keeping herself aiioat, while all the neighbOl
ing islands are struggling with bankruptcy
Instead of waiting IN sain for sugar % pa
again, as they are doing, tho Jamaica plant
4 ers plowed up their cane fields aud went
' raising bananas and cocuanuta, and now d,
! rive the greater part Of their incomes froi
v these articles of ready and profitable sal
SO Jamaica gentleman and fruit grower d
the steamer told me, and certainly this fir
look ut the island seems % confirm his stat
Sc meut, for there are bananas and cocoanu
growing everywhere.
' How many pirate ship has sailed aloI
XM
- closelyi Old Port Royal. now just comii
into sight, used a. be the headquarters OF
these fellows. There they squandered I
, gold they captured on the high seas; the
found rest after their long, hard voyage
Poor fellows, they neesled rest, OF cour
after their arluous Labor OF capturing a
plundering all the ships they could But ~
an ROYAL Is no more Once one Of tho great
cities OF the western world--Tanklng third
believe, only Lima and Mexico exceeding
~ In size aud wesllth-it is now a hot III
, .., town OF a few hundred inhabitants. StaI
ing as il does ON the end of an exccellni
narrow strip OF land that juts out into
SEA, one wonders where there ever col
- have been room for a great city But
earthquake that destroyed the city q
. . killed nearly all its inhabitants sank a q
share Of the land into tine SEA, aHa today
-, could, IL we were ~ go over the spot IN a r.
.rrs boat, SEQ the crumblIng RUNS Of some Of
nts buildings that on that fatal day were bun
/, forever.
BEAUTIFUL KINGSTON HARBoR
IE This tongue Of land, on which stands
Ia remains OF Port Royal, forms the heaut
Kingston harbor, into which the Alvo slo
stcams at o'clock on the seventh day
Al from New york Kingston lies before
nv about twenty miles away, ON the edge of
almost level plain Behind it, perhaps
miles inland, tho mountains begin To
n and continue up, up, till their peaks arc
in the clouds. Ii Is beautiful sight ri
- this not tropical sun Cucuanut trv,s sy
where, FAR overlapping the houses Of
Royal and lining the shore Forts To
right Of Us, forts 10 the left u rs. One M