The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1893-12-15

eaaAcoA. N ousRR laAAMa.
Dependant Upep HAHN For the Waasr anu
Dly sone 0dd cussoma


ply sone odd Cussoma.
9nraeoa ID one of ne qliearest liatle Il.
lands 81 the Cafibhean sea. II lies SO
niles north os Veneauela, ia aboat 60
miles long and y or a wide, and i has
q population Of more than 50.90e
There Is no raeans Of procnrin8 fresh
Natss On the island exc ~ BY SEWING
fainWater ii reservoirs. a nHiphef of
wolls have been bored under the super
vision of the Dutch government. to which
ii belongs, but each ended in failure.
A curious statement regarding these
boringa Ii fnada by tho inhabitants p
the island. They say that III each and
every case after q certain depth waB
reached ths tools dropped ont of sightr
indicating that there Il 40 solid fonndsa-
ton 10 the island The borings were
made ID low places and through hills,
and ia about 80 different places. each
with the same ultimate result a few
wells have been dug 10 lesser depth
and braekish. unpleasant tasting water
IS Obtained from chem, At only for map-
ufnoturlng purposes.
The approach Of the rainy Heaeon is
always an interesting time there. The
water ID the reservoir 10 low AZ this
time, and tire nativea eagerly await the
opportunity 10 gather 4 freah sHpply,
Clothing e mover washed there in fraah
water, but at an honra % tho day the
| beach Il alive with women beating tho
clothes with clubs Oh the rookie
The houses are an built ia The Dutch
style, and are mostly Of STONE, with tile
roots. The streets are yeEy narrow, "a
some places 50 narrow that II Is possiblo
10 shake hands with the occupant of 9
room across the street simply BY leaning
ont Of the window,
There IS Q scarcity Of Young women q
the island, but an overplenty ol old and
wrinhled danes, II is said the young
women leave home as soon as they are q
inarriageable age and seek husbands ip
Caracas, Venezuela, Or sotne other south
American city, Vet there are some 0t
| the prettiest girla there q traveller ever
set eyes upon, They are The daughters
of Dutch fathers and spanish mothers,
and the mingling of the two bloods has
produced beautiful race, which is groWs
ing quite numerous there,
Three-Quarters of the population is Of
African descent, on mixed African, Span
ish. Dutch and Indian. A few IndiansI
said to be descendants Of the Caribs, arc
still "a be found on tbs island living ir
huts of straw,
Their sole business IN these days SEEM
10 be the paddling Of lottery tickets. EV
arybody invests ia the lottery thore, and
a. there are drawings each day the ped
| ding Of tickets forns quite 4 PAYING
business,
Some Of tha Africans there are mag
4 nificently formed, especially those ena
\ ployed along the lagoon IA loading and
unloading steamers and shipA. They are
1T homo III the water and Will dive ur'
der a steamer for q "real7 or 10 cont
piece.
i OF late years they are forced 70 weai
suits while sporting IN the lagoon neal
the settlements, but as the lagoon ex
tends in the center Of the island seyera
miles each way they may be seen every
evening making their way Ia pnnts TO I
point beyond observation where theg
can anioy themselves untrammeled bl
clothing,
The Maea pruen, On monkey plum, /
the favorite fruit, and tile parrot "a thi
faporite bird, For 81 q Young parro
that can talk Ia Spanish may NJ pun
. chased, and a knocking bird cam be hal
for 50 cents.
! None of the liquor which obtains Il
name from the island Is made theirs now
/ The Dutch have taken hold Of hemanu
faoture of ths liquor and have trans
ferred tho business to Holland. -NeV
I York Herald