The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-12-13
BEAUTIFUL GRENADA.
Georgetown and its Manifold
Attractions.
THE IDEAL HoMEo OF A KENTUCKIAN
Church Spires and Red Tiled Roofs Clean
Amid Cocoa Palms and Brsad-Fruit
Trees-An English Colony.

When we sailed into this port few
evenings ago, and got first glimpse
by moonlight of the old town named in
honor of England's patron saint, we
thought it the most beautiful place in
the world, and it has since proved to
be one of the few whose attractions in
crease with longer and closer acquain-
lance Nor is this our verdict alone,
for little Grenada, which is only about
twenty-four miles long by twelve wide,
is universally conceded to be the love-
Hest of the Antilles. Georgetown, the
capitol and principal city, is on the
western side of the island, approached
by an inlet between tall cliffs and scat
tered powders. 1t is greatly superior
to the majority of West India towns
its houses being substantially built of
stone, in agreeable contrast to the
bamboo huts and frail wooden struc-
lures with shingled roofs and brick pill
lars that distigure most Of the islands
Georgetown occupies a peninsula that
juts far out into the water, and its
steep streets scramble up the hills that
environ the harbor on three Sides Be-
ginning at the waters edge, villa rises
above villa and garden above garden in
irregular terraces, church spires and red
tile roofs cleaning amid cocoa palms
and bread-fruit trees. A central ridge
running down to the sea divides the
town in two parts, and forms ON one
side of the harbor a large circular
basin called the "Carenage," where
ships lie land-locked close to the
wharves and stores.
A saluting battery, Fort King George,
with cannon pointing to the ocean and
signals waving from it's staff, guards
the entrance to the Carenage; and on
the left rises Hospital Hill, ,crested
with Notifications which were no
doubt effective in the days Of 32.pound-
ers. Another long ridge connects this
fort with Richmond Heights, which
are also fortified; and beyond green
hills rise above green hills, to the
sommas of old craters in the central
peaks.
The Carenage is always filled with
ships, and the wharves that surround
it present busy scene. The shops
and warehouses and markets are in
this lower town, and many of the
tradesepeople have their residences
here. Toward the farther end-where
Point Salines, with it's great lagoon,
shoots out long, broken horn, bor-
dered by mangrove trees wadins knee
deep in the seals an aqueduct, fed by
several little rivers running down
through cane fields, where ships take
on i. fresh water; and beyond is an ex-
tensive shipyard, provided with every
convenience for building sloops, schoon-
ers and droghers. The lagoon, which
is separated from the Carenage only by
a reef, is a fine body of water, deep
enough to = float the largest vessels.
Except for the reef it would surpass the
Carenage itself as a harbor Many
years ago the Grenada Legislature
voted a large sum Of money to blast
away the obstruction and thus unite
the two bodies of water, but the I'M
provements were never effected
On the other side of the town the
cliffs are lower and sharper, composed
of lava, ash and gravel, hurled forth
by some long-silent volcano. At theil
base, a bevy of negresses-looking in
the distanceilike a swarm of black ants
are busily loading II barge with
gravel, which they "tote" in baskets
on their heads. Beyond the cliffs &
circular lake, two miles in circumfer
ence, with coral reef swash, feeds two
or three small rivers. This celebrated
lake, the Etang du Vieux Bourg, il
one. of the old craters for which the
island is famous; the same, probably
which threw up all these powders ant
ash heaps. Tradition says that early
in the seventeenth century Frencl
city flourished where the coral rec
now CLEANS like huge white skeleton
beneath the water, and that one evi
day the Enceladus below turned owe
in his sleep, and the whole town wa
swallowed up or washed away. Only
one man survived to tell the tale, {
blacksmith by trade, who thereupon Sc
himself up as Governor of Grenada
there being nobody to dispute his pre-
tensions. The temper of the slumber
ing volcano is still so uncertain that il
earthquake time the Etang is watched
with great anxiety. A few years ago
when st. Vincent and other islands
farther north were so badly shaken up
this lake suddenly lifted itself ant
threw masses of water into the lowe
town, doing considerable damage.
To this day the good citizens declare
that the crater lat the bottom of thu
Etang du Vieux Bourg actually opened
like the mouth of a colossal monster
sucked up the sea, and spouted it Out
again. If this is true their escape from
total humiliation was certainly mar
row one. Among the other extinct
craters in the central mountains there
are several considerable lakes, and no
chalybeate and sulphur springs abound
Sleepy as this fair island looks il
the sunshine, it instantly wakes VI
whenever steamer runs alongside tn,
wooden wharf where passengers arr
sent ashore while coal is being takel
on. Hardly is the gang plank throw
before it is filled with a line of half
naked negroes and negresses. eacl
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