The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-01
CITY LIFE IN PORTO RICO
TENDENCY OF THE PEOPLE IS
TOWARD MUNICIPALITIES
No Farming Section of Like Size In
the United States Can Show an
Equal Number of organized
Towns High Order of InteIli-
gence and Civilization Is Evil
denced by the Official Statistics.

denced by the Official Statistics.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 31.-Of
the 100000 inhabitants at Porto Rico
100000 live in cities. The industries of
the island are almost entirely agricul-
,thral. But there are few farming 10
calities Of the United States CORE
spending in dimensions to this island
which can show such a collection of
cities and towns. Porto Rico's area is
atout equal to that of three average
counties In Illinois, Missouri, Kansas
or any other, Western state. Yet this
territory, less than 100 miles in length
and one-third that in width, has three
cities OF from 10000 to 10000 population,
a dozen above 5000 and fifteen or
twenty towns of 1000 and over. A char
acteristic Of the Porto Ricans is to live
IN towns, villages and in plantation
communities rather than in scattered
and isolated farm houses
Much has been printed about San
Juan de Porto Rico. People of the
United States are fairly familiar, by
description, with the Moro, the mas
slVe walls, the narrow city, built along
q strip OF sand running parallel to the
mainland, and separated from it by the
hay. The capital Of this new territory
or the United States no longer seems
foreign. With the other cities and
towns there is less acquaintance From
consular sources the department of
state has come into possession of in
terest1ng data about the more impor-
tant population centers besides San
Juan.
Ponce, how in Miles hands, ranks as
the second city of the island In the
same class with San Juan and Ponce
ranks Mayaguez, easier for the Amer
lean tongue than the spelling might
indicate. Ponce is pronounced in two
syllables. If spelled from hearing an
american child would probably make
1t "Ponsy." This is the Cuban and
West Indian pronunciation generally,
and will probably be accepted as the
American. Butathe pure Spaniard, with
MS due regard for the frequent 9TH"
Will continue to say 'Pon-thay" long
after the red and yellow flag has gone
oewn. Mayaguez is commonly May
ah-guez" without particular accent on
any syllable Mayaguez, Ponce and
san Juan are three coast points of a
triangle embracing the greater part Of
the island. Ponce is halfway point
on the south coast. San Juan prevents
the formation Of a right-anged tri-
ahgle by being on the north coast, con-
s'derably east of middle line
FACES MONA PASSAGE.
Mayaguez faces what is generally
known as Mona passage" the narrow
entrance to the Caribbean between Por
to Rico and San Domingo According
to the memoranda of the department
of state, there is little to be said of the
industries of Mayaguez except that
there are three manufactures of choco-
late, which is for local consumption.
sugar, coffee, oranges, pineapples and
cocoanuts are exported largely-all, ex-
cept coffee, principally to the United
States. OF sugar the muscovado goes
to the United States and the centrifu-
gal to Spain. Mayaguez is the second
port for coffee, the average annual ex-
Port being 10000 hundredweights. The
quality is Of the best, ranging in price
with Java and other first-rate brands.
The lower grades are sent to Cuba.
About $4,000 bags of -four are imported
into this port every year from the
United States, cut of the 100000 bags
that are consumed in the whole island
The population is nearly 10000, the
majority white. The climate is excel
lent, the temperature never exceeding
80 degrees Fahrenheit The city is
connected by tram with the neighbour
ing town of Aguadilla. and a railroad
ts being constructed to Aguadilla, one
of the large interior towns
After MayagueZ comes a class of
cities or large towns, of which Aqua
dilla is a fair sample. "Ah-wah-de-
va" as Americans will learn In time
to call it, is the principal town and the
port of Aguadilla district, in the north
west portion of the island, and has
5000 inhabitants. Industries in the vi
clnlty consist of the elimination of sug-
ar cane, coffee, tobacco, and cocoa
nuts and the distillation of rum from
molasses. In the town are three es-
Establishments for preparing coffee for
expectation. The climate is hot. but
healthy; there is hardly ever yellow
fever.
SMALLER CITIES.
Arecibo is town of from 5000 to
1000 population. 1t is situated on the
north coast of Porto Rico, facing the
Atlantic ocean. and some fifty miles
distant by rail from San Juan. 1t is
similar to all Spanish towns, with a
plaza, surrounded by the church and
other public buildings, in the center,
and streets running from it in right
angles, forming regular squares. The
buildings are constructed Of wood and
brick. The harbor is poor, being moth
Ing more than an open roadstead, eX-
posed to the full force of the ocean,
in which vessels during northerly
winds can hardly lie in safety. Close
in shore, on one side dangerous reefs
stretch, a constant menace to vessels
If the anchor does not hold. Into this
harbor empties q narrow and shallow
stream, called the Rio Grand de Are
cibo. Goods are conveyed on this riv-
er to and from town in lat-bottomed
boats, with the aid of long poles and
by dint of much pushing and patience.
At the bar of the river everything is
again transferred to lighters and
thence to vessels. 1t is a tedious and
expensive process. However, Arecibo
is quite an important port, and has
tributary to it g large district of some
10000 inhabitants. The want of good
roads in the island makes such a
place as Arecbo far more important
than it would naturally be.
Farjardo is the principal port on
the east coast of the island. 1t has a
population of 8,779, according to the
last official statistics December, 1870
The port is handsome, with a third
class lighthouse at the entrance at the
point called Cabezas de San Juan, and
commerce. The town is about one and
one-fourth miles from the bay The !
only important industry of the district
is the manufacture Of muscovado sug-
ar, to which most of the planters de-
vote themselves. Shocks, hickory
hoops, pine boards and provisions
come from the United States in con-
siderable quantities. Sugar and mo-
lasses are exported, and occasionally
tortoise shell. The climate is temper
ate and healthy.
Naguabo, on the east side, is small
town Of only about 1000 inhabitants
and in the harbor there is another
smaller place, called Playa de Nagua-
DO, or Ucares, with about 1900. The
capital of the department, Humacao