Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-05-19
DATA REGARDING PORTO RlCO.
Information Given by Pfo5 Wise
Of the Philadelphia Museum.

The Island Less Than Onr-Half the size
Of New Jrr.ry-its Population Nearly
Eight Hundrcu Thousand some Trade
Statistics That Arc New and Authenuc.
fhilaGelphia, Ia, May IL. Prof.
Wilson NJ tho Philadelphia Muserm
nRs prepared some interesting data
auout Porto Rico. much Of which has
Gsver been printed, hut everything
about Portu Rico is OF general interest
Just now. The trAia statistics arc new
and authAntio. Prof. Wilson Gays:
Porto Rico is the most eastern island
of the Greater Antilles, 10 the West
Indies. On tho east, tho .naner Antilles
sweep 10 groa! bow toward Trinidad,
Un the South American rosnt. incloEing
on the wirdward the Caribbean Siea. OF
those, st. Thomas, Danish Island
and coallne station, ia OF greater
stFategicnI importance. 1t is 'nuth.
west from the capital of Porto Rico,
about 20 miles away. strait OF 10
miles separates tho island FROM Hayti
on the west. Tho distance al san Juan
from other HEratBgicli pninis ID =. 100
mileH to Cape NarGo ieiands. | 1850 to
Key West and l. 40 To Hampton kOads.
Ihsrs ara SMALLER iS.hndB which hninng
Ia the colnny, especially on tie eastern
coast, out they ara OF Eiisut Importance.
The uniG ISLAM is a ps'niieipgram 10
general nnCiinn, los In;leo from tue east
20 The Yves; aud from g 30 i3 aies
across, an! il has an area computed 1T
hn'N square miics, or nat quito halt
that Of New Jorsey. I'he LITTLE island
on the eRet o. Niequea, on which ia
the town OF Gabel Segurda, Ia mil.
tRry penal station.
The population IN 1887 numbered
I9s, 5G5, Of whom s74, 9.}3 wers white,
246 Gi7 mulattoea anu &c, $50 negroes.
Slavery was abolished in ISIS. tbtoe
yeara after the colony was declared to
ha representative province OF Spain
and divided into seran depnrtu snts.
Gnpo s'au Juen is the northeastern
corner OF the Island. Going thence
southwark along tile eRat coast the nort
taIarro is teaa!iai, witch is nothing
but channel sheltp.4d by tina small
islands of Obi5Po, Zaucudo and Ramos.
There are other ports and anchoragss
on this coast
Passing Puuts, San Francisco. the
most western point of the island. there
comes into view Purta Algarroho, the
shores of which form this northern
boundary OF the Bay OF Mayaguez. The
miles, near river, at the mouth OF
which its purt is located. II has y, 600
inhabitants. military barracks, an iron
bridge, a good trade. gaslight, and
there are l6 feet of water in its harbor,
but the entrance is difficult
Punta Gnanagibo forms the southern
shore. Pilots are needed all along this
coast.
Cape Aguila is the southwestern OK
tremity of the island. Between this
and the Morrillos OF Capo Rojo is the
Bay of Salinas, with from 10 to 20 feet
Of water, but not well protected Nayi.
CATION along the southern coast requires
great care, Between Cape Roio and
Punta de la Brea is a long line Of cliffs
called de la Margaritu, between which
anu the mainland are inleta, like the
coast thoroughfares of Name or New
Jersey, affording many good anchorages,
but these cannot be reached without d
pilot.
The port of Guanica, the largest
anchorage ground on the southern coast
of Porto Rico, lies II miles east of
Cape Rojo, with ID feet to 80 feet of
water over bottom OF sod and broken
rock.
Porto Rico is irsvsrsed from east to
west by a mountain range dividing the
island into two unequal portions, by
far the longest slope being on the
north, SO that the rivors on that coast
are much the longer. From this chain
several branches diverge toward the
north coast. giving 1t rugged appear
ance. Part of the main range is called
Sierra Grando or Barros; its northeast
spur Is known as the Sierra de
luquilla, that on the northwest is the
Sierra Laree. I
The most OF the population is located
on the lowlands at the seafront of the
hill. For lack of roads the interior is
accessible only by mule trails or saddle
paths. and it is covered with vast
forests
There are interesting caves in the
mountains, those of AguRs Buenas
and GALES being the most notable
Rivers and brooks are numerous, AZ
very considerable rivers having been
enumerated.
Tho principal minerals found in Porto
Rico are gold, carhonates and sulphides
of copper, magnetic oxide of iron in
large quantities Lignite is found at
Utuado and Mnca, aud also yellow
amber. a large variety of marbles,
limestones and other building stones
are deposited on the island, but these
resources are very underelOped. There
are salt works at GLanica and Salinas
on tho south coast, and at Cape Rojo
on the west, and this constitutes the
principal mineral industry in Porto
Rico. Hot springs and mineral waters
are found at Juan Diaz, San Sebastian,
San Loronzo and Ponce, but the most
famous is at Coamo, near toe town of
Santa Isabel.
The climate is hot, but much allie
waited by the prevailing northeast
WINDS A temperature as high as III
degrees +. has been recorded, but it
seldom exceeds 81 degFaas +. in the
shade during the hottest hours; at
night it sinks to 6S or CO degrees.
Tho rniny seauon lasts from August
to December, and the rainfall is at
times 90 eopious north OF the noun
tains as to inundate cultivated tieldu
and produce swamps. The rainfall for
1875 was 81 inches. It's mean annual
average is 641a inches.
The prevailing diseases ars yellow
fever, ulophantiasis tetanus, marsh
fever and dysentery.
Porto Rico ID unusually fertile, ard
Its dominant industries are agricultural
and numbering. In elevated regions tho
vegetation OF the temperate zone is not
unknown. Three are more than 500
varieties OF trees found 10 the forests,
and the plains are full of palms, orange
and other trees. The principal crops
gre sugar, coffee, tobacco. cotton and
maize, hut bananas, rice, pineapple
and many other fruits are important.
iIle nil "A -