The Portland daily press., 1898-11-07
PORTO RICO.
What Mr. Woodside Says Of the
Island.

Island.
He Has just Returned From a Business
Trip-Says Porto Rico Good Place for
Man With Capital.
Yankee enterprise is already making
itself apparent in Porto Rico and the
island has already begun to enjoy boom.
That is the opinion of Calvin E. Wood
side, Esq, who has just returned from
business trip to the little island. What
this business was Mr.. Woodside says he is
not at liberty to state, but he spent some
time IL Porto Rico in the interest of
his clients and good deal of sight see-
ing on his own account Mr.. Woodside
was askedwhat in his opinion were the
chances for bright young men with small
capital who may go from this country
to the island, and what was the oppor-
tunity for investment on larger scale.
& In reply he told of some of the cases
which had come under his own obser-
walton during his stay in the island.
'sOn my trip down. said Mr.. Wood
side, "among the passengers was young
man who had a thousand dollars in
money and a lot of American razors.
These he smuggled into the country and
disposed of them at a good profit. Then
he set himself up in the real estate busi-
ness. Since the American occupation,
many estates have been in the market,
owners of Spanish sympathies desiring
to sell anG return to the old country, and
buyers being many now that the fear OF
extcrtion under the guise of taxation is
removed. Under the old system there
was a tax on prosperity for the more
man raised on his farm or plantation the
more the Spanish extorted. This deferred
many from entering into business ven
lures and the removal of this fear has
given business great impetus. The
young man of whom I speak soon had a
fourishing business, not only i'll the sell
ing of estates, but in the letting of
houses to incoming Americans. Before
left the island he had doubled his
thousand dollars and l have no doubt
that he is still doing well. knew an
other man who was In the real estate
business on larger scale, dealing onlysin
estates, and he was finding no difficulty
in disposing of his holdings at good
advance over the purchase price. II
yoang man has brains and some capital
there is no reason why he should not sue.
ceed in Porto Rico. OF course if he goes
there merely as a laborer, he will not fare
SO well for there are laborers enough now
and they are willing to WORK at much
less than Yankee prices.
sGnuo 0f tho TQnarEahl6 0f fnQ
business enterprises in prospect is the
development of what promises to be the
best seaport on the island, and which,
while known to the SpaniardH, has never
been used. This harbor is on the south
coast, about 20 miles from Ponce. 1t
has an entrance half mile nl broad ana
depth of 40 feet of water. The Spaniards
did not know of this deep channel Ifey
had caused survey of the harbor to BE-
made, but as they did not pay for l. is
services, the engineer kept his knowledge
to himself and the work of developing
the port was neglected year after year.
When the American forces had landed
on the island, Gen. Stone, then serving
as volunteer officer on the staff of Gen.
Miles, was sent to survey this harbor and
gained knowledge which convinced him
that here was the future seaport OF Porto
Rico. Since the war, Gen. StoLe has
bought 5000 acres of land around the bay
and has also aquired the rights OF irriga-
tion. His plan is an extensive one, in
volving the tunneling of a near by noun
tain. This tunnel will be not only
means of bringing the water to irrigate
the land around the bay. but through it
will run an electric railway, thus opening
ND communication between the railways
of the two sections of The island, to which
hitherto the hills have been barrier.
Gen Stone and occupied the same state
room on the homeward trip and he talked
freely about his plans. Already the rep
resentatiyes of American coal companies
have inspected the new harbor and they
say that they can supply coal to passing
vessels at 81 ton. The harbor is mid
way in the course to South America
The Red d line steamer Phiiadelphia, ON
which 1 was a passenger, goes from New
York to Venezuela and is now obliged to
carry coal for the round trip. The advan-
tage of cOaling station such as is pro-
posed will be readily apparent. Gen.
Stone has named the harbor Port Ameri-
ca.
"The immediate need Of the island is
better government than it is getting un-
der American military rule. When /
reached there the Spanish troops were
still in the cities and l did not see one
of them drunk, nor did see any dis
turbance among them. While / was at
San Juan transport arrived With regi-
ment of 1mmuneS IrOn America. They
were to go into the interior and only a
few allowed to wander about the city.
but they made it SO lively that the shon-
keepers closed their places of business.
Then officers landed from the ship and
tried to persuade the shore party to re-
turn on board, but they seemed to have
no control of the men. In one instance
several of the Americans interfered. We
told the men that we would have them
locked up if they did not behave. Of
course we had no authority, but they rec.
ognized us as Americans and apparently
believed that we could make goou our
threats, for they went back to the vessel.
Order was formerly kept in the island
by the guarda civile, but these men have
been withdrawn with the Spanish troops
and there is no one to take theirlplaces.
the result being that in the interior,
especially in the mountains, bands of re.
leased prisoners or deserters from the
Spanish forces are wandering about burn
ing plantation houses and committing
crimes on every hand.
'sWhat is wanted is native force to
take the-place of the guarda civile. 1t
is impossible for Americans to do police
duty in land where they do not know