The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-05

hands and reconcentrado girls. Cham
payne (the proprietor's, of course) flows
like water-or, rather as water never
Moved for the external use of these
sons of Mars; and, if they do not end
the orgie by smashing things general
ly and making a bonfire Of the build
ing, the planter considers himself
lucky. There has never been any dam
ger from insurgents to make this al
legged protection necessary as the pro-
prietor is known to be in sympathy
with the Cuban cause; but there is ey-
erything to fear from the protectors"
When the crisis comes, if Spain is COM
PEELED to withdraw her forces, they will
doubtless celebrate their departure by
burning the place, If not numbering
the family upon whose bounty they
have so long subsisted.
The magnitude of things In this
small state amazes the stranger. Be-
sides this tramway there are twenty
hVe miles of broadgauge railway with
in its limits, equipped with five loco
motives of largest size, 300 freight cars
and $50 box cars. There are thousands
of mules and horses and carts; a gen
erai supply store, pharmacy, school
house. church, ice-making plant, ma
chine shop, carpenter and blacksmith
shops; in short, all the requirements Of
an isolated community. The grinding
house contains several enormous en-
glnes, and wilderness of wheels,
bands and machinery. 1t is lighted by
electricity and has 72O tanks. each OF
which holds ton Of crude sugar
railway to run them on, scales for
Weighing and an apparatus for hoist
ing them and emptying the contents
into bags. In prosperous times this
plantation tuIns out 100000 bags Of
crude sugar every year, but this year.
When more than ever ought to be made
IN order to meet unusual expenses II
Will hardly make half that amount.
The sugar is sent to New York to be
renned, and this year it will bring low
prices, because of a large admixture
or scorched cane. Passing bands of
soldiers or insurgents often burn a. few
acres, by accident or design, and the
scorched stalks are generally ground
with the rest, but the juice comes from
the hrst squeezing black as ink. IT
1shtens considerably In the process of
refining, but is yet too dark for first
class sugar.
We occupied a long day going over
this plantation, but several days would
be required to see all it's points of in
terest. Besides the flower gardens
which surround the house, with their
fountain and statues and acres of roses
there is an extensive park, containing
the choicest trees and shrubs Of the
troplcs-a regular ZOO" and botanical
garden combined; artificial lakes Gov
ered with water fowl; an aviary, deer
and other animals. Then we took a
steam car ride of sixteen miles to visit
one or the villages at the farther end
CT the plantation. What would NV
reader give to have just one of those
sky-scraping palm trees In his front
yard? and here were thousands of
them to spare. Our host sent a man to
clmh n oh !,
done The smooth, round trunk looked
like a telegraph pole-fully 70 feet from
the ground to a tuft of splendid plumes
on top, without branch between. The
man took bit Of rope, thrust one bare
foot into loop at the end Of 1T, and
wound the rest around his waist and
the tree; then, holding his machete In
his teeth. up he Skinned like lizard
! to the very top, where he whacked off
one or the huge leaves. AS with most
things in this wicked world the de-
scent was more rapid and dangerous
than the ascent, but he came down
grlnn1ng, elated by the 20-cent piece,
palm trees for the rest Of his natural
life.
Later we went to witness the cutting
of a field Of cane. Several hundred
men and women were ranged in long
lines, each line headed by a. leader.
WHo StdTeS the tune, and takes the
initiative in every movem ent. Alto
gether they swing the machete, grasp
ing the canestalk with one hand and
bending in unison, as though moved
by machinery, the whizzing sound of
blades cutting the air, and the click
of falling cane making an appropriate
accompaniment to the wild song they
are singing. The newly cut cane is
thrown into OK carts and conveyed to
queer machine, patented by a Cuban.
which hoists the stalks, weighs them,
and dumps them evenly into waiting
cars, to be carried to the mill. There
an army Of women throw them into the
grinders, chanting a rude chorus as
they work. in which one detachment
responds to another in musical recita-
ton.
The letter is already too long to go
into the details of sugar making. Cane
is cultivated like Indian corn, and
closely resembles it In appearance
only more yellow in color. At the first
laying-out Of plantation, which after
ward continues fruitful for years by
simple processes of renewal, the cane