The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1898-09-21
LAND OF
OPPORTUNITIES.
Victor BOwmer Says Money Can
Be Made in Porto Rico.
Il Beats the Blue Grass as a Stock
Raising Country.
HE WRITES TO W. II. BowMER.

PoNcE, Aug. 81, 180S.-DEAR UNCLE
WILL: Would have written you sooner,
but as soon as we were sufficiently rested
from our voyage over, my company, Com
pany O., were appointed TO guard an am
Dulance train TO the Division hospital
at Guaqoma, forty miles from here.
We returned to-day, after an alb
sence OF seven days, aud received the
first mail since my arrival on the island.
l received two copies Of the News, your
letter and several others. Felt come
what homesick upon hearing OF Will be-
ing at home. Would have liked ever 30
well to see him and TO be in Cloverport
Our forty mile march was full OF hard.
ships. A great number Of our men suf-
fered great deal from the heat; many
oil them were so completely exhausted
and footsore that they were not able TO
continue the march after the second day
out and had 10 be loaded on the wagons.
L suffered but little from either, and
would not have missed the trip for any
thing. Our first days march took us
over many swamps. The rest of the trip
was through the finest country 1 ever
have had the pleasure to see. The pas
ture lands are even better than the Blue.
grass of Kentucky, because the same
amount of ground will Craze twice as
many cattle. The cattle are fine. have
not seen one but what was fat. MANY
OF the lower classes live positively with
out work, fruit and land crabs furnish
them with food, and they do not wear
more than enough clothes to wad shot
gun.
The Cathedral at Quayama was very
interesting, and attended one of their
services, which of course gave me an op-
portunity to see many of the better class
OF people. haye picked up enough of
their language to make them understand
my signs, and believe if remain here a
few months l will be able to speak their
language pretty we'll. Some of the boys
say that they are coming back here to
live, but many of them never want to
see the country again and are very anx-
ious to be sent home. With little cap
ital l haven't any doubt but that most
anyone could make stake down here.
A small tract OF ground will support a
wonderfully large number or cattle and
keep them fat without any shelter or any
other food but the grass the year round.
The ground, too, is valuable, or will be
in few years too valuable to Craze cat
tile, and l have no doubt but the price of
everything will advance rapidly as soon
as American enterprises and capital come
into the island.
Many streams OF water which have
their sources in the mountains water the
island during the dry season. Some of
the roadways have aqueducts running
alongside for miles.
One thing that has struck me as being
remarkable is that | have never yet seen
anyone at work, except one fellow who
was blowing and another who was mend
ing broken cart.
The towns are all filthy. In some
places the stencil is Almost unbearable. |
The common people seem to have little
or no conception Of virtue or decency. |
There are many people, especi ally in
Ponce, that enjoy considerable wealth,
and appear to be far ahead OF the major |
ity OF the population, being both wealthy |
and refined
once thought was &C quainted with
mosquitoes, but what they have here top
anything in that line / ever saw. They |
settle down on their victim in regular
swarms, and can bite easily through a
pair of government trousers. Fleas and
other insects are plentiful, but since we
moved our camp to the hills we have not
been bothered with them so much as we
were when encamped on tn coast side
Of the town.
Everything taken into consideration
like the country very much, and If find
that my health is equal to the climate,
| may decide on trying for some sort of I
position here after my discharge from
the army.
have lived on hard tack and bacon
without change for days, and have at
the same time kept up march Of forty
miles, when some OF the strongest men
in the company gave out. | have con-
Guided that | am now hard enough to
stand anything, and after my army ex-
perience any other undertaking will seem
very easy to me in comparison. Must
now close. Have had to write under
very unfavorabls surroundings. Give
my love to all.
Very aifectionately yours,
w " nou,..