The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-10
ABOUT PORTO RICO.
I'm Spite of Its Size 1t Is One of thu
Least known of Islands.

I'm Spite of Its Size 1t Is One of the
Least known of Islands.
| New York Commercial Advertiser.
| 1t is very curious that some places are rel
| atively unknown, though as interesting per-
| haps as those popularity well known. Fin
| land, for instance, as compared with Swe-
| den, NeWfoundland, as compared with New
| with Java or Sumatra, relatively I'M
| known, though not less interesting or i'm
In the same way Porto Rico, populous,
! rich, at our very doors, is one of the least
| known islands of the West Indies, and one
| or the less known great islands of the
| world and this is not only the case for
i Americans, but in the literature of other
| Rico in British. French and German books
| are brief and incomplete Indeed, it will
generally be found that Barbados occupies
as much space in the books, though less
| than a twentieth as large.
The reason for this in the. case of Porto
| Rico is probably that the island is COM
monplace. Rich and prosperous, fertile and
tropical, yet it is densely populated with a
| rural community the most of whom do not
| are colored. It's history, too. has been very
| tame 1t is about as easy to become senti-
mental about a good kitchen garden as
And yet the island has many points of
interest. 1t is the fourth in size and the
| third in popla ton of the West Indies 1t
| has an area somewhat less than Connecti-
| cut, or about half as large ats New Jersey.
| It's length is about one hundred miles and
$3.50 square miles. The population is over
| $4,000 giving a density of 230 to the square
mile. This is a greater density than for any
other area of same size in the two Ameri-
cas-, excepting only Massachusetts and
| Rhode Island. 1t is greater than that of
any other colony of Spain and greater than
| Spain herself, who has only eighty-eight to
/ the square mile. Indeed it is greater than
| that of any province in Spain except only
| three
It is remarkably well watered and is said
TO have 1900 rivers, of which forty-seven
| are OF some size. By this is meant under
! fifty miles and probably over twenty-five.
| The most of the streams are on the north
ern slopes. On the southern only two
of any size, and there few at the east
ern and western ends.
The island is nearly rectangular and lies
| comfortably parallel to the parallels and
| meridans. 1t is about three times as long
| as broad and its long way is east and west
| There are several ranges of hills which run
| the whole length of the island. The chief
| watershed is about twice near the south
coast as the north, hence the streams gem
| orally flow north. The highest mountains,
| however, are in the extreme northwestern
part and eliminate in FL Yunque, about
| $3.50 feet high.
| The mountains are covered with fine for
ests, like those of the other large Antilles,
! except for the relative infrequency of cpl
| phytes. These are the orchids and other
plants that grow on the tree, like the
mistletoe, only the latter is parasite while
| the epiphytes grow on the tree only and do
| rot draw their nourishment from it. They
are very common in most tropical woods,
| The forests contain some very excellent
trees for timber. but Of kinds unknown
here.
Porto Rico is said to be the healthiest
| Of the West Indies. 1t is little south of
| Cuba, and is little warmer. The trade
wind is here from nearly east with a slight
bend from the north The result is, as in
Jamaica, that the northeast angle is by
TAR the wettest and the northern slope is
decidedly Wetter than the southern or Car
| ibbean one. Indeed. the southern slope is
SO dry that irrigation is needed in some
PAGES ana 1t is very imperfectly used. The
island is more subject to hurricanes than
is Cuba. 1t lies near the customary path of
their centers, while Cuba is far to the west
OF the usual path.
The rainy season in Porto Rico is in late
summer and autumn. In Cuba it is in early
summer and in autumn, with a short dry
season between. This has disappeared in
Porto Rico. and there is only one rainy sea-
son there, as in Florida
The population IS very illiterate. About 70
per cent can neither read nor write and
less than 20 per cent. can do both. 1t is es-
sentlally an agricultural population. In the
early part of the century Spain offered a
small amount of land (about six acres) free
to every bona fde settler of any nationality
who would cultivate. This. in that rich
small family. and there was a great influx
OF people of small means; The small farms
have since been absorbed to great extent
There i no large city. The largest town
is Ponce, near the south coast. with about
1880 inhabitants. Then comes San German.
near the southwest angle, with 10000;
Mayagnez. with $4,000; Arecibo, with $500:
Muado, with $4,000, and the capital San
ern end. with $4,000. Altogether only
about 100000 of the population are in the
towns, making the rural population three
quarters of all.
Sugar used to be the principal production.
but the number of great sugar establish.
ments sank from SEQ to 800 about 1873
when slavery was finally extinguished COT
fee-raising then took an advance. and now
three or four times much coffee as sugar
Is exported. Tobacco does not do as we'll
as might be expected and the crop is
in large quantities, and it and rice are the
staple foods. The rice raised is a mountain
variety, which does not need standing
water. There are many large grassy sa-
vannas. and on these cattle are raised Sew
eral metals are found on the island but
none are worked prof1tably.
The administration has. cost about $50 600
a year. The island is politically a province
OF Spain, and has been better treated than
any other colony. 1t is more loyal by far
than Cuba, due in part to it's better govern
ment and in part to the fact that ii has a
much stronger Spanish sentiment. This is
chiefly due to the fact that during the rev.
dictionary period in the Spanish-American
colonies this island was the favorite refuge
for those who had to leave the revoted col
onies because of a strong love for the
mother country.
The country has twelve miles of railroad
and highway which passes around the ISL
and. The interior has practically no roads
To cross the island one must take TO mule
paths.
San Juan is on small island. or. rather.
on the western end of long coral island
separated from the mainland by long la
soon. The harbor IS excellent. but the en-
trance is sinuous and dangerous. The town
dates from 1911 and the fortfcations from
1885. They have successfully resisted sew
eral armed attacks
All Are worthy.