The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-17

water and two baths; but it is probable
that the pine odors the warm, pure air
and simple diet, and, above ALL faith
have much to do with it. At any rate.
a great many surprising cures have
been effected, Particularly of bronchial,
rheumatic and scrofulous complaints.
lnvalids have been brought from the
steamers on filters, apparently just
leady to give up the ghost, who in a
weeks time have been riding over the
hills on horseback and in a month have
gcne home good as new" and well as
anybody.
If the springs were managed by some
sensible, wide-awake, judicious Anglo
Saxon, they would soon become the
sanitarium of the continent, beside
which Las Vegas, in New Mexico;
White Sulphur, in Virginia: Saratoga
and Others of our spas, would hide their
diminished heads. AS it is, life here
is not uncomfortable, though lacking
many of the creature comforts to
which Northerners are accustomed.
Mere pleasure seekers would better
stay away, but one whose health is at
stake can afford to fight Astounding
vermin and put UP with Short COM
mons" for a season. Fleas reaches,
spiders, a thousand wriggling, craw-
ling, singing creatures beset you con-
tinually on the Isle Of PINES. You find
the food. They pre-empt your shoes
at night and the garments you are
wearing by day, and if they do not
take bodily possession of you, whole
colonies of them settling down COM
fortably on your hair and ears and
nostrils, while you are catching forty
winNs'' of troubled slumber in the in
tervals of warfare. you are exception
ally fortunate. Even Eden had it's
serpent, you know, and doubtless a
more advanced state of civilization
here will evolve some means Of dimin-
ishing the plague of vermin.
Expenses at this spa are very moder-
ate. The best hotel charged $225 per
diem, American money, for it's choicest
accommodations, including baths. Sad
die horses may be hired at $1.50 day,
and carriages at proportionate rates.
There are many charming walks and
drives in the neighboring hills, and in
teresting all-day excursions may he
made to sugar estates and pineapple
plantations. The natives of Isle de los
Pinos are simple, kind-hearted peo-
pie, whose greatest pleasure seems to
be chatting with strangers and listen
Ing to their accounts of the outer world.
i To them all beyond the horizons rim,
or at most beyond the limits Of Cuba,
is a terra incognita of more than
Munchausen wonder. The young chill
dren go about entirely naked, and the
universal innocence. combined with the
utmost dignity and punctilious cour-
tesy, Is charming to behold.
The soil is extremely fertile, but only
small portion of the island is under
cultivation. A few Of the green valleys
are used ais cattle ranges. Tobacco and
sugar are cultivated to limited ex-
tent, and pineapples are perhaps the
staple product. There has been some
trade in woods-mahogany pine and
| cedar-and might be much more.
| Spirits of turpentine, pitch, tar, sui
phur, tortoise shell and crystals are
also among the possible exports. Sill
yer, quicksilver and iron exist in the
hills. and the marble quarries are prac-
tically inexhaustible. The great swamp,
known locally aus La Cienaga" (the
crocodile), Is totally uninhabited, ex-
cept by few half-savage negro f1shey-
men, most of whom were runaways
during slavery days. There is no ac-
cess to it's green jungles except by
dangerous and uncertain footpaths.
through torturous channels known only
to the initiated. The whole place is
said to be swarming with serpents and
crocodiles of exaggerated size.