The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-21
THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEXT
DOOR NEIGHBCR OF CUDA.
Sudden Importance. of Port Antonio.
The Population "a Mixed One.
Change of Industries - A Ruined
Fort.

The Population "a Mixed One.
Change of Industries - A Ruined
Fort.
From the Washington Star.
Cuba's next door neighbor to the south
is Jamaica. 1t is twelve hours, usually
stormy hours, from Santiago through the
entrance of the Caribbean sea 10 Port An
tonic. few months ago Port Antonio
was known to the vessels which frequent
West Indian waters as a comfortable
haven, the leading shipping point on the
north coast for an extensive fruit business
that had grown up with the United states.
one morning a fleet of newspaper dispatch
boats put into the port, and without wait
ing for local regulations to be complied
with half a score of correspondents We're
on shore making mad rush for the post
office, which was also the government
telegraph line On that line messages
might be sent overland to Kingston. and
then cabled to the United States I'd 10
this time it is doubtful if more than a
shilling message-always payable in ad-
vance-had been transmitted to Kingston.
A shilling paid for twenty words The
agony of the correspondents on learning
the extent of the telegraph facilities"
the subsequent experiences with English
official methods, which drove most of
them to the verge of insanity and violent
ly prejudiced them all against the Anglo
American alliance, form a chapter of
which would be better understood by
members of their own profession than by
81
this coming of the newspaper boats was
the introduction of the sea coast village to
the outside world, for thereafter dis
patches via Port Antonio" became so
common that every newspaper reader
learned there was such place. The occa-
sion of the dispatch boats arrival was the
definite knowledge that Cervera's fleet
had been located in Santiago harbor The
theater of the war was shifted and they
shifted with 1t from Havana and Key
West to Santiago and Port Antonio At
terWard the port occasionally sheltered
one of the warshipsdoing duty as scout
or one of the transports which had
| brought the American troops from Tam
pa. These could put in for water or ice
or some other purpose permissible within
the twenty hours allowed vessels Of belly
erents in a neutral port.
My own acquaintance with Jamaica and
JdludACduS was mace at q time when the
! possible effect of Americanizing Cuba was
the uppermost topic. This was after DC
tory at Santiago L went across from
| Siboney in order to take ship from New
York, and few days'wait gave the chance
to learn what the people in this English
| colony We're thinking and saying. They
| felt that the future OF Cuba could not be
| disassociated entirely from the other West
Indies, and while they feared the colony
might suffer still further from its present
| depression that did not interfere with their
! good will
The stranger can see no reason why ia
maica should suffer through the prosperity
/ of its neighbors. Sailing into the bay the
! impression is of natural richness to reple-
| ton. The Blue mountains might better be
| called green. The azure haze on their sum-
/ mits Is less striking than the verdure on
| their sides so tropical and luxuriant that
! it leaves only a rare glimpse to be had Of
the white limestone. In the days when the
pirates and the buccaneers made this quiet
| haven their resort, they are credited with
/ frequent resolves to forsake the sea and
pass their old age in this region. Their
J good resolves were never carried out.
| Where sea and mountain blend as on this
Jamaican coast and the palm mingles with
! the green branching trees the restless
| spirit of the buccaneers could not have
! been content. The surroundings are for
| meditation, and meditation Is not good for
the soul of a pirate.
The village of Port Antonio they told
me, was a characteristic one. That is,
| it's long, narrow and struggling streets.
lined with boxes of wooden and brick
houses, was like other villages, while its
| lazy, good-natured and gossipng inhabi-
| tants were like the population of other
| coast towns. They work sometimes, be-
| cause the monotony ideness pals on
them, and an acquired liking for the ar
/ til .F1..A Al
| fled by watching the cocoanuts drop from
the trees. The outward appearance Of
the village is not improved by the NUM-
| cipal or government buildings. These are
| too small TO be massive, but they are
ugly enough to demonstrate the solidity
| of the British empire. 1t is in reality the
| Americans who, in following out CONNER
cial instincts, have not forgotten the nat
ural surroundings. They have not tried
! to beautify or modernize the struggling
| streets, but have gone up to the hiltops
| and covered these with villas and cot
tages, which convey more than a sugges-
] ton of paradise. The years are not many
/ since Skipper Baker, putting into Port
| Antonio for some chance purchase de-
cided to take 10 Boston a cargo Of bana-
mas on venture Out of that venture
mas developed the fruit business which
| is almost the sole hope of jamaica out
Of L, too, has come the influx of Boston
pdWle, who are going TO make the island
winter resort They have chosen Port
Antonio as a beginning. In the season
colonies of them sit on the porch of the
! cosy hotel talking mug Wump politics
| and the literary defects of William Dean
! Howells.
While the story of the Yankee ship cap
! tain's lesson to the Jamaicans on their
wealth OF natural products is interesting
and instructive. 1t will bear telling some
! other time. was more entertained IL rot
| instructed, the day of my arrival by the
| dilema of the Cuban barber. The whole
village knew his perplexty, and he was
| glad TO take strangers into his confidence.
you wouldn't like TO walt till Sunday,
would you?" he said, insinuatingly. TO ask
man with three weeks jungle Of beard
10 wait over night for a clean shave in any
circumstances would be rash proposition.
In this Instance it met with a savage re-
fusal- The Cuban barber resigned himself
to his work, and between intervals of
lather and razor unfoded his troubles Il
ask everybody to help me celebrate the