The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-21

poafu ana rOOmS- Up 10 tnree weeks
a young man could hire a small
single room for two or three pesos a
week. Owing to the present rush i.om
the states prices ave been doubled.
Even a single bed in a room with two
others costs at east three and one-half
pesos. For a and meals the
Spanish landlady charges at least IL
pesos a week. Young men of small can
ital. therefore. are compelled to seek
quarters elsewhere than In the city.
SIX such Americans. who had become
acquainted on the steamer voyage from
New York. In a search for rooms n
day recently found a humber of TN
rented cottages In Santurce village.
and after ascertaining the cost decided
to rent a whole house and keep bacne-
lors' hall. They accordingly secured
from h mayor a two-story stone
house. consisting of 1 bed rooms.
sitting n dining rooms. kitchen n
bath room. completely furnished for 50
pesos a month. Now. at the end CT
three weeks their other monthly ex-
penses. roughly estimated. are a ST.
Thomas island negro cook. II pesos:
foo for six hungry men. ~ pesos: a ma
tive woman who lives at home. To take
care Of the beds and lamps. 6 pesos.
and a negro to scrub the floors once a
week. three pesos. In four weeks. there
fore. the total bill does not exceed l4S
pesos. which makes the individual cost
for each OF the six young men hardly
81 "A week In American money.
In their ountry home. then. for n
sum much more reasonable than they
could live uncomfortabiy within the CITY
walls. the lawyer. architect. civil en-
gineer and three prospectors now enjoy
every luxury Of a home IN he tropics.
And their experience is also the story
OF the other five houses in the bachelor
colony. Beautiful ferns and palms.
which adorn only the homes OF the
wealthy i'm New York. flourish In the
front yard. and almond. orange. barana
and cocoanut trees. laden with ripe
fruit. grow plentifully in a two-acre
back yard. hen IL the home orchard
r not quite ready to bear. two Por,o
Rican copper cents will buy half a deg
en- of the best bananas. two sweet or
anges OF a ripe cocoanut.
Small native boys gladly orer thei
services for a copper cent. Whenever
an American calls Boy" In however
poor Spanish, numbers of these lads,
ranging in age from four to IL years,
and in color from coal black to a light
tan. Immediately run up to the front
gate and Inc up. like an infantry awk-
ward squad. to awai c selection from
the group by the caller. Their help
around the country home Is indeed Use
full. They run to the store. climb the
tallest trees to pick ~cocoanuts. catch
six-inch lizards for visitors. or. III ne
cessary. act as guides over the nearby
hills.
Santurce. being a suburban village. at
first presents to the Americans the
problem of rapid transit to the city.
But luckily. as no n here, except DOS
sibly the latest arrival. ever hurries,
the s~uburbanites easily get accommo-
dated, either by the stage coach. which
seats eight passengers comfortably. or
by the na~rrow-gauge steam tramway.
For 90 cents the business man can en-
ioy a daily ride in these vehicles. ani.
incidentally have plenty of time on The
trip back and forth to view the sur
rounding scenery, including a sugar.
%cocoanut and coffee plantation. country
life IN a smaller village. an old Spanish
shore battery. and big San Cristobal
fortress. Bicycle riders, a few OF whom
live in the settlement. have between
their home and place OF business one
of the finest highways in the world, the
famous government military a Sail
| another way to travel Is by carriage
behind a small native horse. Such an
outfit, kept i'm repair by the owner,
costs only 10 pesos a month. Their back
yard supplies to the animal a grass
diet and a small shed for shelter In
rainy weather. Native lads. again
whenever needed. make good staDle
boys. hostlers or coachmen.
The bachelor settlement at Santurcs
thus early promises to give the village
a regular Western boom. Each steamer
from New York brings enough rev
residents to establish an additional
homestead. whose emblem is always Q
little red. white and blue flag. Their
one enterprising young man until M
can find some one in need of an archi'
tect. intends to run a New England res
taurant. Moreover. an American CAPT
talist already controls the steam tr an
way. and Will equip the system soon al
n modern electric surface railway. -
San Juan correspondence New Norl
Sun.