Evening journal., 1898-02-23

TO THE ISLAND OF TRINIDAD
The Ebensburg (Pa) Mountaineer
contains the following letter from
Charles H. Weakland, OF the gunboat
Wilmington:
''The Island of Trinidad was discov-
cred by Christopher Columbus, July 81,
1898, when he found several tribes OF
Indians living there who were allowed
to retain possession for nearly CEN
tury after, when the Spanish crown
took charge of the island and held it
until 1897, when Sir Ralph Abercrowly
planted the ensign of the English
Union Jack upon it's soil. This island
is situated about ten degrees north of
the equator between the sixty-frst and
sixty-second degrees Of west Ion gitude
in. the southern part of the Caribbean
sea, and is only separated from the
Venezuelan coast of South America by
the Gulf of Paria and the narrow pass
ages or channels of the Boeas.
"Since England has owned the island
it has progressed rapidly, and it ranks
at the present time as one of the most
prosperous and beautiful of the West
Indies.
/ 4Oueli OI oitA14Ns
Port of Spain is the finest city in the
| West Indies. 1t has electric light and
also a very nice electric car line.
| Viewed from an adjacent hill the city
presented a most beautiful and pic
turesque sight. In the distant harbor
may be seen merchant vessels of all
nations and the city, containing many
elegant public buildings and private
| oil ,Iarf
tropical flowers, plants and trees, which
can only be seen in land of perpetual
\ sunshine. The climate here though
warm, is very healthy. the evenings
are reasona bly, cool the temperature
averaging 70 degrees between sunset
and sunrise, and there are many even
ing drives and strolls, and even in the
day some of the drives are reasonably
cool, being canopied with bamboos
having the appearance of an endless
arch that protects one from the rays of
the sun.
There are quite number of public
squares in Trinidad which abound with
an abundance of shade trees and are
supplied with beautiful bronze drink
ing fountains, and around these squares
, are TO be found the principal public
> | buildings of the city, namely: The
government offices, court houses, ETC.,
the fire brigade station, the Anglican
Cathedral Borough Council Hall and
the Roman Catholic Cathedral, which
is a splendid stone structure of the
most artistic design.
'"There is a railway running along
II the coast of the island for thirty-si1
4 miles. which passes through larg'
I Isugar estates and thriving villages
k There are about eighty miles of steam
I railway ON the island altogether, and ;
large number of telegraph and tele
4 phon lines.
+ 1.-The population of Trinidad is esti
/, mated at 250,000 of which about So,
600 are East Indians, or of East Indian
% parentage. The rest of the population
;, represents nearly every other countr.
/ in the world.
5, THE PITCH LAKE-WHERE AS
Z PHA1T COMES FROM
"The three principal items of expor
are sugar, cocoa and asphalt. 1t ma.
5 be interesting to let the people know
where our asphalt, that makes the mic
y \ streets Of our American cities, come
* from. On the Island of Trinidad, abou
s. forty miles from Port of Spain, is tn
luo | remarkable Pitch Lake. which is on
Of the most wonderful phenomenas o
70 nature. as we'll as one of the most val
y liable. and no written account coul
a convey to the reader am idea of its aC
ID tual appearance 1t is a large lax
gyI covering nearly one hundred acres, an
IN contains an inexhaustible supply {
pitch. 1t is leased by an America
IN company with headquarters in Ne
Ell York. and this is where all the asphal
a used for pavements is obtained
VI ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS.
"The Royal Botanic Gardens
Trinidad were established in the yea
r. 1918 and cover am area of siXty-tw
acres. These gardens are a place ,
- great interest and worth a visit
MANY miles to see. Tropical and sui
= tropical plants flourish in all the
On grandeur, from the giant forest tr'
:. and most stately palm to the most del
. cate mosses. and there are also a nun
ber of large fountains in the gardeI
~ whose basins are filled with hundred
of beautiful goldfish, and there al
FOR hundreds of parrots and monkeys, an
nv. little marmosets, the smallest OF u
est monkey tribe, as we'll as the most i
telligent. There are also thousands
rem humming birds with their beautif
= plumage. which make a great contra
- with the innume1able large tropic
birds to be found here.
= THE LEPER ASYLUM.
nd "On Wednesday, january 26, visit
- the Leper Asylum here, which is su
81, ported by the English government al
p looked after by the Catholic Sisters
the Dominican Order. Too much cret
]. cannot be given to these sisters who q
wer vote their lives to the nursing OF t
by poor unfortunates who are athict
ne with this horrible pest. The Lel
Asylum, which has been ably describ
eet -------------------~-