The times., 1898-06-27
THE COMING CARLSBAD.
American Enterprise Only Needed
to Develop 1t.

phia Record prints the following from
a special correspondent:
Maps of Cubal are so numerous nova
days that you will have no difficulty in
locating the Isle of Fines although 1t
does not figure in the present war and
has seldom been heard of in the United
States But the world is not long to re-
main in Ignorance of it. coon as peace
is restored and some levelheaded Yankee
develops its wonderful springs it will hold
the same relation as sanitarium to our
continent that the Furnas Valley of ST.
Michaels in the Azores does TO Europe
| 1t lies off the southern coast of Cuba,
about ninety miles due south of Havana
| City and equi-distnat from the western
tip, and is the only islet o. size and con-
| sequence among the thousands that
| compass the Queen of lne Antilles. /
| visited it early last Spring, sailing west
| ward from Cienfuegos. but the future
| tide of travel will come down from New
| York or Tampa to Havana thence two
or three hours by rail across the narrow
| est portion of Cuba to ne dirty little
southern port Batabano and then by
steamer across fifty-four miles of tran
/
used TO make the tri!, every Thursday
from Batabano. until our blockade cut
short it's career. IL is most delightful
| journey similar to THAI among the keys
of the Florida coast-winding in and out
among innumerabie green islets. whose
! glistening beaches are tringed with CO.
Goa palms, over waters blue as the tropic
| sky smooth and luminous as a mirror,
| and SO beautifully translucent that star
fish lying on the siivery bottom and sea-
. flowers growing far below look as though
! seen through glass. The air is deliciousy
balmy, the same, In midsummer as in
! Winter. and you~ eyes are continually
feasted upon the beauty OF the Veruure-
clad shore close by ard the distant ..Ioun-
tains veiled i'll mist-the Guanahuga or
Golden Range"
The Isle of Pipes. also known as Rel
ma tQueen) Amelia is the same that
Columbus discovered on Il June day in
1894. and named La Evangelista. 1t is
about sixty miles .ang by fifty broad and
of exceedingly picturesque appearance
crossed from end to end by two hill
chains known as the Sierra Canada and
the Sierra de la Daguilia, both averag
ing 1900 feet III height. Between these
ranges are broad green valleys and many
beautiful rivers, some OF them of con-
siderable depth and navigable four and
five miles. A great swamp or jungle,
like the everglades OF Florida, extend
ing across the island from east to west.
divides it into two unequal parts; and
everywhere the tan pine trees which
have given the island its latter name.
loom darkly against the sky. 1t is
singular fact that the pine family, pecul-
iariy a product of cold and elevated re-
giOnS should have many species also in
the tropics and at6 sea-ieVeI. We are
wont to think OF pine upon the noun
tain tops, and palms and yuccas in the
torrid lowlands; but here they grow am
iably side by side. Two varieties of the
pines found in this ISLAND are extremely
rare and OF great interest to botanists.
/ Being surrounded by submerged Gays.
reefs, islets and impassable marches. the
channels of approach 10 Isle de Pines
Z are so few and intricate jhat in earlier
days the piratieal folk who infested
these waters found IL safe and conven-
lent hiding place. For 200 years they
made it a favorite depot for supplies and
stolen treasures. and sailed forth from
here on many q mGrderous expedition.
When discovered by Coiumbus 1t was
densely populatea; but now has hardly
1000 people and only two insignificant VII
lagos, yet the small island is priceless
territory, for three things-fine marbles,
wonderful thermal springs and a climate
of such unrivaled salubrity that Cubans
/. consider il an unfailinE panacea for con-
sumption. The mountain ranges are al
most entirely composed of beautiful mar
bles, Of all qualities ana c6iUrS-a perfect
mine of riches. waiting to be developed
by enterprising Northerners. One re-
marakable mountain. called Los CasaS
, Ifhe Houses seems TO contain every
sort of marble known. in all the colorS OF
| the rainbow. piled up by art in con-
T trasting strata varying from black,
brown and gray to palest tints of pink.
/ blue and green Another low mountain,
called Los Cristales. is even more curious,
j its steep sides being literally coated with
: beautiful green rock crystals. Though
/ not OF great height, some Of these hills
are wild and impressive, presenting TO
seaward a succession of sheer precipices
! $50 feet high.
You may disembark at either of the
two little ports Nueva Corona (pro-
| nounced Hay-rone-ah) or santa Fe-both
near the northern end of the island but
on opposite sides of the great marsh. The
regular steamer from Havana goes first
TO Nueya Corona. which is situated about
three miles up the river Casas backed by
a hills and fronted by emerald plain
? dotted with palm trees. It is the seat of
what government there is on the island
. it being a dependency of the province of
Havana has a tOlerable hotel, some shops
and at one time maintained a considera-
/ bic Spanish garrison. But this so-called
D capital" with its third rate comforts
< and gayeties, is a long way from the
| chief attraction of the island-the life
= giving springs. and therefore most COM
I | ers pass IL by for the wre-cned little ham,
let called Santa Fe, round on the north
J eastern side of the island. To reach 1t
you sail up a river of the same name to
a tumble-dOwn wooden landing place a
; few miles above its mouth, where a still
r more tumbled down vo!ante waits to take
you the rest of the way
The town is well named Holy Faith, -
for ii takes a good deal of that intangi-
5 BILE commodity to make bearable its many
discomforts. A wide, bare space in the
= center of the village called by courtesy
| plaza is occupied by heaps of dust and
2 | garbage, discarded cans, hungry dogs
and wandering donkeys. round this gen
eral dumping ground the low, thatched
I houses are built, struggling off into ir-
e regular unpaved streets. There is no
/ inn, or other public accommodation for
man or beast, except the plaza aforesaid
i The sooner you get out of the wre,ched
= place the better; so you rehiTe the dilap-
= idated Yolante, whose owner stands wait
5 ing, knowing from previous experience
that no foreigner IS going 10 stay in San
ia Fe. Now he has three mules harness,
5 ed tandem. and fourishing his whip over
t their heads with many prolonged "mu-
4 loa-ah-h-h-h"' he rattles you over the
r dusty road at a pace which threatens tC
= disjoint yourself as well as the vehicle
Finally the low, green ,li:is are reached