The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-20
island OF PORTO RICO
A FERTILE COUNTRY, UNDEVELoPED
UNDER SPANISH SWAY.
Climate and Agriculture-The Chief
Townsville Early Inhabitants and
Their Spanish COnqqerOrs.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
The Island of Porto Rico is the smaller of
SPANS two remaining colonies in West In
dian waters. 1t lies eighty miles to the east
of Haiti and close beside it to the westward
lie the group comprising the Virgin islands.
Porto Rico's general shape is that of a
parallelogram. Its length is los miles and
its breadth in it's widest part is thirty-seven.
A range Of hills traverses the island from
east to west some distance from the south
ern coast These hills-the highest, FL
Yunque, being $500 feet high-intercept the
northeast trade winds and the northern
lowlands have oftentimes an overabundant
supply of water, while severe droughts
often are experienced in the south, making
it necessary to have recourse to artificial
irrigation. In general, however, the island
is we'll watered. The coast line is indented
with many bays and creeks, several of
which can be used by ships of heavy burden.
In accordance with the situation of the
mountain chain the rivers which flow
toward the northern coast are longer and
deeper than those on the opposite side, and
several of the former allow coastings YES
sells to enter five or six miles.
the climate of Porto Rico is supposed to
be less unhealthy for Europeans than in
most of the Antilles, and the heat, even in
the months of summer, IS not so severe as
in other parts of the West InGies.
The lack of good roads and of bridges in
many parts of the island has been one cause
of the failure of the island to develop it's
real value as a producer of agricultural
products. In late years, however, the gov
eminent has done much to increase the ISL
and's resources. Gold, coal, copper, iron
and salt are found, but the last alone is
mined. Sugar and coffee are the staple
products, the former being grown for the
most part on the southern coast On the
fertile plains to the north of the hills, to-
baccO, cotton, maize and tropical fruits
grow readily. Rice, the principal food, is a
OF the tobacco is sent to Havana for man
ufacture. The mountains are covered with
forests which yield valuable dyes and hard
woods for export
Cattle raising is another profitable indus
try to the inhabitants, and the pasture
lands in the north and east are superior to
any others in the West Indies. A large
traffic has been carried on with the neigh
boring French, English and Danish posses
sions. Exports of various kinds, which in
1850 amounted to about $1,000, 600, had in
1891 reached a total of nearly $17,000.0O0.
HOW THE ISLAND rs DIVIDED.
Seven departments, each under the COM
mand of a Spanish colonel make up the
island. Bayamon, in which is San Juan,
the capital, Arecibo and Aguadilla are on
the northern side of the range Mayaguez
covers the southwest part, Ponce and Guy
anna are on the southern side, and the east
ern part is taken up with Humacao. The
island of Bieque, to the east, makes an
eighth department, which is used as a mill
tary penal station.
The population of the island, which in 1880
was only $4,000 numbered 4,313 of whom
$40 were colored. The total population
1INnrc. Oh 10 MAJ
pie Of European origin are Spaniards, Ger
mans, SWedes Danes, Russians, French
men and Chuetas or descendants OF the
some Chinese. The small landholders in the
country districts are called Gibaros, and are
of Spanish origin, modified by Indian blood.
San Juan, the capital and chief seaport,
lies on MORO island on the north coast and
is connected with the mainland by bridges.
The ground rises directly behind the highest
one at the harbor's entrance. Fortifica-
lions, some of them of an obsolete type, pro-
tect the city from an attack on the land
side, while on the bluffs fronting the ocean
new batteries of Krupp guns are said TO
have been placed, from which plunging
fire can be directed on approaching vessels.
The channel at the eastern END of the island
has a depth of only one and one-quarter
! fathoms, but two batteries have been
troops for shore attack. The bay is of an
oval shape and admits ships of heavy ton
mage. Opposite MORO Castle, where the
new guns are said to have been mounted,
lies Carras island. but it is not known
whether this has also been fortified. The
chart shows small fort apparently a float
ing battery, just behind Carras at the bays
mouth.
In the old fort of Santa, Catalina is the
Governors palace, and cathedral, town
house, a theater and an old palace, built by
Ponce de Leon are among the sights or
the town. 1t has a population of about
Ponce, on the south coast, has popula-
ton of about forty thousand. Private houses
are built Of wood. and only the government
ht1flaf ,arc 0ro frIfnt cd nf
an nj English Episcopal opal church in the city.
by an English company. Mayaguez. on the
west coast, is several miles inland Its
population is about thirty thousand, and it
has military barracks, clubs and gas works
Other towns are Guyana, on the south
coast, and Aguadilla, on the west The only
safe harbors at all times of the year are
San Juan, Hovas and Guanica. English,
German and American steamers make regu-
lar trips to these three ports, and in 1891
1900 vessels were reported.
INHABITANTS AND HISTORY.
Porto Rico, called Borinquen by the abo-
rhymes, was discovered by Columbus on
Nov Is, 1893 Ponce de Leon was the first
to make a settlement, when in 1910 he found
ed the town of Caparra, which soon after
ward was abandoned. In the following year
he founded the city of San Juan. The
Caribs, whose number, probably exaggerat-
ed, was put at 100000 suffered SO greatly
from the cruelties of their Spanish conquer
ers that they rebelled against them and were
gradually exterminated in consequence. 1n7
teresting relics of their civilization are pre-
served in the Smithsonian Institution and in
the Berlin chronological Museum. In 1926
Drake sacked the capital an exploit which
was repeated three years later by the Earl
of Cumberland. In 1915 Baldwin Heinrich,
Dutchman, was killed in an attack on the
city, and an attempt made by the English
to capture the city in 1878 was also unsuc-
cessflil. In 1897 Sir Ralph Abercronby be-
siesed the city for three days and was
forced to retire. though, in the same cam
paign. he captured Grenada, Demerara and
Trinidad
Senior de LONE was fond of citing Porto
Rico as an instance of the beneficence OF
Spanish rule, but the Porto Ricans have
not been happy under Spanish domination,
and have only dessted from the struggle to
gain liberty when they saw that it was
hopeless.
The first attempt was made in 1920 and
the insurgents were defeated after a short
guerrilla war. Other attempts were made
about the middle of this century but 1t was
not until 1868 that wide-reaching plot was
formed to follow the example of the Cubans
who had revolted that year. 1t was the ex-
of it's failure. The betrayal of their Sc
crets forced the insurgents to take the field
before the appointed time, and after two
months of lighting, the Spanish troops were
victorious. The leaders of the rebellion
were captured All were sentenced to be
shot but the news of Queen Isabeas over
throw reaching the island the day before
the one set for execution, the sentence was
changed TO Punishment These men while