The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-01
CITY LIFE IN PORTO RICO
TENDENCY OF THE PEOPLE IS
TOWARD MUNICIPALITIES

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 31.-Of
the 100000 inhabitants at Porto Rico
100000 live in cities. The industries of
the island are almost entirely agricul-
turaL But there are few farming To-
callt1es OF the United States CORE
spending in dimensions to this island
winch can show such a collection Of
citles and towns Porto Rico's area is
acout equal to that of three average
counties in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas
or any other Western state. Yet this
territory. less than 100 miles in length
ana one-third that in width, has three
cities OF from 10000 to 80, 900 population,
dozen above 5000 and fifteen or
twenty towns of 1000 and over. A char
acter1stlc OF the Porto Ricans is to live
III towns, villages and in plantation
communities rather than in scattered
and isolated farm houses.
MCch has been printed about San
Juan de Porto Rico. People of the
united States are fairly familiar, by
description, with the MORO, the mas
siVe walls, the narrow city, built along
q strip OF sand running parallel to the
mainland, and separated from it by the
pay. The capital of this new territory
OF the United States no longer seems
rorelgn With the other cities and
towns there is less acquaintance From
coHSular sources the department of
state has come into possession of in
terest1ng data about the more impor-
tant population centers besides San
Juan.
Ponce, now in Miles hands. ranks a.
the second city of the island. In the
same class with San Juan and Ponce
ranks Mayaguez, easier for the Amer
ican tongue than the spelling might
ihoicate. romeo is pronounced in two
syllables. If spelled from hearing an
american child would probably make
1t "Ponsy." This is the Cuban and
West Indian pronunciation generally.
and will probably be accented as the
American. But the pure Spaniard, with
MS due regard for the frequent "th,"
Will continue to say "Pon-thay" long
arter the red and yellow flag has gone
&c n Mayaguez is commonly May
ah-gueZ,' without particular accent on
any syllable. Mayaguez, Ponce and
San Juan are three coast points of a
triangle embracing the greater part Of
the island. Ponce is a halfway point
on the south coast. San Juan prevents
the formation of a right-angled tri-
angle by being on the north coast, con-
saderably east of a middle line.
FACES MONA PASSAGE.
Mayaguez faces what is generally
entrance to the Caribbean between Por-
to Rico and San Domingo. According
to the memoranda of the department
of state, there is little to be said of the
industries of Mayaguez except that
there are three manufactures Of choco-
late, which is for local consumption.
Sugar, coffee, oranges, pineapples and
cocOanutS are exported largely-all eX-
cept coffee, principally to the United
states. or sugar the muScovado goes
to the United States and the centrifu-
gal to Spain. Mayaguez is the second
port for coffee, the average annual ex-
Port being 10000 hundredweights. The
quality is Of the best, ranging in price
with Java and other first-rate brands.
The lower grades are sent to Cuba.
About 10000 bags of -four are imported
into this port every year from the
United States, out of the 100000 bags
mat mat are consumed in the whole island
The population is nearly 10000, the
majority white. The climate is excel
lent. the temperature never exceeding
80 degrees Fahrenheit. The city is
connected by tram with the neighbour
ing town of Aguadilla. and a railroad
Is being constructed to Aguadilla, one
of the large interior towns.
After Mayaguez comes a class of
cities or large towns, Of which Aqua
dilla is a fair sample. "Ah-wah de
va" as Americans will learn in time
to call it, is the principal town and the
port of Aguadilla district in the north
west portion of the island and has
5000 inhabitants. Industries in the vi
c1nlty consist of the elimination Of sug-
ar cane, coffee, tobacco, and cocoa
nuts and the distillation of rum from
molasses. In the town are three es-
Establishments for preparing coffee for
expectation. The climate is hot. but
healthy; there is hardly ever yellow
fever.
SMALLER CITIES.
Arecibo is town of from 5000 to
1000 population. It is situated on the
north coast of Porto Rico, facing the
Atlantic ocean, and some fifty miles
distant by rail from San Juan. 1t Is
similar to all Spanish towns, with a
plaza, surrounded by the church and
other public buildings, in the center,
and streets running from it in right
angles, forming regular squares. The
buildings are constructed of wood and
brick. The harbor is poor, being moth
Ing more than an open roadstead, eX-
posed to the full force of the ocean,
in which vessels during northerlv
winds can hardly lie in safety. Close
in shore, on one side, dangerous reefs
stretch, constant menace to vessels
if the anchor does not hold. Into this
harbor empties a narrow and shallow
stream, called the Rio Grand de Are
cibo. Goods are conveyed on this riv-
er to and from town in fiat bottomed
boats, with the aid of long poles and
by dint of much pushing and patience.
At the bar of the river everything is
again transferred to lighters and
thence to vessels 1t Is a tedious and
expensive process. However, Arecibo
is quite an important port, and has
tributary to 1t g large district of some
10000 inhabitants. The want of good
roads in the island makes such a
place as Arecbo far more important
than it would naturally be.
Farjardo is the principal port on
the east coast of the island. 1t has |
population of S,779, according to the |
last official statistics December, 1870 |
The port is handsome, with a third
class lighthouse at the entrance at the
point called Cabezas de San Juan, and
a custom house open to universal
commerce. The town is about one and |
one-fourth miles from the bay. The |
only important industry of the district |
is the manufacture of muscovado sug-
ar, to which most Of the planters de- |
vote themselves. Shocks, hickory
hoops, pine boards and provisions
come from the United States in con-
lasses are exported, and occasionally
tortoise shell. The climate is temper
ate and healthy.
Naguabo, on the east side. is small
town Of only about 1000 inhabitants.
and in the harbor there Is another
smaller place, called Playa de Nagua-
DO, or Ucares, with about 1,500. The
capital Of the department, Humacao,
is nine miles from Naguabo, and has
600 inha hita ntS=the district Commits