The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-27
copyrighted. 1899 by Frank G. Carpenter.

tains.
Copyrighted, 1899. by Frank G. Carpenter.
ISABELLA SEGUNDA, Isle of Vieques, Aug. s.
have spent the past week in gathering information
about some Of Uncle Sans unknown islands. BY
our treaty with Spain secured of islands in
addition to Porto Rico. Some of these are points OF
built up by coral insects forming little more than
spots on the face of the Others of consider
able value and, among them, those which describe
in this letter. l writing VieGues, the ISL
and of crabs which lies thirteen miles east of Porte
Rico and not very far from st. Thomas. 1t is sixty
four miles from San Juan, and is connected with the
mainland by the little government steamer the SlO
cum, which comes to it with supplies for the soldiers
and the mail once every week. Through the kindness
of the quartermaster at San Juan l allowed
pass Slocum during its present voyage and by
it was landed in Isabella Segunda.
ISLANDS NORTH OF PORTO RICO.
We began to pass islands which belong to Uncle
Sam as soon as we left San Juan. We sailed by
eral our way of the harbor and then along the
north of Porto Rico Just outside reef of low
coral slets upon which the blue dashed them
selves casting up line of white foam.
Behind this snowy fringe we could see the blue
mountains rising in rolling line of beauty which
was now and then lost in the clouds. They hung
about the islands, wrapping the mountains with Their
nebulOus humidity. This region is very moist and
clouds of the peculiar features of all Porto
Rican scenery. They are filled with rain which now
and then drops down in neede-like spray, and at
times falls in sheets and streams. There clouds
everywhere They hang so close to the mountains
as to make you think that you could by climbing the
hills turn on the spigots of the heavens and have
shower baths to order.
OUR NEW LEPER ISLAND
We islands in front Of us shortly after we
left the capital and after seamng for several hours
we passed Cape San Juan at the northwestern end of
Porto Rico proper and had the Culebra islands al
most directly in front of The Cuebra islands are
quite large Some contain hundreds of acres of roll
ing land rising like mountains of the sea- One of
them is of especial interest just now because it has
been chosen a home for the leper population of
Porto Rico
There are number of IeperS scattered throughout
the country, and Uncle Sam is doing all he can TO
gather them together and isolate them. The Iepers
are very secretVe, and it is difficult to find out just
who they The poor together to such an ex.
tent that the danger of contamination great and so
the government has chosen this island as the ex-
elusive home of the Iepers. At present there are
eleven lepers in the hospital at San JUAN and four
more have been reported living in different parts
of Porto Rico.
As we passed the Culebra group 1 could see the
island which has been chosen. 1t is known as
Louis Pena." 1t rises about 400 feet above sen
level contains 400 acres and is covered with a dense
growth of tropical vegetation. About onehaIf of II
can be cultivated and there cattle and goats
upon it. 1t will raise all kinds Of vegetables and
the tropical fruits peculiar to Porto Rico There ara
plenty of fish in the waters about it. It's woods com
tam parrots and also game birds much like our
American pheasants. There also turtles and shell
hS IN the waters about the coast and it is believed
that the leper colonies will be largely sefsupportin
The government expects to build a hospital on The
island 1t will give the lepers houses and will spuIv
them with seeds and farming tools and will stimulate
them i'll every way to form a society of their own
The government boats will visit the island at rag
uar intervals with supplies for the Iepels but other
wise the colony will be completely isolated from the
rest of the world.
DOWN THE EAST COAST
sailing by this island, little steamer skirted
the Island of PalominoS steaming southwark toward
ieq"eS' <AIaF OH III front of the ship could see
Vieques, haZy blue line of low mountains floating
us II We're upon the sea apparently about twenty
or thirty miles away. We did not go direct bu first
entered the harbor Of the town of Fajardo on the
northwestern coast of Porto Rico and then made o,r
way south to the harbor of HumacaO We vern co
close to the mainland that we could See the surar
plantations which line the shores They were great
squares OF light green shining out of the brown fields
"oouI them' Back OF the green rose the navy blue
mountains of the Porto Rican backbone with t1,o
PO''n A1l 1uuque, JIle highest mountain
towering above them. At the port for Humacao y,a
came to anchor ia bay surrounded by cocoanut
trees Here we landed hogShead of ice for some
OF our army officials who are stationed about six
miles back from the coast, and then turned and
steamed eastward toward Vieoues
THE ISLAND OF YIEoUES
1t took us little more than an hour to comn from
Porto Rico into the Tabor of Isabella Segunda This;
Is on the north coast of the island about nid,rar
between Its two ends. V1eques consists of 3 mo,,e
tain ridge about twenty-one miles long and six rot,s
wide. 1t is beautifully green and the low ,ao,,
tains rise and fall forming a rolling coun+r,, IN
which are some of the fertile lands of MIR vos
Indian possessions. The soil is such that if vii, GROW,
al kinds OF vegetables and fruits. The island has
number of arge sugar plantations and it raises t
best cattle of the West Indies
The chief harbor is that of Isabella Sesun1a a.
though there is port the south which gives =
better landing place. The harbor here is surrounded
by hills and it is unsafe the time of the norh.rI
winds. AS it was, little steamer had to anchor
far out from shore, and climbed down rope ladder
Into q boat which carried me to the wharf 1t WAS +,
RIDE OF perhaps two miles. and the landing at the
little pier which into the ocean was bv no
easy.