The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-01-28
Notes of a Cruise
!. Taken There by
. John G. Shorta11.

With Porto Rico an American de-
pendency and Cuba substantially in
the same situation maugre the objec-
tlons of the patriots and non-annex-
at1onists; with the adult public once
more taking lessons in the science of
geography, it's not strange that great
interest should have been developed
inatAe Lesser Antilles.
@ Under the protocol Of terms for
peace between Spain and the United
States probably the most desirable of
et the the great Antilles will become an
American colony. This island CONT
+ nent-it is almost such is the eastern,
and northern barrier to the great
Caribbean sea- Porto Rico holds the
key TO the position in these seas and
Is q near neighbor to the Danish is
lands OF st. Thomas, one of the V1r-
gin group, which has caused American
statesmen more loss of sleep than any
other piece of land surrounded by wa
ter On the globe. With one Of these
already in Americas grasp it is but
natural that the people should wish
to know more of the neighbors who
form the eastern fringe to the Carib-
bean.
The Lesser Antilles consist of the
three groups known as the Virgin is
lands, the Leewards and Windwards,
IN order from north to south. The
Virgins sweep from the eastern bor-
ders OF Porto Rico east and south to
near where the Leewards commence.
These overlap the Windwards, which
extend almost to the South American
continent, l forming a broken, jagged
barrier to the Caribbean sea.
Something over 18 months ago,
when war with Spain was mere rum
bic, John G. Shortail, accompanied by
q party. OF ladies and gentlemen, made
g trip through the archipelago. As the
tropical seas and chimes are not desir-
able neighbors summeFsy laes,
storms and the ever-present yellow fe-
yer abound, while the heat is sitting,
fthe trip was taken in the early
months Of the year. The party left
Brooklyn in February and cruised di-
rectly to st. Thomas, the real start
ing point. Thence the steamer went
zig-zagging through the Leewards and
Windwards to Venezuela.
Mr.. Shortall describes st, Thomas
as one of the most interesting of all
the islands near the western continent.
This is not only because of it's native
attractlVeness, but because America
has -dirted with it so much. As he
recollected it was during Grants time
that a proposal to purchase the island
was made. The king of Denmark hes
itated because it was scarcely con-
sistent with the royal dignity to sell
a colony. His dignity was frightful1y
shocked when congress refused to rat
ify the deal after the royal assent had
been Indicated
But st. Thomas possesses something
very rare in the groups of islands:
that is, good, well protected harbor.
The bay of the city is large, well
sheltered one, amply provided with a
large dry dock and wharfng facilities.
The island also has one other advan-
tage: There are fewer negroes there
than in the others. The island is not
ed for the beauty Of the scenery, the
beauty of the bay and the sport of the
| natives in diving for pennies from
open boats in. the bay. The water is
so clear that the skillful fellows are
able to plunge to the bottom and res
cue the coin tossed in by visitors in
search OF amusement.
The various groups are almost de-
void of harbors, although engineers
might be able to remove this objec-
tion at considerable cost. A slight
indentation in the shore line is about