Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-08-10
Porte Rice as Seen BY Jsrseyrnan.
coAMo SPRINGS HOTEL

CoAMo SPRINGS HOTEL
CoAMo, July goth. 1899.
J. D. Carpenter Dear Editor:--It seems to me
have but little to say at this writing, for it is
getting to be an old thing with me here, but may
find something to interest your readers. / think
perhaps there are some more or less interested
in my well doing. AS far as the native tongue is
concerned, it is nearly blank to me. In one
sense Of the word it is Spanish, but very mixed.
suppose the game as an educated person, and
an uneducated one. have got TO understand
some words. and expect to pick up more of II,
for am thrown in their society more or less;
some Of them are inclined to teach me little
once In awhile. Their ways are little back
ward. or hind part before. 1t appears to me all
they know is to pick and grub they use the old
machette for almost everything; will go to G
field which is grown up in brush. briaFs and
thorns. with grabbing hoe and machette, bare
footed, cut and slash at great rate.
The people here seem to move with some
quickness, but work under their supervision
moves slow We have carpenter here to do
the work around the hotel think one Of our
American mechanics would do as much in one
day as he will in three. To be sure, he gets small
wages, about two pasos per day, which means in
helper, If he has one, gets one paso sixty cents
Seeds planted here grow very rapidly If the
weather suits have some eucumbers growing
to beat the band. / have watermelon, citron
and squash planted, and nicely sprouted. L
have peas. and beans nicely up; my corn (sugarl
came up nicely, but dry weather struck it at
that time and the ants devoured it, had to
plant it again solid.
Your correspondent took a trip over to Coamos
ON Sunday morning. They do brisk business
in vegetables and meat on Sunday, same as any
day IN the week Small head of cabbage would
weigh perhaps two pounds, fifteen to twenty
cents. All vegetables are high, and everything
in proportion hardware man had roll of
chicken wire seven feet wide, two inches mesh,
and sixty-six feet in length, which he listed at
twenty-four pasos. Now, Mr. Editor, do you not
think that was enough7 They do business on the
Tariff plan ask two prices, one for COST and one
for Tar fl, and good profit
Now am out of politics, l have my opinion,
to be sure, but will not be slow in saying that
if Congress does not remove that Tariff, Porto
Rico will never be place for a poor man. There
viii be no work for him outside of the native
who can subsist on little tropical fruit. The
Tariff viii keep out machinery. which would
do mole for this Island than anything else; it
would bring capital and labor both. Your cor
respondent thinks there is the greatest chance
for foreign trade imaginable. Coffee and sugar
are here in abundance, and tobacco, the finest
ever smoked. The deadly cigarette does not kill
here; tbs pleasure to smoke them, though
your correspondent does not use them, only
occasionly through friendship.
The buildings in Coamo are the one story kind
spoken of before. IT'S said that any one, under
Spanish rule) could get permit to build on top
of any house he saw fit. I suppose tina is why
the walls are so heavy, had TO accord ng to law.
The stores as a general thing are well kept but |
in my experience. not very heavy stocks. l
bought colored shirt for about the same as l
could get it in Philadelphia. l think dry goods
are not SO high as some other things especially |
vegetables. Meats are not as good as they are
in the States, on account of the scarcity of ice
and the high price it commands, but we at
Coamo have good prospect of having plenty |
in month or six weeks through the Puerto |
Rico Company. They haYe nearly completed
their ice plant, and we have begun the erection
of two ton refrigator at the hotel
do not expect any of your readers has ever
picked any Porto Rico coffee. Your correspon-
dent went out a few days agJ and gathered
some off the tree. Ripe coffee is scarce at this
time, but the trees or bushes are loaded. To
start a coffee plantation on this Island means
fortune TO any euterprising man. They start the
young plants in the brush, (or there is plenty OF
that here), and when they get good start, they
clean the brush off aud there is their plantation
soon to pay them bountifully for their trouble.
no farming needed, sit down and wait, and the
s,os. 7 avor dront, NJ. rs,.a. = -, -
hare and dram, c,,,, 80 por+e d.,
would cav twas -. amos, 70,
mis- stro,,., ana Co., r;o,,
taa - ont a., - :.
incl, 90 .,fyoo +, 1,a
,,; ava ,,s,ar go ~, -.
a.. I. oa.o4 - 49, - -.
COT =, tha c ,,.,1s
n,,.r 90 = .,s 49,. s,,o.- ,,,,a,.
rsi...d .,r;,,.;-.9,,. - ~ :.
-
- g. y
a ~ e. ooo oos y - u
,ot seso ooo ~, ~
.,,, ~,
,,c, 49, ~, .,s
= .tiaIas :. 49, ,.s...s-as f.'Ns
1891, -,
e.
III, -. - 49,. 80
,,a,o,a - !.
mr. 49,
-, TO-, - g., -. :, 49,,
Itta ,.,e, ,,,,,, No.. -,
!. t,, ,,o,,,',., -, oa,, 49,
mi ~, $500,
nav, hsst hin, =; -, ,,,,,,,,, Sl
Iand snd anotber ,s,ds, os 90 ~ 49, =, ~ 49,, s
cuItivat,ro win
when I got INV sgricu,turo1 ;ron,o,oants 90. -,
thew thopgbt Il var,, NO. ,a,, Ia, r
handle The wedding hoes tbav were % I;,,,,, sad
h,nd, R,t ,vbar s..r,ad LA 81. -, 49,
horse n,ow and the wsv ,gb,-,ad .ha a,rt
tonsv t,,rvv that n was sor,ethir,, 49,, ,,-oa
also. thew All stonned 10 900 IL ana ~ wan, -
n q ,vos 90 r,ca ia sos+ H.. NJ rd,sa- 49,.
never did mt Nov T., s,,, Ia,s
as wa had to bresk IN this nIscs. n !. rotrrs,1,
heavy blsck ground but moi st;.v. tha 49,
will scower as bright as silvar il a vor1 ,a,u
minutes
This soil has never during time had snvtb,ne
,ika a rIov, 10 t,,rn II M
When the land Is tnrned mn and b.rro,vad
well If looks as though If would he very nro.