Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
History Made by the Napoleon of
the West Indies.
NATURE SMILES In SANTO DOMINGO
Has All the Charms of Tropic and
Temperate Zones.
GOLD AND OTHER MINERALS
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
| Whatever the Island of Santo Domingo
may lack, it is not from any remissness on
| the part of Mother Nature, for it was orig
| inally richly endowed Everything that
grows within the tropics may find a home
somewhere between coast line and mountain
tops, and in the elevated regions may be
produced almost every variety of fruit and
vegetable peculiar TO the temperate zones.
As for minerals, the most precious of all,
gold, in fakes particles sands and nuggets
has been found in abundance 1t was the
gold of Hspanola, as Columbus called the
island, that first attracted him thither and
from the native caciques on the north coast
he obtained the precious metal first taken
to Spain, some of which may yet be seen
in Burgos and Granada.
As his sailors were filling their water
casks at the mouth of the river Yaqui they
were delighted with the sight of golden
sands, and from this circumstance Column
bus called it Rio del ORC, or the river of
gold.
The San CristHhal Mines.
The founding of the present capital. San
to Domingo, was owing to the discovery of
gold on \ tributary of the river on which
it is situated from which resulted the rich
mines of San Cristobal, first brought to
light in a romantic manner in 1896. Here
was dug up in 1862 that nugget said to be
the largest ever found in the new world of
such dimensions that the lucky miners, in
the first excess of their joy, had a pig
roasted and served upon it as table. They
let it go to the King of Spain, some time af
terward, but sent a message TO the effect
that they had done what no royal person
age had ever done; dined off a table of solid
gold. This great nugget was lost when the
| fleet that sailed with Bobadila went down.
and still lies at the bottom OF the sea off
the east end of the island.
1t is not known that much has been done
in recent times TO exploit the mineral riches
of the island; in fact. the interior noun
tains have never been satisfactorily exam
1ned. In their shelter yet exist hooks and
caves secluded valleys and dells which
have never been visited except by the In
dams of early times and the "Cimaroons''
or runaway negroes of slavery days. Hum
boldt declared that what the Spaniards OBJ
tanned was merely the surface washings
of the placers and the hilltops, and what
they got from the beds of rivers. The golden
secret has not been revealed, as yet, and
will not be divulged until some more pro-
gressive government than that at present
ruling in Santo Domingo shall undertake
the exploration of the great central range
OF mountains.
Other Great Possibilities.
But it is not In mineral wealth alone that
Santo Domingo offers temptations to the
explorer. This island. which of late has
been known to political adventures as
'Leelees" Island C.Leelee" being a contrac-
ton of Ulysses, former President Heu-
reaux's Christian name) is rich in every
possibility. And when 1 say possibility
do not mean that any one can go down
there and make his fortune; in truth; the
chances are that whatever fortune might
be taken there would be quickly swallowed
up. But within its area of some eighteen
thousand square miles, Santo Domingo has
every range of climate and soil. capable
of producing everything necessary to the
support of man. Nature, as has been OBJ
served, did everything needful for this
beautiful island, but during the four CEN
turtles of mans domination it's rich gifts
and generous provisions have been per-
verified and even prostituted to the basest
ends
When Sir Francis Drake went to Santo
Domingo intent upon sacking the city, he
found it hardly worth the plucking. So it
happens that while rich in historical asso-
Citations, both island and city are poor even
to the verge of poverty. In the interior of
the island where the banana and sugar
cane grow wild, and the ground is covered
with rank growths of valuable plants and
trees. 1 have been followed for miles by
begging children supplicating a morsel of
food.
An Ideal Second Eden.
And yet, any good sort of people (of
course, ] have ourselves in mind might
make a second Eden of this beautiful is
land. Notwithstanding its tropical situa-
ton, exposed to torrid heats and torrential
rains. Santo Domingo is a very healthy
island. white man can live there, If he
exercise due caution. with almost perfect
immunity from diseases such as endemic
and yellow feverS. Many acquaintance of
mine resident there have informed me that
they were never sick a day unless they ex-
posed themselves unnecessarily.
Far more precious than gold are the his
torical memories of this island. Here, on
its north coast, Columbus founded the first |
city i'm America, Isabella, erected the first
church, built the first forts and initiated |
the movement by which the Indigenous In |
habitants were exterminated. In the capt. |
tai city may the ruins of a chapel |
erected in his time, a fortress built by Don |
Diego, his son, and the remains of the first |
cOnyentual structure, as well as of the first |
American university. In the cathedral lie |
his own remains notwithstanding Havana's |
claim to the contrary, and those of his |
brother and grandson, while relics of such |
well-known Adventures as Fernando Cor |
teZ, Las CasaS and VelasQuez, the subjuga-
tor of Cuba, are on every hand.
It's Glorious Harbor.
There is yet another possession Of the |
island which neither the rapacity of the !
Spaniards nor the misdoings of their de- |
generate successors can take away spoil. |
This is its great natural basin and glorious /
harbor SANTANA bay. As naval necessity |
SANTANA is no longer desirable, but as |
factor In our commercial development Ii 1
would be invaluable. However this may be, |
there it lies, one of the most magnificent /
bays and natural harbors in the world, al /
most unused, and at all events not suf- |
ficiently utilized. 1t is not quite SO solitary 1
as when Columbus discovered 1t, in 1893, /
and thence took his point of departure for |
Spain. on his return voyage; but 1t still ex- |
lists in isolation, the deep channels that |
would suffice for the largest steamships |
only giving passage to few craft beside |
sman sailing vessels.
From the grand promonotory Of BaIan-