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

Copyrighted 1899 by Frank G. Carpenter.
ISABELLA SEGUNDA Isle of Vieques, Aug. s.
1 spent the past week in gathering information
about some of Uncle Sam's unknown islands. By
treaty with Spain secured of islands In
addition to Porto Rico Some of these points Of
built up by coral insects forming little than
spots the face OF the Others are OF consider
able value and among them those which / describe
in this letter. l writing YieGnes the isl
and Of crabs which lies thirteen miles east of Porto
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 20 it with supplies for the soldiers
and the mail every week. Through the kindness
of the quartermaster at San Juan allowed
pass the SlOcum during its voyage and by
it landed in Isabella Segunda.
ISLANDS NORTH OF PORTO RICO.
We began to pass islands which belong to Uncle
Sam we left San Juan We sailed by
eral 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 a line of white foam.
Behind this snowy fringe we could see the blue
mountains rising in a 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 are OF the peculiar features Of all Porto
Rcan scenery. They filed with rain which now
and then drops down in a neede-like spray, and at
times falls in sheets and streams. There are clouds
everywhere They hang so close to the mountains
as to make you think that you could by climbing the
hills turn 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
In at he OOrtJ,y Of
Porto Rico proper and had the Culebra islands al
most directly in front Of The Culebra islands are
quite large. Some contain hundreds of of roll
ing land rising like mountains of the sea One of
them is of especial interest just now. because it has
been chosen home for the leper population of
Porto Rico
There are number of lepers scattered throughout
the country, and Uncle Sam is doing all he can 70
gather them together and isolate them The lepers
are very seeretiYe, and it difficult to find ont iust
who they are. The poor herd together to such an ex
tent that the danger of contamination is great and so
the government has chosen this island as the ex-
elusive home of the leperS. At present there are
eleven lepers in the hospital at San Juan and four
more have been reported living in different paris
of Porto Rico.
AS we passed the Culebra group l could see the
island which has been chosen. 1t is known ~
Louis Pena. 1t rises about 400 feet above sea
level contains 400 acres and is covered with dense
growth OF tropical vegetation About one-aIf of II
can De cultivated and there cattle and goats
upon IT. IL VIII raise all kinds of vegetables and
the tropical fruits peculiar to Porto Rico There are
plenty OF fish i'll the waters about it. It's woods con-
tain parrots and also game birds much like our
American pheasantS There are also turtles and she'll
fish i'll the waters about the coast and it is believed
that the leper colonies viii be largely sefsupportin
Ihe government expects to build a hospitaI on f,,a
lsiand 1t will give the epers houses and will s,uI
u1eh with seeds and farming tools and will stimulate
them III every way to form a society of their own
The government boats will visit the island at re.y
ular intervals with supplies the Iepe but other
wise the colony will be completely isolated from the
rest of the world
DOWN THE EAST COAST
Sailing by this island our little steamer skirted
the Isiahd OF Faiominos steaming southwark toward
Ffeques Afar off in front of the ship we coula 500
Nleqies, hazy blue line of low mountains aootine
It's 1t We're, upon the sea apparently about twenty
or thirty miles away We did not go direct b1t first
entered the harbor Of the tewn of Faiardo on t,e
northwestern coast of Porto Rico and then made OFF
way 9"''h TO tne hafOor OF Humacao. We were SO
close TO the mainland That we could see the sugar
plantations which line the shores They were great
squares of light green shining out of the brown f5
about them. Back of the green rose the navy l1ua
mountains of the Porto Rican backbone with t,,e
peak lei Yunque, the highest mountain of the island
towering above them AT the port for H,Imacao va
came to anchor i'll bay surrounded by cocosnut
trees Here we landed u hogshead of ice -fnr Soma
VI our army officials, who stationed about sly
miles back from the coast, and then turned and
steamed eastward toward Viedues
THE ISLAND OF yHoUEs,
1t took us little more than an hour to come from
fefto Rico into the 1abor of Isabella Segupda This
Is on the north coast of the island about p,javsr
between its two ends Vieaues consists of a meme
IAN ridge about twenty-one miles long and six rt,as
wide. 1t il beautifully green and the low moun.
talns rise and fab. forming a rolling country :,
which are OF the fertile lands ef or y4
Indian possessions The soil such that If will ro
al kinds of vegetables and fruits The island has
number of large sugar Plantations and it raises t,,
best cattle of the West Indies.
The chief ilarbor is that Of isabella Segunda al
though there is port the south which gives 4.
better landing place The harbor here is surrounded
bF hills and it Is unsafe ut the time of the northeriv
winds, AS it was. little steamer had to anchor
Tar out from shore, and climbed down a rope ladder
into a boat which carried to the wharf II WAS
rade OF perhaps two miles. and the landing aft tha
little pier which into the ocean was by no
means easy.
isabella Segunda nestles among the hills right IN