Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-28
BOOMING PORTO RICO.
Capitalists Already Selling Rich
Opportunities.
ENTERPRISES NOW UNDER WAY.
Coasts-How General Roy Stone
Found a Channel Into sobos Bay.
Tunnel Through Mountains To
Water a Former Fertile Plain.

Found q Channel Into Sobos Bay.
Tunnel Through Mountains - To
Water a Former Fertile Plain.
While others have been lamenting
that there was no use in trying TO do
anything toward the development of
Porto Rico until congress should IN
tangle the snarl involved in the is
lands transition stage, certain farsee-
ing capitalists have been quietly saw
ing wood. New York. Boston. Phila-
deIphia and Chicago syndicates have
acquired property and privileges which
at no distant day will produce big
profits. They have advanced hundreds
of thousands of dollars in enterprises
which, when contaminated. will repre-
sent millions of invested capital.
The identity of the capitalists back
of these enterprises has been jealousy
guarded. Among those who in a vague
way have known what was going on
there has been a persistent rumor that
Vanderbilt money was supporting at
least one of the big undertakings on
the south side of the island. William
r. Corwine was asked about this re-
Gently by a representative of the New
York Sun.
You must excuse me-" said Mr.. Cor
wine. from mentioning names asso-
ciated with these Porto Rican enter
prises. l have understood that Wander
bilt money was back of some OF them.
l will not be more specific than that"
No matter whose it is. the money is
there. and the enterprises are going
ahead. They involve the construction
of at least three splendid winter resort
hotels. the retaining by irrigation of
Il large tract of what once was the
most valuable sugar land on the island,
the operation by water power of trolley
lines and electric lighting plants, the
construction of n tunnel through the
mountains. which will carry an aque-
duct and railroad line as well; the
opening of i hitherto almost unknown
harbor. which probably will be by far
the finest on the entire coast. and the
extensive development of sugar. tobac-
co and coffee plantations.
There is n touch of romance relating
to the opening of the new harbor-Por-
to de Jobos, the Spanish called it; Port
America it will be named. When Gen
eral Miles invaded Porto Rico, he
planned three landings on the south
side of the island. He fixed upon
Guanica as one of them, Ponce as an
other and a place still farther to the
east as the third. Now, there was Il
legend that the wide and almost land
locked bay of Porto de JObos was ac-
cessible TO vessels of the deepest draft
if one only knew the tortuous channel
among the islands at its narrow en-
trance. General Miles was so inter-
ested in this story that he sent the Gin
cinnati to investigate. After cropping
about the harbor in all directions the
Cincinnati returned and reported that
the story about the deep channel was
yarn; that there was not water enough
over any of the bars to admit anything
much bigger than a catboat. So the
scheme of landing at Jobos was aban-
doned, and the troops went ashore at
Arroyo. a few miles to the east, where
there is little more than an open road
stead.
General Roy Stone. however, was
still much interested in the legend of
the entrance to Jobos harbor. When
hostilities ceased, he went on an inves-
tigatiing tour of his own. Near the
Porto Rican fisherman. Yes, senor,"
said the fisherman, there is such an
entrance to Jobos. will take you
through it if you will come with me in
my boat" Into the fish well of the
boat General Stone put long coils of
rope and a number of heavy weights
for sounding. Thus equipped he and
the fisherman found a channel with an
Of Of
low water. 1t opened into Jobos bay,
between five and six miles long and |
from a mile TO a mile and half wide, |
with water enough to float n navy |
The channel, though tortuous, is wide |
enough for navigation.
Around and back of this harbor n |
syndicate of New York and PhiladeI- |
phia capitalists has bought thousands |
of acres of land. For about ten miles |
to the west of Jobos there stretches a |
fertile plain. 1t is about five miles |
wide and reaches to the foothills of the |
mountains called the Sierra de Cayey. |
This land was once the finest sugar |
growing region on the island, but the |
Spanish, with characteristic faulty, |
stripped the mountain sides bare of the |
heavy forests which grew upon them |
Before this was done there was always |
abundant rain on the plain. Now it is /
so arid that sugar growing is an impos- |
sibility- 1t is the purpose of the syndi- |
cate which has bought 10000 or 1900 |
acres OF this land to freshen it by irri- |
CATION For this purpose a tunnel will |
be bored through the Cayey mountains, |
and the rain always to be counted up |
on in the mountains will be carried by |
an aqueduct to the lowlands. Inas-
much as the trolley road, part of the |
scheme of development. which is to be |
built from San Juan through the /
Cayugas tobacco region to Guyana /
and Tho South shore will have IN niarco