St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-01-25

are subject In other words, it Is
habitable country for the Anglo.Saxon,
which cannot always be said of regions
under or near the equator This is
owing to the fact that the island is
hilly and mountainous and contains
few swampy sections.
The central backbone of the island is
a mountain chain which reaches its
greatest altitude of d. 800 feet in the
peak of the Luquillo Sierra called Ell
Yunque. The chain rises near the Ca
beza de San Juan, in the extreme north
eastern point of the island, and extends
throughout the interior, which is a
heaved up mass of mountains, hills,
spurs and valleys, down from which
run the many streams of the island. es'
timated at 1900 in number.
The length of Porto Rico is variously
given as from 80 to l05 miles, and its
breadth from 30 to 49, but probably
safe estimate would make it about 100
miles in length and 30 in average
breadth, with total area of about
3, 500 square miles. Though the greater
portion is billy, even mountainous, the
elevations are generally of such char
acter, with gently sloping sides and
rounded SUBMITS that they are suscepti-
BILE of cultivation to their very tops No
more beautiful picture can be imagined
than the aspect of this island as it is
approached from the sea, with the
ranges of hills rolling like pillows from
shore to mountain tops, which latter
are mostly forest clad, and thus every
tint of vegetation is seen, from the most
delicate to the deepest shade OF green
To revert to the features which make
the island valuable as naval station.
Although most of the streams descend
ing from the mountains flow north
wardly, yet very few have open or nav
igable harbors at their mouths, and
most Of the good ports are on the south
ern shore. The north coast boasts but
one really important harbor that OF San
Juan, the capital and only fortified city
of the island 1t is an inlet of the
northern coast, about one third the dis
lance from Cape San Juan, in the east
to Cape Pena Aguda, in the west The
width of the navigable channel at its
mouth is about 400 yards, and when
the water is smooth vessels drawing five
fathoms can cross the bar i'll safety.
When storm is raging or a norther
blowing, the harbor mouth, or "boca,
is sheet of whirling, seething pillows,
through which the most experienced
pilot can only navigate with extreme
risk Inside, though exposed to the
northers, is deep and beautiful har
Dor, which can doubtless be improved
by dredging and the building of break
waters, which will make it safe even il
the hurricane season.
Arecibo 80 miles west of San Juan
is place of Importance, but has NJ
good harbor, only an open roadstead, il
which vessels lie while their cargoe
3 are transferred by lighters to the shore
Rounding the northwest cape mag
S nifcent bay is opened that of Aqua
t dilla, with water deep enough for
battleship, but with no good wharfs
t The same may be said of Mayaguez, t
+ the south, on the west coast On tn
j. south coast, going east, the first fin
It harbor is Guanica, where General Mile
II landed his forces with water enoug
10 for large vessels; then the harbor {
Z Ponce with one channel carrying fiy
II fathoms; still farther east the ports {
O. Salinas and Arroyo, and on the easter
t. end of the island the ports of Humaca
i'd Naguabo and Fajardo, small but SAT-
Or with no great depth of water
H. So it may be seen that there are ha
of bors enough to suit all sorts of vesse
as and all kinds of weather
C. FREDERICK A. ODER
lt