Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-12-14
HOMEWARD BOUND.
HARRIS FINAL LETTER ON HIS
SOUTHERN VOYAGE.

sive Night at Sea. Record for Heat.
MOSQUITOES Galore. --LeprOsy.--
General Review of the Islands and
Closing Notes.
Santa Cruz, Danish w. l., (where
the rum comes FROM Nov. Esd.
DEAR FRIENDS: | could talk with
YOU with much more satisfaction to
everybody concerned if you knew
where Santa CruZ-or st. CroiX-is. II
YOU don't and not one American in a
hundred dOes-lOok on your atlas and
inform Yourself Then what | may say
about it will be of much more interest
to you. The Danish possessions in the
West Indies are confined to two is
lands, st. Thomas and st. Croix, or
Santa Cruz. As financial investment
for Denmark they are very unsatistac-
tory, and there is no doubt but that
government would be glad to give
them away if she could. There are
two good reasons why she don't how
ever. One is that nobody wants them
and the other is that great powers, so
called, will not allow them to be got
possession of by any one ofthemselyes,
rightly considering that it would give
the acquiring power very large naval
and commercial advantage in this see
ton of the world. So pertorce poor
little Denmark is compelled TO hang on
to them and throw good money after
bad every year in maintaining them.
III. oe1vrarpr,4arf VanaiEfl arc estimated
as not being more than one-half the
cost of administration. have spoken
of ST. Thomas in a previous letter, but
a few words regarding the two Danish
islands may be of in crest The eX-
ports are almost entirely the product
of the cane-sugar. rum and mOlasses.
Even this one industry is not pushed
to nearly the extent it might be. In
the other islands every inch of ayaila-
BILE land is under cultivation, cane
fields extending away up the sides OF
the precipitOus mountains in almost
impossible locations. In the Danish
islands, which are much more flat and
easy of cultivation, much unimproved
land is seen. Certainly many fine fields
OF growing cane are visible, but the is
lands do not bear the imprint Of ener-
getic, root-hog.or-die labor as do the
others. Santa Cruz has two ports,
Fredericksted on the west coast and
| Christiansted on the east coast. The
drive across is a beautiful one. through
avenues Of palms and fields OF cane.
Most of the land under cultivation is
owned by Bartram Bros. of New York,
who practically control the business Of
/ the islands. They have millions in
vested here and are to all intents and
purposes monarChs of all they survey
/ by chain or sight. Their modern
methods and American energy are
making them money in sugar, while
producers among the other is
lands are having hard time to keep
even.
Like st. Thomas, st. CroiX presents
the clean and tasty appearance char
acteristic of the Danish government,
which same will keep up good show
and keep things looking neat and trim
if it don't lay up a cent. As regards
natural beauty, it cannot begin to be
compared with nearly any Of the other
| islands.
st. CroiX is my last stop in the West
Indies and will soon be homeward
bound. HOmeward bound How
much that means to anyone with fiji
teen hundred miles of sea between
him and all he holds dear. II you have
never been in that unusual situation
| you cannot know the sensation or
realize the feelings of one far, far at
sea- Another thing | wish to en-
| phasize. We sometimes-too often
speak of a certain thing as awful, -
but in the strict and proper sense OIL
the word nothing is so awful rs night
far at sea. Stand at the rail and look
off into boiling, roaring hell OF black
ness, not knowing what the next mo-
ment, minute or hour may bring forth.
The steamer is rushing, rushing along
in the abyss Of darkness and straining
IN every joint with the impact Of the
pillows, and when one realizes that the
nearest land is several hundred miles
away off across that roaring cau!dron
of horror and desOlatiOn, the feeling of
awe in its terrifying fuiness may well
be experienced
And awful in another sense, grand, !
majestic, awe inspiring is a calm, |
starry moonlight night at sea. The
infinite pathway Of moonlight reaching
off across the world, the silver light Of
the white-capped waves, the stars. |
more in number in Il tropical night !
than in the brightest moonlight winter
night in the north, the beauty and the !
lonesome mystery of the great desc |
late sea, all combine to make picture I.
which holds the observer dumb beyond |
the words ofany language to express. !
But in the darkness, the awful. black. !
boundless waste OF thunderous terror
then comes the feeling of nervcless. |
helpless awe, the impression of the |
omnipotent God.
This is my last letter from low lati- |
tudes, and | will soon be on the lone
reach from st. Thomas to New York |
This will require five DAYS. runnino /
800 miles per day of q hours. Fasf |
travelling and lots it. In this. nv |
last letter, | want to clean up some |
odds and ends of facts and fancies ofl
interest which have come to me from
time to time and which must not be
omitted.
According TO the renorts of +t,o