The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-14
CRUISE IN CARIBBEAN SEA
FINISH YOUR S UIIHFRING EYS4IL-
ING AMONG THE ANTILLES,
The Best Way TO Get a Good General
Idea of Cuba Is TO Mako n Tour of Its
Ports, and Early Autumn Is the Best
Time for the Journey,

Ports, and Early Autumn Is the Best
Time for the Journey.
Especial correspondence of the Journal
and Courier)
Although Yellow Jack has pre- empted
August and September for his harvest
ing months in this part of the world,
there need be no fear of him in voy-
age around the edges of the islands.
The prevailing idea that winter is the
season par excellence for a Caribbean
cruise, is erroneous. The most favor
able time in the year for a leisurely
that sultry, oppressive mid-season
between summer and autumn, when
perspiring multitudes swarm our stuffy
Northern resorts, in vain quest of COM
fort. An ideal rounding off of ones
summer outing is a few weeks spent in
the region of romance and beauty be-
low't Gulf Stream, vaguely known as
the Spanish MAN," where the soft
warm air is cooled by sleepy trade
winds, the skies are absolutely cloud
less. and the sea bluer than the bluest
sky that ever arched above it; where
the nights are glorious with the golden
moon of the tropics, the stars nearer
and more numerous than ever seen at
home, and the Southern Cross guides
the mariner, in lieu of the absent North
Ctor
tng on deck, lazily watching the
clumsy play of the porpoises, flying
fish Swimming the waves like swallows,
and those curious little navigators
cahed Portuguese men-o fwar" glid-
ing by with all sails set; you find
dreamy interest in hundreds of I'M
named islands that float before you
like a, mirage of fairy land-always an
other island just ahead, all bathed in
eternal summer, green as the greenest
emerald, with purple heights and sill
very beeches and coa-palms crowd
ing to the waters edge And then the
neverfailing delight of arriving at the
picturesque West Indian ports, with
their glimpses of life as quantity for
eign as the remotest corner of Europe:
the echoing of the ships signal gun
reverber ating from hill to hill, instantly
answered from sea and shore by fleet
of negro boats with wildly gibbering
crews, swarming out to meet you. Be-
sides the Incompatible beauty of the
voyage-the same at any time of the
year-there is Blessed immunity from
excessive heat, mosquitoes, flies, fleas
and other land pests of the late sum-
mer, to say nothing of incalculable
gain to health in the tonic of ocean
breezes. Even for travelling inland on
the few fever-infested localities, if you
are timid-there is no time so good as
just now, between the wet season and
the dry, while the face of the country,
washed clean by recent heavy rains, is
yet at its beautiful best, before the dust
returns that later spreads a white pail
upon the fairest landscape.
We have determined to wind up our
long stay in Cuba by circumnavigating |
it again, stopping at important ports
for a day or two and iaunting short
distances inland wherever interest or |
pleasure invites. We allow ourselves |
month for the tour, and then-Provi- |
dence and the bubonic plague permit
ting-intend to HE ourselves across the |
Atlantic, to see how old mother Spain
Isl making the best of it in bearing up
under her losses; and then, if all goes
we'll, we hope for a few weeks in the
Philippines returning, 81 jos quire, in
time to celebrate the twentieth century
in Paris.
I'm pursuance of this extensive pro-
gram, whose uncertainties rival the
merry dreams of Perrette with her
milk pail on her head,-we fastened to
Havana TO begin the first step of cir
cumnavigating Cuba Finding our
selves compelled to wait a couple of
days for the next westward going
coaster, we concluded to utilize the in
term by a railway trip into Pinar del
Rio province, the western end of the
island. You pay the English capitalists
who own the only railroad in this prov
ince, seven cents a mile for the privi-
lege of travelling at an OK pace, in
coach hitched to the tren de
cargo, or local freight train. But this
slow locomotion is not without advan-
tages. if time is mo object" 1t af-
fords YOU a fine opportunity to see the
You may get out and walk
ahead whenever inclined, or lnger be-
hind to explore WdySLue villages anu
"catch up with the cars at leisure; or,
If sure of a decent horse, you may even
make a considera BILE detour inland and
strike the railway miles farther on in
advance of the train.
The towns en- route are all after the
Cuban pattern, except that
these look little more shabby and I
shiftless than most. San Antonio de
Banos. only two or three hours run
rom Havana, was once notable place,
made so by its mineral waters and the {
,aths of of Saint Antonio. To-day it ;
8 woefully down at the heel but with /
agricultural recuperation perhaps its j
,ld-time prosperity may return, for
he mineral waters are really fine. The
mined town of Rio Colorado has prob
,bIy had more American cameras lev {
,lled at it than any other place in t
Cuba: and truly it looks as If posing s
or n picture of desolation. The cane s
ields were burned for miles around |
md not a house left standing, except q
me solitary sugar MILL which may {
ave been spared because, with nothing /
n grind. it was rendered useless for c
years to come And many a long r
month will go by before smoke is again !