The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-01-27
VIEW or PONCE
]. \. AriDR WHITES Of q Nv
POsSsSill
PORTO RICO IS BtAUIIfUl
Rather B.hind the Times-rhe MIL
ts,y Rosd-proouctive Soil

"a. Ankrom. who will De rememb-
cred here az a dealer In iron fences and
real estate 90 put them around, has
reached Ponce. Porto Rico, and writes
back to Louis MARKS These are sN-
tracts from his letter:
LANDED here December 22, less than
Ave days from New lorK \ fine trip
in a good ship. After looking over
Pence pretty well drove eighty miles
over the world-renowned military ROAD
20 San Juan. Neither stories of the
road nor OF the beauty and fertility OF
the country have been exaggerated.
The road Is a remarkable piece OF engi-
ueering and the scenery along the way
IL grand The mountains are fertile
clear TO their peaks. One product Is a
tobacco said to equal the best grown
IN the province OF Havana, Cuba. Al
most all OF the land Is cultivated. The
island is not as rough as Oahu. IL Is
not of volcanic origin. There are plen-
~ of oranges and bananas and there
are coffee plantations everywhere.
Everything that Is grown here Is very
cheap and living costs next to nothing.
The poor are very poor and lots OF
them and the rich. while living nicely,
are not wealthy according to American
or Hawaiian ideas. The climate Is fine,
Temperature ranges from seventy to
ninety degrees and there are invigor-
ating sea breeZes. Ponce would be a
healthy place II they had n Board of
Health like the one AT Honolulu. But
there will he changes In this line in
time and there Is lots of room for i'm
provement The children of the poorer
classes run about naked This is TO be
stopped by a military order so soon as
clothes can be made for the young
sters.
The city is beautifully located and
the principal streets are paved with
brick. The harbor is grand, like a sec
ton of Pearl harbor. A few days ago
| went with several fellows and sailed
over the bay to place where there
was to be a grand chicken lighting
tournament. This seems to be the ma
tional sport. They are at II all the
time and get tremendously excited and
bet their last bits of silver.
Gold is at a premium Of 30 to 60
and the rate fluctuates. The Spanish
language Is spoken almost altogether.
II Is easily learned. ] am taking les
sons. The soldiers and the other Am
orleans who have been here two to foui
months can make themselves under
stood in the lingo and lots OF the Span
iards and natives are picking mp Eng
lish.
The future here depends on legisla'
ton at Washington. If 1t is favorable
a,fH 81 nHnnint aNlrVt hing will
be- all right. II 1t is unfavorable bust
ness will not amount to much for live
men for long time. There Is every
hope that Congress will act soon and
fayorably. The present duties are
something terrific. have several good
agencies from New York and expect to
do well with them. but ON the whole
would not advise people coming here
for a year yet, though, of course. this
Is the time to get in on the ground
floor. There will be big money 10 b'
made in lands and ! am studying thu
methods OF handling property.
One who knows anything Of sugar
production could scarcely believe that
the methods OF cane reduction are rs
crude here as they are to be seen. The
ground Is turned with wooden plows
and the cane is hauled in OK carts with
the harness running from the horns.
Several plantations have changed
hands already and when the modern
methods are introduced, with no duty
TO the United States, there will he just
as much money In sugar here as In Ha-
wall ! am told that there Is plenty OF
labor and ! am sure ii must be cheap"