Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-04-13
OPPORTUNITIES IN PORTO RICO.
MANY Lines of Business Upon Which Capt.
talists May Embark.

MANY Lines of Business Upon Which Capt.
talists May Embark.
Where a man has capital to invest,
there are many lines of business in
Porto Rico upon which he may en-
bark with fair assurance OF the re-
turn of his money with interest.
SMEAR. coffee and tobacco raising
rank first. and will open the best ave-
nues for investors OF large capital.
Fruit. growing is as yet undeveloped,
hut the island offers many possibili-
lies and rich field for investors, in
that every kind of tropical fruit may
be cultivated to its highest perfection
in the rich, W ell -watered soil. ~
According to William Dinwiddie,
the special correspondent of Harper's
Weekly in Porto Rico, railroads and
modern rapid transit facilities are
very much needed in the island. Don
Ibo Bosch, in 1888, secured fran
chise from the Spanish Government
to build and operate railroad which
was to encircle the island. The cor
poration was to be known as the Com
pania de las Ferrocarriles de Porto
Rico. The road was to be finished in
six years, and the government guar
anteed eight per cent. to the corpora
ton on the capital invested, not to
exceed $4,000, 900. This road was
promptly begun at three points. At
the end of four years, or in 1892, a
single track narrow-guage road had
been laid northward and eastward
from San Juan to Carolina, by way Of
Rio Piedras, sixteen miles in all, and
the grading had been partially COM
pleted to Rio Grande, ten miles far
Their, while from San Juan westward
it was completed for forty eight miles
to the town of Camuy. At Aguadilla
it ran southwark to Anasco to Maya
guez, distance of twenty-five miles.
From Ponce on the southern coast it
was built to Yauco, some twenty
miles westward, making total mile
age of one hundred and ten of the two
hundred and eighty-three contracted
for.
The equipment of these fragments
of badly laid road would disgrace a
logging or mining region in our
Northwest, so mean and primitive are
the cars, and so badly treated are the
engines. 1t is not essential to discuss
the defective methods existing in rail
reading in Porto Rico-beyond stating
that the service consists of one mixed
train of two cars each way in twenty
four hours, and that the average
speed is ten miles an hour-as it is
rather intended to point out future
needs. The corporation before re-
ferred to did not complete the road,
and made no attempt to do SO within
; the stipulated time, SO the Spanish
Government revoked the franchise.
There are no other railroads on the
island, except tramway from San
Juan to Rio Piedras. which parallels
the other road that far; the equip
ment of this line is bad, but the SER
vice is comparatively good, as trains
are run each way, on schedule time,
IN hour apart.
There should be a great future in
J the island for lighter tramway sys'
tens, such as trolley lines with trains
of two or three cars, capable OF max.
, ing twenty miles an hour. IL is not
, believed by the writer that in thls
, small area there is. or ever will be,
sufficient commercial inducement te
, warrant the construction of heavier
, road-beds, equipped with large en-
gines and standard rolling stock
The distributing point for both i'm
, ports and exports will lie around thu
periphery of the island, at the bes
, water-fronts, and the railroad hand
r ling will always consist of very shor
hauls.