Evening journal., 1900-03-08
THE ISLE OF PINES.
Products Both UssfuI and Useless Of
Our Little Known Acquisition.
lcuban Correspondenee.l

The nIsle of Pines" consists really
of two islands. separated by a tidal
swamp II lies due south from the
Province of Pinar del Rio. Cuba at
distance Of 38 miles, and contains IN
area about 1,214 square miles. This
Is the only one Of the islands lying ad-
! jacent 10 Cuba. which is not entirely
of coral formation nor merely an ele;
waited reef or mangrove swamp, and
which has a geological structure and
confguration and comparable to the
mainland. There are mountains near
the northern coast which are 1000
feet above the sea level and here are
scattered the fey towns and most OF
the people that live on the island.
Nuevo Corona rs the principal settle
ment, containing about 400 inhabi-
tants and the Spanish garrison that
| formerly occupied the place had here
a prison for soldiers and civilians who
were sentenced for crime. AS rule
however, most of the prisoners were
Cuban insurgents, transported hither
| by their Spanish captors from the
provinces of the greater island. The
houses are built chiefly of stone rubble
or mud adope, and are miserable con-
trivances and makeshifts for human
habitation
In general the soil OF the island Is
poor and sandy, but back of the noun
tains begin the great forests, and in
these lie the chief wealth of the Isle
of Pines. There are all sorts of trees
on the island, such as mahogany,
ebony and cedar, but the royal palm,
or palma real, is the most common,
and Hike the maguey of Mexico, is
the mainstay of the natives. AS for
pines, there are pines everywhere; but
OF heavy kind, full of resin, and for
fre gives out so much. smoke and SCOT
that the natives - prefer mahogany.
ebony or some other hard wood for
fuel. There are also marble quarries
Of blue, white and green tints. and
over near a small settlement called
Santa Fe are number of mineral
springs, acknowledged to be the best
in the world for all troubles of the
stomach Along the edge Of the great
swamp in the south strong and SER
viceable spars are cut for vessels. and
IL is said they are unequalled by those
obtained from any other land or
cline.
Fruits are very prolific in a wild
state. such as the guaya,. caimito
(called the vegetable brain), papaye,
pineapple, narangas or blood oranges.
and such mangoes as it would be hard
to find elsewhere in the world. whole
groves of them. making a mountain
of color impossible to describe. Ba-
nanas bear all the year round, and
in the stream bottoms and other rich
spots corn, vegetables. the sugar cane
and tobacco are cultivated. The mar
anon is a richly-iiavored tree fruit
and the "cocoa-agua." or water cocoa
nut. yields a delightful drink that is
free from harmful tendencies and is
really beneficial to health
The whole island has a population
of not more than 1000. and every in.
dividual of these from infancy to ma
turity. are swimmers and divers Of
unrivaled ability. A single instance
will illustrate how marvelously ex-
pert these simple natives have be-
come by lifelong practice in the mat
ter OF water athletics. A large steam
er lay near the shore. drawing per
haps thirty feet OF water or there
abotts. and the passengers amused
| themselves by dropping coins into the
ocean for the native boys to dive af-
ter. The arrangement was that a boy
should stand on the side rail of the
ship, at the level Of the upper deck,
and some one was to drop coin in
the water from the opposite side Boy