The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-22
A WARSH|P'S DIARY.
The New York Visits the Island
of ST. Lucia.
WAS DISCOVERED in 1902
Island is Noted Chiefly for Its Deep
Sea Harbor. Products are Sugar,
MOlases, Cocoa and Spices.

Sea HarbOr. Products are Sugar,
MOlases, Cocoa and Spices.
1t was nearly four O'Clock on the af-
ternoon of Sunday, the It'll day of Janu-
airy. that we shackled to what is called
the "Rendezvous Buog" in the harbor
OF Port Castries, the capital of ST.
Lucia. Before eight a. m. the follow
ing day W were moored along side the
coal dock, and oon after breakfast the
coal women swarmed all over the ship.
To see these swarthY women walking
straight and cheerful under the heavy
baskets of coal, and climbing the steep
gangways, engenders a desire to kick
the lazy, muscular men. who stand
about fighting each other and chatting
the women, and watching their chances
to smuggle liquor on board to our men.
There is room for the New Woman
in these places.
ST. LUCIA.
This island is one of the Windward
Group Discovered by Columbus in
1902 and is less than "a miles south of
Martinique. and 81 miles northeast of
St. Vincent. 1t is ~ miles long, 20
broad. and has a coast line OF $50 miles
with an area of 245 square miles. 1t
has a total population of $4,000 blacks,
and 1000 white inhabitants. The ma
jority of the former are French in
speech and habits. living mainly on
pickings which they gather from the
coaling of ships, public, works and
their little yam patches.
St. Lucia is n of the bealthiest and
one of the loveliest of the chain of is
lands to which it belongs. 1t was
originally inhabited by the Caribbean
Indians. An English settlement was
made in 1889, but the French preceded
the English by four years. After vari-
u changes it came into the possession
of the British in 1903, and has ever
since remained in their hands. AT
the beginning of the seven years. 100
1853, the French were in possession OF
all the South Caribbees except Bar
bados and Trinidad. BY the treaty OF
France ST. Lucia was restored to
France. In ITS it was seized again by
the British.
The islan2 is noted chiefly for pos
sessing the one deep harbor except
ST. Thomas and Trinidad in the LESSEE
Antilles. and for being the only one OF
the Caribbean Islands which has a
completely land-locked basin where
ships may 90 alongside the dock. This
basin is surrounded on an all sides by
highlands, upon which Great Britain
is mounting some of the strongest bat
teries of the world. The town of Cas-
tries is on the west side. 1t is built or
made ground on the interior side Of
the above mentioned bay. The popu.
lation is 5000 The town is we'll laiG
out. but most of the houses are UMPIRE
tending. There is a good market
house, a pretty botanical garden, and
comfortable reading room and library
The fer-de-lance. one of the most ven,
omous and deadly of the serpant class
once infested the beautiful island. but
they have been eXterminated by the
introduction of the mongoose.
The products of the islands are
sugar, rum, molasses, cocoa and som
spices, while lockwood is plentiful
On a trip to the top of a morne on the
on the interior side of the basin,
found the natives living very poor in {
struggling fashion. There is barely
any cultivation. One Frenchman il
the owner of a sugar mill and hundred.
OF acres of good clay land. Wher.
formerly many hundred tons of sugar
were produced each year. now barrel,
enough is cultivated to furnish him
living making syrups, etc. Instead o
a wind or steam mill, his crushers ar
vertical. and oxen the motive power
The soil Itch beyond description. ant
on the ea.b side of the island the slope
of the mountains are covered will
thick and uninhabited forest. From
the top, amidst a dense massof tropica
vegetation. we're pointed out to me tn
tops of two remarkable mountains, tn,
Pitons. at the south end of the islands
They rise from the sea like great dra
gons' teeth 212O and $3.50 feet respec
lively. LaSoufriere, composed of vol
canic tuf and cinders, coated with sui
phur. can also be seen from the sam
place.
The island is now under the genera
governme of the Windward Islands
with a local legislative council, and i
the s~trictest pattern OF a Grown Col
ony. which has the usual excellent ad
ministrative features. accompanied b
high taxation and economic decay.
January 9th. at l:l5 p. m. we left tn
dock and took up the former buoy.
CHAPTER vi.
AT 6:l5 a. m. of the 10th day of JAM
~ :1..a lN,,l 49,, I-r.. -,