The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-02
PORTO RICO.
Isaac S. Taylor Tells Of His
Recent Visit to the
Island.
is A RICH POSSESSION
Thrilling Rescue Of the Grew
Of q Sinking Schooner
in Mid Ocean.

| 10y toNcy W.1o lliy Dtlittts tlidl llic
United States did an excellent stroke Of
business when it secured possession of
the Island of Porto Rico. These three
gentlemen are Isaac S. Taylor, ex-Fi-
nance Commissioner John NJ Jones and
Henry v. Fitch, who have just returned
from an interesting and agreeable tour Of
the Island. The party left New York Sat
urday. January S, on the new steamship
| San Juan, and after an uneventful but
delightful voyage, landed at the city OF
| San Juan on the following Thursday at
10 o'clock. Much satisfaction was exper-
fenced in finding "Old Glory floating ma
| jestically from the old Spanish forts and
buildings as they approached the city.
The sail up the harbor, which is a most
beautiful one, was a most enjoyable one,
and on landing the Jerseymen found San
Juan nice, comfortable city. That is,
in most of its parts. the other parts suf-
fer when compared with American cities.
| There was much commercial activity on
| all sides and plenty of evidence that the
! trade of the island is rapidly developing
and industries starting up. Among the
works of progress. which were going ON
was the transformation of a narrow
| gauge railroad into trolley line. The
city was well lighted by electricity and
had many other modern improvements
which contrasted oddly with many of its
/ old Spanish characteristics which it still
| retains. The Jersey City gentlemen were
much impressed with the old Spanish
Plaza, Cathedral, old walls and fortifica-
| tions, government buildings, including
palace and administration buildings, fine
| infantry barracks, custom house, etc.
The palace is now used by Governor AL
len, who by his tact and friendliness is
making himself popular with the people.
The Jersey City party called upon the
| Governor and were pleasantly and cor
daily received by him.
| After a stop of about a day and a half
| the party re-embarked upon the San
Juan and circumnavigated the island,
| stopping at several of the most important
parts, including Ponce, Mayaquez, Aqua
dilla, Arecibo and Jobos. This sail around
the island, Mr.. Taylor. says, was most
| delightful, with its magnificent mountain
| views and tropical scenery on the entire
coast The island is one hundred miles
| long by forty miles wide with a great
range Of mountains running from east
| to west, the highest summit of which
f<SSesjes& q
the foot hills d M oil he bottom lanes
| is a very rich and fertile soil and large
and prosperous sugar plantations are nu-
merous Tobacco fields, orange, banana
and pineapple groves abound everywhere
and all produce the choicest kind of
fruits. These, together with the cocoa
nut trees, made one realize that he was
in a typical tropical country.
The temperature during the stay of
the Jersey City gentlemen ranged from
s. to SO degrees, but the heat was always
tempered by the cooling trade Winds
zone sugar plantation that we visited"
said Mr.. Taylor in speaking of the trip,
''is of such an extent that it has eight
| miles of water front on beautiful bay
and has in operation among it's, cane
fields and sugar mills fifteen miles of
railroad. 1t is one of the finest and most
valuable sugar estates in the West
| Indies.''
The voyage homeward was a very hard
one owing to the heavy northerly gales
which the vessel encountered and which
drove her out of her course. This made
the voyage exciting and thrilling and
during the trip the party witnessed a
thrilling rescue at sea. The vessel had
been driven out of her course and was in
/, the latitude of Bermuda and in the midst
| of a heavy gale when the lookout made
out a schooner at the mercy of the waves
and flying a signal of distress. When the
steamer approached near enough it was
seen that the schooner was in a sinking
condition. She lay low in the water. Her
/ rigging was torn to ribbons and stood out
straight in the fierce wind which was
I l,llx rarIxc nd
counter were gone and it looked as
/ though her masts and spare would go by
the board the next minute. The high
/ waves swept over her decks in rapid sue
cession and it looked to the passengers
/ on the steamship as though each would
/ carry away the six men who could be
seen cinging to the deck. Volunteers
were called for from among the steam
| ships crew, and six hardy American sea-
| men were selected by Chief Officer Nc
Caulder who took charge of the rescue.
A lifeboat was lowered and was rapidly
pulled to the neighborhood of the sink
/, ing vessel. 1t was most perilous un-
dertaking. The high sea which was run
! ming made it impossible for the lifeboat
to come alongside of the schooner so it
lay a short distance off and whenever
d wave liIteu II, dfiiftSt " tilc lSNef OI lu6
4 deck Of the schooner one of the men
would jump into the boat. In this way
| the six men were rescued after most
exciting two hours
\ When the life boat brought them to the
steamship the rescued and their brave
rescuers were welcomed with cheers. The
schooner was the Albert Mason from Nor
folk to New York. She had been driven
I out of her course by the gales and for
eleven days had been buffeffted about by
the seas.
The island is apparently prospecting
under the new regime" said Mr. Taylor.
| Certain advances have been made to-
ward bringing the new condition of af-
fairs into favor with the population. OF
course, In a densely populated island like
Porto Rico, which is said to have popu-
1 lation of 100000, it is difficult task to
imbue the people with American ideas.
/ It requires tact and patience. The people
are orderly and law abiding and are
adapting themselves readily to the new
/ situation There is great hope for the
~ Z TTE5eS n y E4rT