The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-24
THE MEssEseER,s TRAVELLER.
Mr.. j.. A. Crews Now I'm British Terri
fory-He fs at Nassau Where he
Sees Negro Policemen ON all Sides.
Interesting Things He Observed.
Especial Cores ondence.)
Nassau, New Providence Jan.

NASSAU, new fTON1Oence- Jan. 10.
1 reached here last evening at about
5 O'Clock. having left Miami, Fla, al
midnight the night before. We came
over On the steamship Martinique" of
the Peninsular and Occidental Line.
The voyage was a very pleasant one
except while crossing the gulf stream
For a few hours hen tae ship was roll
ing and pitching ver3 badly. which
caused many of the Passengers to feel
much the worse for it. Among the pas
sengers were many mca and women help
coming over to work in the Colonial.
one OF Mr.. F1agler's great hotels, which
opened here today. Three light houses
islands were in sight several times, all
of which belong TO the Bahama group.
On the islands seen there appeared to be
no houses or trees, ana EXCEPT a smoke
rising on one Of them there was no
sign of life.
On reaching here and going ashore.
nelng on English territory, our baggage
HAD 10 be examined TO see if we had
anything that was subject to duty. a
company or squad Of negro policemen
were on hand to keep order while the
Messengers were disembarking and
while having their baggage examined,
for there were MANI people with con-
VeYances wanting to carry us to differ
ent places and representatives of no.
tells and boarding houses after us. In
company with Mr.. Edwards. of Canada,
and Mr.. Mirich OF New York. with
whom / got acquainted at Miami. and
who are travelling my way, / put up at
the New Homestead hotel. kept by Mr..
and Mrs. Sands. natives OF Nassau.
r place is just across from the Royal
Victory the other one Of Mr.. Flagler's
hotels here. After suDDer we took a
stroll through the city and this morning
did likewise. taking in quite a number
nf interesting points. This afternoon
we took in what is called the Queens
Staircase and one OF the old forts that
are on the island.
I must not forget to mention the little
firing fishes which are to be seen al
most everywhere while travelling at sea.
We saw them while coming over here.
Thew rise up out OF the water as the
ship gets neal them and fly till their
fins get cry and hen they drop back
INTO the water. If one can slightly
touch the water. enough to again wet
its fins, it may fly TI a much longer
distance. but it is said they can fly no
longer han their fins remain wet.
The greatest abundance of fruits and
vegetables and a great variety are to
be found here. The whole CITY. looks
TO be a great fruit farm. Every yard
almost. is covered with ranges, ba-
nanas and other kin IL OF trees. Fruit
is Gn the table at every meal. For lin
nci today we had CRAZE fruit. oranges
bananas. and to drink lemonade and
Tor desert angels food. made of sliced
bananas oranges. rated c~ocoanut,
GuEar and some kind of jelly.
There is a great stir in the town to-
night. The fire brigade is parading
the streets with a band of music and
lights, for the streets are lighted but
little. The ffremen aic dressed IN red
aud the whole crowd are negroes. This
is Wednesday night. and ends my first
day in Nassau.
Thursday, January 16 This is about
200 y. M. and / am Just in and had
Glnner. On my rounds this morning ]
States consul to Nassau. He was ap-
GoInted by President Hayes in 1887 and
has held that position ever since. He is
from Ohio, nea Canton. T registered
my name in a book he has for that
purpose and he attached his signature
to my passport. On his register are the
names Of many prominent men who
ave visited Nassau in the last thirty
or forty years, among them those of
Grover Cleveland IN January 1873
Franklin Pierce and family in 1850. and
Horace Greeley in 1870. Mr.. McLain says
LhdI Eighty per Ctill- o. lie 4IduS IL OIl
this island is don with the United
States. He treated me very courteously
Aid / was made to feel very much at
home.
The neXt place I visited was the court
room where court was on the ground
floor. The judge. solicitor. clerk n all
the lawyers Wore their black robes. The
FIST case tried was one against a small
negro boy for breaking into a fish house
and stealing some empty baI rels. The
little fellow had no lawyer but was al
iowed to plead for himself. n jury
tool the case and soon returned n ver-
dict of not guilty. n mex case was
that of a negro charged with the crime
ior which so many have been lynched
in the states. This man had no lawyer
and was pleading his own case when
l left the court room for dinner. The
Jury in the first case was made up of
eight negroes and four whites. and the
last one Of six Of each race. Negro pn-
lIcemen IN blue uniform. with red
stripes on them were stationed in the
court house to keep Older.
The population of the Bahama islands
in 1891 was 47.565. The population nj
Nassau in 1901. was 1Z,5S4. of which
number about 1000 were negroes. The
island of New Providence, on which
Nassau is situated. contains 5S souart
miles. about the size of New HanoTe
county.
The following short sketch of these
! islands, taken from a guide to the Ba'
hamas. may prove interesting and in
structive. as thev are the nearest for
eign territory to the south of US:
The Bahamas form a broken chain
or congeries of islands. reefs, and key
lying southweSterly off the coast of Flor
ida. having a trend almost parable
with tina of the Greater Antilles an
extending over some seven hundred an
sixty miles, from q deg. AZ min. to
des. "a min. North latitude. and betwee
~ deg. 40 min. and 80 deg. 3 min. ives
longitude. They include over six hun
dred and ninety islands and islets. an
I two thousand three hundred and eight