The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-08
RAVEN FOR REBELS
Many Distinguished People
Sought Refuge in Curacao.
SLEEPY LITTLE REPUBLIC
Fannie Ward Describes the
Place as 1t Is Today.

Cuaraco. Dutch Wenst Indies. May l.
This quaintest little island in the world
lies only about fifty miles from the vene-
zuelan coast, on the edge of the great
gulf which receives the waters Of Lake
AIaracaibo. It's distance from New York
is in the neighborhood Of 1900 miles. and
from Key West not much more than
1Ooo. About the size of the District of
Columbia. it contains a fourishing Dutch
colony, 1900 strong. and half as many
more people Of diverse nationalities, hav-
ing been since time out Of mind a favor
ite asylum for absconding depaulters,
f0rgers and other criminals, as well as
for political refugees from North, South
and Central America and all the islands
on this side of the globe. Many of the
revolutions that have racked and ruined
the so-called republics OF Spanish-Amer-
lea were Matched in Curacao under the
shelter Of the pretentious but nowadays
perfectly harmless, fort that guards this
port Bolivar, Blanco, Santa Ana,
Lerdo, BarriOs and long line Of
later dictators and would-be presidents
found security for time in this bare
little island. Bolivar the founder Of five
republics, lived here in Punishment for
several years, waiting for the rescue
that never came, and the justice that was
not accorded till after his death.
In reality Curacao Island is nothing but
a great volcanic hssure, between thirty
and forty miles long by from three TO
seven wide-two wild. bare, abrupt ridges
of green stone, connected by q limestone
dyke more than a mile thick. Coasting
around its edges you may see many deep
indentations. which lok as if they might
be excellent harbors. each a circular ba-
sin, enclosed within high rims of green
ish rock; but the steamer stops at none
of them until the southwest corner of the
island is reached; where is Willemstadt,
the chief town Of Curacao, commonly
called by the same name as the island.
The entrance to its bay is a narrow, mile
long passage. which reminds you of the
approach to Santiago de Cuba, except
that this is straighter and deeper than
the historic Cuban outlet. The Dutch
possessors have dubbed tho passage Skat-
tegat. and lined it on both sides with
frowning forts that fairly bristle with an
tique guns.
So narrow is the waterway to Santa
Ana bay that sentinels on opposite
forts crack jokes with one another and
might easily jump off their walls to the
deck of your vessel.
The bay into which it leads is a nat
ural lagoon. deep and wide enough to
float more of a navy than Holland will
ever own. on its farther edge is the
harbor proper, defended from the world
by an absurd little pontoon bridge
across its entrance. On all sides are
antiquated forts. towers, batteries, rus
~ cannon and garrisons of dumpy
Dutch soldiers-an amazing bluff of
Hollands power in the western world,
which strikes you as extremely funny
You do not observe the ponton bridge
until almost upon it. The steamer halts,
and presently the deep bass of her whistle
is answered by the shril treble of a tiny
launch. Then one end of the bridge of
bats is seen to be slowly moving toward
the opposite shore. Little by little the
strip Of blue water widens, until at last
the pontoon lies parallel to the shore and
Il series of ear-splitting toots from the
deed is done and the stranger vessel is
at liberty TO enter Hollands domain Be
fore your steamer reaches her dock in
front of Curacao's capital the launch has
tugged the pontoon back into place, and
traffic upon it is resumed
So eminentlv sleepy and ciumsily Dutch
is the scene that you can hardly compel
yourself to believe that You are still in
the western hemisphere, actually under
the lee of two Americans, ard not the
Zuyder Zee. The town of Willemstadt
is scattered all over the lagoon, its houses
built exactly like those Of Holland the
streets so narrow that the burghers can
shake hands with one another through
opposite windows. So solid is the archi-
lecture that each residence might with
stand seige. its walls of stone and NOR
tar veritable fort There are no others
like them on this side Of the world un-
less it be at Surinam-that other Dutch
paradise in Guiana. itte further down
the coast of South America Huge stone
buildings. two or three stories high. have
and piilared balconies let in on the sec /
ord floors. with places of business below. (
Even the governors spacious and splen-
llL IESiNCllLt iletN Eth Ei i4lLlt'llA SADIt-
house on the second floor. They are
really Spanish "casas" with Dutch modifi-
cations happy combination 10 1T the
climate. with their bric&ed courts and
tiled roofs and breezy corridors shaded
by jaIousies. The walls are painted
yellow. pink. purple or blue, after the
fashion of Standardization; the roof
tiles are dark red, and the jalousies are
as bright q green as paint can make
them. Dominating all are the forts and
casties-Fort Amsterdam. Fort Rif. Mas
saa castle. Bolivar tower. and others
whose names I have not learned.
All your previous experiences of travel /
in stranEe places seem 70 he upset. n
WHlemstadt. and you ind pourself onus-
"a b. take new bearings altoEether. The /
reason why there are not more fatalities
in Che 6-foot wide streets IS probably
traceahlo 10 Dutch lack q hurry carts
can barely squeeze through chem. the
ponaeraus hubs AZ their wheels grazing
the walls 90 either side and scattering
pedestrians into doorways.
You soon l-arn that the city IS divided
ly che clover lear shaped Bag into three
distinct par-s-Furdc. where the govern !
raeut buildings ana principal commercial /