The sun., 1902-11-23
MEN READY TO DIG THE CANAL.
JAMAICA LABOR LIKELY TO BE
Used AT PANAMA.
The Negroes OF the Island StrOnE and
Almost Immune 10 Tropical Feyers
Fruit Industry May Be Affected
The Coming Naval NanGu,res

| to hold the winter mar 9 Ivres Of the Atlantic
and European fleets ia Caribbean waters,
| with Kingston as a possible coaling base,
| cannot but have a decided effect upon the
| relations between Jamaica and the United
States. The beautiful tropical fruit garden
with its peculiar inhabitants will play an
important part in the events of the near
| future. and a naval demonstration of a
| friendly nature will surely leave Il favora-
BILE impression upon the native mind
The harbor of Kingston ia naturally one
| Of the strongest In existence from the STRAIT
egi.t's point of view. The water is good
and it is protected from the heavy south
erlies," making safe and comfortable
anchorage for a feet,
Its formation enables il TO be fortified
easily. and its position will at once mark
| 1t a. the key to the Caribbean Sea. But il
is English, and therefore not available for
landing troops or fortifying for the war
| game
Our own coaling station, which it has
been decided by the Navy Department to
develop is situated of the eastern end of
| Porto Rico. upon the little island Of Culebra.
| Here. Of course, the greater part of the
sham fighting and searching for enemies
| will take place.
The successful elimination Of the canal
negotiations will mean a great deal to the
| native Jamaican. Being of West African
extraction and having been exposed to
peculiar vici-situdeI Of tropical climate. the
native islander. who is Of course. black
has developed into a tropical immune.
That is, he is about as impervious to
climatic diseases as human being
can be. and it Is for this reason principally
that he will be the power employed TO dig
the great trench. II has been pretty well
| decided to use a. many native JamaiCans
and Cayman islanders az can be induced TO
| leave their fruit growing and accept the
sound money Of Uncle sam.
The state Of feeling in Jamaican poli ics
has lately been strongly American. Among
the overtaxed planters, whose burdens
have not been light the feeling for freedom
has burst out occasionally, and there has
been some strong pro-American politics
developed
II is out of the quest ion for a rcvout ion
to grow even among the most dssats sfed
of the heavily taxed fruit planters, for the
island il one Of the b,st protected and
policed in the world. Still, in the event
Of the Panama route being chosen. COM
plcations might arise from an exodus Of the
fruit growing negro.
Being free man. like his brother in the
States. the jamaican may work where he
pleases. There is no law to bind him to
the plantations. as in the case of the i'm
ported East Indian coolie, " ho is practically
a slave to the En- glish jamaican and hea w
draft Of these men cannot but have it's
effect upon the affairs of the island
natural born sailor, the jamaican
takes TO the water and ships instinctively
He is large Of bone and usually quite slen-
der. being a long g-limbed muscular fellow
who can work to advantage either upon
vessels deck OF upon her spars. and the
very sight Of fine vessel gives him delight
His language Is the ybrid GevelopeI by
having the English language pronounced
by negro who has leaning toward Span
ish and an acqlaintanceship with his
| cousin over In Cuba. truly tropical
production and well suited to a class who
| look upon work as an evil.
The appearance Of the beautiful white
| ships Of the American squadrons will be
| the signal for the black mointaineers
| 20 gather In force a. the seashore If the
| fruit companys sti9s attract hundreds.
| the memo war will attract thousands.
AM II would tage very little persuasion
al this peri II TO Ct the entire populati n
| to emigrate in n body
There will probably be very little feeling
shown hv outward 81 ms. for the Jamaican
In dignifed person especially in the pres
| ence OF strangers. he has dignlfled re-
| garo, also. for uniform
| All along the hot, white streets OF the
island villages the white helmets and blouses
| Of the guards have created feeling Of re-
| spect for order such as is not seen anv-
where in the States Big black men s anding
as straight as rife barrels. patrol the streets
al all hours. and. although thev are corr-
teous and affable al all times, they permit
no boisterous behavior, All this seems
strange to the foreigner who. knowing the
| negro disposition, looks for an enthusiastic
outburst. Behind ii is the strict disci-
| pline of the Jamaica regiment Differed by
EnRlishmen.
Being an English port Of entry, Kingston
| can serve only for a coaling station, but
there are no shoals to be dreaded along
the shore, and some of the fleet manGu-
| vres may be held within plain sight from
| the hill-tops. sx'ept such formations as
REQUIRE many miles 81 sea room.
To the westward Of the island il tho deep
| est part of the waters of the orthern
hemisphere. the famous Bartlett Deep
where 1t is thousands of fathoms to the
ooze below. Along the northern coast
a battleship may run close enough To the
shore for the men aboard TO hold inter-
| course with the natives.
|
! plateau or shelving beach to many hun.
| dred fathoms. SO steep is the coast line
that ships which have been run ashore
upon the rocks have slid OF within a few
| days and disappeared completely, leaving
not trace Of heir wherea bouts in the blue
depths, And a along between the islanc
| and Cuba is clear sea swept by the north
| east trade for a part Of the year.
A for the business interests ashore
| they may be said TO be almost as much
| Amar,cap Inulish 1ha fri,it
| panics control about all the banana lane
and an American concern alone has NOR,
than eighty thousand acres under cult
| vation.
The enormous number Of bunches o.
this favoritc fruit shipped is astonishing
Vessels may iv the nglish flag and m,
| ubiquitous Scandinavian NAV be seen a
any OF the banana ports. but the fruit goe
| mostly to the United states To be absorbed
throughout the country.
| Nearly all tho nolth,rn ports Of Jamaica
| are useless for haIbors. They open mar
rowly and suddenly. With plenty Of cora
| e. L.. l.