Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-05

portance on the bay. At the mouth Is Sa-
mana and Cacoa, with Sabana de Ia Mar
opposite. At the southwest corner is San
Lorenzo, the harbor of the fruit company,
and opposite is Sanchez, the terminus of
railroad up the Cfbao valley. The popula-
ton is very much mixed. The American
colony of slaves is at SANTANA. English,
French and German employees look after
the intert SITS Of the fruit company. The
Swiss planters have some countrymen With
them, while the railroad at Sanchez is
owned in Scotland and has Scotch opera
tives.
THE fruit company not long ago i'm
ported 800 Notwithstanding laborers from
St. Kits, and native Dominicans are also
TO be found. AS result a stranger can get
along no matter what language he speaks.
A week or month spent at the Gay, fishing
and sailing back and forth. or even q WIN
ter spent in search of health would prove
both enjoyable and profitable.
An Interesting Railroad.
zone Of the interesting points is the rail-
road running from Sanchez up the valley to
La Vega, sixty miles. 1t is built along the
Yuma river which empties into the west end
of the bay Trains, or rather one train,
goes up leisurely one day and comes back
the next The people of the interior, after
the road was built, continued their custom
Of floating the freight down the river and
padding slowly back, and the government
was appealed to. Now law prohibits the
use Of the river, creating monopoly which
Americans would not tolerate.
The difficulties in the construction OF the
railroad were almost tnsurmountable. The
road is owned by the Bairds, extensive
owners Of railroad property in Scotland and
Egypt. A younger member OF the family
Just out of college was sent over to look
after the construction He made some mis-
takes. When $4,000 had been spent on the
first five miles OF the road near the bay
Baird himself came over. He had rock
ing chair rugged up with side bars and had
himself carried over the route, much to the
establishment of the natives, who had never
seen that sort of a conveyance.
shores OF the bay several miles below San
chez, the uppermost harbor, in an effort to
start a new boom town. That part OF the
grading was at once abandoned. West from
Sanchez, up the river, the line attempted
to cross a morass, mostly mud deposited in
the bay by the river. The grade sank as
fast as II was thrown up. Logs, brush and
straw were piled up and the grade built on
this. It holds the track and the train, but
the sensation In passing over it Is not
water comes up to the trucks and the
splash vets the car sides. The engineers
say It is safe. but after rain especially
the water is dangerously near the IRE box.
s'The concession under which the road
was built granted government land along
the track for q certain distance the entire
length Of the road. This was thought
valuable franchise, as to all appearances
1t was ALI government land. As the track,
laying progressed beyond the morass. own,
ers of the land with old Spanish grants or
new deeds dated back, appeared and every
foot of ground was contested. The authors
ties stood in with the claimants, or at least
supported them. and erned resistance was
offered As a matter of fact, not foot Of
government land was acquired and the
right Of way Nas paid for At an exorbitant