St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-06-28
POINTS ABOUT PORTO RICO.
Interesting and Attractive Features
of the Island Brought Out ina
Recent Lecture.

u
Recent Lecture.
'tOur Caribbean Possession, Porto
Rico" was described in an illustrated
lecture at the Art gallery one even
ing lately before the Brooklyn insti-
tute, by Miss Anne Rhodes, of West
New Brighton, Staten Island. 1t was
discovered to be pleasing country
with great natural advantages, but to
have had many of these overpowered
by misrule and by the lack of santa
| tion due to the ignorant condition of
| the habitants. And yet the lecturer
was SO fair-minded in her setting forth
| of these facts that even Porto Rican
must have felt her genuine interest
in the welfare of his country, reports
the New York Times.
Starting from this harbor in winter,
pictures showed the ice-covered YES
sci and ice-flled water, which condi-
tions rapidly changed as the SOUTH
ern trip was made, the most striking
evidence being in the increased blue
ness of the water when the gulf
stream was entered. Flying fish and
other peculiar features of the south
ern waters entertained the passen-
gers until at last the island was
reached and the old fort, Ell Moro,
frowned upon the northerners. It's
walls are 20 feet thick and the natives
say it is impregnable, certainly it with
stood the shells from American ships.
The trip up the narrow and tortuous
channel to San Juan was the occasion
of many interesting views and the de-
scent from the vessel into the small
boats which conveyed the passengers
to shore was made with much discom-
fort. The wharf, built by the steam-
ship company, was disliked by the ig-
norant people and in less than year
was mysteriously burned. Efforts to
rebuild it were met with opposition
instigated by those who control the
lighters of the harbor. The city is
quaint and pretty and the people are
mixture of whites of all nationalities
Spanish predominating), negroes and
Indians. This gives varying shades Of
color, form and face, but has produced
- oSiiC peoPlC VIII age cary dA0
die young.
Before going inland other minor
ports were visited. Aguadilla, where
Columbus landed when he discovered
the island in 1894, and filled his water
casks; Mayaguez, the third city of
the island in size. built at the top and
bottom of hill with connecting
tramway; Ponce, which equals San
Juan in the number of its inhabitants
and whose landing place is La Playa
(the forty. Arroyo is the port of the
great sugar district. AS in all the
other water-side towns everything is
primitive.
From Arroyo a good military road
leads across the island, which is we'll
enough kept for carriage travel. The
first town reached is Guayam whose
miles of surrounding sugar planta-
tons have made the people wealthy.
At Jobos is fine new sugar mill run
by American enterprise which handles
from 100 to $50 tons of sugar a day.
twenty tons is considered good out
put for the native mills. Other large
mills, called "Centrales," have been
Quilt near Ponce and will be ready for
work next January. Quaint scenes
and travelling parties, steep passes,
picturesque views, fruit orchards Of
Ill varieties-13 kinds of bananas be-
ng known-furnished beautiful or in
:eresting lantern slides, taken along
he road. San Juan was entered again,
his time from the land side, over the
inc bridge of San Antonio, which
pans the tidal river that makes the
ity an island and leads to the Puerto
Ii Santiago under the shadow of the
lately old fortress of San Cristobel,
which guards the land approach as
Il MORO does that from the sea. San
[uan is called Spanish ana not a
Porto Rican city.
"Little by little" said Miss Rhodes,
it is emerging from centuries of neg
ect and not by steps so short as we
re sometimes given to suppose. Pres
ntly it will be beauty-spot in our
ossessions and probably health re-
ort. as it's possibilities are great in
hat line as well as in other directions
t Development and prosperity"
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