The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-12
Correspondence of The Journal.

st. Thomas, Danish West Indies, April
st. Croix, the three Islands which consti-
tute the Danish West Indies, we add
about $50 square miles to our growing
colonial possessions, get corner on the
bay rum market. and increase our colored
population by some $4,000 more black de-
the transaction. 1t would seem like we
need not care whether that august body,
called the landsthing, away over there In
Denmark, ratified the deal or not. But
there is a greater significance to the
transfer than the mere intrinsic value OF
the property involved. When We get st.
Thomas we get the halfway house be-
tween Europe and South America It is
here the ships plying in that trade put in
for coal to feed their hungry engines
Hardly day passes but one or more Of
these great carriers of mighty COM
merce calls at this port There are ships
going South America way with dry goods
from Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.
There are others on the back tack with
coffee from Brazil and hides from Argen-
tine and beef from Montevideo. Also it
is the transfer station Tor the great Ham
burg Observation-Disclosures for the German
merchant; q center from which he is ra-
dating with unfagging energy and
marked success. The men-of-war of all
nations drop here their anchors. Planted
squarely on the line which separates the
Atlantic ocean from ths Caribbean sea,
1t Is, strategically speaking, the gateway
between the north and south. So it is a
not-half-bad idea to have Old Glory
hotsted at this vantage point on one OF
the worlds most important highways.
During the late war with Spain
our southernmost naval station
was at Key West. and, not
knowing what might be the atti-
tude OF some of the powers who held the
entire northern boundary of the Carib-
beam our statesmen experienced some
rather nervous moments in contemplating
possible contingencies. AS soon as this
recent unDleasantness" was terminated,
the United States government began
orowding down this way. Every now and
them q vigilant, uncommunicative official
from Washington would happen along,
looking over the field. and after him
came detachments Of United States ma
of the passage east of Porto Rico, on Crab
island and on Culebra. While it is not
his policy to tell about all the things he
is doing, as we'll as his reasons therefor.
to b man up tree it looks like your
crafty Uncle Samuel Is fixing his fences
SO that when the next international rum
pIs is Kicked up In this section, he will
have the other fellow on the anxious seat.
What the Islands Are Like.
The island of ST. Thomas Is about thir-
teen miles long and three miles wide. It
rises out of the water with an abruptness
that gives it an exaggerated appearance
of height. It's country population is SO
sparse and its mountains so precipitous
that there is very little travel through
the interior. But its harbor Is one of
the finest in the world, and it's life Is al
together dependent upon the shipping.
st. John is three miles east of st. Thomas.
1t lis IA mere rock support-
ing now less than one thousand
people. 1t formerly had several valuable
sugar estates, but when slavery was