The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-24
OUR NEW ISLANDS.

1.-The Danish West Indies" is the title
of monograph by the treasury bureau
of statistics which will appear as a part
of the forthcoming issue of the Monthly
Summary of Commerce and Finance 1t
describes the islands included in the re-
Gently ratified treaty of the United
States and Denmark, by which the is
lands OF St. Thomas. St. John and ST
Croix are to be transferred to the United
States. These islands, it shows, lie off
the eastern coast of Porto Rico and are
in fact a mere extension of the marine
elevation of which Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti
and Porto Rico are the principal repre-
sentatives; while they also form a con-
Meeting link between the Greater and
the Lesser Antilles.
st. Thomas. the best known of the
group. lies 80 miles due east of the
northeastern extremity of Porto Rico;
st. John lies II miles east of St Thorn
as: while st. Croix lies about so miles
south of st. John and st. Thomas, and
so miles southeast of the southeastern
point of Porto Rico Two small islands
already belonging to the United States.
Vieques and Culebra, which were OBJ
tanned through the cession of Porto Rico,
lie directly between Porto Rico and this
newly added group.
lively small producing capacity, their
chief Importance being by reason of
their harbors which they offer and their
value from a strategic as well as gen
eral commercial standpoint. ST Croix
the largest of them, is about 20 miles
long and from one to five miles wide,
with an area of about so square miles
and a population of about 10000 1t is
also the most productive of the islands,
A considerable area being devoted to the
production of sugar cane and tropical
fruits, and agriculture being the occu-
patton of a large proportion of the pop
ulation. There are two towns on the
island. Fredriksted, with a population
of 300. and Christiansted. with popu-
lation of $500. The latter is located
upon the chief harbor of the island
which. however, is choked with mud
and of less Importance than the harbors
of either of the other islands
ST John. the smallest of the islands
has an area of but about q square
miles, and a population of only about
1000. and a comparatively small Gull
tivable area, its chief value being in its
possibilities for harbor purposes the
natural harbor of Coral Bay being
described as one of the best protected
natural harbors in the West Indies, but
at present little used.
st. Thomas. which lies nearest to Por-
to Rico. is by far the most important
in its present availability for harbor
purposes. the harbor of Charlotte ANAL
ia having been for more than century
recognized as one of the best if not
the best natural harbor in the entire
West Indian group. and having been
during all that time q central point as
harbor of refuge and point of exchange
for merchandise and a coaling station
for vessels from all parts of the world
With passages through which it is cas-
lily reached, a good depth of water, and
excellent protection from the hurricanes
to which that region is subject, it has
long been regarded as an extremely
valuabIe harbor. and when Denmark in
the early part of the nineteenth century
made IT free port it became the dis
tributing point for the commerce of the
entire West Indian group. AS a conse-
quence nearly the entire population of
the island is clustered around the port
Of Charlotte Amalia. fully 10000 of the