The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-08

world in 1898 For more than a cen
fury they had travelled to Europe and
ignored the wonderful, beautiful trop-
eical islands lying at their feet. The
Spanish-American war called their at
tention to these islands, and now a few
Of them are beginning to spend on their
own side Of the world some Of the mon
ey they have gained in the United
States instead of rushing off to scatter
it in Europe.
The tide Of winter travel has this
season set more strongly than ever be-
fore toward the West Indies. This old
town Of Nassau appears to be attract
ing many Yankee tourists who seek to
escape the trying cold of their own eli
mate. No doubt the we'll organized
American has such control over HIM
self that the rigors of the United States
winter climate simply serve to brace him
up, but for people who are 50 far from
well organized that very cold weather
fairly draws them up double and sends
them, shivering, through the year from
December first till March last no spot
of earth is more delightful than Mas
sau. In Europe it has been noted for
generations because Of its benefit to
consumptive invalids. The climate Is
ideal almost. In Porto Rico, our new
West Indian possession, the American
swelters with the melting heat in Jan
uary. That heat is moist and sticky,
like the climate of Manila. Here in
the beautiful Bahamas the high tenn
perature is not so trying. Besides. the
Bahamas have not many mosquitoes.
Nassau is about COO miles north Of
the northern point of Porto Rico, which
makes the Nassau climate cooler. 1t is
one of the most accessible points from
the States. This island of New Provi-
dence is only one nights sail from
Palm Beach, Fla. 1t is q favorite trip.
From New York by steamer the jour-
ney requires three days. The tour
list parties now planned from the
States bring these lovely tropical is
lands within reach Of all ordinarily
well to do Americans. The usual plan
is for an itinerary to be laid out to in
clude a certain time, which may be
anywhere from one week to six. A
steamer takes the party aboard, then
sails from one seaport to another
among the West Indies, delivering
freight and passengers, stopping from
six to thirty-six hours at port This
gives passengers opportunity to go
ashore and sample the g.ories of each
island
Several steamer lines are engaged in
this traffic, some having their route
among one set of islands, others anoth-
er set. One tour will perhaps take in
the island of st. Thomas Danish), next
ruined, hapless French Martinique:
then Grenada, Porto Rico and Cuba.
finishing with Nassau, Bahamas, be-
fore returning to the States. Another
route will be laid out only to Porto
Rico and Cuba.
-Four or five different nations are rep
resented in the ownership of these is
lands, yet Spanish ways and architec-
ture are traced in all, melancholy re-
hinder of the centuries when all these
waters were called the Spanish main,
because Spain was mistress of the
West Indies and Of the seas.
During the trip the tourist lives upon
the ship, making excursions to points
Of interest while the steamer is in tho
ports.
Each island and group of islands has
it's own charm, the prolific African pre-
as an inhabitant in them
all. At Nassau one of the places to
look at is the marine garden, a land
scape under the sea. You are conyeye4
slowly over the waters of the bay at
this point in a glass bottomed boat.
You look down through the boats bot
tom away into the depths Of the pure
green water and in the mud and slime
you see wonderful and beautiful plants
Of many kinds growing. Nature placed
them there, and there they live and
thrive. WILHELMINA sCHIFB.