Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01
Poor Accommodation.

From Havana crossed the island to the
south, and at Batabano took a steamer for
the Isle of Pines. The trip can only be
made in an unsatisfactory old boat, which
gives no accommodations to travellers that
one naturally expects. 1t is such an IN
satisfactory vessel that on our return trip
we had to stop every couple of hours in or
der that the machinery might be patched
up. The captain told me that they had
barely been able to reach place of safety
off Batabano on our return before the en-
gines broke down. Had the break occurred
little sooner we would have been drifting
heIpleSSly at sea in the night AS it was
there were seventy-five people ON board
that last night without sleeping accommo-
dations and without food.
But the Isle of Pines is one of the finest
places the earth 1t is about thirty
miles north and south, and the same width
east and west. There is a mineral spring
near which there has been a sanitamum
for seventy-five years. There is "a COM
bination of men now that have Become
interested in that spring, and l understand
they purpose building up an extensive
health resor1there. The climate is perfect
and IT is ten degrees cooler than in Cuba.
A third of the island is marsh, but there
is malaria.
Mr.. E. C. Smith, special agent in the
Isle OF Pines while under Gen. Wood
command built two fine roads across the
island in different directions. During the
last two or three years about 500 Ameri-
cans have gone to the Isle of Pines and
they form an excellent class of people
They have invested in property and they
have ascertained that the scrub pine lands
that were referred to in report gotten ont
by Gen Wood as worthless for cultivation
make ideal land for the growing of or
anges. Twenty thousand orange trees have
been planted. They yield fruit in two or
three years from the time of the planting
of the seed. The soil will bear ANYTHING,
and about 20 per cent of the island is of
this rich nature. They get three crons of
oats in year, and any one of those crops
Will be in excess of what will be secured
from an American farm. They get two
crops of corn annually. They raise tobacco
that Is as good as the product of Cuba. Sea
island cotton is also raised there and is of
as fine quality as is secured in its home In
this country. They do not have the hoiI
weevil. Capt Smith who has planted this
cotton. will plant sixty acres more
There was never more enthusiastic set
of men than the Americans who have SET
tied in the Isle of Pines. They are chiefly
from Wisconsin and Minnesota Thew are
now intensely interested on the subject of
the Jurisdiction of the island, which is or
the greatest interest to these people as
they are ANXIOUS that 1t be brought under
the United States government as provided
In the Paris treaty. They are now under
the government of Cuba and while thew
are not interfered with, thew do not feel
that security that they would have If thew
were distinctly under L he Jurisdiction of tho
United States. They will see that this mai
ter is brought to the attention of the neo
pie of this country, and it Is likely to he
before Congress next winter
Our government is also apt, in the FIJI
ture, to appreciate the fine harbor AT the
Isle of Pines that is large enough tn accoro
modate the navies of the world and is 400
miles nearer Panama than is our naval stao
ton in Cuba" '