Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-25
SENATOR LATlMER ABROAD.

SENATOR LATiMER ABROAD.
Interesting Letter Describing the
Azores and the Fortress Of Gibraltar.
Correspondence OF the Yorkville Enquirer
On board Steamer Canopic, in the
Mediterranean Sea, May 22.-Mr.
Editor-On Friday, May gath, our
party landed at the Azores, spending
about five hours at Ponta Del Gada,
the capital of the islands and seat of
the civil government. The place has
a population of $4,000 and after Lisbon
and Oporto is the most important city
of Portugal Ponta Del Gada is a re-
markably clean city It's houses are
well lighted, painted and whitewashed.
The streets though presenting a good
appearance, are not very wide, but are
lighted with gas and electricity.
Plenty of good water is piped through
the houses.
Situated in the middle of the Allan
tic ocean, the Azores offer most
agreeable and convenient stopping
place between the old and new worlds.
The Azores were discovered by Portu-
gese navigators some so or rs years
before Columbus discovered America.
The fact that large hawk-like birds
were seen to fly westward from the
coast of Portugal and not return led
to the discovery Of the islands, and
the name Azores means hawk in the
Portuguese language. The islands are
all volcanic, though it is said that st.
Maris gives some evidence of regular
geological formation. The mineral
spring on st. Michael is regarded as
possessing wonderful medical proper
ties, and many interesting stories are
related by tourists of the healing pow
er of the water. The travellers visit to
these islands. emerging as they do alb
ruptly from the ocean with their sharp
volcanic peaks, lava cut valleys, lux
uriant negotiations, charming land
scapes and delightful climate is rem
dered doubly pleasant by the hospital
ity and kindness of the inhabitants.
The climate is temperate and mild,
due to the high altitude and influence
Of the So
The vigor, abundance and variety of
the products, and the careful tillage
of the land, make the fields look like
gardens. Large farms are not seen:
the land is let in small lots and at
short terms, and each tenant is striv-
ing to make the largest yield possible.
The principal field crops are corn,
wheat, rye, barley and potatoes. Or
anges grapes and pineapples have
brought large revenues to the islands,
but for recent years disease has at
tackled the orchards and vineyards and
has destroyed much of the profit from
this source. Pineapples are growing
under cover.
The most important local industry at
present is the manufacture of alcohol
from potatoes. There are three fac
tories: they are large and all equip
ped. producing annually about two
million gallons. There are three tobac-
co factories, the total annual product
being forty-five million pounds. The
local manufacture of clothes is limited
to hOmeSpun with the exception Of two
small factories in Ponta Del Gada
where towels shawls, etc, are made
The commerce of the islands is
carried on chiefly with Portugal. Eng
land. the United States, Brazil. Ger
many and France. The principal eX-
ports are alcohol pineapples, oranges
tobacco, beans, whale oil, vegetables
hides, butter, potatoes, fine clay, etc
Within the past few years experiments
have been made in growing tea, and
there is a good promise of success.
The chief imports besides the gen.
eral manufactured goods are sugar
coffee. rice. petroleum. tobacco. salt
leather, glass. lumber, etc. Our visit
to the Azores was interesting in many
ways and very enjoyable all the way
through.
on Monday. the 81. at noon we
swung into the bay of Gibraltar, un-
der the gun-pierced frowning front of
the world renowned fortress of Gibral-
tar This formidable rock rises to a
height Of 1926 feet, and though we
know it bristles with the formidable
guns, yet so cunningly are the defenses
planned that only two guns are visible,
those on the highest points Of the rock
fussy little terrier took the first
class passengers from the steamer to
what is known as the Old Mole. built
in the fourteenth century, and after
we had a few yards in the hot Gibral-
tar sun we decided that Il carriage was
Il necessity and spent the remainder
of the afternoon in the comfortable lit
tie coaches with which the town
SwarmS, and which We're hired at real
sunable rates. Gibraltar though under
the British flag. is peOpled by Span
iardS. Hebrews. MoOrS. and men of all
natiOnalitieS. We drove curiOuSly
through the narrow streets past the
shops to the guard of the garrison
where after satisfying the officer on
lat h,, l,.,l
taken by a guard through what are
known as the northern galleries, which
are long tunnels cut in the solid rock
behind the north face. These galleries,
curiOuSly enough, are connected with
American history. for at the time we
were keeping England busy with our
revolution, the French beSieged Gil
braltar for four years, and an English
sergeant devised this system Of rock
galleries, which turned a useless rock
into the most formidable fortification
in the world. For possibly over mile
these galleries run back and forth be-
hind the face of the rock, lOOp-hOled
at short intervals for great guns.
Looking through one If these embras-
ureS one sees before him on the left
the Bay of Gibraltar. on the right the
Mediterranean, and in front the narrow
iSthmuS which forms the only cOmmu-
nicatiOn from the rock to the main
land 1t would be no more than child's
play for 500 men to keep at bay an en-
tire army. The only way Gibraltar
could be taken would be by starving
out the defenders, and even this might
fail for we were told that there is at
all times kept on hand stores and pro-
visions To last the soldiers for fourteen
years. Only British subjects are al
lowed to visit the top of the rock and