The Dickinson press., 1909-04-17
PHELAH's LETTER LET !

Thomas-Party Meet. Former
North Dakota Friends-San
Juan at Porto Rico Interesting
Dickinson. April IS, 1909.
To The Editor -
You may remember St. Thomas al
the island that the United States almost
bought from Denmark a few years age
for 81. 900. 600 more or less, but rumol
had it that the Kaiser interfered. nego'
tiations were upset and at the same
time the chances for the prosperity and
commercial welfare of St. Thomas went
alimmering. It commands n e route
to the Panama canal and has a land
locked harbor capable of shelterins two
hundred ships at a time. = = -
The island was desired BY the United
States mainly as a naval and coalinf
station for its naturally deep waite,
harbor.
Since acquiring Porto Rico. with it,
harbors, the necessity of St. Thomas hat
lessened. The naturally shallow harbol
of San Juan is being dredged and deep
ened and will be made what it should
be.
St. Thomas is only thirteen miles lona
and three miles in width at it's widest.
Its one and only port and town is called
Charlotte Amalia-when one wants to
specify accurately. This town is said
to have 10. 900 inhabitants; mostly
tanned.
A ship was coaling in the harbor, the
labor being performed by a swarm Of
colored women. who toted baskets OF
coal weighing sixty-ive pounds on their
heads
Talk about physical cultured These
women, if one can avoid looking at
their faces. have the ideal and heroic
form and stride. Girls. if you want to
look stately and keep real healthy, 60 on
coaling ships.
In the six days sailing we had
reached a point at St. Thomas one
thousand four hundred and thirty miles
south east of New York and five hundred
miles south of the southern coast of
Florida and about eight hundred and
fifty miles east of New York.
Leaving St. Thomas in the early
evening January 70. we pulled back
directly west to San. Juan. Porto RIGA.
seventy-two miles. where we arrived the
following morning %and::landed in..the row
boats BY the steam tugs.S -"
An interesting. old-fashioned town
with it's narrow streets and dago like
population, but bearing every. sign of
prosperous activity. The weather was
balmy and soothing. and in the evening
we occupied chairs on the con1ete-paved
plaza, where the band played and the
people paraded round and round to every
body's satisfaction. ii
l was resting amiably, as usual
when I am at rest, but to keep peace in
the family l had to get up and 60 look
for a city directory, and e if John M.
Turner could be located On the island.
There wasn't n city directory and a
dago operator in the telegraph Office did
not know him. and. as l couldn't talk
Spanish, l gave it up.
In returning to the boat we went one
block out of the direct route, and, as we
reached the open space leading to the
wharf. my wife stumbled and when she
righted herself she had turned around
and as she. glanced up. there on a corner
store building. in English letters two
feet high. stood the name of ''John M.
Turner.
Mr.. Turner and family lived at Mandan
and he managed the Boston Syndicate
FIGURING mill, when we worked for the
railroad and u children were p~rattlers.
Later he successfully combined several
Touring mills under one management
and managed them until the Wilson
bill, free wool, contraction of currency
and credit, four more years of Grover,
and things like that upset business and
Turner went to Germany and recouped
his fortune. +
A man, who can recoup a fortune in
Germany, and an American at that.
What do you think of it? Must be alive!
Sure he's alive and keeps everybody
around him wide awake. President Of
the San Juan Commercial club. director in
two banks, agent for American products,
including Studebaker vehicles and Pills
bury flour.
We discovered him the following
morning under the same illuminating
sign. White duck, immaculate linen,
iron gray hair and mustache. where
black formerly prevailed, with the same
mellow, black. intelligent eyes.
Within an hour we were out four milea
at his home with him and his wife ant
daughter-the son being in Seattle
1Holn.r ho,,.o h,:I<l ln,< ,,oov 1;S,;rs