Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-04-17

Dickinson, N. D., April 16.-To the
Editor: You may remember st. Thorn
as, as the island that the United
States almost bought from Denmark
a few years ago for $4,000,0O0, more
or less, but .rumor had it that the
! Kaiser interfered, negotiations were
upset and at the same time the
chances for the prosperity and COM
mercial welfare of st. Thomas went
glimmering. 1t commands one sea-
route to the Panama canal and has
| land locked harbor capable of shell
tering two hundred ships at time.
The island was desired by the
United States mainly as a naval and
coaling station and for its naturally
deep water harbor.
Since acquiring Porto Rico, with it's
harbors, the necessity of St. Thomas
has lessened. The naturally shallow
harbor of San Juan is being dredged
and deepened and will be made what
it should be.
St. Thomas is only thirteen miles
long and three miles in width at it's
widest. It's one and only port and
town is called Charlotte Amalia-
when one wants to specify accurately.
This town is said to have $4,000 in
habitants; mostly tanned -
A ship was coaling in the harbor,
the labor being performed by a big
swarm Of colored women, who toted
baskets of coal weighing sixty-hve
pounds, on their heads :: !.
Talk about physical culture! These
women, If one can avoid looking at
their faces, have the ideal and heroic
form and stride.
Girls, if you want to look Zately
and keep real healthy, go to; coaling
ships. 80 ''>"' '"''-.~-' "'''~. :. ''.''
In the six days. sailing we had
reached a point at ST. Thomas one
thousand four hundred ahd + thirty
miles southeast of New York and five
hundred miles south sof the southern
coast of Florida and about eight hun
dred and fifty miles east of New
York.
Leaving St. Thomas in the early
evening", January %, we pulled back
directly west of San Juan, Porto Rico,
seventy-two miles, where we arrived
the following morning and landed. in
the row boats towed by the, steam
tugs. g. r., H., ~, -: y,s
= An interesting, old fashioned town
with it's narrow streets and dagolike
population, but bearing every sign of
prosperous activity. The weather
was balmy and soothing, and In the
evening we occupied chairs on the
concrete paved plaza, where the band
played and the people paraded round
and round to everybody's satisfac-
ton. T. - 'A1y
I was resting samiambly. as usual,
when I am resting, but to keep peace
in the family had to get up and go
look for a city directory, and see if
John M. Turner could be located on
the island. There wasn't any city d.
rectory and dago operator in the
telegraph Office did not know him,
and, as I couldn't talk Spanish,
gave it, up. ! t ,
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, John M. Turner.
Mr.. Turner and tfamily lived at
Mandan and he managed the Boston
Syndicate FIGURING Mill, when we
worked for the railroad and our
children were prattl RS. Later he
successfully combined several, -four
ing 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 the business
and Turner went to Germany, and re-:
couped his fortune.
A man, who can recoup fortune in
Germany and an American at that.