The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-05-27

commander John b. Kelk. about thir-
ty.fve passengers took the small ca
noes and were rowed ashore one mile
from our ship; among the number was
The News reporter and one of his
party, Mrs. H. f. Daily, Canton, O.
This was a dangerous trip as 1t was
raining very hard and the breakers
but | ventured for the benefit of the
readers of The Norfolk Daily News.
A word about these islands: The
Azores or Western islands are in mid
ocean, $3.50 miles southeast of New
York City. They are nine in number
and we were nine days in reaching
them. The largest of the group is st.
Michaels, which is thirty-tive miles
long and nine miles wide, and has
population of 129,956 inhabitants.
These islands are out of the beat
en- path of tourists and so are more
interesting. They have total popu-
lation of 257 ,462, and wero discovered
in 1439 by Goncalo Velho Cabral who
was under orders from Portugal. St
Michael's was settled in lab or 164
years before the United States. The
islands are mountainous, the highest
peak, Pico da Vara is 5000 feet high
The climate is mild and temperate
The lowest temperature is "a degrees
fahrenheit and the hottest is SO de-
grees fahrenheit.
&c n n N tgh
there is no snow or even frost, Port
ugal has control of these islands and
the Portuguese is the principal Ian
guage AS ] speak German and ltal-
ian | was easily understood. Ponta
Delgada, the capital of the Azores has
10000 inhabitants and was raised to
the rank of a city in 1916 and besides
Lisbon and Oporto, is the most inn
portant city of Portugal The people
are of very kindly disposition, given
to hard work and are clean and or
derby. They are respectful, polite and
without propensity for crime. There
are today only six prisoners in the Jail
at Ponta Delgada. AS to the time in
this city when it is midday it is 6:47
a. m. in Norfolk. The money fluctu-
ates in value but American money is
taken, the 81 passing for 81 and often
for $l.25. Their smallest native coin
is 5 refs, worth half a cent in our
money.
Hotels range from 81 to $3.50 pei
day, but are not modern or convent.
Gov S,c
products: Bread, cents per loaf:
eggs, 1S cents per dozen; milk, 81
cents per gallon; sugar, 10 cents per
pound; beef, 10 cents per pound; but.
ter, "A cents per pound, and petrole.
UNI, 76 cents per gallon.
These islands are very fertile and
productive and every foot of the soil
is farmed and produces corn, wheat
flax, beans, potatoes, figs, peaches
pears, oranges, bananas, and in 1908
they exported 1,352527 pineapples, the
| most of these being sold in Hamburg
and London. The chief imports into
the islands are sugar, coffee, rice, tea
| salt, coal, leather -four glass, tobacco
| petroleum and linen goods.
! ! met the American consul. G. II
Pickerell, who is polite and fine gen
| tleman. The principal churches are
! the Matriz and the San Jose. This lat
ter has very fine wood carvings which
/ would be a credit to any community
| These two are Roman Catholic church
es then the Professionals have a fine
beautiful church largely supported by
many who do not adhere to the Cath
Ole church.
Ponta Delgada is as good as the av
erage oriental city. The streets are
paved, but are narrow; the buildings
are of stone and brick and the pre-
white; the streets are clean but, alas
for the people, the most of them, are
! so very poor; as we drove about We
saw so many men, women, boys anC
girls who were barefooted even a
services in the beautiful churches.
There are a large number of publ,
parks in the city, but the Botanica
gardens are among the most beauti
full in the world. The plants, flowers
trees and drives cannot be fully de
scribed because of their, rich foliage
and the air is favored with ambrosia
fragrance. There is some manufacture
ing such as beer, soap, linens, house
hold utensils and terra-cotta jars.
The Collegio Acoriano is a yer,
flourishing educational university.
One commendable institution for tn,
poor people is the Sopa Economica
which furnishes soup to the destitute
at 20 reis 1.-TWO cents). 1t is main
tanned by private contributions, which
are liberal and always sufficient.
count myself most fortunate that
have seen these tropical orienta
islands, for as soon as the Panam;
canal is completed Ponta Delgada will
become one of the important ports o
the world for it will be on a direc
line west and east for a coaling sta
ton and changing for other steamers
Last night we had a song service il
the dining room, which was much en-
joyed. Up to the oath of April, whel
we reached the Azores, the weathe
was very cold, but now it is quite