Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-01-27
LETTER FROM COL. HALE
The Wonderful Pitch Lake at Ia
Brea. The Asphalt Industry.
Port of Spain,
Trinidad, B. w. l

IL " L.
Friend Bishop:
This is a very pleasant winter |
morning with the thermometer at
Is above, the sky clear, the breezes
exhilarating, the birds are singing
among the trees, the roses are in
full bloom, all nature seems to be
happy, and l think you will enjoy
a short ride on the Trinidad Rail
way, so come with us at 7.3o and
we will take a carriage at our door,
ride along the streets skirting the
great Savannah, where the mighty
trees are ever beautiful and majes-
tic in their never fading dress of
richest green, past the Queen'sPark
Hotel and through the principal
retail thoroughfare of the city,
where, at this hour of the day life
begins to throb and jostle with
renewed energy, to the station
where the train is made UP and
ready to start for San Fernando.
The train will look funny to you,
for the coaches are not very much
larger than one of our street cars,
and known as first, second and
third class. 1 hardly suppose you
would care to ride third class, al
though some pretty respectable
people do, and the first class cars
are mostly patronized by official
dom and those whose expenses are
paid by the Government, so we
will ride second class, and it is not
very uncomfortable, although the
seats are not upholstered and the
aisles are not carpeted. The en-
CINE is almost smaller than one of
the cars, and is almost quaint in
its design, but it works very well
and will take us safely on our
Journey. You will perhaps notice
that we are the only white people
in the car, but fear not we shall
not be unpleasantly molested.
Leaving the city, with the gulf on
the right and a high mountain
range in the near background on
Our left, we pass quickly over the
seven miles to St. Joseph, passing
Santa Cruz and other local sta
tons. The windows are all open
to the freedom of the air, and we
are interested as we pass through
the mangrove swamps, and grove:
of cocoanut trees heavily laden with
their fruits, as we'll as cocoa anc
sugar estates, while tropical vege
tation is most luxuriant. We Skin
along the borders of the grea
Caroni swamp, the river of the
same name, being the place where
we will go alligator hunting some
day if you like. Some of the land.
through which we are passing arr
valuable and we'll cultivated, yield
ing their rich harvests, while othe
tracts, once valuable as sugar plan
tations, have been allowed to grow
up to rank grasses and bushes, be
cause of the decline in the suga
industry, when the United State
gave a preferential rate to Cuban
Philippine and Porto Rican pro
ducts. The old factories and es
tate mansions are in ruins, and w
note green vegetation growing il
the sunshine and the rain, on tn
top of tall chimney. Every mo
ment, seeing we enjoy, while t
talk seems almost to interrupt tn
current of pleasure and inspiration
In two hours we have traverse
thirty-fve miles and reach Sa
Fernando, a nice town of abou
5000 people. 1t would be of in
terest to spend half day here, an
60 out four miles to visit the 81
Madaline Usine, or sugar plants
ton, one of the largest and mo:
valuable estates in the West Indies
An estate of 10000 acres, abol
5000 producing sugar cane, en-
ploying all told some 1900 peopl
mostly East Indians, running 2 ,oc
tons of cane through the mill ever
"a hours, making 200 tons of SUI
ar; taking "a hours to cut til
cane in the field and grind it All
reduce the juice to sugar all bag,
ed for export. These mills ri
day and night for about thr'
months. This estate has 60 mil
of standard guage railway, wit
engines and cars to gather the cal
and convey it to the central mil
But we cannot see this today,
we board a small steamer with cor
Portable accommodations, and in
short time cut across the bay
La Brea ten miles away, to Wis
the great Pitch Lake, of whit
much has been written and to
during many past years.
AS we approach La Brea poir
extending seward, separating tv
wide bays, our attention is fixed
the great steel pier, extendil
nearly quarter of mile out fro
the shore, and high above t
water, with its overhung cables a
buckets, operated by powerful IN
chinery and affecting an endlt
communication with the lake
quarter of a mile inland. In the
great suspended steel buckets
asphalt is brought from the La
to the ship into which it is loadt
We land nearer shore, as the wa
&c very deem here apd lob ,