Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-02-08
A Letter From The Far South.
On Cambean Sea,

COAST OF T1OnuudS, SShudi TAh'Sih~o,
Sunday January %, 1912.
Editor Register-In my last letter to
you from Matanzas, Cuba. describing our
trip through Florida, | overlooked our
visit to the Everglades, which are now
being drained by Furst & Clark Company,
of Baltimore. This is big undertaking,
and from what could see and learn will
not Justify the expenditure, ds there is
already too much worthless land in Flor
ida.
From Matanzas, we went to Santa
Clara, very nice little city and the ter
minus of the Cuba and the Havana Gen.
trail railroads. From Santa Clara our next
step was Camaguey, a very busy city
where we spent Sunday and Monday.
You would not know it vas Sunday I'M
less some one told you so, as it seems
like holiday Cock fights start at S a.
m. and last all day, being held in large
round building and visited by thousands.
Stores and saloons are all open, where
anyone having the price can get what
they want, but, strange to say, l;did not
see a drunken man in Cuba. We visited
the cock fight in the morning, the park in
the afternoon and the grand opera at night,
where Ia Ia was played in Spanish.
Our next stop was Santiago De Cuba,
where we spent three days, visiting the
battlefieIds of San Juan and Ell Caney and
looking over the city. Santiago has a
very peculiar harbor, which lies in be-
hind mountains on all sides, with width
of about 300 feet at the entrance, Moro
Castle Fort guarding the same.
On January 18th, we left Santiago on
the Hamburg American Line steamer
Prinz Ethel Frederick. Passing out OF
the harbor, we observed the point where
Hobson sank the Merrimac, and out OF
the harbor the position held by Schley's
fleet in defeating Cervera's. The next
day we arrived at Kingston, Jamaica,
which is very fertile island owned by
the British, where the money that is used
is the sixpence and shillingS. No one
would take United States money less than
| Is cents. We went to Constant Springs,
where we had fine swim in large pool,
and visited the markets and stores, leav-
ing the same evening for Colon, lsthmus
of Panama. We arrived at Colon, which
is the Atlantic end OF the canal, on Mon
day, the 22nd, and left the same day by
rail for Panama, on the Pacific, where
we made the Hotel Tivoli our headquar-
tiers. This hotel is owned and operated
by the u. S. Government, and is crowded
most of the time. We spent four days
looking over the canal, which is won
derful piece OF work. and under Col.
Cocktails it is being rushed TO completion
very rapidly. No one can realize the ex-
tent of the undertaking without going
over it,
The sanitary condition on the Canal
Zone, as we'll as Colon and Panama,
which are in and under the control OF the
Republic OF Panama, is fine. We did moi
see mosquito while in Panama. No
garbage is permitted on the street. This
is one of the secrets of the great success
the Americans are having in building the
canal. will not attempt to describe the
work or the canal any farther, as it would
take a volume or two to do so. On
Thursday evening, the 18th, we left Colon
for New Orleans on the United Fruit
Conpany's steamer "PariSmina, oul
first stop being Port Limon, Costa Rico
where we took on 1910 punches of ba-
nanaS. While in Port Limon we took a
train for San Jose, which is the capital o.
Costa Rico, and looked over the banana
plantations, which are wonderful. We
also had fine swim in large stream
near the mountain side, where the water
was clear and deep.
Leaving Port Limon, our next stop will
be Pueto Banios, Guatemala, where we
will stop few hours TO take on mail ant
passengers. Our next stop, except quar-
antine, will be New Orleans, Thursda,
afternoon, February lSt, making our stay
on board, except stop at Port Limon
seven days and nights, which would tt
very tiresome except for the good meals
games and music we have, which make
it very pleasant.
| Well, hope | have not made you tired
reading the above, but for fear shall if
continue. will close, and tell you more
about it when see you.
]. L. LlVERS.