The Tomahawk., 1916-04-06

VIEW FROM The MOUTH
T HE island of Porto Rico un-
doubtedly surpasses all other
regions Of equal size-certain-
ly of the new wOrld-in the
variety and number Of its features
that arouse vivid interest. The extent
of the island is not great, for it's ir-
regular oblong mass is only 100 miles
in length and about thirty-fve miles in
breadth, or approximately three times
as large as Long island; yet it's inhab-
itants number more than 100000,
thus making it more thickly populated
than any other equivalent area in the
western hemisphere excepting certain
portions of New England.
It's place in history is large one,
for sincesits discovery by Columbus
in 1893, it has served as the battle
ground Of Spanish, Dutch and English,
and as a haven for the buccaneers who
operated throughout the Spanish main.
Even in purely scientific respects it
commands the interest of many de-
.partment of investigation, writes
Henry E. Champion in the American
Museum Journal, because its different
portions display unusually varied geo.
logical and Typographical characters.
They also support we'll diversified
forms of plant and animal life, whose
study is especially important on &C
count of the islands value as q link
in the Antillean chains that connect
North and South America with each
other and with Mexico. Hence the
problems of evolution, distribution and
migration, of human beings as well as
of organic forms in general, are par
ticularly we'll defined and engaging In
the case of Porto Rico.
AS the approaching steamer nears
the northern shore Of Porto Rico,
where the capital city Of San Juan is
situated, the huge bulk Of the island
energies from the haze of the horizon,
and displays the jagged profile Of the
massive mountain range that forms
the interior highland more than three
thousand feet in altitude. From this
great backbone the buttressed spurs
drop somewhat suddenly and irregu-
4arly for the most part, to the coastal
plain of greater or less inland extent;
the deep clefts of the upland valleys
disappear, and one may judge how
rapidly the swift mountain rivers
must change to slow, winding streams
upon the fiat land of the islands mar
gin. Coming nearer, San Juan and
Its buildings become visible and sooa
a point of it's eastern end detaches it.
self from the rest to stand out as the
cape surmounted by Ell Moro ("The
Castle"), which guards the entrance
to the harbor. Not until the fort is
rounded does the city itself become
fully visible, for it is built on the land
ward side of the sandstone ridge
which bounds tho bay on the north.
Elsewhere, for the most part, ships
must lie in open roadsteads; only at
Guanica, Guayanilla, and one or two
other places is there anything that ap-
proaches a protected harbor like that
" San Juan.
Many Good-sized Towns.
At first view the city is Impressive
by it's extent, the close construction
of it's ancient and modern buildings,
and by the delicate pastel shades OF
it's tinted whitewashed walls. More
than fifty thousand people are crowd
ed in dense areas on the narrow rock
mass that extends eastward from Ell
Moro for two and half miles to its
connection with the mainland; there
are plazas and open spaces, but these
seem only to accentuate the concen-
tration of living quarters. AS one
travels about, the same feature be-
comes more prominent, for on the
open plain, in a valley near the coast,
or in remote and unlikely hollows OF
the hills, one encounters town after
town of more than ten thousand or If
teen thousand inhabitants. Naturally
the problems of public health are Of
the highest impt rtance, and of neces-
sity they received the immediate at
tention of the Americans when they
came into contro u Of Porto Rico in
1898. Old methods CT water distribu-
ton by casks have been extensively
replaced by a system which brings
water through lines Of pipes from the
INLAND streams; and everywhere meas
ures have been taken to reduce the
severity of epidemics or to stamp
them out.
! On the whole, Porto Rico today ia o