Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-01-19
CHRISTMAS IN PORTO RICO
Tour Of The Island of Porto Rico Participated in by
WauseOn Ladies-Old Forts and Castles Noun
tains and Sea-The Ancient and the Modern
BY MRS. F. E. KENYON

colored sky. Out at sea, at our right
were the Islands OF Culebra and st.
Thomas. Just at twilight we rode
along for some distance very near tile
Atlantic.
We passed many orange groves af-
ter dark.
For several reasons riding after
night here is right interesting-one
gets a better view of the interior of
the nuts by the roadside. l remem-
Der passing a number of these huts
with fine hanging lamps all bedecked
with prisims and other furnishings
seemed very meagre. Passing through
the small towns one sees all sorts of
entertaining sights.
AS we approached Santurce, con-
nected with San Juan by long bridge
spanning San Antonio channel for San
Juan you know is really built on an
island, we passed through splendid
avenues of trees. The city homes, both
exterior and interior and beautiful
gardens, all brightly illuminated, look
ed mighty fine to US.
We stopped in Santurce at a very
neat, well ordered small hotel kept by
an American.
Although we had ridden nearly one
hundred miles in an automobile, we
were glad of the opportunity to ride
down in the city in a street car, for
we had not even seen one in long
time The stores are very good and
quite attractive with all their Christ
mas trimmings.
Our man wanted hair cut but
didn't get it, for the BARRIERS were
busy until ten and the shops close at
that hour regardless Of masculine
needs.
Sunday morning, after a good
American breakfast, we started out to
see some of the places of interest in
this old and interesting city. San
Juan was founded by Ponce de Leon
in 1910. His ashes rest in the Cathe-
dral a. stone structure erected about
1549.
The old forts Ell MORO completed
in 1854 and San Cristobal in 1871 are
massive and strongly built. From
these forts were tunnels connecting
other portions of the defensive works
of the city.
/ OuI lISI sup dlbGI lSdNlllR Iut
street car was at the immense Ballajs
Barracks, erected in 1860 and so com.
modious that in them two regiments
of troops may be easily sheltered Al
the Barracks we obtained a pass to ad
NIT us to MORO Castle but before go.
ing there we walked across a large
green and from part of the Ole
city wall looked down into the ancient
cemetery. Just beyend the cemetery
the restless surf surges against The
outer wall.
Fort FL Morro now serves as a gar
yisOn for & psrt OF She POrtd Ric,
Regiment. At the entrance a soldier
took charge of the girls cameras
We were shown through the kitchel
where dinner was being prepared ant
saw a large pile of dressed turkeys
designed very likely for Christina
dinner. We were taken down dark
winding stairways, into the old dun
geon, around the battlements, pas
the deeaying sentry boxes, and dow
onto the rock foundation agains
which the old Atlantic is forever beat
/ ing. The waves were high and churn
ed the water into frothy whiteness tn
spray rising for many feet and eve
reaching US.
We saw great hole in the massiv
wall made by shell at the time o
/ the four hour bombardment by Evan
and Sampson.
We did not go to the top where tn
, big guns are kept. There are thre
! German boats now in the bay watch
} ed over by these guns.
1 After lunch, we went across the ba
J to the little town of Catano on a fer
, ry boat and came back in a sail boa
= getting well sprinkled with salt spra!
' The plan to start for Arecibo at
p. m. was not carried out. At presen
} we are waiting for the car to b
J repaired. Somebody ran into the rad
r ator at the garage and smashed i
| The garage man claimed he tried t
: have it fixed but could not get it don
S on account of it's being Sunday; no7
J he is having a new one put on. w
must pay part of the penalty by hay
5 ing to ride at night and miss some G
: this wonderful scenery.
A description of the rest Of the tri
= continued in another letter.
= Try Tribune want ads. They &c
' results.