Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-07-27
FIRSTj GLIMPSE OF OUR NEW
POSSESSIONS

POSSESSIONS
A Midnight Reverie Under Tropic
Moon. a Splendid Land-locked
Harbor, Once of Supreme import
ance.
Letter No. A
There are two ways to the Flr-
gin Islands from Porto RICO. One Is
via the Bull line direct from Sab
Juan The other is via Fojardo, the
eastern port and the gas launch
Carmen" We elected to take tho
latter inasmuch as it gave us fine
ride across country from San Juan
to FOjardo. Arrived at the latter
place we found an excellent motel,
where we remained over night en-
barking next day for st. Thomas.
The good ship Carmen is about thir-
ty feet long. rather tubby in shape
and given to all the motions OF an
Oriental dancer. The captain proved
to be an excellent sailor, and &C.
complished his duties with credit to
himself He filled the post OF plESt,
navigator, first and second ofncer'
down to uuartermaSter. The rest OF
the work fell on the crew, slim
barefooted lath-like scrap Of human
ity who travelled over and under the
boat, hosting or Stacking sail, run
ming the engine and looking after
the passengers.
An Island Studded Pathway
From Fojardo to st. Thomas is
a little over forty miles. The entire
route is studded by little islands, but
unlike the song of our school days
they are not green Islands. This
neck of the world is not always Wis
tied by rain. Some of the islands
rise from water as bare and bald as
a Belgian cathedral and just as hab-
liable. Others show some signs OF
vegetation. One of the islands, Guile
bra, has a fife harbor, and it is
useful to us at this time, not SO
much that We want it, but because
the other fellow wants it worse. This
fringe of little islands perform their
service They are not of much value
in themselves but together they form
a barrier to the Caribbean which
must be navigated with care.
Following this course of island
studded waters We come to "sali
rock of ST. Thomas, peculiar for
nation of trap rock which from
distance looks like sail, and many
q lookout in the crows nest has
sung out, sail ho,' only to be
chaffed later by his mates who had
waited for this to happen. Of all the
islands and reefs, both charted and
uncharted this "saiErock" stands out
prominently as one OF the natural
curiosities of these waters. We ar
rived at ST. Thomas too late to en-
ter the harbor, which during these
times is closed at sunset. We drift
ed into a beautiful cove and dropped
anchor. -
Beautiful Moonlight Scene
Your correspondent looked at his
watch which under the light of a
full moon could be read as easily
as in daylight 1t was 1870. The
stars overhead glinted through the
velvet darkness like diamond dust,
and while able to recognize many
familiar considerations, they never
seem the same. They are like glow
north. Off to the south the south
ern cross marked the beginning of
new and unexplored latitudes. The
purple and blue shore line of the lit
tie cove marked the rise of land
from the unruffled surface Of the
water with a sharp contrast and led
the eye away to the entrance where
a headland stood out against the
moonlight ocean like a cameo in
blues and puppies. The whole scene
seemed so unreal and mystic that
We sat for some time enjoying the
novelty of our surroundings while
the captain and crew calmly folded
themselves in a slack of the canvas
sail and went to sleep.
The Lure of the Tropics
Time seems of little account on
occasions like this. Was it any
wonder that Columbus was drawn
back time after time to these mys-
ferrous islands? Some four hundred
and fourteen years ago Columbus
discovered this island. Posi-
bly, he, too dropped anchor in this
harbor. Then, as now, the same
tropic moon might have silvered the
waters, the same brooding mystery
lowered over the silent harbor, the
same fitting shadows cast their
mantle over the distant lands What
is the fascination? Why did Column
bus fight disease, and mutiny and
unkind men to make voyage after
H..