Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-02
UNCLE SAM IN THE CARIBBEAN--XVI
j
NJ FREDERIC }. HAsKIN.

SANTO DOMINGO CITY. S. d., April
1.-This island is storehouse of nat
ural wealth. successfully guarded from
the enterprise and greed of all the
world by it's lack OF stable government
ana intelligent laws
There are, for example. excellent oil
heids in Santo Domingo. man from
Boston some years ago bored Il well in
the Azuera district. which yielded him
$50 barrels II day. He made II contract
Tor the sale OF his oil i'm Boston. and
TOOK out Il large quantity. Then he
round that the export duty. combined
with the freight, was more than the
price OF the oil. Ills barrels are rot
ting on the beach to-day.
Inc wonderful fertility Of the Do
minican soil has been alluded TO in
former letter. This quality seems TO
be due to mixture OF the coral, which
constitutes large part Of the island.
with the leaf mold washed down b.
the rivers from the mountain forests.
In this way humus and lime are com
bined to form soil Of the greatest fer
tility.
The most famous of Dominican re-
sources. and the one about which the
American consul receives the most in
quiries. is its gold. In the Ciboa range
and In tho San cristobal region there
are places which have been known and
worked for centuries. In the days of
tho Spanish occupation II is said that
tho invaders gathered great stores of
this treasure by trading with the In
dians little silver hawkbells for their
fill of gold Nowadays the pcon
women wash gold out Of these same
streams with wooden bowls, making a
few dollars n week and by law of
the land the common people are pro-
tected in their right to work these
placers. The unsettled condition OF the
country has prevented their eXploita-
ton on large scale. and In all the
centuries tho vein from which these
streams derive their golden burden has
never been found. Hence the gold or
Santo Domingo remains a bounty for
the people; the placers Of Ciboa are
about tn" nearest thing to a truly
democratic institution in the island.
The forest resources arc another OK
ample OF unused wealth. One OF tho
largest Dominican imports IS lumber.
and yet there are extensive forests OF
pine. oak and chestnut. we'll "a
mahogany, Satinwood. lignum vitae and
rosewood. These resources cannot he
worked on any commercial scale. be
cause there are no roads. The forests
along the principal rivers have been
cut. and the others have scarcely been
touched. Mahogany has been export cd
for three centuries, and is still album
dant. Likewise IL IL siill brought out
on the backs of burros. TWO kiilets
about two fee; long on each ANIMAL.
There ar" also campechc. mora, cochi-
neal and other dy.woods.
Conl - Sadly Needed.
The most serious lack in SantO Do
mingo is coal. which Will probably
limit til" future industrial development
of the island more than anything else.
There is an Abundance" of iron ore. and
also lead ana copper. but no mineral
fuel has So far been discovered except
Ignite.
Another striking and So far un-
developed resource IL two mountains Of
rock salt said To be remarkably pure
They arc III Barnhona Province.
The same luxurious abundance. char-
actcrizcs everything III the Island
Honey is stored by wild bees in the
coral caves aud hollow trees in such