The Monticellonian., 1918-08-02

u outpost of the Maisi district
 of Cuba. In an extremely iso- lated position, Baracoa can only be reached from other parts of the repub- lie by water communication. The near est railroad terminal on the north coast is Antilla (Nipe bay), and from here one is forced to take one of the coastal steamers of the Empresa Ma viera de Cuba in order to get to ones destination, writes Theodore de Booy, in the Bulletin of the Pan American Union. The trip to Baracoa can also be made from the south coast by em- barking at either Santiago de Cuba or Caimanera on the return voyage of the coastal steamer.
 Baracoa is the oldest existing set clement in Cuba, and It was in 1512, two years before the first building was erected in Santiago de Cuba, that the conquistadores laid out the plans for the present town. That Columbus wis lted the harbor of Baracoa when he coasted the northern shore of Cuba on his first voyage is almost certain, and
 
 prominent table mountain, Fl Yunque (the anviD, which dominates the har- Dor and can be seen for miles. It is claimed, in fact, that it was Columbus himself who named this peak Fl Yun- que from it's strong resemblance to an anvil, but this is more a matter of local legend than of accurate historical rec ord. Rising to a height of over 1,S00 feet, the "Anvil' is easily visible for 30 or more miles and forms an excel lent landmark for mariners approach Ing this part of the Cuban coast.
 Harbor Has Bad Reputation.
 The town of Baracoa itself is situ- ated on the shores of one of the most picturesque bays in Cuba. While the harbor offers a safe shelter to vessels during the greater part of the year, it Is exposed to northeasterly gales and In consequence has bad reputation with masters of sailing vessels. No tugboat being available, craft which have to depend on sails alone have considerable difficulty in leaving the harbor owing to it's narrow mouth. and with strong northeasterly winds their departure becames an impos- sibility. Baracoa has population of about six thousand people. and judg- ing ffom the stately buildings which can still be found must undoubtedly have lost a great deal of it's former importance.
 {Fara mt Ind 1ryc try of Baraeoa itself is coconut-oi factory where the coconuts from the neighboring plantations are crushed in order to extract the oil from the ker- nels. Another export of Baracoa con sists of wax gathered from the wild bees that have built hives in the un- cleared parts of the country. These hives are located by professional wax hunters, who scale seemingly impos- sible rocks to secure their prize. Not infreQuently the bees build their store houses in the entrances of the lime- stone caves with which the country side abounds, and in consequence vis- iting archeologists to this region may do well to remember that wax hunters will often be able to tell of caves which are unknown to the other inhabitants In many of these caves one is likely t, find aboriginal remains and artifacts of great archaeological value.
 Mata and the Yumuri.
 The first village of importance to the eastward of Baracoa is Mata. This is calling station for the banana steamers coming to Baracoa and from here large quantities of this fruit, gathered from the surrounding coun- try, are exported. Mata itself is but small village of perhaps thirty houses; its harbor Is too shallow to all low steamers to anchor and in conse- quence the bananas are carried off in lighters to the collecting steamer which lies some distance offshore. From Mata to the mouth of the Yu-