Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-11-14

prepared Wy the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. ID. CD
I The island of Trinidad, British pos
session off the mouths of the Orinoco
river. which barely escapes being
part of South America affords close
to-home opportunity to study the ORR
ent. Columbus mistake has been
made the truth. If he landed again
on Trinidad he would meet true East
Indians as he thought he did when
his vessel first touched land In the
Western Hemisphere and the red man
was given his homogeneous name, I'm
dian" For to this island thousands
of Hindus have been brought and they
have made large parts of the country
miniature copies of their home land.
Trinidad has been called lone of
the most favored, most beautiful and
most interesting isles in the world"
and whether the visitor of today be
a naturalist, an artist, an ethnologist,
a business man or an ordinary garden
variety of tourist he will probably find
the phrases accurate. To begin with,
the soil is exceedingly fertile. Though
In the tropics, the island has a pleas
ant climate for 1t is in the trade wind
belt and is covered with hills which
catch the breeze There Is abundant
moisture, and thanks to importations
from all parts of the world dating
back in many cases several centuries,
practically every plant the tropics
know grows there luxuriantly. 1t is
far enough south to escape the de-
structive hurricanes that periodically
devastate most of the other West In
dian islands. With its stable British
government it is haven for political
refugees from turbulent parts of
South America.
Nor does Trinidad lack a world
wonder. Near the islands southwest
ern extremity is the famous Lake of
Asphalt from which has come paving
material for many of the cities of
America and Europe. More than 100
acres is covered by the asphalt, like
a huge paved field, though the area
is dotted with some pools of muddy
water and few patches of vegeta-
ton. One may walk upon the ma
terial, but he must keep moving or his
feet will slowly sink into it. Negro
laborers dig the asphalt and long
galloway of buckets transports 1t to
the nearby coast where it is dumped
into freight steamers.
This Is one Of the most unpleasant
| parts of Trinidad climatically; low,
sizzling hot, and odorous; for sui
| phurous smell is constantly rising
from the asphalt. There are other low
portions of the island given over to
swamps, alligators and malaria, but
the greater portion of the area Is
either well drained lowland or rolling
| hills. Where the latter have not been
cleared the close-packed vegetation
sweeps up in vivid green mantle
| from the seashore to highest pinnacle.
1t is on the large cacao plantations
in the rolling uplands that the pleas
ATTEST rural conditions are found.
Port of Spain Busy City.
Port of Spain, capital and metrop-
| oils of Trinidad, is one of the busiest
cities of the Caribbean and one of
the most delightful to live in if one
takes the ordinary precautions of the
tropics to shield himself from the hot
test rays of the sun. The population
of the city is about $4,000, but it Is
| as cosmopolitan as many city of
half a million. On the streets one
meets Britons, citizens of the United
States, Portuguese, Latin Americans,
negroes, Hindus, Chinese, and natives
of various mixtures of blood includ-
Ing that of the old Caribs. Port of
Spatn's roadstead is constantly crowd
ed with ocean steamers and it's huge
warehouses are filled with varied
goods, for this Is the principal depot
for trade between Great Britain and
the northern countries of South Amer
lea.
On the inland edge of Port of Spain
4 the city's beauty spot, Queens park
pr the Savannah, adjoining which Is
NE palace-like residence Of the COVER
nor and one of the finest botanical
gahdens in existence. The latter, with
| its wonderful collection of trees,
shrubs and flowers, all Of which APP
paresntly have found ideal growing
conditions, is paradise for botan-
lists. 1t is a field as well for the
ornithologist, because of the wealth
Of it's birds, including many of the
dainty little creatures which gave
! Trinidad it's native name. 1t was
| called Iere, 'Land of the Humming
Birds"
Columbus discovered Trinidad on
bird voyage in 1903 and gave