Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-26
VAST OIL PLANTS
BOOM Dutch ISLE
d
Seizure by Venezuelan Rebels
Brings Curacao Into Eyes
of World.


Special Correspondence of The star and
the Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1879.
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, December
26.-Until band of Venezuelan rebels
seized the governor of this island,
overpowered the police force and Maced
the captain Of an American steamer
lying alongside the dock to transport
them to the nearby mainland Of
Venezuela on the evening Of June 8 of
this year, comparatively few persons
in the United States had ever heard
Of this valuable Dutch possession in
the West Indies.
When cable dispatches telling Of this
episode reached the United States no
doubt aliases and Biographies that had
the dust OF years upon them were
trundled out and an effort made to
locate the little tropical island of
Curacao.
Valuable Possession.
Though small in size Curacao has
proved to be a valuable possession, and
since 1t was restored to the Dutch in
1915 by the treaty Of Paris it has
grown steadily in Importance, but its
greatest rise has been since oil was
discovered in large quantities in the
nearby Maracaibo, Venezuela, district
In 1928. Oil companies found it much
cheaper and safer to locate their re-
fneries in Curacao and from there re-
export the oil to the United States and
Europe.
Labor was cheaper; land values were
more 1nducive; tranquility has reigned
on the island for years and better port
IacllltleS-theSe were few of the rea-
sons why Curacao was selected as the
site for the majority of Venezuelan oil
company refineries.
A peculiar variety Of orange, known
as citrus aurantium cinarie, grows in
great quantities on the island and
from it the well known brand Of
l1queur Is made and named after the
island.
Peels Are Shipped.
Very little is made locally and the
peels of the oranges are shipped to
several European cities where the
liqueur Is manufactured. Many persons
have heard of Curacao liqueur but have
not associated the name with the is
lands where 1t was first made and be-
came world famous.
This small island Of 374 square miles
had, as most of the other islands of
the West Indies, turbulent early his
tory and only until the second decade
OF the nineteenth century did its
present holders secure final possession.
Very little Of its early history Is known,
and the first country to possess it was
Spain, which coded it to the country
OF Coro (Venezuela).
1t Is known that it remained in pos
session of the Spanish for more than
century until it was captured by the
Dutch in 1885. They lost it to the
French 81 years later.
Ownership Then Divided.
Ownership until 1905 was divided
among the English, Spanish and Dutch,
but on New Year eve, 1906. the Eng
lish, knowing the townSmen would be
celebrating the advent of new year,
took advantage of the situation and
with well concealed attack again be-
came posSessors of the island. They
held 1t until 1915, when it was finally
declared by the signers at the treaty
OF Paris to be a Dutch possession.
Today Curacao has a total popula-
ton of $4,000 and the commerce of
the island Is diversified. Among the
exports are beans, hides, phosphate of
lime, straw products. salt and oil. In
the coast and in the interior of the
country there are many mineral prod
ucts to be found in large quantities.
though the island does not have oil
deposits.
Port Grows Rapidly.
Due to the oil refineries located in
Willemstad the port is fast becoming
one OF the largest In the world and
late figures place the amount of oil
which enters the island from small lake
tankers-the only kind of vessels able,
to enter the lake port of Maracaibo-
at 100000 tons monthly. After being
refined the oil is reshipped to its final
destination in large sea-going tankers
that find 1t an easy matter to enter
and load in the well dredged, large
WillemStad harbor. Mariners consider
1t one of the finest harbors in the
world, and its rise as one of the largest
ports in the world is we'll earned, they
say.
From the sea the island looks very
barren and rocky, but in reality 1t Is
very picturesque and one of the clean
est islands in the West Indies. The
heat during the day is oppressive, but
the nights are cool. Three bridges
stretching across the harbor connect
five forts at advantageous spots pro-
vided adequate protection, as they have
done in past centuries.
Island Customs Dutch.
The white people of the island take
their habits and manners from the
Netherlands, the mother country, but
the limitations are not as complete as
they could be because of the huge for
eign element of Spaniards, French and
English that have settled there. These
elements have to a great extent modi-
fed the Dutch customs, and the in
habitants are very cosmopolitan
group.
The Negroes have not been molested
in their habits and customs, but have
retained their own individuality. and
since their emancipation in 1859 have
advanced greatly in civilized ways. Due
to their remarkable constitutions and
tocular, carefree nature, they are very
independent. Relative to their speech
and manners they have absolute liberty
and their language is called "papla-
mento." which is combination of
Dutch, English, Spanish, French and
Portuguese.