The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-24

Of bread for each slave.
1t Is worth while to linger day or
more at Port Antonio to enjoy the
glorious scenery and creature comforts
with the winter tourists who flock to
the charming Titchfield hotel, twin Of
the Myrtlebank at Kingston; then to
head westward along the coast to An
MOTTO bay. Certainly that popular song
Of several years ago must have been
born here, for on this road one passes
through some of the finest banana
plantations In the world. With the adj
vantage Of being two days closer to
American markets than most Of the
best banana lands of other tropical
communities, with labor so cheap and
plentiful that much Of it is exported to
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
and Columbia in competition with the
native labor of those districts
Jamaica possesses the added ad-
vantage of having good, fat soil that
Is famed for producing big lunches Of
early bananas which beat their rivals
to the market during the peak of the
buying season and command high
prices. The greater part Of the banana
plantation area of the island is owned
or controlled by two large American
companies.
1t has also been found that cacao
trees may be grown in the same fields
with bananas, and that the grower can
have the two crops at little more than
the cost Of one.
Here Columbus Had to Land.
You ride along past Annotto bay
and Port Maria, the center Of the
north side banana industry, and where
an additional annual treasure is gained
by bumper coconut crop, which is, per-
haps, reflected in the well-being Of
both the homes and dress Of the native
workers; and just ahead lies st. AIMS
bay, where "Still there walks the
ghost of one that ate his heart in exile
here-Don Cristoforo Colon, 400 years
ago."
AS one stands on the shore at st.
Caribbean, he fancies he sees ap-
preaching again two weather-beaten,
worm-eaten caravals, the Capitana and
the Santiago de Palos. They fly the
flag of the Great Discoverer.
In June, 1903, he had hidden his last
World he had added to civilization.
and had hoisted his sails for Spain.
Passing the Cayman islands, which he
named Las Tortugas, $50 miles off
Jamaica, Columbus encountered a
great storm. He was forced to run
before it. Hoping to find shelter at
Jamaica, he finally reached what is
now called Dry Harbor. He found no
fresh water here, so went on to st.
AIMS bay, which he called Puerto
Santa Gloria, and there ran his ships
on the beach in one of its coves.
Finally the food aboard and that
supplemented by the nearby Indians
gave out, and after the last ration Of
biscuit and wine had been issued the
admiral's faithful follower, Diego Men,
DEE, started out through the jungle
on trading expedition which netted a
scant fare, but enough to keep away
starvation, even If not sufficient to ap-
pease hunger.
Columbus then called for volunteers
to try for Haiti, some 200 miles away,
in search of succor. All were silent
but the gallant Mendez. He stepped
into a small ships boat and rowed
awayl
Sickness and Mutiny.
Then sickness and body Ills brought
despair and mutiny. The brothers
Porras (Francisco, captain of the San
tiago, and Diego, the accountant) led
revolt In which Juan Sanchez, the
pilot Ledesma, barba the gunner, and
some fifty others joined.
Though so i'll with govt that he
could not stand, Columbus endeavored
to go out and quell the mutiny, his
log tells us. But his adherents begged
that the mutineers be permitted to go.
They took most of the scanty stores,
the ten canoes and started for Haiti !;
but, towards that they were, they gave
up the trip after forcing the Indians
WIN dSSOAlpdAiCu tHC" " OWN
ashore.
A caravel heaves into sight! Is it
the long-looked-for relief sent by Men.
deg? Alas, no! Only sorry jest by
Ovanda, who sent for Escobar in the
hope he would find Columbus dead,
and, if not, to tell him there were no
ships available to carry them to
Spain.
Hearing that Porras and his mutt
neers were going about making enc
mics of the natives. Columbus sent
the adelantado, Bartolome, either to
pacify or to conquer the deserters.
Bartolome took so loyal men and 60
ing against them captured the mutt
neers. Yet Columbus. with his usual
clemency, granted pardon to all except
the brothers Porras, whom he kept in
chains.
Finally, full year after he had
landed there, the eyes of the admiral
saw another sight-two caravals. one
sent by the faithful Mendez, and the
other by Ovanda, who had repented
his previous sorry attitude.
So it was, on June %. 1904, after
| IL months and 4 days of a wretched,
stranded existence at Jamaica, Chris
topher Columbus sailed home again.
never more to look upon the world he
| had discovered