Regardless of the differing views as
to our ultimate dls]»osition of island
territory taken front Spain, It is
thought by many that the United
States will hold Porto Rico. By doing
so we will acquire one of the garden
spots of the tropics, for in many re-
I
i
I
,
1
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1
is Inclosed within the walls, through
which entrance is only obtained by
well-guarded gateways, yet there Is a
small town by itself in the Marina, be-
tween the fortifications and
the
wharves. Here is a tine public garden
and pleasure palace, with booths and
MAP SHOWING PORTO RICO AND NEIGHBORING WATERS.
spects Porto Rico is the real gem of
tlie Antilles. Men who have lately trnv-
eled in tills beautiful Island agree In
expressing surprise that so little Is
known concerning its many wonders
and charms.
About 1,000 miles doe southeast from
Havana, 500 from Cape Maisi, the east-
FORTIFICATION AT SAN JUAN.
eru tip of Cuba, opens northward the
magnificent harbor of San Juan de
Puerto Rico—Saint John of the Rico,
or Noble Port, distant from New York
about 1,000 miles, and from the Danish
island of St Thomas but sixty miles,
the last-named lying that much fartlier
to the eastward.
l’orto Rico was discovered by Colum­
bus, in 14113, on his second voyage,
when on his way from the southern
West Indies to ills original landing
place on the coast of Iluyti. Fifteen
years after the passing of Columbus
came another navigator, one Juan
I’once de Lion. the governor of a prov­
ince of Santo Domingo, sixty miles dis­
tant. The Indians of this section told
him wonderful stories of the rich island
across the channel, and in the year 1508
he landed at Aguadilla with a force of
men and a pack of bloodhounds, bent
upon Its conquest. Ponce de Leon llv<-s
in history as the noblest and the gen­
tlest of those galllurd adventurers. And
he was—that is, speaking relatively—
he was noble and gentle for a Spaniard
of that day. But he saw nothing wrong
in putting to deatli the Indian chieftain
Agueynaba. who first showed him the
rivers with sands running gold, nor in
setting on the trail of Inoeent women
and children Ills famous bloodhound,
Be.rezillo, wlio drew tin1 pay of a bow­
man for his service, and who tore to
pieces every Indian lw ran down and
overtook. He was the terror of all the
Indians, whom lie drove to the hills in
troops, but was finally slain with a poi­
soned arrow sent after him by a Carlb.
Ponce de Ixon and his mail-clad sol­
diers finally settled on the present site
of San Juan In 1511, and the most In­
teresting relic to l»e found there to-day
Is the ancient building calk'd the “Casa
Blanca,” which was built by the con-
restaurants, as well as the public cock­
1 pit, where battles royal are frequently
waged. The buildings of the inner city
are of stone, massive and substantial,
like those of Havana and the City of
Mexico.
As to local conditions, Sttn Juan is
not an attractive city, under its [»resent
management, owing to its filthy streets
and lack of attention to sanitation. It
is likely to have a visit every year from
Yellow Jack, when, owing to its situa- '
tlon, he might as well as not be kept at
a distance. But San J uan Is only one :
port of the island, and there are some '
harbors that are as fine. If not os large
and land-locked.
One other on the north coast is Arre- I
cilx>; on the exist are Humacao and Fa­
jardo, on the west Aguadilla and Maya­
güez, as beautiful as the heart of man 1
could desire, with tlieir gushing springs
and background of pointed mountains,
and on the south coast are Arroyo
Guayanilla and Ponce. This last Is the
largest, the city having a population of
about 35.000, with a vast exjiort trade,
1 chiefly in sugar and molasses. A fine
post road connects it with San Juan,
running diagonally across the island,
with a dally diligence between the two.
A system of railroads is in course of
ance and range of vegetable products,
and consequent facilities for subsist­
ence with the minimum of labor, Porto
Rico may well t»e termed an earthly
paradise. If that were all; if Its people
were Intelligent and compaionable; if
its government were as mild and equa­
ble as Its climate; ami if there were
united effort here tending toward the
improvement of society and the amelio­
ration of political burdens, then it
, might be so regarded. But. while na-
; ture has done everything for tills isl-
i and. while a great portion of its 3.000
square miles can be put under cultiva­
tion. and there ought to be enough to
subsist many more than Its 750,000 in­
habitants in comfort, the men and the
race whom accident of discovery
placed in power has done worse than
nothing for Its development. Poverty
exists everywhere, since the taxes are
so oppressive, admlnistereil, ns the gov­
ernment is, by alien office-holders, as­
sisted by foreign soldiery.
As In Cuta. the people have been for
centuries trodden under foot. They
have groaned beneath the weight of
tlieir burdens, have in vain protested
against their numberless outrages. If
Culls has lieen long regarded as Spain's
milch cow, so also has Porto Rico, and
that the later has not already risen in
successful revolt. Is owing, not to the
temper of the people, but to the impos­
sibility for a revolution to succeed.
NEED NO WAGONS.
Colombo Washerwomen Carry Great
Loads of Linen on Their Heads.
The Chicago laundress with a good
custom is quite apt to have her own
cart and horst» to collect the washing
she does at home, says the Daily News.
In Colombo It is different. There the
washerwoman packs the linen Into ono
A WASHERWOMAN OP COLOMBO.
ABOUT HAY FEVER.
Season Is Approaching When Lots of
People W ill Suffer.
tinge bundle fully as large as herself
and. putting it on her head, calmly
walks off with It, in no wise incon-
venienced by the weight. Usually she
takes it to the bank of some stream
and rubs the clothes on flat stomps.
Modern tubs and patent wringers have
no charms for her.
LIVING RENT FREE.
"The season Is approaching,” said a
prominent physician to the writer re­
cently, “when a great many people will
suffer from what is known as hay
fever, and as but few who are suscepti­
ble to the complaint know how to
Fort Along the Tro«!ha.
avoid, much less to cure. It, a few re­
The Spanish trocha in Cuba is a form
marks about the nature and treatment of fortification running along the coast
of the ailment may not t»e uninterest­
ing.
"Ilay fever is a nervous affection usu­
ally. most prevalent during the spring
and early summer, from which the
poorer classes and more especially
those living in populous towns rarely,
if ever, suffer. It is known only to the
educated, whose nervous systems are
highly develoixxl, and. though not in
any sense dangerous, It is at all times
very irritating and troublesome. The
smell of hay, grass, the pollen of flow­
ers. the odor of fruit, dust or draught
will generate the complaint or excite
an attack In persons subject to it. but
rain or damp weather Invariably
Philailelphla Man Who Went Broke
Because He IHd Not Puy.
A Philadelphia man has lived ten
years in a bouse for which he paid no
rent anil no taxes. It belonged to the j
gas company, and he liad ¡»aid rent reg­
ularly until the property of the compa­ I
ny was transferred to tlie city. He says i
himself: “I don’t remember how long
it is sln<?e I stopped paying rent. It
was when the gas ofii»?e was on 7th
street. I went there one day with my
rent and offered it to Mr. White, who
Useful on Batt ettel s.
had charge of the gas company’s real
This pannier is for use on battlefields.
estate, but he refused to take It, an«l
told me that it was to be ¡»aid at the When closed it is carried on a mule.
city treasurer’s office in tlie future. I
took it up there and a young man there
said he could not take IL as he «iouldn’t
find record of any such a house. He
told me that they would notify me
wnen they were ready to take my
money. I went tack to Mr. White and
he advised me to go home and wait un­
til I heard from them. Well. I waited.”
Nobody came to collect money until re­
cently, when the city discovered its
title and sent a man to rollect. The ten­
ant got a day to consider and promptly
skipped. But his experience with a
free rent does not seem to l»e satisfac­
tory,if we may trust to his wife. “Yes’”
says she, resentfully, “he thought It
was a snap, and look where he is now
THE MEDICAL PANNIER.
—no money, no business, looking for a
Job, and a family to support. He as shown. Open, it affords an operating
wouldn’t take my advice and move to table, with th«' medicine chest ami sur­
where business was good, but he geon's case handy.
hugged his snap anil stuck here in that
stagnant neighborhood and spent
Mammoth Docks.
money on repairs for the house and
The marine docks at Portsmouth,
didn’t make any money."—Philadelphia England, are the vastest In the world,
Record.
covering more than 300 acres, and em­
ploying some 10,000 men. Two of the
Unired States Legation in Berlin.
largest docks are 000 feet long and 85
The United States government has feet broad. All are what Is known as
been inquiring through the proper stone graving docks. They are dug
channel as to the cost of purchasing or out of a sufficient depth, length and
erecting its own buildings for the em- width, to enable vessels of a certain
liassles and legations and several of the size to be admitted. They are con­
large consulates-general In Europe. It struct'd of granite and fitted with
may astonish many to learn that Ber­ heavy gates; the vessel is floated into
lin was found the most expensive cap­ the dock and properly shonxl up on the
ital In the world, so far as the cost of keel blocks—th»* gates are closed—the
real estate and of buildings was con­ water then pumped out. Such docks
cerned. The only really suitable build­ are all tielaw the level of tlie dock yard.
ing found there for the pur¡»ose would The walls are built with stairs like
cost $800,000. Tlie Russian embassy the seats in an amphitheater, so that
building in Berlin, which is located workmen may go up and down; and
Enter den Linden, and which is, ln- great cranes lifting forty tons are used
d«*ed, a veritable palace, so spacious in handling materials. When a vessel
and stately Is it, would cost about $4.- is completed, all that is necessary to
000,000 to build to-day, ground and all. launch her Is to open the gates, till the
But it Is, too, roomy and elegant enough dock, and she floats out without risk or
to have served repeatedly for traveling trouble. The advantage of a number
quarters for Russian Czars passing of docks at a station is tlie readiness
through Berlin. What a miserable con­ with which a small vessel may be put
trast forms the excuse for an offi«?e into a small dock and a large vessel in­
which the United States embassy occu- to a Large one nt once, this being done
ples in Berlin, in Kronen strasse, n with so much economy of time an»l la­
street of small shops. In the basement bor.—Providence Journal.
of the building is a barber shop, on the
ground floor a wine and schnapps shop,
Tbe Hand.
and above the embassy offices reside a
Montaigne gives a curious and Inter­
score of private persons.
esting nccount of the intellectual uses
SPANISn USE OF BARBED WIBE.
for fifty mill's, with a jungle on either
side, in which barbed wire is used ex­
tensively. The picture shows one of
the forts along tlie trocha.
Ugly Weapon Used by Spanish.
The navajo Is carried by almost every
Spaniard not of the upper classes. It
opens with a ratchet and spring and
SCENE IN SAN JUAN HARBOR.
construction that will soon connect all
th»1 chief coast towns and open up por-|
tlons of th»> interior.
Tlie island is about 95 miles in length 1
by 35 or 40 In breadth, and ns nearly
rectangular as mi ture will allow lu its
coast line.
Tin.' Interior is one vast
group of mountains. The soil every­
where Is very fertile and cultivable,
even to tlie mountain crests, the hill
¡»natures of l’orto Rico t»eiiig celebrati'd
for their succulent grasses, upon which
feed cattle mid horses, w hlch are favor­
ites throughout tli»' Islands south.
These ore shipped in large numbers,
brlngs relief. At one time ft was gener-j
ally supposed tliat the odor of hay
when being mown or carried could
alone Induce th»* affection, which is
closely analogous to asthma, but rerent
ol»serva.tlon shows that its prevalence
is entirely Independent of the existence
of hay fields ami is really a nervous <1»>-
rangemenL
“A visit to the »»‘aside, a trtp to sea
or residence in a ¡»opulous town will,
howi'Ver, remove the asthmatic ten­
dency, but one of tlie best remedies is
tobacco smoke, retai noil in the mouth
as long as possible and then ejected
through the nostrils. The inhalation
of th<> st»xLm of ten drops of creosote
In a pint of hot water is also good, or
twenty drops of spirits of camphor to
the same quantity of water makes a
very effective inhalation. But the affec­
tion being a nervous one. tonics and
nourishing diet are more essential tlian
any of these palliatives, which merely
afford temporary relief.”—Washington
Star.
has a blade long an»l ugly. The weapon
is used with the blade up and the rip­
ping wound It Inflicts is frequently
fatal.
Hight Wry to Cut n Cable.
HARBOR AND FORTIFIC NATIONS OF SAN JUAN.
qulstador and occupied by him while and constitute the chief wealth of a
governor of th«' island Equally ancient great many peopl«* engaged in tlie busi­
with th»' Casa Blanca are th«* fortifica­ ness.
tions surrounding the city of San Juan,
Among tlie hills als»» are thousands of
for their foundations were laid during cafetales, or 00171*0 estates, for liere the
the reign of I’once d«' Leon. Th»' capi­ coffe»1 finds congenial soil and climate
tal city, with a ¡population of some 25.- for its perfect development, an.l is a
Ood. occupies an Island. connect'd source of profit to many planters who
with the main by a t»rldg»' anil a cause­
way, and is completely luclosed within
massive walls of stone aud hardeni'il
mortar, with n height in places of from
50 to 100 f»>et. Like Havana. It has its
morro, or citadel [literally a round or
Moorish tower), anil the fortifications
are on a comprehensive scale. with
bastions and drawbridges. ornate sen­
try boxes banging over the sea. and
grim, gray wails towering threatening­
ly. One may find their counterpart, on
a smaller scale, in the old fort at St.
Augustine: an«l they are similar to
those of Havana before her walls were
torn down. The peninsular upon which
the morro and the lighthouse stand is
thrust out into tli»' sen, on one side
breasting the thundering surges of tlie
Caribb»>an, ami on the other guarding
STREET SCKXK IN SAN JUAN.
the placid waters of n beautiful and al­
most land-locke»! harbor. This harbor ¡»refer a life of comparative leisure to
Is one of the tln»*st in tlie West ¡mill's, the bustle of the town and city. In the
large, sheltered, and capable of accom­ valleys grow the sugar cane, cacao,
modating any numlet of the largi'st bananas, plantains, and. In fact, all
ships, giving anchorage in from three sorts of tropical fruits.
to six fathoms.
With Its beautiful scenery. Its almost
Though the main portion of San Juan | ' perfect climate, Its bound!»'»* ex uber-
A CurtiiuH Hog Pen.
When the Havana cable was “cut”
W. T. Harmon, living on the Days
th»? men who performed the task did
Mill turnpike near Tilton, has in use a
no sever the parts completely, but left
very curious but convenient hog pen.
The pen is rotting more than a huge
sycamore tree, which is hollow, and
furnishes sleeping quarters for nt least
twenty larges ixc»l porkers. The tree
lias l»een used for Its present purpos»?
for over ten years, and during that time
STRAXDS INCOMPLETELY SEVERED.
over 1.000 hogs have been raised in it.—
connecting stramls. as Indicated In the
Flemingsburg (Ky.) Gazette.
accompanying sketch. So with the
Manila cable. There is an art in doing
Misinformation in Australia.
The following account of the proper everything—a right way anil a wrong.
way of reaching the Klondike is taken
Queer Kinds of Fnel.
from an Australian newspaper: “The
In Southern California. In the peach
real starting ¡x>lt>t for th«' Klondike is
Spokane. There th»' traveler tnkes.a districts, [Mxu'h stem's are not uncom­
canoe, by which he voyages to Van­ monly used as fuel. They are sol»l at
couver. B. C. At the latter point he the canneries by the wagon load.
tak»'s a sailing vesael direct to Iktwson Peach stones burn freely nnd make a
very good fire. On th«> homeward voy­
City.”
age of vessels In the cocoanut trade
coi'oanuts are used for fuel, as they
The Left Side of the Face.
Photographer*, In their constant or«» also while the vessel is lying at her
study of th»' face, find that the left side wluirf discharging, not sound nuts, but
make« tlie more pleasant picture, and such as ar»' decayed and not salable.
that tli«' profile as seen from the left Th«» nuts are broken before they are
gives a more corrt'ct likeness than put into the stove. Cocoanuts burn
freely and make a g»xxl hot Are.
when viewed from the right.
Queer Hooka.
The amount reserved for schools. In­
dians, military and naval purpose^,
railroad grants, parks, forest reserva­
tions, etc., including all territory re­
served from side for any purpose what­
soever, amounts to 132.441.744 acres, so
that, taking the reserve land and the
vacant land together, only about one-
half of the area of the United States
has actually passed out of control of
the government, and if Alaska is in­
cluded, the unoccupied area is larger
by 300.000,000 acres than that which is
occupied.—San Francisco Argonaut.
to which the hand is put. He says:
No Hearse or Grave in Siam.
When a p»x»r man dies in Slam he is "With the hand we demand, we prom­
not taken to the grave in a plumed ise, we call, dismiss, threaten, entreat,
i hearse, with friends following behlrul supplicate, deny, refuse, interrogate,
admire, reckon, confess, repent; express
fear, express shame, express doubt: we
instruct, command, write, encourage,
swear, testify, accuse, condemn, acquit,
insult, despise, defy, disdain, flatter,
applaud, bless, abuse, ridicule, recon­
cile, re»'omnv»nd. exalt, regale, gladden,
complain. affllcL dlsromfort. discour-
nge, astonish, exclaim, indicate silence,
and whnt not, with a variety and mul-
tlplication that keep ¡»ace with the
tongue."
Howto livti^'t Chicory.
Coffee which is susixx'teil of contain­
In the British Muaeum there are
books written on bricks, oyster shells, ing chicory may be sprinkled on the
bones and flat stem's, and manuscripts surfa«v of a glass of clear water. Cof­
»*i bark. Ivory, leather, iron, copper and fee floats, while tlie chicory, being
heavy, sinks, leaving a brown trail
i WOOtl.
through the water. Chicory la soft to
A man who lias a diamond wonders the touch ami will crumble between the
every tlm«' he look* at it why he ¡»aid fingers, unlike the bard, gritty particle*
i
of coffee.
so much for It.
Ananias Onulone.
Two ghastly shapes came stealing from
A deep and ancient grave;
in ninety-seven carriages at $»’■ to $8 They heard the never-silent htnn
That marks the human wave.
apiece. He is bundled into a box and
carried by a couple of men to the plaiv
where the buzzards waJt for him, and They heard the newsboys’ strident shout.
And one did stop and buy;
that Is the last of him.
And throvgh the sheet thns hawked about
He scanned with eager eye.
CARRIED TO WHERE BUZZARDS WATT.
Vacant Land in the United States.
The report of the Secretary of tne In­
terior shows that only a little more
than one-half of the public domain of
the United 8tates is either reservtxl or
appropriated. The area still remaining
vacant amounts to 591.343.1*53 nun's,
without Including Alaska which 1«
sup[x>a<xl to embrace n«>arly 400.000.000
acres more. The entire area of the
United States Is placed at lJW»,0l7,ffl»2
acres. Of this. 741.702.3<W acres Is now
owned by Individuals or by <rorp°ra-
tlon* or by states, or has paas«xl out of
th* control of the general government.
And as he read the headlines o’er.
His face grew peaked and pale.
And wlwn he’d redfl a little more.
He grasped the nearest rail.
i “Snpphlra, dear," he faintly cried,
"This war news, bold and brash.
Convinces me we never lied—
Oar record's gone to smash!"
—Cleveland Plain Dealer.
It may be a g»»xl l»le* to belong to a
kxlgc; you are sure then that someone
will sit up with your remain* when
you are dead.