USVI Public Records

Document text

This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world’s books discoverable online. It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that’s often difficult to discover. Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book’s long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you. Usage guidelines Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying. We also ask that you: + Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes. + Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google’s system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help. + Maintain attribution The Google “watermark” you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it. + Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can’t offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book’s appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe. About Google Book Search Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/ from the library of ROBERT and MARJORIE GRAFF LF 2 oO By JOHN T. FARIS OLD ROADS OUT OF PHILADELPHIA 117 ILLUSTRATIONS AND A MAP DECORATED CLOTH, OCTAVO, $4.00 NET ‘The roads out of in Bock patna be Thee Battle of B. are the most historic wine, Valley Forge and Militia Hill fascination of the roads from the The author ten of these hi ways ts the past and 8 be prot t of ° The West Road, The Old York Road, and The Bristol Turn- use illustrations and a stimulating text make the book prise foc the walker, the auto- THE ROMANCE OF OLD PHILADELPHIA IN PREPARATION UNIFORM WITH THE ABOVE - en ~“t aes RE ~ t hb Lf ay oF ro | Phe Gf HI % bh » ‘ \ Ls oe ‘ weet yy a” Be - word 5 A iad 57 ‘shat - \ ra * ‘s e~ ‘ r4 Sm | £y E> g «a @ ‘" “ ted oe “¢4 +" if ~ i - Se ry THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OUR NEW POSSESSIONS AND THE BRITISH ISLANDS BY THEODOOR DE BOOY AND JOHN T. FARIS AUTHOR OF “OLD ROADS OUT OF PHILADELPHIA,” “REAL STORISS FROM OUR HISTORY,” “MAKERS OF OUR HISTORY,” ETC WITH 97 ILLUSTRATIONS AND 5 MAPS ESPECIALLY PREPARED FOR THIS VOLUME cen <a 7... — -- SS ——s ~ = —z oe =F ee coe 2 ary Rae —= ee —= hea -- NS tA PHILADELPHIA & LONDON J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 1918 SF 3271.25 COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY 3. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PUBLISHED MAY, 1918 oS9% 2749 PRINTED BY 3. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY AT THR WASHINGTON 6QUARE PRESS PHILADELPHIA, U. SB. A. HARVARD UN-VERSITY LIBRARY a { JUN 17 1994 PREFACE HE authors of this volume have tried to put into concise form the facts concern- ing the story, the present conditions and the possibilities of the Virgin Islands of the United States for the tourist and the business man as well as for those who must be content, for the time being, at least, to make their journeys to the West Indies in imagination. At the same time, the attempt has been made to weave into the fascinating story something of the romance that cannot be separated from the thought of the islands in the mind of one who has had the pleasing experi- ence of spending in these newest possessions of the United States a winter that was the culmination of a number of seasons on other islands of the dreamy Caribbean. The absorbing history of the Virgin Islands is told in sufficient detail to enable the reader to understand by what a devious road they came at length into the possession of the country to which they logically belong. Without this historical setting it would be impossible to tell also of the . 3 PREFACE rise and decline of the commerce of the islands and of the reasons for the conviction that there is a great commercial future before them. The book would be incomplete without a chapter on the islands of the Virgin group which are under the flag of Great Britain. Then a chapter of definite suggestions to those who are planning a trip to St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix is a needed supplement to the portions of the book which tell in detail of the attractions of the islands and of their great value as a resort for visitors from the United States, while a chapter of condensed agricultural, shipping and banking in- formation, quoted from the government documents, completes the volume. A careful study has been made of such litera- ture as has appeared on the islands. These publi- cations are described in the Bibliography. Facts gained from these sources supplemented the careful observations made by Mr. deBooy, who spent the winter of 1916-1917 on the islands while com- pelling them to yield the secrets of a vanished race which for centuries have been buried deep in the earth. The archeological work, of which glimpses are given in the volume, was conducted for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye 4 PREFACE Foundation, in which may be seen many specimens secured from the kitchen-middens of the Virgin Islands. Kitchen-middens are responsible for the prepa- ration of this volume. Having become interested some years ago in the waste heaps built up at pre-historic back doors which the archeologist calls kitchen-middens, I welcomed the opportunity to talk of these absorbing relics of the past pre- sented when I made the acquaintance of Mr. de Booy in the West Indies, where he has spent a number of winters in scientific exploration. His fascinating stories of experiences in the islands of the Caribbean led me to urge him to write this volume. He consented only on the condition that the book should be prepared jointly. The acknowledgments of the authors are due to the writers and publishers of the books and papers named in the Bibliography, as well as to the “Geographical Review,” the “Scientific American Supplement” and “Forward,” for permission to use illustrations which appeared first in these periodi- cals, as well as for portions of the material which accompanied the illustrations. The courtesy of E. M. Newman in granting the use, for the volume, of photographs taken by i) PREFACE himself is acknowledged. Mr. Newman, at the time of the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the United States, was in Charlotte-Amalia, gath- ering material for one of his famous travelogues. William T. Demarest also has supplied a num- ber of photographs which he took in October, 1917. The authors thank him for his help. With the exception of photographs otherwise credited, all illustrations are from originals made in the islands by Mr. de Booy. Especial thanks are due to the American Geo- graphical Society of New York for the interest shown in the authors’ undertaking. The splendid library of this institution was freely placed at their disposal and the maps used in the volume’ were made and compiled under its careful super- vision. And grateful homage is paid to the kindly inhabitants of the former Danish West Indies, who know so well how to make a visitor in their midst feel at home, and to the Danish officials who ruled the islands when the Dannebrog still waved over them. Joun T. Fanis PHILADELPHIA, January, 1918 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. FROM DENMARK TO THE UNITED STATES. 15 Nine nations in the West Indies—The story of the elimination of Denmark—Why the treaty of 1867 failed—The Dannebrog gives way to the Stars and Stripes—The value of the American purchase— Provision for the government of the islands—Future possible purchases and what they would mean to the United States and the Panama Canal. II. GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS .. 34 The story told by old pottery—The naming of the islands—Natives attack the soldiers of Columbus —Extermination of the natives and the coming of Europeans—The emancipation of the slaves. Ill. ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS ..... -. Ups and downs of the first colonists—Governor Iversen’s stringent regulations—When sugar dis- placed tobacco—“On the way to every other place” —Bombarding a cliff instead of a ship—-The color scheme of Charlotte-Amalia—The signalman’s di- lemma—A healthy island’s most fatal disease—The night of the hurricane. IV. RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA . 170 Picturesque coal carriers—Why English is the popu- lar language—How the “reconciling-court” dis- courages fitigation—Churches and schoole—Streets, gutters and hills—The fables of four hill tope— Buccaneers, Blackbeard and Bluebeard—Why the guns were fired—Hospitality and flowers—Water CONTENTS V. THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS ... 98 To “Ma Folie” on ponyback—Finding hidden treasures on the shores of Magens Bay—What the kitchen-middens revealed—An abandoned sugar estate and a ruined mission station—A hunters’ paradise—More abandoned estates and a haunted ruin—Curious cemetery ornaments—The “grave- yard of ships” and a ghostly array of figure-heads —Escaping slaves and picturesque “cha-chas.” VI. THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN . . . 123 In the days of Company rule—Adventures of the first settlers—Encouragements to growers of sugar- cane—The harsh measures that incited a slave insurrection—A captured fort, a siege relieved, and guerilla warfare—The aftermath of the rebellion —Increasing population. VII. AROUND ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST The physical features of St. John—Marketing by sailboat—The naming of K. C. Bay—The mistake of the Coral Bay boomers—An attractive climate —An island whose prosperous days are in the future. VI. THE CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Reminders of former riches—Commercial and agri- cultural possibilities—The making of bay rum— Cattle raising and fishing—The story of the petro- glyphs—Scenery and ruins to delight the visitor— The cross at Reef Bay—Legends of slavery days —Treasures of old furniture—The possibilities of St. John. CONTENTS IX. THE CHECKERED HISTORY OF ST. CROIX 172 Why the tongues of Sir Walter Raleigh’s men became “‘bigge”—A subtle method of poisoning— A joint occupation that led to murder—A startling succession of owners, plots, and counterplots—A bluff that succeeded—A visitor who died of morti- fication—A conflagration that promoted health— An abandoned island rescued by Denmark—A symbolic transfer of titles—Out of the clutches of an exploiting company. X. THE STORY OF LABOR ON ST. CROIX . . . 190 for unconditional freedom—Teaching the negroes to work—Quieting the rioters of 1878—Dealing with disgruntled laborers—Improving industrial conditions—Prosperity and increased wages—Giv- ing the natives their due—Physical features of the island—Remarkable fertility of the soil. XI. THE CHARACTER AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF ST. CROIX .............6. 200 The hurricane of 1772—Alexander Hamilton’s famous description—Sugar cultivation and sea- island cotton possibilities—Suggestions for increased production—Cattle raising and fine horses. XII. ON “THE GARDEN OF THE ANTILLES” . 211 Frederiksted and Christiansted—The bustle of steamer day—Island communication, steamers and sailing vessels—The romantic story of the Vigilant —Alexander Hamilton, the Christiansted clerk— Roads and motor cars—The ruins on the sugar plantations—Why deer are plenty—Columbus’ tree- growing oysters—What the excavator learns from kitchen-middens. CONTENTS XII. A VISIT TO THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 281 Buccaneers and rebels—A ruler who is jack-of-all- trades—Tortola and the surrounding cays—Why the sailors of Jost Van Dyke drown—Victims of the proprietors—The attractions of Tortola—The di- verting story of Audain—Virgin Gorda and its peninsulas—Anegada, “the Drowned Island” —Men who live on shipwrecks. XIV. HINTS FOR THE TOURIST eo ee ee © © © @ The clothing a man should carry with him—What the woman visitor needs—Why silks are useless— Routes and rates of fare—Hotels and boarding houses—Other advantages—The land where sou- venirs are unknown XV. DETAILED AGRICULTURAL, COM- MERCIAL, SHIPPING AND BANKING INFORMATION e BIBLIOGRAPHY e ° ee ee e e 8 6 INDEX. . oetee et ee @© @ © eee ILLUSTRATIONS P, View or CHARLOTTE-AMALIA ............ Frontispiece “mn Unrrep Srares Samors Lanpina at CHARLOTTE- AMALIA 00... occ ccc cc cece cc cece eeceeeeeees 24 Lanpina Dock, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA................. 25 CowWELL’S BATTERY..............0 02s ccecccccecvees 80 Cuarrstian’s Fort, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.............. 80 CurisTian’s Fort, FROM THE HARBOR............... $1 Danish Cruiser “VALKYRIEN”..........0..0ccccee 31 Mosquito Bay, St. THOMAS............00ccceeeeee 40 Waren Bay AND NATIVE ..............0ccccccecees 40 ABORIGINAL POTTERY........... 0c cc ccecccccccccees 41 Norts Coasr or St. THOMAS.............0000cceee 41 Sr. Tomas Hansor anp CHARLOTTE-AMALIA........ 52 ENTRANCE TO St. THomas Harpor................. 53 Front ENTRANCE OF CHRISTIAN’S Fort............. 58 Srenau Sration, Top or CowE1’s BaTrery........ 58 BaTTLEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN’S ForT................. 59 Coatinc Warr or THE West Inpia Company, Lrp. 59 Canaan Estate Hous, aFrern THE HURRICANE...... 68 Hamsurc-AMERICAN Line Orricrs anD Drepas, “Sr. FDA”... ccc ccc cece ence ce eneeeeees 68 Frine Trie-Gun Batrmny, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA..... 69 Lururran CuurcH, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA............. 69 BLACKBEARD’s CASTLE (WOOD-CUT IN TEXT).......... 69 A Huy Srreer, CHarvorre-AMALIA................ 72 Typicat Coau Carriers, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA........ 78 Custom Hous anp Post Orrice, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA 78 Rerormep Dutcu Cuurcn, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA...... 78 ILLUSTRATIONS Crest Cuurca, WesLEyYAN, Cuarntorre-AMALIA..... 78 Memoniat Courncu, Moravian, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.. 79 Aut Samvts’ AN@LIcAN CHuRCH, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.. 79 BaLtrzoom, GovERNoR’s ResmpENce, CHARLOTTE- AMALIA. ccc ccc cece tee tee cece eeeeees 82 ResmEncz or GOVERNOR AND ADMINISTRATION BumLp- ING, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA...........0 0.00 cece cues 83 Otp ResipeNce aND GaTEWAY, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.. 98 Panoramic View or St. THomas Harpor........... 99 Mountain Pats Leapine to Ma Fou, St. THomas.. 102 Panoramic View or Maaens Bay, Sr. Toomas..... 108 Cross SEcTION oF ABORIGINAL Mounp, Macens Bay, Sr. THOMAS.............00000. eee 106 Kine Roap, Near Maaens Bay.................... 106 Cieartmna Lanp spy Fre, Maacens Bay............. 107 Laporers Excavatine, Macens Bay............... 107 Ros or Stamway, New Herenuct, St. Toomas... 110 Rus or New HERNHUT.............0.0000ccceeee 110 Rours or Manpau Estate, St. THoMAS............ 111 Neoro Fisaine wir Castine Ner................. 11 A “Gur” anp Srreer Mane Like a Sramway, Sr THOMAS. ...... 0. ccc ccc cee cece cece eeceaeeen 116 Native GravE ORNAMENTED witH Concn SHELLa, Sr. THOMAS.........0 2c ccc cece cece eee ccc eeees 116 Fiaure-Heaps mv Krom Bay Suirpyarp............. 117 Krum Bay wirn SHIPYARD AND Coconut Tress Dr- STROYED BY HUBRICANE...............000cc0ces 117 Cruz Bay SETTLEMENT AND GOVERNMENT STATION... 124 Moravian SETTLEMENT oF Emmavus, St. JOHN....... 125 Rum or K. C. Bay Sugar Esrars, Sr. Jonn...... . 186 Fort Freprrigstep, St. Cror...............06. .. 186 Cora Bay, Tortoua (British) iv Distrance........ 187 Ram’s Heap, Soura Coast, Sr. JoHN.............. 148 East Enp, Sr. JOHN..........ccccccccceccesveccecs 149 _ILLUSTRATIONS Bay-om Sri, Str. JOHN............ 00. c cece cece eee 149 HosprraBLe Coneo Cay, Sr. JoHN..............06- 156 Tue Onty Lanpinea Puace on Congo Cay.......... 166 Privateer Bay, St. JoHN................00cceeeee 187 BurLpines on CaRoLiInE Estate aNp Bay-or STm1, 0) : 5. 167 PETROGLYPHS ON CONGO CaY................000000- 164 Tue Caro.uine Esrate, Houses AnD Pasture, St. JoHn 164 Tue Cross Tuar 18 Nor a Cross, Reer Bay, St. Joun 165 Inpian Perroctyras, Reer Bay................... 165 Waarr anp Ovp Fort, Corat Bay, St. JouNn....... 170 HerwrraGe Estate, St. JOHN....................5. 170 A NativE FAMILy........... 0. ccc ccc cece cece cence 188 Danisu Sugar Mm, Sr. Crorm.................... 189 A ScHoou IN Sr. CRO... 00... ccc ccc cece eee 189 Srreet SCENE IN FREDERIKSTED.................... 201 Waarr, CHRISTIANSTED, St. CROIX................. 212 Waarr with Carco From Coating Streamer, Sr. 05-0) 0. a 2138 Sraeer In FREDERIKSTED, St. Crorx................ 218 LurgzraN CHuRcH AND ApJorintINa Hovsss, CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX.............0..00 00 219 Scnoonsr “VicrLaAntT’” at Waarr, CHRISTIANSTED, Sr. Crorm............. eee eee 219 Reer at Mourns or Sart River, Sr. Crom........ 226 Roots or ManarovE TREE, with Oysters, Sar RIVER. 0... cc cece eee e nec eeeeeeens 226 AponriciInaL Porrery VEsseEL as Founp IN THE Earru 227 Tyrican Otp Watcs Hovusr on Suaar Estate, Sr. C0): 0) >. Q27 Panoramic View From St. Joun or Jost Van Dyke anp Tortoua Isuanps (BRITISH)................ 282 Bays on Norra Coast or St. Joun, with THatcu IsLanpD AND Jost Van Dyke (BaririsH) in Distance 288 18 ILLUSTRATIONS Tue Barrma Isitanp or Torrous, From St. JoHN... 242 Torn-our with Native DRIVER..............002005 248 Norra Coast or St. THomas, wirn TxHarcu Istanp AND Brrrwe Isuanps or Tosaco ann LITTLE TosaGo IN DIBTANCB............0.cc cee ceccees 28 BLvuesearp’s Castte at Tor or Lucuern’s Huu, . CHARLOTTE-AMALIA, St. THOMAS...............5 248 Tue Barracks, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA................. 248 ° In Toe Marker Puace, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA......... 249 GovERNOR’s Resmence oN GoOvERNMENT Hnm1, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA ......... 0. ccc cee cece ceees 252 Granp Hotei, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.............0000. 253 Tue Mar Srreet, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA............. 260 A Buasrness Street mn CHARLOTTE-AMALIA.......... 261 On THE SHORE, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA................. 266 U. S. S. “Trasca,” ON THE FLoatine Docs, St. Toomas 267 Street mv Front or GovERNMENT House, CHARLOTTE- Water Front EnrraNnce To CHristian’s Fort, aND Batcony or REsipENcs IN THE Fort, CHARLOTTE- AMALIA... 0... ccc ccc ccc ccc cet e reese ceseens 272 Roap in Front or Cuaistian’s Fort anp Typican St. THomas Cap, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA........... 273 CovrontaL Bank and Marin Sreeer, CHaARLorre- AMALIA... cc ccc ccc cc cee reece cence ee cecees 2738 Tue Marker Prace, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA... ........ 276 MAPS FACING PAGE Toe West INDIES................ cc cece eceeceaes 15- Tae Vimain ISuanDs............ ccc ccc c cece cc eees 85 Sr. THOMAS........ 00. c ccc ccc cece cee cece cceeccees 47 Sr. JOHN... 00. ccc ccc cece eee c ces eceevenes 185 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Porto Rico, and a new nation, the Republic of Cuba, was created. By the ceding of its American colonial possessions, Spain was eliminated as a European nation holding colonies in the American hemisphere. On March 31, 1917, the United States took formal possession of the Danish West Indies, by far the larger portion of the Virgin Islands. The history of the sale and the transfer of these islands is somewhat involved. During the Civil War in the United States the lack of a naval station in the West Indies was a serious hindrance to those who sought to prevent the blockade-running of the Southern States. Consequently, on the conclusion of the war, American diplomats sought to secure a stronghold in the Caribbean. The Danish West Indies were chosen as a likely spot, partly because it was felt that Denmark—owing to the reverses which this small nation had undergone, and the losses which she had suffered in her war with Prussia—might be induced to welcome the sale with open arms. Mr. Seward, who was then Secretary of State of the United States, secured a preliminary survey of the islands in 1866. After a personal visit he 16 , FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES seemed more determined than ever to obtain St. Thomas and St. John for the United States, and he was prepared to pay for these islands $5,000,000. St. Croix was regarded as a separate venture, and was offered for a like amount, on condition that the government of France, which might obfect to the sale owing to the conditions of a treaty made in 1738, should allow the transfer to take place. At last, in October 1867, a treaty was concluded for the purchase of St. Thomas and St. John for $7,500,000, subject to the consent of both the Danish Landsthing (Senate) and the Senate of the United States. A popular vote was taken on the islands to see if the inhabitants were desirous of transferring their allegiance to a new flag. When the returns were counted the inhabitants, by the practically unanimous vote of 1244 to 22, showed their approval of the proposed transfer. The Danish Parliament then consented to the treaty, and nothing was required to complete the sale but a ratification by the United States Senate. In fact, the proposed sale seemed so certain that on November 27, 1867, the following royal proclamation appeared in the St. Thomas “Tid- 2 17 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ende,” the paper which published the. official government notices: We, CuristiaN THs Nintua, By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, the Van- dals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Storn- marn, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg and Oldenborg. Send to Our beloved and faithful Subjects in the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John Our Royal Greeting. We have resolved to cede Our Islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America, and We have to that end, with the reservation of the consti- tutional consent of Our Rigsdag, concluded a conven- tion with the President of the United States. We have, by embodying in that convention explicit and precise provisions, done Our utmost to secure to You protec- tion in Your liberty, Your religion, Your property and private rights, and You shall be free to remain where you now reside, or to remain, retaining the property which You possess in the said Islands or disposing thereof and removing the proceeds wherever You please, without Your being subjected on this account to any contribution, charge, or tax whatever. Those who shall prefer to remain in the Islands, may either retain the title and the rights of their natural allegiance or acquire those of Citizens of the United States, but they shall make their choice within two 18 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES years from the date of the exchange of ratifications of said convention, and those who shall remain on the Islands after the expiration of that term without having declared their intention to retain their natural allegi- ance, shall be considered to have chosen to become citizens of the United States. As We, however, will not exercise any constraint over Our faithful subjects, We will give You the opportunity of freely and extensively expressing your wishes in regard to this cession, and We have to that effect given the nec- essary instructions to Our Commissioners Extraordinary. With sincere sorrow do we look forward to the severing of those ties which for many years have united You to Us, and never forgetting those many demon- strations of loyalty and affection We have received from You, We trust that nothing has been neglected on Our side to secure the future welfare of Our beloved and faithful Subjects, and that a mighty impulse, both moral and material, will be given to the happy develop- ment of the Islands, under the new Sovereignty. Commending you to God! Given at Our Palace of Amalienborg, the 25th October 1867, Under Our Royal Hand and Seal. Curistiran R. L. S. Royal Proclamation to the Inhabitants of St. Thomas and St. John. 19 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS But the treaty was deliberately pigeon-holed in the Senate, owing to internal dissent for which Senator Charles Sumner was principally respon- sible, probably at least in part, because of his personal enmity towards President Johnson. Den- mark granted an extension of time for the ratifi- cation of the sale, but the matter was not again taken up, despite the efforts of Secretary Seward and of his successor, Secretary Fish. Finally, on April 14, 1870, the proposed treaty lapsed automatically. The Danish king made a dignified proclamation announcing that the sale of the islands had fallen through: We, CHRIstTIAN THE Ninta, By the grace of God, King of Denmark, the Van- dals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Storn- marn, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg and Oldenborg, send to Our beloved and faithful subjects in the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John, Our Royal Greeting. You are aware of the motives that actuated Us at the time to give ear to the repeated and urgent requests of the North American Government for the cession of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States. We expected that We, in that manner, should have 20 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES been able to lighten Our realm of the heavy burdens incurred by the then recently terminated war, and We hoped that the annexation to the United States would have afforded the islands advantages so important that they could have contributed to soothe the pain which a separation necessarily must cause in the Colonies, no less than in the Mother Country. You, for your part, and the Danish Diet, on the part of the King- dom, have concurred in these views, and We all met in the mutual readiness to accommodate ourselves to what appeared to Us to be recommended by the circumstances. Unexpected obstacles have arisen to the realization of this idea, and released Us from Our pledged word. The American Senate has not shown itself willing to maintain the treaty made, although the initiative for it proceeded from the United States themselves. Ready as We were to subdue the feelings of Our heart, when We thought that duty bade Us so to do, yet We cannot otherwise than feel a satisfaction that circumstances have relieved Us from making a sacrifice which, not- withstanding the advantages held out, would always have been painful to Us. We are convinced that You share these sentiments and that it is with a lightened heart You are relieved from the consent, which only at Our request you gave toa separation of the islands from the Danish crown. 21 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS In, therefore, making known to you that the Con- vention made on the 24th of October, 1867, for the cession of the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John. to the United States of America, has become void, We entertain the firm belief that Our Government, sup- ported by your own active endeavors will succeed in promoting the interest of the islands and by degrees efface all remembrances of the misfortunes which, of late years, have so sadly befallen the islands. To this end We pray Almighty God to give Us strength and wisdom. Commending You to God! Done at Our Palace at Amalienborg, the 7th May, 1870. Cuaristian R. L. S. A writer in the “Review of Reviews,” refer- ring to the disappointing failure of 1867, said: ‘If we had purchased the islands at that time, our influence in the West Indies would have grown in such a way that it is reasonable to believe that we.could subsequently have purchased Cuba from Spain, and thus averted two or three wars, and much misery.” Not until after the Spanish-American war was the purchase of these islands again seriously con- 22 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES sidered. Once more the United States had felt the need of a naval station in the Caribbean. Consequently, another treaty was negotiated, in January, 190%. Owing to the efforts of President Roosevelt and Secretary of State John Hay, this treaty was promptly ratified by the United States Senate. The Folkething (Lower House) of Den- mark readily gave its consent to the proposed sale of the islands for $5,000,000, but the Upper House of the Danish Parliament failed to vote in favor of confirmation. It has generally been thought that German influence was responsible for the failure to sanction this treaty. Possibly the German government itself hoped, at some time or other, to obtain a foothold in the West Indies. While there were in 1911 and 1912 attempts to renew interest in the purchase, nothing came ’ of these. Not until the latter part of 1916 was another determined effort made to induce the _ Danes to cede the islands. For the three principal islands and their outlying cays $25,000,000 was offered. A popular vote of the Danish people was taken in December, to see if it was their wish to give up Denmark’s only tropical colony. As the cost of governing these islands had become 23 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS far greater than the revenues derived from them, and as the Danes were forced to admit that the inhabitants of the Dutch West Indies were them- selves greatly in favor of the transfer, 283,000 voted for the ratification of the treaty while 157,000 were opposed to the sale. This favorable vote was hailed with great joy in St. Thomas and St. Croix. The islands finally came into the possession of the United States on January 17, 1917, when Secretary of State Lansing and Minister Brun of Denmark signed the ratification of the treaty of cession. In this ratification it was stipulated that the islands would be taken over within ninety days. The final act was staged on March 81, 1917, when the Dannebrog (the official name of the Danish flag) was replaced by the Stars and Stripes. It was the original intention that this change of flags should take place with great ceremony, but the exigencies of the international situation, and the fact that the break of the United States with Germany had just taken place, made a popular demonstration inadvisable, and the plans made by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to assist aA a oe x. = . ees 4. . - ~<a hee fy om ge >; te 2 8 es Bs P. hh ees 5B 2 pri a 2 way, cx | vs oa (ey Ly ~ | = bn + a *% VYIVWNV-3LLOTEVHO ‘SdOOI8 GNVISI-HSZINI 40 ONIGNVI GEHL BO HOOT FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES in the celebration with part of the United States Atlantic Squadron were cancelled. But, in spite of the comparative lack of ceremony, the lowering of the Dannebrog and the hoisting in its stead of the Stars and Stripes was an impressive event, an event which every thinking American should regard with pride. Once again the adherents of the Monroe Doctrine rejoiced in the acquisition of additional territory, needed to promote the peace of the world, and one more European nationality ceased to be represented in the complex political scheme of the Antilles. While the transfer of the islands was not viewed with universal joy by their inhabitants, it can be said safely that fully ninety per cent. of the natives were only too glad to be adopted by the American government. They were not dissatisfied by the treatment that had been accorded them under Danish rule, for the government by the Danish officials had been benevolent and paternal; but Denmark was far away, and—especially in the last three years when regular communication with Europe was hard to maintain—a long time was required to consult the home government on matters of importance, and to bring about neces- 25 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS sary improvements in local affairs. They felt that under the rule of the United States any public business could be attended to speedily. Further- more, practically all the commerce of St. Thomas was with the United States, and the imports from the mother country were but a negligible item. The St. Thomians were more used to American customs and manners than they were to those of Denmark, owing to the frequent visits of American ships to the shores of the island. In St. Croix, also, it was felt that adoption by the United States would give a new impetus to the sugar industry, that there would be a new development of all her latent resources, and that there would be an outlet to Porto Rico for her surplus population. It was of course a sad thing for the Danish government to view the lowering of the Dannebrog which, with but two short intervals in the nine- teenth century, had proudly waved for two and one-half centuries over the little group of islands. Yet it was the wish of Denmark not to stand in the way of the prosperity of its colonial dependents. While there will undoubtedly be a few who will regard with disfavor the innovations that will be introduced by the United States, the majority 26 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES , will be grateful that the uncertainty which began in 1866 and lasted until 1917, is now ended for all time. It was left to the present inhabitants of the islands to decide whether or not they wished to become citizens of the United States. Those who, within one year of the date of transfer, should signify their desire to do so, would remain subjects of the Danish King. All others would automatic- ally become citizens of the United States, having all the rights and privileges of this status. According to the National Geographic Society of Washington, the total area of the three principal islands acquired by the United States is 182.47 square miles. With the cays and rocks that form part of the group, the area might possibly be as much as 150 square miles. The population has ‘been variously stated as being from 30,000 to 83,000, of whom about ten per cent. are white. A study of earlier statistics shows that the popu- lation has decreased greatly during the century. In 1828 there were 46,000 inhabitants, but by 1841 this total had dropped to 41,000. Because of their situation, the islands are the logical distributing center for goods destined for 27 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS the Lesser Antilles and they have long been a shipping point of some importance. In the days before the European war, a number of Inter- Colonial steamers called at the ports of St. Thomas and St. Croix and connected the towns of these islands not only with the Leeward Islands but also with Porto Rico, Santo Domingo, Hayti, Cuba and Jamaica. That this value of the islands as a shipping center was well realized when their purchase was considered, is shown by the report of Secretary of State Lansing, transmitted to Congress on January 22, 1917. In this report he said: “The commercial value of the islands cannot be doubted. Lying in close proximity to many of the passages into the Caribbean Sea, the use of St. Thomas harbor as a stopping station for merchant ships plying between the United States and South America, and for vessels in other trades, is of great importance.” Though the United States took over the islands at a cost of about three hundred dollars per acre, there is no doubt that, from all poimts of view their value is incalculable. It is more than prob- able that the revenues derived from them will 2 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES suffice to pay the cost of their government, and none of these revenues are to be expended upon matters not directly related to the local govern- ment. The act providing for the temporary gov- ernment specifically. states that debts and taxes collected on the Virgin Islands of the United States shall not be placed in the treasury of the United States, but shall be used and expended for the government and benefit of the islands. The government of the islands will not be expensive. The form has already been fixed. In the language of “an act to provide temporary government for the West Indian Islands acquired by the United States from Denmark,” “all mili- tary, civil and judicial powers . . . shall be vested in a governor and in such person or persons as the President may appoint and shall be exercised in such manner as the President shall direct until Congress shall provide for the government of said islands.” The governor, who may be an officer ’ of the army or navy, is appointed by the Presi- dent, subject to senatorial confirmation. The first governor appointed was an officer of the navy, Rear Admiral James H. Oliver. Election laws and local laws are to remain in 29 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS effect and are to be administered by the local tribunals. Judicial tribunals have their jurisdic- tion extended to cases in which the United States or a citizen is a party. Under the new customs regulations, no duty is charged on articles coming into the United States from the islands, providing they are native prod- ucts or do not contain more than twenty per cent. of foreign materials. All other articles pay the same duty as imports from foreign countries. Sugar pays an export duty of eight dollars per ton, regardless of its ultimate destination. . The elimination of the Danish nation as a power in the Antilles left the flags of but three European nations in the Caribbean: those of | Great Britain, of France and of the Netherlands. It is not inconceivable that Great Britain, at some future time, may be induced to cede to the United States some of her islands in the Caribbean. The Bahamas, for instance, are to-day in very much the same position as were the Danish islands during the twenty years before the transfer. They depend upon the United States for the majority of their imports and for a market for their exports. The tourist resort of Nassau, on the Island of New 30 « 3 *i -- \ Q = 4 i te -* COWELL’S BATTERY AND ENTRANCE OF 8T. THOMAS HARBOR Ll oe] ~ vat Ae © ——— «8 *? 65 | » r-> =r yes - tt iit ‘A =. yi ape a6 | — om e~ if CHRISTIAN’S FORT AND THE HARBOR FROM GOVERNMENT HILL CHARLOTTE- AMALIA “ -? — ~~ th ee ean 2 a + i — § i PY. \ au — 7 > — . “= CHRISTIAN’S FORT FROM THE HARBOR, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA, 8T. THOMAS = t oe | =— — — — a —- = — i emt = <_“~ ——— ~— == ——— ~e = DANISH CRUISER “VALKYRIEN” IN 8ST. THOMAS HARBOR FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES Providence, is visited almost exclusively by Ameri- cans and would lose its only claim to importance if the revenue from this source were cut off. This condition is well appreciated by the Bahamians themselves; they would, in all probability, welcome adoption by the United States, for their fruits would find a duty-free market and thus the one agricultural possibility of the islands would be given an encouraging impetus. Jamaica, while having more intercourse with Great Britain, prac- tically depends upon the United States for the sale of her entire banana crop; where one steamer communicates with England, ten seek the nearer ports of the North American continent. It must be understood, however, that the sale of any of the British West Indies is but a remote possibility, although within the bounds of probability. A far more probable purchase would be that of the Dutch islands of the West Indies. The pos- sessions of the Netherlands in the Caribbean are a loss to the government and a menace to the mother country. In the event of war between the United States and one of the larger European nations, the first hostile act on the part of the latter might well prove to be the violation of Dutch neutrality 31 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS by the seizure of the island of Curacao, which possesses an excellent naval station and a well protected harbor. Such seizure would be a serious menace to the safety of the Panama Canal, and there might be far-reaching consequences. If, on the other hand, the United States had Curacao in its possession, the approach to the Panama Canal, by way of the southern channels of the Lesser Antilles, would be safeguarded. This also applies to the Dutch islands of St. Martin, Saba, and St. Eustatius in the northern group of the Leeward Islands; should these come under the United States flag, the entire range of islands from the Florida coast to the mainland of South America would be dominated by the American navy. A glance at the map of the Caribbean will reveal the truth of this statement. The Guan- tanamo naval base on the southern coast of the eastern part of Cuba can control not only the Florida Straits, between Florida and Cuba, but also the Windward Passage between Cuba and Hayti: A fleet stationed at Culebra Island and at St. Thomas could give battle to any squadron that should try to force its way through the Mona Passage, between Santo Domingo and Porto Rico, 32 FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES or through the Virgin Passage, separating Porto Rico from the Virgin Islands. This same fleet would also be in a position to protect the passages due east from the Island of St. John. From the Island of Barbuda to the Island of Trinidad, however, can be found some twelve deep water channels, which, in the event of war with a maritime nation, would require a patrol fleet of almost prohibitive size to give warning of the approach of a hostile fleet. If, therefore, the United States can prevail upon the Dutch government to sell her West Indian possessions, not only would the sale be to the advantage of Holland, since it would relieve her of her unproductive colonies in the Caribbean, and would remove the menace of having these colonies seized by a European nation, but also the strategic importance of the naval station to be established by the United States on the former Danish West Indies would be materially increased. A chain of defenses could thus be thrown around the Panama Canal that would afford complete protection from all the Atlantic approaches. CHAPTER. II GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS THE STORY TOLD BY OLD POTTERY—THE NAMING OF THE ISLANDS—NATIVES ATTACK THE SOLDIERS OF COLUMBUS —EXTERMINATION OF THE NATIVES AND THE COMING OF EUROPEANS—THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES . HE story of the Virgin Islands of the United States may be told in three parts. First comes their record until their settlement by European natives in the seven- teenth century. Next is the period of European settlement, until 1788, when, on the purchase of St. Croix from France, the three islands were joined under one government. From that date the history of the islands can be described as a whole. Before the discovery of the Virgin Island group by Columbus, these islands. were inhabited by @ warrior nation of aborigines. The Museum of | the American Indian, Heye Foundation, of New York City, was the first institution to devote itself to an archeological survey of the three islands under discussion. This museum has devoted a _ large amount of its energy to furthering archeo- logical work in the West Indies. 34 GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS ‘It was found necessary to gather some data and pre-Columbian specimens from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, in order to enable students of the pre-Columbian occupation of the Antilles to make a comparative study of the remains of the primitive races that at one time inhabited this region. The researches proved that they had been inhabited by tribes that made long voyages for purposes of trading, or for purposes of warfare, practically throughout the West Indies. . In the excavations conducted by the museum expedition, the finding of some of the so-called **collarstones” proved that voyages to Porto Rico were undertaken, for these highly ornamented stone objects up to the present time have been found only on Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, and assuredly could not have belonged to the low cultural devel- opment that must have existed on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. The presence of a grotesquely carved “‘swallowing-stick” in the aboriginal de- posits suggested a communication with Santo Domingo, where the native priests used sticks of this character in their ceremonies. That voyages were possibly undertaken even to Jamaica, was suggested by the finding in an aborig- 35 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS inal deposit on St. Croix of a cylindrical stone ornament, specimens of this kind being more typical of Jamaican culture than of the culture of the other Antillean islands. Again, some painted postsherds typical of the South American cultural area proved that pre-Columbian communication had been held between St. Croix and either Trini- dad or the northern coast of Venezuela. It is hardly likely that the tribes inhabiting St. Thomas and St. Croix made these voyages for purposes of barter or of peaceful intercourse. Probably they undertook extensive voyages in order to wage war upon the more peaceful Arawak tribes who inhabited the other Antillean islands, and the specimens found must have been secured by force of arms rather than by trading. If the intercourse with the islands to the west had been of a peaceful nature, it is probable that the Indians would have adopted some of the technique of the potter’s art from their neighbors. As it is, the pottery from St. Thomas and St. Croix—and the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, has some six thousand specimens in all from these islands—bears not the slightest resemblance to the pottery of Jamaica, Porto Rico, 36 GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS Santo Domingo or Cuba. It is, in fact, the crudest pottery from the West Indies and of a kind typical of a nation of pirates and warriors, who found no leisure to devote themselves to an attempt at ornamentation of their household utensils. There is another way of deciding that the Indians who originally inhabited St. Thomas must have been not only warriors but of the same race as those on St. Croix, for the St. Thomas pottery shows an absolute resemblance to the specimens from St. Croix, and history says that the St. Croix Indians were warriors. Columbus found them so, to his sorrow, for when he sent soldiers ashore for purposes of exploration the Indians attempted to repel the visitors by force. When Columbus was on his second voyage of discovery, in 1498, he came to the island of St. Croix, after first touching at a number of the Leeward Islands. The story of the visit, as told by Washington Irving, after an examination of the letters and diaries of Columbus, is full of interest: . “The weather proving boisterous, he anchored on the 14th [of November] at an island called Ayay by the Indians, but to which he gave the 37 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS name of Santa Cruz. A boat well manned was sent on shore to get water and procure informa- tion. They found a village, deserted by the men; but secured a few women and boys, most of them captives from other islands. They soon had an instance of Carib courage and ferocity. While at the village they beheld a canoe from a distant part of the island come around a point of land, and arrive in view of the ships. The Indians in the canoe, two of whom were females, remained gazing in mute amazement at the ships, and were so entranced that the boat stole close upon them before they perceived it. Seizing their paddles they attempted to escape, but the boat being between them and the land, cut off their retreat. They now caught up their bows and arrows, and plied them with amazing vigor and rapidity. The Spaniards covered themselves with their bucklers, but two of them were quickly wounded. The women fought as fiercely as the men, and one of them sent an arrow with such force that it passed through and through a buckler. “The Spaniards now ran their boat against the canoe, and overturned it; some of the savages got upon sunken rocks, others discharged their arrows 88 GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS while swimming, as dexterously as though they had been upon firm land. It was with the utmost difficulty they could be overcome and taken: one of them who had been transfixed with a lance, died soon after being brought aboard the ships. One of the women, from the obedience and defer- ence paid to her, appeared to be their queen. She was accompanied by her son, a young man strongly made, with a frowning brow and lion’s face. He had been wounded in the conflict. The hair of these savages was long and coarse, their eyes were encircled with paint, so as to give them a hideous expression; and bands of cotton were bound firmly above and below the muscular parts of the arms and legs, so as to cause them to swell to a disproportioned size; a custom prevalent among various tribes of the New World. Though captives in chains, and in the power of their enemies, they still retained a frowning brow and an air of defiance. Peter Martyr, who often went to see them in Spain, declares, from. his own experience, and that of others who accompanied him, that it was impossible to look at them without a sensation of horror; so menacing and terrible was their aspect. The sensation was doubtless 39 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS caused in a great measure by the idea of their being cannibals. In this skirmish, according to the same writer, the Indians used poisoned arrows; and one of the Spaniards died within a few days, of a wound received from one of the females. ‘Pursuing his voyage, Columbus soon came in sight of a great cluster of islands, some verdant and covered with forests, but the greater part naked and sterile, rising into craggy mountains; with rocks of a bright azure color, and some of a glistering white. These, with his usual vivacity of imagination, he supposed to contain mines of rich metals and precious stones. The islands lying close together, with the sea beating roughly in the narrow channels which divided them, rendered it dangerous to enter among them with the large ships. Columbus sent in a small caravel with lateen sails, to reconnoitre, which returned with the report that there were upwards of fifty islands, apparently inhabited. To the largest of this group he gave the name of Santa Ursula, and called the others the Eleven Thousand Virgins.” It has frequently been suggested that the Island of Virgin Gorda is the one originally named St. Ursula, but it is more likely that either St. Thomas 40 on ~~ om A - = y: ot Y. = — — — A+ — ——— ———— —— a ae —— ~~ ae _— —. — MOSQUITO BAY, 8ST. THOMAS Saba Island, and Dove Cay in Distance ——— _—_— a —— —_ -_— ae. ee ~- + ~~ at al ~~ << o- = . — — ~ — ~ — ~ ~~ >. a as WATER BAY AND NATIVE BRINGING IN FODDER FROM THATCH CAY, 8ST. Thomas Ses -% -* {TY ve Gee a i ¥ ye -< KS o> _. —- BENZ et ye - > ot ot for ~~ vee Sw 7. OP ms - pe “ ABORIGINAL POTTERY DRYING IN THE SUN . -_ NORTH COAST OF ST. THOMAS, OUTER BRASS AND INNER BRASS ISLANDS GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS or St. John was the one named after St. Ursula. In voyaging from St. Croix either of the latter islands would be first sighted by a navigator and, as Columbus was on a voyage of discovery, he would probably investigate and name the first island seen. It should be noted that, geographically, St. Croix does not belong to the Virgin Islands, but that from common usage it has been included under this name.. It has frequently been stated that the encounter between the soldiers of Columbus and the Indians on St. Croix led to the first blood-shed in the New World between the conquistadors and the aborig- ines. But an encounter took place during the first voyage of Columbus in 1492, when he dis- covered Samana Bay, on the Island of Hispaniola. This bay, in fact, was named by the Admiral the Bay of Arrows, in commemoration of the event. St. Croix, therefore, cannot lay claim to the doubtful honor of having been the first battlefield in the New World. No trustworthy records have been discovered of the ultimate fate of the aboriginal inhabitants of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. Possibly a statement made by the German historian, Olden- 41 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS dorp, may afford aclue. He says that, about 1555, the Indians were driven away from the Virgin Islands by Charles V of Spain, the Emperor having ordered that they be treated as enemies and exterminated. But was not Oldendorp speaking of the Island of St. Croix, and not of the true Virgin Islands group, when he made this state- ment? It is much more likely that such inhabi- tants as may have lived upon the Virgin Islands after their discovery were taken as slaves, and made to work the mines on Hispaniola after the labor supply of this latter island had become exhausted. But even if Oldendorp’s statement is founded on fact, it does not necessarily imply that the extermination of the Indians was completely carried out. Nevertheless, when the Danish, Dutch and French settlers arrived on these islands, at different times in the seventeenth century, no Indians were found on them. It was due to the efforts of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, that a few of the problems regarding the pre-Columbian inhabitants of this little group of islands have been solved, and short mention will be made of the archeological work done under the auspices of 42 GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS this institution when the history of each island is discussed. After the visit of the Spanish squadron under Columbus, history takes but little note of the islands. . This silence continued through most of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Probably the dread in which they were held by the early navigators had a great deal to do with the silence. A sailing vessel caught in the strong currents which eddy between the rocks and shoals of the islands, might find great difficulty in extricating itself, especially in days when there were nocharts of these waters. _ An indication of the fear with which the seas surrounding the Virgin Islands were regarded was given by the Earl of Cumberland, who, in 1596, while on his way to take Porto Rico, said that “he would rather be the first to take Porto Rico, than the second to pass through the Virgines.” The first to pass this way was Sir Francis Drake, who, in 1580, sailed through what was later known as the Drake Channel between the islands. The Earl of Cumberland mentioned at the same time that the islands were “wholly uninhabited, sandy, barren, and craggy.” 43 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS The first mention of settlers on any of the Virgin Islands was made in 1625, when St. Croix was colonized. St. Thomas remained uninhabited for even a longer time, there being no record of Europeans on this island until 1666. St. John was not colonized until 1684. Each of these islands has its individual history until 1788, when the Island of St. Croix was pur- chased from France for the sum of seventy-five thousand pounds by the Danish West India and Guinea Company. Holdings of this company were sold to the Danish Crown in 1754, and a commercial policy was instituted which was re- sponsible for the new prosperity. St. Thomas was thrown open as a free port in 1764 with certain restrictions to ships from Euro- pean ports, though these restrictions were partially removed in 1767. In 1815 the trade of St. Thomas and St. John became free from all restrictions, and European ships were allowed to enter on equal terms with those from America. St. Croix, on the other hand, was not opened to international commerce until 1833. Little occurred to interest the student of inter- national affairs until the British fleet under Admiral 4% GLIMPSES OF FOUR HUNDRED YEARS Duckworth and General Trigg captured the islands on April 1, 1801. A little before this time Den- mark and Norway had allied themselves with France, and England was not slow in seizing the Danish colonial possessions in retaliation. The islands were held until February 22, 1802, and were restored to Denmark by the Treaty of Amiens. In 1807 affairs between Great Britain and France once more came to a crisis, and on Decem- ber 22 the islands were captured by the British under Admiral Cochrane and General Bowyer. They continued under British rule: until April 15, 1815. They were then restored by Great Britain, which took the Danish island of Heligoland in exchange. Since 1815 the islands have not been involved in international affairs, and their history is but a record of fires, hurricanes and slave rebellions. The chief events of this period came in 1847, when King Christian VIII passed certain laws for the future emancipation of slaves, and in 1848, when slavery was abolished throughout the Danish West Indies after an uprising of the slaves of St. Croix. Thus freedom came to the islands fifteen years before the Emancipation Proclamation put an end to slavery in the United States. 45 CHAPTER III ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS UPS AND DOWNS OF THE FIRST COLONISTS—GOVERNOR IVERSEN’S STRINGENT REGULATIONS—WHEN SUGAR DIS- PLACED TOBACCO—“ON THE WAY TO EVERY OTHER PLACE.”—-BOMBARDING A CLIFF INSTEAD OF A SHIP—-THE COLOR SCHEME OF CHARLOTTE-AMALIA—THE SIGNAL- MAN’S DILEMMA—A HEALTHY ISLAND'S MOST FATAL DISEASE—THE NIGHT OF THE HURRICANE there areno trustworthy records that tell of the first settlement of St. Thomas, it is generally believed that there was a colony on the island at some time before 1647. In 1647 a small company of French settlers from the nearby Crab Island made their way to St. Thomas, after the destruction of their plantations and the burning of their ships by Spanish soldiers. The perilous voyage was made in frail canoes. Upon their arrival on St. Thomas these refugees found abandoned groves of lemons, oranges and bananas, which helped to keep them from starvation. It is reasonable to suppose that these groves were planted during the short occupa- tion of St. Thomas by Dutch buccaneers, who afterward settled on St. Martin and St. Eustatius. 46 oe -- ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS St. Thomas next appears on the records as having been the burial place of one Erik Schmidt, who arrived on the ship Eendracht, in 1666. This vessel probably brought supplies to Dutch settlers who had taken up their abode there at some time between 1657 and 1666. Soon a number of these people, learning of the great prosperity of the new colony of New Amsterdam, now New York, took their departure for the village on the Hudson. In 1667 the remainder were forced to leave St. Thomas. At that time St. Thomas, St. Martin and St. Eustatius were captured by the British, and the captors insisted upon the removal of the St. Thomas colonists to the latter two islands, owing to their greater fertility. The island once abandoned, it was an easy matter for the newly-formed Danish West India and Guinea Company to claim St. Thomas, in 1667, as a trading-post, in spite of protests from Great Britain, which claimed the island by right of conquest. This objection was not followed up by any serious measures, and preparations were made in Denmark to found a colony on St. Thomas. On August 31, 1671, the first ship, the Golden Crown, was dispatched from Copenhagen, while 47 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS less than three months later the Pharaoh followed. On this vessel came Jorgen Iversen, the new gov- ernor, to whom had been given full power to repre- sent Danish authority. When the Pharaoh arrived, on May 23, 1672, a few colonists were already established. These were principally Dutch planters who had returned from the islands of St. Martin and St. Eustatius to reclaim their former holdings on St. Thomas. With them were a few negro slaves. It cannot be said that the early Danish colonists were of high character. In fact, they resembled the criminal type of sailors, who, upon being granted pardon for former offenses, were induced to accompany Columbus on his first voyage of discovery. There were also among the first set- tlers a number of Danes who, in order to settle pressing debts and to escape imprisonment by their creditors, had sold themselves for service in the colony. Men of this class were hardly promis- ing material for the founding of a prosperous settlement. . When Governor Iversen reached the scene of his labors he was compelled to adopt stern meas- ures to force his subjects to fulfil their contracts 48 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS and attend to their duties. His first official act was the building of a fort, which was probably commenced in 1672. It became the residence not only of the governor, but also of the Lutheran pastor who accompanied the expedition. Part of this fort is included in the present Christian’s Fort at Charlotte-Amalia. That Governor Iversen ruled the new colony with an iron hand is revealed by some of his proc- lamations. He commanded everybody to attend service in the fort every Sunday, the penalty for failure to attend being twenty-five pounds of tobacco. There was also provision for a fine of fifty pounds of tobacco for the performance by the servants of the settlers of unnecessary Sunday work. -All householders were obliged to keep in their homes arms for defense and a sufficient sup- ply of powder and ball, there being a penalty of one hundred pounds of tobacco for failure to do so. Specific warnings were to be given in case of attack from an enemy. Drills were held every Saturday afternoon in favorable weather, and there were fines for non-attendance. Departure from the island without permission of the governor was also punished with a fine, although the proclamation 4 49 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS did not state how this fine could be collected, once the transgressor had departed.. Servants must not leave their masters, and if they made a practice of running away, they were to be held in irons until they were broken of the habit. The growing of tobacco was the chief occupa- tion of these early colonists, and it is likely that this commodity was the principal article of export. The raising of cattle was an industry of such im- portance that the colonists lived in a constant state of alarm because of the raids made upon their pastures by the Spaniards from Porto Rico and the buccaneers of Tortola. It is therefore not strange that Governor Iversen provided for the arming of his followers; the Danes had every reason to guard themselves from molestation by inhabi- tants of other islands. Even the Spaniards from Porto Rico took part in the campaign against these early Danes, and they succeeded in capturing Crab Island, over which Governor Iversen first claimed sovereignty in 1682. Two years later, the place of Crab Island was taken by St. John, which was then added to the island realm of which Iversen was governor. St. Croix did not become a part of the Danish possessions until 1733. 50 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS Difficulties of another sort were not lacking. A labor shortage was soon felt. The Danish ser- vants proved unsatisfactory, and the slaves who belonged to Dutch landowners did not supply the demand for workmen. Word of this condition of affairs was sent to the home government in Copen- hagen, and prompt measures were taken to meet the colony’s needs. The Danish West India and Guinea Company purchased land on the Gold Coast of Africa and erected two forts. With these forts as a base, the servants of the company con- ducted operations which insured a constant supply of slaves for the Antillean colony. In 1685 the Danish West India Company found its means too limited to furnish a sufficient number of ships for the transportation of the necessary slaves to St. Thomas to supply the agricultural needs of the landowners, and for the carrying of the exports from this island back to the native country. An arrangement was therefore made with the Duchy of Brandenburg to operate a factory on St. Thomas. The result is what might have been expected, for soon after the erection of the Brandenburg Company’s trading station, the Danish West India 51 x THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Company found that it was losing a large amount of its trade to the new enterprise. As a conse- quence there was much jealousy between the com- panies, and the older organization longed to cancel the rights given to the Brandenburg Company. This could not be done, however, for the term of the contract ran until 1716. It was fortunate that a period could not be put earlier to the new com- pany’s privileges, for it was due to the efforts of this company that sugar cane supplanted tobacco plantations. In those days the price of sugar was extremely high. Thus, while the Danish West India Company was the loser by the transaction, the island of St. Thomas was materially benefited. At one time the affairs of the Danish West India Company were at such a low ebb that in 1690 the Danish king was compelled to rent the entire colony of St. Thomas, with the exception of the holdings of the Brandenburg Company, to a man named Thormdéhlen, probably in order to secure to him the liens which he held upon the property. The lease was for a period of ten years, and Thorméhlen was obliged by the terms of his contract to maintain during this time a garrison. The soldiers of this garrison arrived in 1692, and 52 © 4 Photograph by Clarence Taylor, St. Thomas VIEW OF ST. THOMAS HARBOR AND CHARLOTTE-AMALIA FROM HAVENSICHT HILL 2N10d 8,1GANTIHOW NO NOLLVLS SNILNVaVOD GNV ‘GNVISI THEBVH NO LUELLVG 8,TI@MOD GNV GNIZVOVA BXGMOd HLLA SORUVA SVMOHL ‘18 OL GONVELNE ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS these were the first regular troops to be stationed in Christian’s Fort. St. Thomas lies in latitude 18 degrees 20 minutes N. and longitude 64 degrees 55 minutes W., and is but forty miles from Porto Rico and twenty-five miles from the island of Culebra. A vessel going from St. Thomas to Porto Rico is always sheltered by the cays lying between the islands. Even small craft are generally safe in making the passage. Owing to the prevailing easterly trade winds, it is easier to go from St. Thomas to Porto Rico in a sailing vessel than it is to return by the same means; while it not infre- quently takes but five hours to go from Charlotte- Amalia to the port of Fajardo on the east coast of Porto Rico, the return voyage has been known to take from two to three days. This difference is partly due to the strong currents running between the islands which offer a serious Gnpediment when the wind is light. The island is admirably situated for communi- cation with other ports. It is on a direct line be- tween Europe and the entrance to the Panama Canal. Furthermore, vessels plying between the Atlantic ports of North America and the Atlantic 53 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ports of South America must pass directly by the island, which is situated fourteen hundred miles from New York, one thousand miles from Colon and five hundred miles. from La Guaira, the chief port of the Republic of Venezuela. Thus the enthu- siastic traveler was not far wrong who said that St. Thomas is “‘the place which is on the way to every other place.” He justified this description by adding: ‘*When the sailor lays his course for any part of the Caribbean Sea, the tip of his horny finger points to St. Thomas. To call the little island the gateway of the Caribbean is not poetic fancy. The shortest and best course from England to any Central American port, for steamer or sail, is by St. Thomas. For the liner from the United States to Brazil, the most convenient port of call is St. Thomas. To go from the Greater to the Lesser Antilles, one goes by way of St. Thomas. Nature has given this half-way house of the sea a prestige that even the commercial supremacy of Barbadoes has not overshadowed.” St. Thomas is surrounded by seventeen islands and cays and by an innumerable number of rocks. The islands and cays are mostly very small, the largest being Water Island, which is two and one- 54 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS half miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide, and Hans Lollik, one and one-half miles long and one mile wide. Most of these cays are rocky and elevated, and all are uninhabited, with the excep- tion of Water Island and Thatch Cay. Perhaps the most remarkable of the cays is a small island called Sail Rock, so called because this mountainous rock when viewed from the east- ward has the exact appearance of a vessel under sail. There is a tradition that there was once an engagement between a French frigate and this little island. In the night the commanding officer of the frigate ran close to Sail Rock, which he took for a privateersman. He hailed the supposed ship, and the echoes from the rock returned the hail. Receiving no satisfactory answer from the “‘pri- vateersman,” the commander gave orders to fire. The echoes returned the noise of the cannonade. As the frigate was very close to Sail Rock, some of the cannon balls ricochetted and gave the impres- sion that the adversary was giving battle. It is said that the engagement continued for some hours. Not until dawn did the commander of the frigate realize his mistake and retire from the scene in mortification. 55 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS The length of St. Thomas is thirteen miles, while its average width is about two miles. The area is 28.25 square miles, or about eighteen thou- sand acres, of which only about five hundred acres are under cultivation, while possibly two thousand acres are used for pasturage. The island is really nothing more than a range of hills running east and west, with branching spurs. There is prac- tically no level land. The highest elevation toward the western part of the island, is 1515 feet. This hill is called West Mountain. The next highest peak, Signal Hill, in the center of the island, has an elevation of 1500 feet. While the island is not as well watered as St. John—which has the largest water supply of the three islands, probably owing to the presence of forests, which are absent on both St. Thomas and St. Croix—there are a number of springs on the northern side. An absolute water shortage, such as is occasionally experienced on some of the smaller Antillean islands, has not been known to occur here. There is but one small stream, and this loses itself in the hills; probably it finds an outlet to the sea through a fissure in the rocks. According to geologists, the island is composed 56 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS for the most part of a mass of Trappean rocks of various colors, and these rocks contain many veins of quartz which can be observed wherever a cut has been made in the rocks along the road. Much of the rock has decomposed, and is still decompos- ing into yellow or reddish clay. The aborigines made their pottery from this clay. In places the rock also decomposes into a whitish marl. With the exception of red ochre, there are no known minerals on St. Thomas. In a few places can be seen the white coraline limestone so typical of the western Antilles. While the agriculturist can obtain remarkable results because of the wonderful climate anda fairly equable rainfall, the soil in most places is thin and it is liable to be washed from the hill slopes on which it is found. It is more than likely that St. Thomas at one time was covered with dense forests, but none of these remain today. The trees were probably felled by the earlier settlers and the valuable woods found in them were sold or used for the local manu- facture of furniture. St. Thomas harbor is located on the southern side of the island, and its entrance faces almost 57 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS due south. The mouth is fairly narrow, although its width of nine hundred feet is ample for large vessels. After passing through the narrow en- trance, the harbor gradually expands into a large, circular bowl some two miles in diameter. A somewhat fanciful geological theory claims that the harbor is formed by the crater of a submerged, extinct volcano. This theory has been suggested more because of the shape of the harbor basin than because of the evidence of geological formation. For many years, navigators found it difficult to locate the southern shore of St. Thomas during the night, and they were. compelled to wait for daybreak before entering the harbor. Since the erection of a lighthouse on Buck Island, passage in the night has become possible, but even now the services of the pilot who meets ships outside the harbor entrance are needed. A traveler once gave the following true and picturesque description of the first sight of Char- lotte-Amalia by the tourist who enters the harbor: “‘The view from deck, as the ship creeps into the anchorage, is the most charming in the West Indies. The bay lacks the great sweep of Algiers, but it has the same mountain background, the 58 : a - ¥YTTTTT ——. f “. ee —_ iid a =) oo — «aly = a on .—$_ 2 ~ — ve 7 — —— a nme me a oe FRONT ENTRANCE OF CHRISTIAN'S FORT FROM COURTYARD INSIDD =- a ry az ve — er eo 5, — — —_—s v7 ~~ = SIGNAL STATION, TOP OF COWELL'S BATTERY == oy ah can ‘vie i 2 ale oR ot SSF Tre a= *| aig to=— 4 ath \ at? Pa met Li watt SAS a) ——— a a \ uy i t)\ Ah " > t2. af vx My | "- , a )/ ") mr BATTLEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN 8 FORT AND BLACKBEARD’S CASTLE ON TOP OF GOVERNMENT HILL, CHARLOTTE- AMALIA, ST. THOMAS abe ke ae « > May we = ‘\ mg —S———— y Ov ae ~.—— . ~~ = — te - E> - +A —s Nye, ae : COALING WHARF OF THE WEST INDIA COMPANY, LTD., CHARLOTTE-AMALIA Destroyed October 9, 1916 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS same glorious blue of sea and sky. The village, blue and orange and yellow and red, recalls some of the coast towns of Italy. The garden walls of the hillside villas shine out dazzlingly white against the luxurious green of the tropical foliage. The ruins of Bluebeard’s castle above the town—a landmark of the old days of the buccaneer—present the only touch of gray. The rest is a riot of color. Most striking of all is the gaudy red Danish fortress down by the water front. I have never seen so red a building. At first it is glaring and unpleasant, but after a time one’s eyes become accustomed to the new scale of color values which the intense sun of the tropics requires. And the bizarre glory of the fort—which would be unspeakably offensive in a gray mantle —seems to be not out of place in the color scheme of St. Thomas. The town of Charlotte-Amalia has taken the atmosphere of Algiers and the gor- geous coloring of Venice, rolled them into one, and reduced it to miniature.” On passing the harbor’s mouth, one is imme- diately reminded by Cowell’s Battery of the British occupation of 1801 and 1802. This battery was erected by Colonel Cowell during this period. It 59 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS was constructed upon the highest elevation of Hassel Island. Nearby lie buried the soldiers who died during the occupation. On the shore, below the hill, are the remains of an early Danish strong- hold, which antedates the British fortifications. Near the old Danish fort is the gaily painted pow- der magazine, which was used as a storehouse for explosives during the latter days of the Danish occupation. To-day, Cowell’s Battery is used as a signal station, and it is from here that the inhabitants of Charlotte-Amalia learn of the coming of vessels to St. Thomas Harbor. A mast with a yard-arm serves to support the semaphore and a number of wicker balls. The positions of the balls and of the semaphore arms indicate whether an incoming ship is a sailing vessel, a steamer or a man-of-war, its nationality and the direction from which it is coming. Without this signal station, a number of the inhabitants of Charlotte-Amalia would be de- prived of their chief interest, and their greatest source of gossip. . The citizens say that at one time a Siamese man-of-war called at St. Thomas in order to obtain a supply of coal for its bunkers. On seeing the 60 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS ship approach, the watchman on the signal hill did not find in his signal book any instructions inform- ing him what position to give the balls and the semaphore for a man-of-war of this nationality. In desperation, he rigged up his signal mast with all the wicker spheres he happened to have on hand. Naturally the people became greatly excited and made all sorts of hurried preparations for inter- national festivities, for they thought that the com- bined navies of the world were coming to visit their little island. ‘One of the most interesting excursions on St. Thomas may be taken by rowboat to Cowell’s Point, and thence up the hill upon which the battery is located. The existence on the rocks below the signal station of a large sign which adver- tises the bay rum of a local manufacturer, does much to spoil an otherwise perfect view. During the hurricane of October, 1916, the sign was blown down, but this offensive eyesore to all visitors approaching St. Thomas Harbor has unfortunately been restored. Directly opposite Hassel Island, on Muhlenfel’s Point, is the quarantine station. This, happily, is seldom needed for its intended purpose. When no 61 ‘THE VIRGIN ISLANDS patients are residing there, it is occasionally rented out to picnic parties from Charlotte-Amalia. This is a delightful spot for a temporary sojourn, for the sea bathing here is the best on the island. The harbor of St. Thomas presents little diffi- culty to navigation. The few obstructions beneath the surface have been marked by buoys, while the rocks which extend above sea level have been care- fully whitewashed. A number of range-lights also protect the harbor and serve to keep the incoming ship in its proper channel. The harbor is land- locked, and the safety of ships in the harbor is jeopardized only when the dreaded West Indian hurricanes strike St. Thomas from a southerly direction. But for the hurricanes St. Thomas would be an earthly paradise. The climate is healthy for new- comers, even for those who are unaccustomed to the tropics, and it is especially enjoyable during the winter months. The greatest heat is felt in August, September and October, but even then the thermometer seldom goes above 91 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit. In winter the temperature occasionally drops as low as 67 degrees, and the 62 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS nights are so chilly that it is necessary to sleep under a blanket. The rainfall is not excessive; it averages about forty-seven inches per year. May, August, Sep- tember, October and November are the rainy months, but it is not unusual for a drought to prevail for six or even nine months. Such a pro- longed drought is generally followed by severe rains. Though this is not true of the majority of West Indian islands, the air of St. Thomas is bracing. Probably this is due to the fact that the island is directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean on the north, so that it feels the cooling effects of this large body of water rather than the tropical heat radiated by the Caribbean Sea. For invalids and for people of delicate constitution, the equable climate is especially suitable, and many wonderful cures have been credited to the island. All that is necessary in many cases is simply to live long enough in the bracing climate. Aside from scorpions and centipedes, there are no poisonous animals, and no intending visitor need fear the presence of the usual venomous in- sects of the tropics. There are no snakes of any variety. Land crabs are the chief annoyance. 63 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Thanks to the efforts of the government, there are few mosquitos in the town itself, although occa- sionally sand-flies and mosquitos make life a burden in other parts of the island, especially in the rainy season. Once the general sanitary conditions of Char- lotte-Amalia were not entirely satisfactory, but these have been greatly improved by the blasting of a channel through the “Haul-over” peninsula which connects Hassel Island with the mainland of St. Thomas. This channel permits a current of water to circulate through the harbor. Formerly the waters which washed the shores of the town became stagnant at times and the imperceptible flow of the ebb and flood tide was not sufficient to carry off the refuse which was emptied in the bay. In consequence, there were a number of typhoid fever epidemics. Since the opening of the new channel, there has been no more difficulty. Nowadays there are no epidemics in Charlotte- Amalia, owing to the efficient medical inspection and the stringent quarantine laws and regulations made for vessels which enter from infected ports and the efficient medical inspection. The death rate of the island is remarkably low, and its inhab- 64. ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS itants generally seem to die from one disease only, _a disease for which no cure has been found—old age. Hurricanes will always be the principal draw- back to residence in the West Indies, and St. Thomas does not escape them. Many times the island has been visited by these destructive storms. In 1718, in 1788, in 1742, in 1772, in 1798, in 1819, in 1887, in 1867 and again in 1916, tropical storms passed over the little island and caused an incred- ible amount of destruction. These storms are regarded with such dread that it is the custom of the people, at the commencement of the hurricane season, to offer prayers that their island may escape from the horrors of the tempests. At the end of the season, they betake themselves to their churches and give thanks that the period of danger has been safely passed. The last hurricane, on the night of October 9, 1916, was perhaps one of the most destructive ever experieneed. The smaller negro cabins were bodily blown from their foundations and smashed to pieces against other buildings or trees. Few houses escaped without the loss of their roofs or damage of some kind. That little loss of life accompanied the hurricanes was a miracle, for the galvanized 5 65 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS iron sheets which formed the roof coverings of the houses were hurled through the air like projectiles. The rain which accompanied the hurricane in many instances did more damage than the wind itself, and the stocks of a number of merchants were totally ruined. Trees which for many decades had been the pride of the town were uprooted. Elec- tric light poles, branches of trees, pieces of gutter- ing, spouts and tiles from the roofs, filled the public thoroughfares with a tangled mass of debris. In the harbor the Danish bark Thor was wrecked on the rocks near Cowell’s Battery. The St. Hilda dredge was taken up bodily and placed alongside the landing wharf in three feet of water. The Hamburg-American liner Calabria, which had been anchored in the harbor since the beginning of the European War, was thrown on the rocks east of the wharf with practically her entire bottom ripped out. The Wasgenwald, owned by the same company, was torn from her moorings and driven ashore, but the vessel managed to pull herself off with but slight injuries. The motor ship Anholt was thrown high and dry on the beach. A number of sailing vessels foundered in the harbor. Two large electric conveyers of the Danish West India Com- 66 ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS pany were reduced to a tangled mass of scrap iron. On the morning of October 10, when the extent of the damage caused during the night could be perceived, the Danish officials took prompt and active steps, not only to give relief to the sufferers but also to restore the town as far as possible to its usual immaculate condition. In many instances money was given to the poor to enable them to build new houses. In other cases money was loaned without interest. In addition to these means of bringing relief, the government placed gangs at work on the moun- tain roads, which in many instances had been completely effaced, and restored them to their proper condition. A little park on the water front which, until the night of the hurricane, had been one of the principal attractions of Charlotte- Amalia, and which was almost completely demol- ished, was cleaned up and the uprooted trees were replanted when this was possible. Even after the officials of the island were informed that the sale of the Danish West Indies was a certainty they did not in any way diminish their efforts towards effacing the damage caused by the storm; they seemed to think it a sacred duty to hand over the 67 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS islands to the United States in as good condition as possible. While, of course, the damage caused by one of these hurricanes is enormous, one must take into consideration the fact that tropical houses as a general rule are but lightly built and easily blown down. No true West Indian will learn from the last hurricane that he should prepare his new abode in conformity with the demands that may be made upon its strength by any subsequent storm. For this reason the inhabitants of the Antilles are fre- quently a great deal to blame for the fact that their homes have suffered the effects of a hurricane. The damage done in the agricultural areas, while large, is not noticeable three months after the passing of a storm, as in the luxuriant climate of St. Thomas practically all destroyed vegetation is quickly replaced. Earthquakes also sometimes occur, and these are most frequent in the months of January, Feb- ruary and March. No intending visitor to St. Thomas need, however, feel any alarm on this score. While, occasionally, plaster and loose stones or bricks from old walls have been known to fall, no instance has yet been recorded of so much as a 68 a ~N Ny » —_ ~ 4 af de v a | | u, 1 WJ AS) ml ix i ll — acti, Soe —-, *J) = 40 a os Jay ~) Joa — a CANAAN ESTATE HOUSE, AFTER HURRICANE hs Hf} —_»eES =i) ti Je j : Pu fy i fas — ie lo “sy == 1/58) pi oy we - Z a= wet a 4 aa, 4 > N se oe ee Do .'- - ~~ Fea — OE age =. — ~ ——+ a 2EESTS => a Es ~~ <= -- — + Se = HAMBURG-AMERICAN LINE OFFICES, AND DREDGE “ST. HILDA” Driven Ashore by Hurricane a oe = {¢ é- > —— _———, = Nomnad =—- ~~ —- _— ~~ . ~ tae as > is — aad > FIRING TIME-GUN BATTERY ON WATERFRONT, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA De .<.— ESO oye, — _- 2 it a) «¢ ap ot oe jie! 1A a) ep ey va sl: t= 4 1 a fi ha a Ye 7 = ir LA 4. uf ¥ i Le, > ‘te ai LUTHERAN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA ON BEAUTIFUL ST. THOMAS wall being thrown down. Usually the shocks seem to come from the south and pass off toward the north. Rarely are there more than two shocks. The earthquakes have but once been accompanied by marine disturbances, such as tidal waves; they appear to be nothing but survivals of stronger shocks that may have taken place in South America and been thence transmitted to St. Thomas. ao An old wood cut of Blackbeard’s Castle, Charlotte-Amalia, St. Thomas, made by Dr. Charles Taylor. The pirate’s flag is a con- cession to popular sentiment. CHAPTER IV RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA PICTURESQUE COAL CARRIERS—WHY ENGLISH IS THE POPU- LAR LANGUAGE—HOW THE “RECONCILING-COURT” DIS- COURAGES LITIGATION—CHURCHES AND sCHOOILS— STREETS, GUTTERS AND HILLS—THE FABLES OF FOUR \HILL-TOPS—BUCCANEERS, BLACKBEARD AND BLUEBEARD ’ —WHY THE GUNS WERE FIRED—HOSPITALITY AND FLOWERS—WATER-FRONT ACTIVITY HE smiling little town of Charlotte- Amalia nestles among four hills, which branch southward from the main range of the island. No stranger can fail to be im- pressed by the beauty of the situation of the picturesque town and no native of St. Thomas can return here after an absence, be it ever so short, without being thoroughly content with his original choice of residence. Charlotte-Amalia was the seat of government when Denmark ruled, and the governor of the three islands spent six months out of the year here and the other six months on the island of St. Croix. The town was named after the consort of Christian V, in whose time it was founded. On the earliest records the name of the town was Tappus, but why 70 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA this name was used is not known. The population is about eight thousand, though there are only about ten thousand people on the entire island. That there are many more women than men is due to the fact that so many of the men have been forced to leave the island to gain a living. Fully ninety per cent. of the total population is negro, but, despite this fact, the St. Thomian negroes are far more polite than any other negroes in the West Indies; they do not seem to wish to be on a footing of equality with their white fellow- citizens. ‘This is undoubtedly due to the excellent and kind training given them during the Danish rule, the results of which will show for many years. If in the future the same treatment is accorded the natives, there will be no troubles between the whites and the negroes. Because of hard times the negroes of St. Thomas have been too frequently forced to leave their beloved little island and seek a living elsewhere. These absentees from home make splendid servants. Happy indeed does a housewife in the West Indies count herself who possesses a St. Thomian for a house-servant. Her less fortunate sisters who have - to content themselves with an inefficient and at 71 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS times insolent servant from Barbadoes, or some other British island, look upon her with envy. The stay-at-home St. Thomian depends for a living chiefly upon the ships that come to Charlotte- Amalia, either to load or to discharge their cargoes. He or she, as the case may be,—for the women work as hard as the men,—easily finds work as a steve- dore upon one of these vessels, or else as a coal- carrier on the wharves which supply ships calling at this port in order to fill their bunkers. . The stevedore’s wages are one dollar per day. The coal-carrier is paid according to the amount of work done. Until January, 1917, the rate for coal-carriers was a cent for every basket brought on board. By dint of hard work some of the stronger laborers were enabled to make as much as two dollars a day, but this was possible, of course, for only a few days each week. To earn two dollars it was necessary to fill two hundred baskets, each of which contained from eighty-five to ninety-five pounds of coal, and to toil with these from the coal heap up a'steeply-inclined gangway to the bunkers of the ship. A labor union formed in Charlotte-Amalia, in imitation of a similar organi- zation founded two years earlier in St. Croix, has 72 eT ea P| ta =| =i! Bolt a! | ong, ~ 00 —> & ~~ | <k _* --— ve i) tS . = —-—_ FA ray ~= ~ = % ee eS >a eo c My 72> he) ho TA i ~~ i ’ KS ee ~~ “") eal we ~ ax Leet 46 at » TYPICAL COAL CARRIERS, CHARLOTTE- AMALIA 7 ~La es re i eit lil |. at » Bats LX ‘8 eee 4 yr yyy yY\ a. ay wel Laz Tt ie Swe | oe -—— _—— + 2, == _—~ ————— —— ——— —_ aa a en -- —— custom HOUSE AND POST ¢ IFFICE, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA, ST. THOMAS RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA succeeded in raising the rate per basket from one cent to two cents. A few strikes occurred before the coal companies agreed to this increase, but in the end matters were settled amicably. The workers took advantage of the fact that the large electric cranes, which had been erected by the West India Company not long before, and which were capable of handling one hundred and fifty tons of coal per hour, had been completely wrecked by the hurricane of October, 1916. Yet it is true that the increased cost of living, and the fact that few ships have called at St. Thomas since the outbreak of the European War, made higher wages imperative. At best, the lot of the faithful coal-carriers is not enviable. The work is hard and the workers are exposed to weather of all kinds, from the in- tense tropical heat of the waterfront to the drench- ing downpour of the rainy season. In spite of these hardships, the laborers are a cheerful lot. They reside in a part of the town known as the “Back-of-All.” . The port of San Juan on Porto Rico has of late years become a serious rival of St. Thomas for the coaling of ships. A number of steamship lines 73 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS which for years called at Charlotte-Amalia are now going to San Juan, where coal is cheaper, owing to the greater proximity to the ports of the United States and the better facilities which have been provided for the supplying of ships with bunker coal. It is thought that when the United States establishes a naval base on the island, the increased demand for laborers and the better pay which they undoubtedly will receive will go far toward bettering their lot and the conditions under which they live. As a race the St. Thomians are far from indo- lent. They are hard-working and willing, but not very efficient, judged by northern standards. Their employers find it advisable to cajole them, instead of using harsh words to them. If the laborers are treated in a kind manner, they are willing to go to all sorts of extremes to repay the treatment. Though, of course, Danish was the official language under the rule of Denmark, it is rare indeed to find a native of St. Thomas who is acquainted with it. All government notices were printed in both Danish and English, while the two local newspapers appeared in the English language. 74 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA But for the fact that the streets bear Danish names, the visitor would not realize that he is in a former colony of Denmark. The Danish language was never forced upon the inhabitants by the govern- ment, and, as a matter of fact, they would have had but little use for it, since their principal com- mercial relations have been with the English- speaking races. Offenses of a criminal nature are almost un- known on the island. A few instances of theft were so severely punished that grand larceny was completely stamped out. While a St. Thomian is not above appropriating to himself or to his family food from his master’s table or any small trifle that happens to strike his fancy, it cannot be said that predetermined stealing is part of his nature. Little happens to disturb the quiet of the tropi- cal dolce-far-niente of Charlotte-Amalia. A quarrel between two jealous female coal-carriers, or the bibulous noise made by a convivial laborer on pay day, are about the only disturbances that call for the interference of the few policemen neces- sary on the island. The law courts are most de- serted, and only one professional lawyer resides in Charlotte-Amalia. 75 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS During the Danish rule, St. Thomas boasted of a system which the other West Indian islands, where litigation at times proves costly, might do well to adopt. This is the “reconciling-court.” If an employer, for instance, became involved in a dispute with his clerk as to the wages due the latter, the clerk was not obliged either to accept his employer’s decision or to hire an expensive lawyer to defend his interests. Either the clerk or his employer could call on the two reconciling judges of the court, who were appointed from the people by the governor. The plaintiff could then state his case and request the judges to take the matter up. Both parties would then be summoned and each would be allowed to tell his side of the question at issue. The judges would give their opinion off-hand and attempt to effect a settle- ment between the disputants. Generally this would succeed, and the matter would be finished. By this simple means many a costly lawsuit was prevented and thus the long delays of northern law courts were unknown. If those who appeared before the “‘reconciling-court” professed them- selves as being content with the decision of the judges and did not carry out the stipulations of 76 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA this decision afterwards, they were severely and summarily dealt with. If, on the other hand, the decision of the judges was not satisfactory to them, and they stated that they wished to carry the matter to the regular law courts, they were at liberty to do so. Since the days of its foundation, Charlotte- Amalia has always welcomed religious bodies of all denominations. The official religion of the Danish government was Lutheran, and ministers of this creed were sent out by the Crown; but no restrictions were placed upon the followers of other beliefs, and as a result the little town has a diversity of houses of worship. Perhaps the hand- somest of these buildings is the Memorial Church of the Moravian Brethren. To-day the Mora- vians are one of the strongest sects on the island, and their missionaries take the most active meas- ures to better the conditions of the St. Thomas laboring classes. At first the Lutheran congregation worshipped in Christian’s Fort. In 1798 the new church building was consecrated and was used until 1826, when it was destroyed by fire. The church was soon rebuilt, and it has been used since 1827. 77 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Until the hurricane of 1916, it was chiefly notice- able because of the beautiful, symmetrical avenue of royal palms which led from the gate to the steps of the building. These were totally destroyed. It will be many years before this attractive feature of the surroundings of the old building can be restored. Like the Lutheran Church, the Dutch Re- formed Church was founded in Charlotte-Amalia on the first settlement of the town. It is possible even that it antedated the Lutheran congregation, for it is more than likely that the first Dutch settlers in 1666 had their own pastor with them. The present building used by the congregation of the Reformed Dutch Church was erected in 1846, the two previous buildings having been destroyed by fire. - There is also a large and imposing Roman Catholic church in Charlotte-Amalia. This was built about 1844. Either Spanish or French supplements Latin in the services, owing to the fact that the majority of the Catholics are natives of the French or Spanish-speaking islands of the Antilles. Occasionally there are services in English. The Episcopal Church has many adherents, 78 — Photograph supplied by William T. Demarest REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA Organized 1688 Sy +2 ** Prive ss. oe an & mee 70 he a Pc, _ a eS ‘Te ty, Pn Fa ere, ie tye 7 a =< a i. el Vi Pn. _ -_- > = —- Photograph by Clarence Taylor CHRIST CHURCH, WESLEYAN, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA rc Vey, e rs) ~ a 1% iar = me Photograph by Clarence Taylor MEMORIAL CHURCH, MORAVIAN, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA _ —_— Fr a Asad ‘te Pah ae ab a ts tii ey} an | _ Photograph by Clarence Taylor ALL SAINTS’ ANGLICAN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE-AMALIA RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA and services are held in a handsome building which was erected some twenty or thirty years ago. In addition to the other denominations named, the French Huguenots and the Jews have places of worship. Good public schools have been founded for education in the lower grades, and Charlotte- — Amalia compares favorably in this respect with towns of its size almost anywhere. Facilities for higher education, however, are woefully lacking. The more well-to-do of the people are obliged to send their children to the United States or to other countries for their final education. It is also to be regretted that St. Thomas does not possess a well-equipped trade school where the negroes can be instructed in the handicrafts. The Moravian missionaries have made successful efforts to instruct their followers in craftsmanship, but otherwise the only manner in which artisans can learn their trades is by apprenticing themselves to a master workman. The town has but one level street of any length. This is the Main street and it is parallel to the waterfront. On this are the shops and warehouses and here merchants and shipping agents have 79 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS their offices. All other streets run at right angles to the main street and are quite precipitous, owing to the fact that the greater part of the town lies on four hills. These hills are, from west to east, Frenchmen’s Hill, Delanois Hill, Government Hill, and Luchetti’s Hill. Many of the streets are called streets by courtesy only, for they consist of a series of stone steps which lead to the heights above. Parallel to these steps run stone gutters which, in rainy spells, carry the water down hill to the sea. These gutters are locally known as “guts,” and on St. Thomas a gut may mean any- thing from a ravine to a small watercourse. The streets and steps are always kept extremely clean. This work is done for the most part by the petty offenders from the prison in the fort. The houses, many of which have most picturesque grilled iron gateways, are painted in all colors and, with their scarlet roofs, they give a gay touch of color to the pretty town. Charlotte-Amalia is lighted by electricity, and good service both for streets and residences is given by the electric company. The town also has a good ice-plant and its markets for the selling of produce and meat are well arranged. In the 80 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA fish-market a supply of fresh fish can always be obtained in the mornings, and fruit, brought by small sailing-vessels from the neighboring British islands, can generally be purchased. Frenchmen’s Hill is so called from the fact that, in the early days, the section of the town in which is this hill was chosen by the French Hugue- not refugees as their abode. The hill forms the extreme western boundary of the town. The next hill, toward the center of Charlotte-Amalia, Delanois Hill, is named after one of the early settlers. Upon the crest are two beacon lights which, when held in line, serve to indicate to vessels entering the harbor the proper channel. Here also can be seen the former Delanois residence and the house which, at one time, was occupied by General Santa Anna of Mexico, who came to St. Thomas, after being expelled from his native country, to pass his declining years in the quiet of Charlotte-Amalia. The older residents still remember seeing this noted warrior in their early childhood, and enjoy telling visitors of the general and how he stumped about the town on his wooden leg. The central portion of Charlotte-Amalia is 6 81 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS built upon Government Hill. Here are the official residence of the governor during the Danish rule and the former Danish Government offices. Few colonies of the West Indies boast of a government- house equal in quiet splendor to that found on St. Thomas. Here the magnificent functions were always held for visiting men-of-warsmen, and naval officers of all nations counted a stay in St. Thomas harbor one of the most pleasant visits made by them in the West Indies. The large ballroom of the residence, with its enormous chandeliers and wonderful old colonial mahogany furniture, is especially handsome. The making of mahogany furniture always was a specialty of the craftsmen of the island, and some of their finest pieces are to be found here. Once visiting tourists were successful in discover- ing antiques of this kind in the little carpenter shops of the town, but so much has been carried off that few specimens are obtainable to-day. On Government Hill is also Blackbeard’s Castle, named after the celebrated John Teach, alias Blackbeard. No proof has ever been brought forward that this pirate, or any other pirate, ever actually resided on the island, although in the 82 | i /, [ —, EY ct: h wa, “ag ay “Tt LR m. 3 wT Fr =~ a, haa an A *> - — ns SY =~ i — ae —— T+ —*\ “ Pe la f i a on (mi —_— \ he i -, “- ae wm) fi * =~ 4 re >». y de® ei Ph hed PY yu! ™ oar ¥ tag 4 e ~ y) =, =: — — éant'\t j 4a we was at ‘ =y Diet pe Pre } i Batis oo =)! hi i ay ~’ pith —- A =~)! =" ~* i oe at RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA early days raids by the buccaneers were not uncommon. Furthermore, no authentic record has ever been found that John Teach resided upon St. Thomas. It will be seen, therefore, that this interesting old residence, one of the first built in Charlotte-Amalia and one of the very few remain- ing to-day that hark back to the settlement of the island, cannot lay claim to having been the abode of the interesting and notorious buccaneer. The cold historical facts about the castle are that it was built by one Charles Baggaert, one of the more turbulent of Governor Iversen’s col- onists, probably in order to annoy the governor. The “absconder from Middelburg,” as Baggaert is called in some of the early reports written by Iversen, built himself a house upon the hill over- looking the lately-erected Christian’s Fort. Iver- sen complained bitterly about Baggaert’s residence that “‘it is not advantageous to the fort that Bag- gaert built his house so much higher than the fort, in so much that everyone who comes to see him can completely overlook it.” This remark of the governor gives one an interesting sidelight on the strategic value of Christian’s Fort. One of the few authentic stories of the activity 83 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS of buccaneers in the Virgin Islands is told in the Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series, America and the West Indies. In 1682 Jean Hamlin cap- tured the merchant vessel La Trompeuse, refitted her as a man-of-war, and made a piratical cruise in the Caribbean. For a time he made his head- quarters at St. Thomas, whose governor not only winked at his misdeeds but received him as a friend. From St. Thomas, during the early months of 1688, raids were made on a number of English merchantmen. Then came an expedition to Africa, in which seventeen Dutch and English sloops were captured. On July 27 La Trompeuse returned to St. Thomas. The story of what happened next is told by C. H. Haring in “The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII Century”: “They were admitted and kindly received by the governor, and allowed to bring their plunder ashore. Three days later Captain Carlile of H. M. S. Francis, who had been sent out by Gov- ernor Stapleton to hunt for pirates, sailed into the harbor, and on being assured by the pilot and by an English sloop lying at anchor there that the ship before him was the pirate La Trompeuse, in the night of the following day he set her on fire 84 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA and blew her up. Hamlin and some of the crew were on board, but after firing a few shots, escaped to the shore. The pirate ship carried thirty-two guns, and if she had not been under-manned Car- lile might have encountered a formidable resist- ance. The Governor of St. Thomas sent a note of protest to Carlile for having, as he said, secretly set fire to a frigate which had been confiscated to the King of Denmark. Nevertheless he sent Hamlin and his men for safety in a boat to another part of the island, and later selling him a sloop, let him sail away to join the French buccaneers in Hispaniola. : “The Danish governor of St. Thomas, whose name was Adolf Esmit, had formerly been himself & privateer, and had used his popularity on the island to eject from authority his brother, Nicholas Esmit, the lawful governor. By protecting and encouraging pirates—for a consideration, of course —he proved a bad neighbor to the surrounding English islands. Although he had but three hun- dred or three hundred and fifty people on St. Thomas, and most of these British subjects, he laid claim to all the Virgin Islands, harbored run- away servants, seamen and debtors, fitted out 85 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS pirate vessels with arms and provisions, and re- fused to restore captured ships and crews which the pirates brought into his port. The King of Denmark had sent out a new governor, named Iversen, to dispossess Esmit, but he did not arrive in the West Indies until October, 1684, when, with the assistance of an armed sloop which Sir William Stapleton had been ordered by the English Council to lend him, he took possession of St. Thomas and its pirate governor.” But even if St. Thomas is not celebrated in the annals of the buccaneers, the residents are not slow to put forward claims to piratical distinction. On Luchetti’s Hill—which was named after an Italian consul—is another so-called buccaneers’ stronghold, Bluebeard’s Castle. Again the ‘cold light of historical research has to dispel the haze of romance. Bluebeard’s Castle was built in 1700 by the local government and served as an addi- tional fortification to defend the town. It was named Frederik’s Fort, and did not pass out of " government hands until it was acquired by a Mr. Luchetti in the first part of the nineteenth cen- tury. Local. tradition states that there is an underground passage between Bluebeard’s and 86 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA Blackbeard’s castles. If so, the early colonists not only were expert miners, but must have possessed boundless patience, superfluous energy and a won- derful lack of common sense to drill a useless tunnel down a hill three hundred feet high, through about a mile of solid rock, and up another hill two hun- dred feet. It would be hard indeed to say what purpose such a passage could have served, and there can be no doubt that this local belief has no foundation of fact. Christian’s Fort, built on the waterfront, was used during the latter days of the Danish occupa- tion as a police station and a jail for offenders sentenced to less than two years’ imprisonment. Although the fort was built in 1672 by Governor Iversen, around the existing old Dutch fortifica- tions, it looks today almost as it looked in the _ seventeenth century, though a clock tower has been added and the main entrance has been some- what changed. It has, of course, no military value, and only three small cannon defend its battlements. At one time these were used for saluting purposes, but it was found that their recoil damaged the roof of the apartment underneath, and the prac- tice was discontinued. 87 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS For many years the fort was the official resi- dence of the governor and other officials. Here the Lutheran clergyman had his quarters, and the church services were held in one of the rooms. The pastor, in fact, had to obtain a military pass from the governor before he was allowed to leave the stronghold, so strict were the seventeenth cen- tury regulations here. The apartments, which are built around an attractively-tiled courtyard, served as offices and cells. There is only one dark cell found, and this is used solely to quiet obstreperous prisoners when they become violent and abusive. Incarceration in this cell soon calms them; the gloom appears to depress the spirits of men of a sunlight-loving race. The prisoners are employed on road work, but they are treated mildly and they have but short working hours. Until a few years ago, one of the rooms of the fort also served as a depository for the currency of the local bank, and the archives of the government offices were also safeguarded here. . The most attractive aspect of the fort is from the waterfront. A small balcony in one corner, decorated with potted flowers, offers a curious con- 88 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA trast to a supposedly frowning fortress. This balcony was part of the residence of the assistant- policemaster. A visit to the fort is well worth while, for it offers a great deal to interest the tourist. On the waterfront, under the fort, is a saluting battery of twelve pieces. From here are returned the salutes given to the governor by visiting war- ships on entering the harbor. The time gun also is fired here. During the Danish rule this gun was fired at five in the morning, at noon, and again at eight in the evening. No satisfactory explanation for the firing of the gun at these hours has ever been given. No one thinks of getting up at five in the morning in happy-go-lucky Charlotte- Amalia, and no one thinks of going to bed at eight o’clock in the pleasure-loving town. The noon gun was noticeable only for its inaccuracy, its being sometimes five minutes fast and again five minutes slow. With gunpowder so high, it is hard to understand why the formality of these detonations was not dispensed with. There is also on the waterfront a little park, called Emancipation Park. In its center stands a noble bust of the beloved Danish king, Christian 89 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS IX. Here the excellent little native band plays twice a week. Yet another small park in the town is known by a name more utilitarian than beautiful, “Coconut Square.” This park also is most attrac- tive with its native shrubs and bougainvillea trees. Near Emancipation Park and Christian’s Fort are the large barracks of the gendarmerie, erected in 1829. These can house two hundred or more soldiers, but during the latter days of the Danish occupation it was necessary to keep only about, sixteen gendarmes on the island. There is one theatre, the Apollo Theatre, in Coconut Square. This is seldom used, for traveling theatrical companies do not find it profitable to come to St. Thomas. Local entertainments are held here, and it is probable that, since so many American sailors and marines are to be stationed on the island, the building will be used frequently for motion pictures. As mentioned, the sanitary conditions of Charlotte-Amalia as a whole are extremely good and there is little disease. An excellent hospital was built by the Danish Government, with all up-to-date appliances. Nurses and physicians were sent out from the mother country. 90 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA The large parade ground, which lies on the east- ern limits of the town, is fringed with a wonderful array of mahogany trees. In former days, this was used for the military parades of the garrison. To-day games such as cricket and football are played here. It is one of the pleasant customs of Charlotte- Amalia to welcome its more popular returning sons with the strains of its little band, which will be assembled upon the landing-wharf on their arrival; and this welcome is typical of the spirit of the kind- ly, hospitable town. In fact, there is no hospitality like that found in Charlotte-Amalia. It is the de- light of the inhabitants to welcome the stranger within their gates, not only with words, but also with gifts of the wonderful flowers that are raised on the island. Unpopular indeed is the lady visi- tor, coming with proper introductions, who is not greeted every other morning or so by a dusky servitor with an enormous bouquet of roses or lilies such as a New York florist would envy, and the message: ‘‘Mrs. So-and-So’s compliments.” The word “compliments” is extensively used by these happy people; it designates greetings, love and thoughtful kindness such as is not often found elsewhere. Q1 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Travelers may speak as they will of the delights of the floral tributes of Hawaii; these cannot com- pare with the offerings made by the St. Thomians to their visiting friends. The custom is not re- stricted to the upper classes, for it is no unusual thing for the servants to bring flowers to their employers. This is not done in any spirit of sycophancy, but only from a warm-hearted desire to please. And then the dinners and festivities provided for the visitor! It is almost impossible to escape from them, and the more formal affairs make one think of the eighteenth century ceremonial ban- . quets. Old wines are produced from the cellars, toasts are drunk, and wonderful food is prepared for these feasts by old negro cooks from whose looks none would suspect an ability to produce the most Lucullean dishes without the aid of a cook book! Happy indeed is life in Charlotte-Amalia. Any right-minded visitor cannot but feel a thrill in later years when memories come to him of days spent on “the blessed island.” Curious old-time customs still prevail in the town. On Christmas night carols are sung in the 92 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA streets and native bands circulate through the town with the singers. Most of the singers in these bands play on the flute, the guitar or an instru- ment called a “scratchy-scratch.” This latter in- strument is made from a long calabash upon which grooves have been cut which, when scraped with a piece of wire, produce a weird sound that does not go badly with the other instruments. The voices of the negroes, while a trifle melancholy, are not unmusical. New Year’s Day is the great festival. Singing and dancing take place in the streets, beginning as early as three in the morning. At daybreak the performers join in a body under the balcony of the governor’s residence and the official in charge is supposed to appear and make a speech. Then eatables and drinkables are distributed among the merry-makers, and a small amount of money is ‘given to each. Later,in the day the streets are filled with the so-called “maskers”—natives who have dressed themselves in carnival costumes, and who, in small bands, visit their friends and em- ployers to wish them the compliments of the season and, incidentally, to receive some liquid refreshment. The performers are well-mannered 93 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS and not too noisy, and the police do not often find it necessary to interfere with their merry-making. Although of late years the trade of St. Thomas has fallen off sadly, a number of steamship lines still call at the port regularly. The Quebec Steam- ship Company’s steamers arrive bi-monthly from New York and on their return voyage from the Leeward Islands and the Guyanas again touch here. The motor-ships of the East-Asiatic Com- pany call on their way to Denmark from Oriental ports by way of the Panama Canal. The inter- colonial steamer of the Compagnie Generale Trans- atlantique, trading between Martinique, Guadeloupe, Porto Rico, Santo Domingo and Cuba touches at St. Thomas on both its outward and homeward- bound voyage. The Leyland Line ships put into the port every six weeks on the way from England to Jamaica. The Bull-Insular Line comes here every two weeks with a small steamer to obtain freight for its large cargo-vessels plying between Porto Rico and New York and to bring passengers to St. Thomas and receive passengers for Porto Rico. In addition to these, many cargo-ships call in order to obtain coal for their bunkers. A small motor-vessel also makes weekly trips to Fajardo 04 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA from Porto Rico and carries the mail in both directions. Before the outbreak of the European War a far larger number of steamship companies made St. Thomas a regular port of call. The Hamburg- American Line, which established its chief depot in the Antilles on St. Thomas, had as many as fifteen steamers per month during the first six months of 1914. Accurate figures are not available as to the number or tonnage of vessels now calling at the port, but, in order to obtain an idea of the facilities offered by this excellent harbor, it may be stated that in 1918 two hundred vessels called here, while during the first half of 1914 this num- ber was materially increased. Since the outbreak of the European War, a large percentage of the St. Thomians have been thrown out of work and have been forced to leave the island because of the decrease in the number of arriving steamers. There are six docks on the waterfront from which coal can be supplied to ships, or where cargo can be discharged or taken on board. Vessels drawing up to thirty-one feet of water can moor alongside these docks. In addition to these facili- ties an anchorage for an incredibly large number 95 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS of ships can be found in the harbor itself, and these can be discharged by means of lighters owned by private companies and steamship agents. In 1867 a floating dry-dock was launched. This had a lifting capacity of three thousand tons. It failed to work, and was not repaired and put into active operation until 1875. Since then it has lifted over eleven hundred large ships. This dock is generally used by the smaller steamers which ply around the islands of Santo Domingo and Porto Rico, and those in inter-insular service in the northern part of the Leeward Islands. The only other docks in the West Indies are at Trinidad, Havana and Jamaica. For this reason, St. Thomas can depend upon a steady amount of work of this character. . Various shipyards offer facilities for the dock- ing of small sailing vessels and the repairing of the machinery of steamers. A cable comes to St. Thomas from Jamaica and Panama and connects this island with the Leeward Islands, so that there is telegraphic communica- tion with all parts of the world. The two excellent little newspapers published in the island, one a daily paper, the other and larger one a bi-weekly, obtain their foreign news from the bulletins pro- 96 RAMBLES ABOUT CHARLOTTE-AMALIA vided by this cable company. Another cable connects St. Thomas with the island of St. Croix. This cable was laid by the Danish Government and was used principally for government business. There is no telegraphic communication between St. Thomas and St. John. St. Thomas does a fair amount of inter-colonial trade, and, since its acquisition by the United States the local merchants look for a substantial increase in their business. In the year preceding the sale of the islands, more of this island’s foreign trade of St. Thomas went -to the United States than to any other country. During the fiscal year ending March $1, 1916, the total trade amounted to $784,680. In this amount the United States shared to the extent of $332,286. Imports at St. Thomas constitute about seventy per cent. of the total imports for all three islands. CHAPTER V THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS TO “MA FOLIE” ON PONYBACK—FINDING HIDDEN TREAS- URES ON THE SHORES OF MAGENS BAY—WHAT THE KITCHEN-MIDDENS REVEALED~—AN ABANDONED SUGAR ESTATE AND A RUINED MISSION STATION—A HUNTERS’ PARADISE—MORE ABANDONED ESTATES AND A HAUNTED RUIN—CURIOUS CEMETERY ORNAMENTS—THE “GRAVE- YARD OF SHIPS” AND A GHOSTLY ARRAY OF FIGURE- HEADS—ESCAPING SLAVES AND PICTURESQUE “CHA-CHAS” O learn thoroughly the island of St. Thomas one must either be a good pedestrian or obtain a sure-footed pony. There are practically no carriage roads. The only roads which allow a fairly long drive lead from Charlotte-Amalia to Brewer’s Bay, about three miles west of the town, or from Charlotte-Amalia to Water Bay, about five miles east. This latter road, however, is none too good, and it has some stiff hills which make a strong horse a necessity. But what St. Thomas lacks in carriage roads it makes up in attractive mountain trails and bridle paths. . Perhaps the first excursion which a visitor with plenty of time at his disposal should take is to Ma Folie, an estate lying upon one of the crests of the 98 f= =" Ae (ony | a ' be aie =a eo wx ee A= ay 1 |) —_—) Fal nw 4 oe a3 ~> [= hn i) -—. Hj == fi = pa —— =p BI Ly =~ : fg ce 7 SED S,presganig que [TA S,N2qIN'] ‘suns UY 4yOT UO ‘puy yo] UO afsUD s,prvaqyoeig Gye [TH IeurassA0N qSry OF [TA sloUKPEC WTIOd SI NMOL FHL HOIHM NOdA STIIH UNO SLI JO AAUHL AONV VYIVWV-EZLLOTUVHO ONIMOHS ‘AOGUVH SVNOHL ‘LS JO MALA OINVAONVd - aa —_ eye ° yo THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS main mountain range of the island, on which can be seen the stone obelisk erected by the Brazilian astronomers when they established a station to observe the transit of Venus in 1882. The owner of this estate seems to have been aware of the futility of going in for agriculture on the precipi- tous slopes of his land, and named it “My Folly” in consequence. The road leading to Ma Folie makes a stiff ascent from the town, but the view from the sum- mit well pays for all the labor involved. It is always possible on St. Thomas to obtain hardy little ponies suitable for and accustomed to the mountain trails, and they can be hired at small cost. It is well, though, to try out a hired animal on a level stretch before using him on a steep path. The summit of Ma Folie once reached, there is spread out what is perhaps one of the most wonderful views in the Antilles. Directly below, one sees the town of Charlotte-Amalia and the harbor of St. Thomas with its variety of ships of all nationalities. In the far distance Buck Island and Frenchman’s Cap can be seen, and on clear days the mountains of the island of St. Croix. To the west, Culebra and Vieques seem to beckon the 99 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS visitor toward the misty elevation of the mainland of Porto Rico. To the north, the seas seem studded with little islands. Hans Lollik, Little Hans Lollik, Outer Brass, Inner Brass, and the Cockroach and Cricket resemble nothing so much as emeralds in an azure setting. To the east an even larger num- ber of cays and islands are visible, and even Virgin Gorda of the British Virgin Islands looms up, while Sage Mountian on Tortola is a prominent feature. The bays and inlets on St. Thomas itself astound with their beauty the visitor unaccus- tomed to the blues of West Indian seas and the cream-colored sands of the shores. A road leads both east and west from Ma Folie. Following this road to the eastward the tourist comes to the Louisenhéh estate and to a road named the King Road which leads, by way of the Canaan estate, to the wonderful Magens Bay. Of all the scenic splendors on the island, this bay stands alone. Its waters run through all shades and variations, from a delicate green to a sapphire blue, and its fringe of white beach forms a vivid contrast to the brown and gray of the rocks on the peninsula of Picara which forms its eastern boundary. 100 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS It was on the shores of this bay that the expe- dition sent out by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, of New York City, was successful in locating the remains of the village site of the aboriginal tribe that lived on the island previous to the coming of the Spanish discoverers. There can be no doubt that Magens Bay was an ideal location for the Indian village. In the first place the bay is well sheltered, with the excep- tion of northerly storms, and its sloping, sandy beach made the hauling up of canoes an easy matter. Then the presence of the giant Ceiba (cottonwood) trees on the hill slopes near by assured the Indians of an unfailing supply of material for their dug-out canoes. The waters of Magens Bay abound not only with shell food but with fish of all kinds. Birds and bird-eggs and the now extinct Isolobodon por- toricensis (a mammal about the size of a rabbit) helped to supply the Indian’s wants for animal food. And the hills and valleys to the back of Magens Bay undoubtedly served admirably for the cultivation of cassava, yucca and the hundred and one fruits that make life delightful in the West 101 7 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Indies. Pools and springs furnished the Indian household with the required water. To fix the actual location of the Magens Bay village site was a difficult matter, for the dense brush. with which the shores of the bay was cov- ered made the search for low mounds almost impossible. Minute pottery fragments were widely scattered, byt, as the water courses which exist in the Magens Bay valley during the rainy season undoubtedly were responsible for the distribution of these fragments, they did not serve as a guide to the spot where excavations were to begin. At last an uprooted tree solved the problem. An examination of the cavity left by the roots of a large “turpentine tree” which had been over- turned by the recent hurricane, brought to light many shells and several large postsherds. Then the realization came that, since the days of the aborigines, the entire Magens Bay valley had been covered by a two foot deposit of diluvium, and that in consequence it was of no use to look for hummocks or mounds of pre-historic origin on the surface of a valley covered and made almost level by the decomposed humus. Owing to the dense undergrowth, it was found 102 es —=— Ae “1 ca i f “~ anne " = 3 = és A ra! = af ae A we... ~~ , ly ae ~ eS Lv i ae / — ae. a yD Av “= a po Py ry at \ ate 4 “i ~ } : a5 44 ~,? * =, t: or cs wa 7 > Bh oe of Ly 2 Nar v ‘ vir # AY > & ea av fi 2 ee a) *ih Vs ae ~— pe Uae YT ye nN Avg jo qyNoyY Ur ABD ssvag 13jNG puv y4ZIYy UO YUIOg BIBdIY FULMONG SVROHL ‘LS dO LSVOD HLYON ‘XV@ SNADVA JO MIA OINVHONVd . ue. THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS necessary to employ a gang of men to chop down the brushwood and smaller trees and then to burn them. When the ground was cleared, it became possible to observe the presence of a ten foot high mound which merged with the slope of a small hill against which it lay. Excavations were started in this mound by a considerable number of workmen and a trench was commenced which had a semi-circular shape, a width of about seventy-five feet and a breadth of perhaps thirty feet. The eastern slope of this mound was limited by the slope of the hill, and the western slope was terminated by a little path which ran through the undergrowth. The mound, as has been stated, was almost indiscernible; it was impossible to make out where the mound stopped and the hill slope began until after the excavations had been made. In fact, had it not been for the fallen tree, it might have been a long time before the expedition would have started excavations in this particular spot, because the appearance of the ground made one think more of a hill slope than of a pre-Columbian deposit. The process of digging for prehistoric treasures of Indian pottery is interesting. First a trench 103 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS some thirty feet wide was made in an easterly direction, toward the slope of the hill. Then a hole some six feet wide was dug over the entire length of the trench—in this instance thirty feet— and from this an excavation was made down to the original bottom which existed before the form- ing of the Indian mound. While making such a hole, it is difficult to prevent breakage of the artifacts that may be found, as work with a pick and shovel in a perpendicular direction is not con- ducive to the preservation of specimens of a friable nature. Once the hole is made, however, the work- men are able to proceed in a straight direction by undermining the wall of the trench in the lowest part of the excavation. It will then be found that the earth, shells and ashes will fall down by their own weight and it becomes an easy matter to pick the Indian specimens from the debris. The bottom of the excavation is always kept as clean as pos- sible so that smaller artifacts, such as stone beads and amulets, can be the more easily discovered. The formation of an Indian kitchen-midden, or refuse heap, is a curious process. In the Magens Bay middens, beginning on the surface, one finds a deposit, about two feet thick, of diluvium. This 104 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS deposit is somewhat lighter in color than those immediately below. The diluvium or humus was formed in the course of centuries, after the Indians had abandoned the site, by a decomposition of the leaves, branches, roots, et cetera, that fell upon the surface of the mound. The grasses growing upon the surface formed a kind of sod, and, what with this and the intertwining of the roots of the trees and bushes, the first layer was quite tough, and hard enough to dig in. Under the first layer came two others, both of these being about three feet thick. These latter layers were constituted of a mix- ture of humus, ashes, charcoal, artifacts, shells and the bones of such animals as were eaten by the Indians. Occasionally a burial was found in the lower of the two layers, but fully eighty per cent. of the burials were found in the sea sand di- rectly under the two layers caused by the Indian occupation. While the majority of the artifacts found i in the two layers directly under the diluvial deposit were the fragments of broken vessels, there were some- times entire vessels. In the: majority of cases these vessels accompanied burials, and, in conse- 105 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS quence, had been buried entire. Probably they were filled with food stuffs which were to serve the departed for his journey to the Great Beyond. But sometimes a vessel would turn up in the Magens Bay deposits which was not accompanied by a burial. Probably this had been discarded by its Indian owner, owing to a flaw in the ware, or else had been buried accidentally under a mound of shells. The Indians probably deposited their dead in the original surface of sea sand some seven feet below the surface of the mound. The practise of burials in the floors of dwellings was not uncom- mon on many of the West Indian islands, as has been proven by the researches of other investi- gators. Of the nime burials that were found on the Magens Bay site, seven were of adults and two of children. Six of the burials were accom- panied by mortuary vessels, but outside of these vessels no other objects were found with the dead. The vessels were of the plainest construction, without decoration, and so were in great contrast to the elaborately decorated vessels that are found on the islands to the westward, Porto Rico and Santo Domingo. Judging from these and from 106 “* “= ~~ % PS _ a ng — wo ¢ tS <#. — -, ‘$ - mA 4 CROSS-SECTION OF ABORIGINAL MOUND, MAGENS BAY, 8T. THOMAS a ~ Me wa —- KING ROAD, NEAR MAGENS BAY, ST. THOMAS 7 Ay oy \ We 4 yn ¥ # °* ~~ he M Mi hy he Mid | | ; ie 2.“ "* oe a 4 ~t waee CLEARING LAND Bt FIRE, MAGENS BAY, 8ST. THOMAS ay ot ope ans Wes -, —— wi ! ae a © 7 re — wa (Ne \e! a awe >», + it~ ~~ wer 2 a a ae LABORERS EXCAVATING IN PRE-HISTORIC DEPOSITS, MAGENS BAY, ST. THOMAS THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS other objects found in the deposits, the aborigines of St. Thomas were decidedly not of Arawak stock. The only other aboriginal deposit found on St. Thomas was an extensive shell-heap on Krum Bay, on the south coast of the island. No Indian specimens were found in this, and the only plaus- ible theory to account for the presence of these shells is that the Indians went from the north coast over the mountain ridge to Krum Bay to fish for these shells, opened them on the spot, and then carried the mollusks to their homes at Magens Bay. An extensive and thorough survey of the bays of the island convinced the expedition that no other village site could be found on St. Thomas. An exploration of the valley of Magens Bay will reveal the ruins of the buildings of a forgotten plantation, “‘Eenigheit,” which was erected by the earliest Dutch settlers. These remains are known to but few present-day inhabitants of the island, and one has considerable difficulty in locating them. They lie about half a mile inland. Near the shore is some other masonry, as well as an old cannon or two. Evidently the canny Dutch settlers did not seem inclined to live here without taking 107 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS necessary precaution against the raids of sea rovers and assaults from other enemies. Another most attractive road, to the eastward of Charlotte-Amalia, leads by the extensive ruins of what once was one of the largest sugar estates of the island. What is now used as pasture land for the herds that provide the town with its daily supply of fresh milk was at one time a waving field of sugar-cane. Here is practically the only level area of any extent that can be found on St. Thomas. The remains of an abandoned wind- mill speak of the days when the sugar-cane was ground by the rollers of a mill operated by the sea breezes or by the mules which walked in an unceasing circle. The juice from the cane ran into open kettles under which were enormous fires, and the heat brought about the evaporation of the sugar. From a modern point of view this method would be considered wasteful and expen- sive, but that it was profitable in the eighteenth century is proven by the ruins of the hand- some residence which the planters were able to erect. Continuing along this road, one comes to the Moravian missionary station of New Hernhut, - 108 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS erected in 1787. The history of the estate and of the Moravian Brethren on the island is inter- esting. The first missionaries sent out were received on sufferance by the planters, who were violently opposed to the Brethren’s efforts to improve the condition of their slaves. A tree is still shown on St. Thomas under which the Moravian services were held for a long time, as the missionaries were too poor to erect a building and no one on the island was kindly enough disposed toward their efforts to lend them one. Finally, in 1787, a benevolent planter assisted them in purchasing a small estate, which was named New Hernhut, after the Hernhut Seminary whence the Brethren came. Opposition to the Moravians grew, and the planters finally forbade their slaves to attend their services, fearing that the kindly treatment accorded the unfortunate Africans might make them dis- contented with their lot and lead to future revolts. In spite of this opposition and many other trials, the mission of New Hernhut prospered and to-day the Moravians are a power for good.on the island. One cannot but have great admiration for these people, not only because they are earnest teachers 109 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS of religion, but because they teach the natives the use of tools. The missionaries have always personally assisted in the erection of their buildings and are as adept in the handling of tools as they are in expounding a theological doctrine. They owned slaves for many years, but they liberated those they held in 1844, four years before emancipation became a fact by royal decree. The New Hernhut station was severely dam- aged by the hurricane of 1867 and was allowed to fall into ruins. Since then the missionary in charge has contented himself with humbler quar- ters on the estate. There is a fairly large church, as well as a school which is well patronized by the natives who live in the neighborhood. Of the old buildings, the ruins of the large kitchen are especially noticeable. After passing New Hernhut, the road leads by the old Tutu Estate, another landmark of the days when St. Thomas derived as great wealth from its agriculture and its slaves as from the - commerce that came to its harbor. The Tutu Estate is situated on what is said to be one of the healthiest spots on the island, and it is a favorite 110 “ ~e “« hee’ a rts a». < RUINS OF STAIRWAY, NEW HERNHUT MORAVIAN MISSION STATION, ST. THOMAS = Ay a. et ve <>" fw sala — a ne =~ +r ie oe) - ) ~ q, ol RUINS OF OLD MORAVIAN MISSION STATION, NEW HERNHUT, 8ST. THOMAS - >» Ae. af. er ia By a) ~, ~/ a> wf f Tot *) s ~ at Je i * > \8 *) oo ais <4 NZ Be = if ‘ RUINS OF MANDAL ESTATE, ST. THOMAS ——_- a —_ ~ - - - ed NEGRO FISHING WITH CASTING NET, ST. THOMAS THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS recuperating resort for those worn out by the summer heat in town. The road finally leads to Water Bay, on the east coast of the island, where is a small settle- ment of fishermen who live in somewhat precarious poverty. These natives pursue their calling in the waters between St. Thomas and St. John and sell their catch in the market of Charlotte-Amalia. Water Bay, like all bays of these regions, abounds with pelicans, and it is interesting to watch the graceful dives of these seemingly clumsy birds, made in order to obtain their quota of food. Their method of fishing differs from that frequently employed by the local fishermen, who have be- come expert in the use of a peculiar type of casting net, shaped like a parachute, the outside edge weighted with leaden balls. The fisherman wades into the water and detects a school of small fish. With an indescribably quick motion he then throws the net—which has been carefully folded into small compass—in such a manner that it opens out and drops on the school of fish. The fish, becom- ing entangled in the meshes, are the fisherman’s property. In this region and in the Red Hook district the 111 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS followers of Nimrod and Isaac Walton can find ample opportunity to satisfy their desire for sport. European fallow-deer were imported by some of the early European settlers and can still be found and hunted, although there are so few left and they have become so wild that hunting them becomes an arduous sport indeed. At certain times of the year pigeons abound and make excel- lent shooting, especially at dusk when they fly from the woods, where they have been gathering berries, to. their nests in the mangrove trees. Ducks are also found on some of the small ponds and lagoons.. At any time of the year one can hunt a large variety of the delicious wood-dove, which is found in considerable numbers. Because of the importation of the East Indian mongoose other birds have become scarce. This supposedly useful animal, after finding that the rats he was to destroy did not offer as easy a prey as the young birds and that the birds’ eggs were quite to his liking, turned his attention to these. Soon he was successful in annihilating the greater part of the bird life of the island. One occasionally sees the agouti (Dasyprocta agoutt) on the island. A few of these small Brazil- 112 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS ian mammals, which resemble an overgrown guinea pig, must, at some forgotten time, have been set loose on the island by a practical joker. They have multiplied wonderfully. To the south of Water Bay the entire east — coast of St. Thomas is barren and dry. But little water is found here, and the vegetation resembles that of an arid tropical region. Those of the people who keep cattle or horses are obliged to go elsewhere for fodder. It is their usual practice to procure grass for their animals on Thatch Cay, bringing this home in their canoes. There are in circulation many stories regarding the presence of piratical treasure on Thatch Cay, and every once in awhile some enthusiastic St. Thomians will repair here and spend time in arduous excavations of parts of the cay. Up to date, however, these efforts have not been crowned with success, and it is more than probable that the treasure will forever remain lost to posterity. Another charming excursion that can be taken to the east of Charlotte-Amalia is a trip to the old Windberg Estate, with a further trip to the summit of Windberg itself. Windberg was well named ‘Windy Hill” by the first planter who 8 113 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS owned land here, as even on the most sultry days - there is upon its crest a constant chilly breeze But little remains of the old building, which was _ one of the first and most important plantation houses on the island. The walls and upper stories of the “Great House,” as the owner’s residence was always called in slave times, have been blown down by the successive hurricanes since the estate was left uncultivated after the abolition of slavery. But a tesselated floor of imported marble speaks volumes for the ease and luxury in which the old-time settlers lived, and the ruins of an enormous bake oven alongside the kitchen tell of the hos- pitality for which St. Thomas was famous. After examining the remains of the house, the traveler does well to make the precipitous ascent of the hill itself. Elevated perhaps twelve hun- dred feet above sea level, its crest offers a view to the eastward over St. John and the British Virgin Islands that rivals in beauty the seascape observed from Ma Folie. And even if the little trail is hard to ascend, and one lives in fear that one’s pony may slip while clambering upward, every visitor to the island should make the climb; it will prove a never-to-be-forgotten experience. 114 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS After visiting Windberg, instead of returning by the same road, it is possible to take a road to the north coast and to return by the King Road to Magens Bay. This route leads past the Mandal Estate, where the unusually large ruins of an ancient sugar factory again speak of the former agricultural resources of St. Thomas. It is popu- larly believed by the natives that these ruins were at one time inhabited by an unfortunate sufferer from that dread tropical disease, leprosy, and that he died here in solitude and still haunts the spot. One cannot hire a St. Thomian of the lower classes to pass this road after nightfall, and even in the light of day those who are really superstitious unconsciously hasten their footsteps and show a desire to pass this spot as quickly as possible. In this district the hill slopes are covered with large forests of turpentine trees, perhaps the least attractive of West Indian trees, and certainly the most worthless of the flora of the Antilles. They have gawky, brown limbs and trunk, and one wonders to what use they can be put, or why an attractive landscape should be spoiled by their presence. The wood contains too much resin to make the tree of use for lumber, and yet the 115 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS quantity is not enough to make the extraction of turpentine profitable. Furthermore, wherever for- ests of these trees are found, other vegetation seems to languish. The presence of these trees is there- fore rather undesirable and a detriment to an estate. Before reaching the road leading down to Magens Bay, the visitor passes an estate named Lovenlund, which is now used for the raising of cattle. In addition to the routes named, a multitude of small trails over the hills offer interesting excursions to the visitor to the eastern part of the island. Each trip he takes makes him eager for the pleasures that can be found in further explora- tions of the bypaths with a good horse. The excursions to be made west on St. Thomas are also of great interest. On leaving the out- skirts of the town, the traveler first passes the three different cemeteries that are kept in order by various congregations. Perhaps one of the most curious customs of the island is the manner in which the graves are ornamented. No rocks are found locally that are sufficiently hard and durable to serve as tombstones, so a St. Thomian makes 116 e a ey| | _ — —H* ere a “GUT” AND STREET MADE LIKE A STAIRWAY CHARLOTTE-AMALIA » a7 I 21 ee ke oF > =a) —- C00 %“>* et SS of \ 4 qf 4 4 >, v _™ ee > T is qe ee! — al NATIVE GRAVE ORNAMENTED WITH CONCH SHELLS, 8ST. THOMAS \* ™ aa re. a r% ~— 24 << *) &> at - a — FIGURE-READS OF OLD SAILING VESSELS IN KRUM BAY SHIPYARD, ST. THOMAS — . - — Ss > . — ~ a = = + oa Tae ~ ~* a KRUM BAY WITH SHIPYARD AND COCONUT DESTROYED BY HURRICANE 8ST. THOMAS THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS use of conch shells to ornament the graves of his dear ones. These shells, the mouths of which are a vivid pink, are set in the concrete edge surround- ing the grave and they form a decoration that is attractive even it if is somewhat unusual. On some West Indian islands a cemetery is synonymous with a thicket which has the appearance of an abandoned jungle, but on St. Thomas the ceme- teries indicate loving care. Even upon the most humble grave may be seen a small bunch of flowers, sometimes placed in a broken bottle. These flowers show as much thought as the most elabo- rate floral tribute on the graves of those whose families are endowed with more worldly goods. _ After passing these burying grounds, the road branches to the north and to the south, and the southern and more level road leads by another Moravian missionary station named Niesky. This is of somewhat later date than the New Hernhut station, but is in far better preservation and to-day is of more importance. Here is a very pretty little church and an imposing three-storied residence for the missionary in charge. There is also a school of some one hundred and fifty pupils under direct supervision of the missionary, 117 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS The next point of interest on this road is Krum Bay, where is the important supply station of the West India and Panama Telegraph Company. This station was practically totally destroyed by the recent hurricane. Several of the smaller build- ings were completely turned over and storehouses with their valuable contents were greatly damaged. A plantation of coconut trees suffered a like fate, the tops of the trees being damaged to such an extent that they will never again bear fruit. The tanks in which the submarine cables are kept in sea water, to prevent deterioration of their rubber coverings, are an interesting sight. It is a strange fact that rubber, which finds its origin in tropical countries, does not withstand the cli- matic conditions of the tropics once it has been prepared. In consequence, cable companies in these regions are forced to keep their spare cables constantly submerged. ‘ Directly across from the station of the telegraph company is the wrecking-yard which has made Krum Bay famous to dozens of marine insur- ance companies, and is of prime interest to all visitors to the island. For years, whenever a ship was forced to put into St. Thomas harbor in 118 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS distress, in a dismasted or leaking condition, it was necessary for the agent of the underwriters to decide whether the vessel was worth repairing by the insurance companies, or if it should be written off their books as a total loss. It is whispered that on most occasions the inspectors found it necessary to condemn a disabled vessel. The ves- sel then was put up at public auction and sold for & mere song. The next procedure was to take the ship to Krum Bay, where it was stripped of its valuable parts, such as rigging, winches, anchors, masts, yards, et cetera. Then, if the ship was of wood, it was burned in order to save the copper nails and sheathing in its hull. Krum Bay, in consequence, has often been named “the grave- yard of ships,” and for many years it was held in bad odor by the insurance companies. Of late years, however, these conditions have been changed, and the wrecking-yard pursues the legitimate calling of providing missing parts for storm-tossed ships which come to St. Thomas for repairs. The owner of the shipping yard has a small museum of curiosities which he at different times saved from ships, such as old style compasses, 119 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS barometers, signal cannon, and a thousand and one other articles found on ancient wind-jammers before the advent of steam made navigation a matter of exact science. Here also is a strange collection of figure-heads from old sailing ships. The owner has around his dwelling house and repair shops perhaps eighteen or twenty of these curious relics. On one side is Joan of Arc, a gaudily dressed female who once was the pride ofa sailing vessel of that name. Then a respectable old gentleman in a white choker collar calls to mind an old whaling captain, who not only gave his name to the ship he owned but found it necessary to embellish his command with his own effigy. An American eagle speaks of the days when the fame of clipper ships was undimmed, and a Pocahontas, in conventional Indian dress with buckskin moc- casins, brings to mind the picture of a staunch old sailing vessel from a southern port. The owner of the yard is inordinately fond of these figure-heads and will not part with them at any price. Every year he decorates his charges with coats of paints of many hues, and he is only too glad to relate their history to visitors who call at his establishment. 120 THE ISLAND OF BEAUTIFUL VIEWS The road ‘to the westward leads on to Mosquito Bay, where there is opportunity for excellent sea bathing. Beyond this comes Brewer’s Bay, one of the most charming inlets on the island. The road then ascends the mountain range, and, after passing a few small settlements consisting of two or three houses, finally comes to Botany Bay on the extreme western end of the island. From Botany Bay, in plantation days, escaping slaves made their way to Porto Rico by way of the small cays which lie between St. Thomas and Porto Rico. They made the dangerous journey in canoes, which they ‘either stole from their owners or found oppor- tunity to manufacture. The returning of these escaped slaves was always a matter of controversy bets the Danish or Dutch owners and the Spanish authorities on Porto Rico, since the latter claimed that the slaves came to Porto Rico to be baptized in the Catholic religion. This was their excuse for retaining the valuable property. While the slaves went to Porto Rico to escape the cruelties of. Danish or Dutch owners, history does not state that they received any kinder treatment from the Spaniards, who were never noted for their gentle- ness toward those they held in bondage. 121 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Throughout St. Thomas are small patches of cultivated land which are tilled by the so-called “cha-chas.” These patches are frequently located on the precipitous slopes of the mountains and it is a wonder that the roots of plants can take hold there and that the agriculturists can keep their balance while engaged in tilling the soil. These cha-chas are white settlers who came origi- nally from the Dutch and French Leeward Islands. They have not intermarried with the negroes and they live to themselves, resenting any outside interference with their affairs. They are a hard drinking race, yet they are among the most indus- trious people on the island, and are especially good canoemen. Their canoes are not much better than boxes made from scraps of wood, but they manage not only to get about in them but also to prevent themselves from getting drowned. With their ruddy faces, stiffly starched blue shirts, tight white trousers and broad-brimmed straw hats of their own manufacture, they present a curious and unusual appearance. CHAPTER VI THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN IN THE DAYS OF COMPANY RULE—ADVENTURES OF THE FIRST SETTLERS—ENCOURAGEMENTS TO GROWERS OF SUGAR-CANE—THE HARSH MEASURES THAT INCITED A SLAVE INSURRECTION—A CAPTURED FORT, A SIEGE RE- LIEVED AND GUERILLA WARFARE—THE AFTERMATH OF THE REBELLION—INCREASING POPULATION ISTORY does not tell the exact year in H which St. John was settled. As early as 1687 the Danish West India and Guinea Company seems to have laid claim not only to St. Thomas but also to St. John and Crab (Vieques) Islands; at any rate the appointment papers of Governor Adolph Esmit, who succeeded Governor Milan in that year, included all these islands under his charge. This may, of course, have been an idle claim on the part of the company and an unwarranted assumption of authority over islands to which they had no right. Three years earlier, in 1684, with the aid of two merchants from Bar- badoes, an attempt seems to have been made to set up an establishment of a sort on St. John, but Governor Stapleton of the Leeward Islands sent two sloops and drove away the forty odd men that had established themselves there. 123 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS In 1688 the Governor of St. Thomas was in- structed by the directors of the West India Com- pany to place from four to six men on the island of St. John and to encourage them to begin plant- ing, but it was not until 1717 that these pl ‘ns were actually carried out. In 1716 the governor of St. Thomas wrote his directors that a number of his charges were anxious to settle on St. John, but that they were afraid to do so because the British from Tortola would allow no one of another nationality to go there and cut timber. In reply the directors sent instructions that the British claims to St. John were to be disregarded. Con- sequently, in 1717, Governor Erik Bredal took passage on an armed vessel with twenty planters, sixteen negroes, five soldiers and one officer, and landed on St. John in Coral Harbor Bay. The governor afterwards reported the adven- tures of the expedition, as follows: “T have planted there the flag of our most gra- cious king, and fired a salute, and then we feasted, and drunk the health, first of our sovereign, and then of the Company. Later, I selected a place on which to build a fort and a level place beneath it on which a village can stand. The harbor here 124 > an — (* ~y y # a/ a Zz b ™ fi 4, ~~ mee d Be » © fe. eo o°o fe > oz ee, : ae ~s ze << EA ie THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN is quite secure and when a person is in it, he sees land all about him. I have permitted the planters to indicate which pieces of land they preferred and have selected a place for the Company’s plantation just a cannon-shot distance from the fort which is to be built there. Later, the planters have returned because of their fear of the English and are simply waiting cautiously to see what the latter will attempt.” Although the planters returned to St. Thomas in trepidation, fearing an invasion by the British, the little garrison sent by the governor seems to have been made of sterner stuff. The sixteen negroes, helped by the five soldiers and commanded by the Danish officer, cleared ground around the site selected for the fort and made a road through the brush on which to drag the nine-pounders that were to be mounted on the redoubts. When the discovery was made that the Danes really intended to claim St. John and that, if necessary, they were ready to defend their claim, the governor of the Leeward Islands dispatched a man-of-war to Charlotte-Amalia to remonstrate with Governor Bredal and to intimidate him with threats of an armed descent upon the infant colony. 125 ~ THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Bredal returned a message to the British authorities that he was but following out the directions given him from Copenhagen. Forthwith he notified his directors of the threats that had been made, at the same time pleading for the sending from Den- mark of a reinforcement of a hundred men. Hav- ing additional forces, he seems to have considered that any British attempt to dislodge the new settlement on St. John was doomed to failure. St. John soon attracted other settlers from the neighboring island of St. Thomas, as can be gathered from the fact that by 1720 thirty-nine planters had received deeds to estates on the island. Exemptions from taxation were granted for the first eight years of residence and settlers were allowed to take as much lime and wood as they wanted free of cost in order to enable them to erect their buildings. They were requested to set up their sugar mills within five years after the land grant was made, and, in the event that they did not carry out this stipulation, their property was to revert to the West India Company. _ Not only did the new plantations prove to be more productive than those on less fertile St. Thomas, but grants of land to each settler were 126 THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN | also fifty per cent. larger, so that it was not long before prosperity began to show itself and the island became a large sugar producing center. The settlers were of all nationalities, but the majority were of Dutch stock. Evidences of Dutch blood on the island are not lacking to-day, as many of the place-names are in the Dutch language. In 1788 St. John had a population of two hundred and eight whites and ten hundred and eighty-seven negro slaves. On November 18, 1788, a serious revolt of the St. John slaves took place. This revolt was indi- rectly due to the harsh measures adopted by Gov- ernor Gardelin, who, in order to stop the escapes of Africans to the neighboring island of Porto Rico, published a proclamation which imposed dire penalties for the punishment of offenders. The leader of runaway slaves was to be pinched thrice with red hot irons and then hung. Every runaway slave was to lose one leg or one ear, or he was to receive one hundred and fifty stripes in case his owner preferred that he be given the latter punish- ment. Any slave who knew of a plot to escape and did not inform his master was to be punished with a brand on the forehead as well as a hundred 127 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS stripes. On the other hand, any slave who gave information of a plot was to be rewarded with ten dollars for every slave who proposed to take part in the plan to gain liberty. Any slave who lifted his hand against a white person was to be hung, in case the white person made this demand; if not, he was to lose his right hand. A slave who attempted to poison his master was to be pinched thrice with a red hot iron and then broken on the wheel. The proclamation that told of these penal- ties was to be repeated thrice a year to the beat of the drum. The slaves resented these terrible measures, and soon an open revolt broke out. Secret prepara- tions were made by them to surprise the garrison of the little fort overlooking Coral Bay, which was built in 1717. Here were stationed but eight sol- diers, commanded by a sergeant, and one officer. On the morning of November 28, 1733, the sentinel observed at the entrance of the fort a small band of negroes, carrying fagots of wood. When they were challenged they said that they were coming with wood for the soldiers. But as soon as the negroes were inside the gate they dropped the fagots and massacred the garrison with the large 128 THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN cane-knives which had been hidden in the bundles. Only one soldier, who had hidden himself under a bed, escaped. Having disposed of the garrison, the victorious negroes gave the signal for a general massacre by firing three shots from the cannon on the fortifications. The murderous rebels then proceeded to the Caroline Estate, where they killed the judge of the island and his daughter, with twenty-five other men, women and children. In the meantime many of the planters, together with their families and such slaves as remained faithful to them, had betaken themselves to the estate of Peter Duerloo, called Little Cinnamon Bay, now known as K. C. Bay, on the northwest corner of the island. As the estate was built on an eminence and defended by two small cannon, the refugees felt that they could defend themselves there against the embittered slaves. Another ad- vantage was that they were within easy reach of St. Thomas. The women and children were sent by canoes to places of safety on nearby cays, while the men put their defenses in order and sent an urgent plea for assistance to the governor of St. Thomas. A number of revolting slaves soon arrived at the Duerloo estate, but they suffered severely 9 129 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS from a discharge of grapeshot which killed a num- ber of them. Noting the preparations which had been made for defense, they could not summon enough courage to attempt to rush the improvised fort. Not long afterwards a boat with some eighteen soldiers arrived from St. Thomas. The governor also dispatched a larger body of troops to Coral Bay, on the other end of the island. After travers- ing the island these troops relieved the siege of Little Cinnamon Bay. For a time the revolting slaves were in com- mand of the situation. With the exception of Duerloo’s estate, the entire island of St. John was at their mercy. There was much pillaging and burning of estate houses and sugar factories; prac- tically every estate suffered. Two attempts were made by the St. Thomas government to put an end to the uprising and to restore St. John to its legitimate owners. The authorities first secured the services of the captain of a British man-of-war that was just then paying a visit to Tortola. Land- ing forces from this frigate were ambushed by the negroes and were forced to withdraw with the loss of four wounded. 180 THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN Early in 1784, another British force of volun- teers from the island of Nevis attempted to dis- lodge the rebels, but these troops also suffered defeat with a loss of three men killed and five wounded, and left theisland quicker thanthey came. During all these months, the slaves were in possession of the Coral Bay fort, which they seemed determined to hold at all odds, in spite of the fact that their supply of gunpowder was running low and that they had no means of obtaining a fresh stock. Becoming desperate, the colonists finally ap- pealed to the governor of the French island of La Martinique. _ This governor was informed that his men would be allowed to keep four-fifths of all the rebels captured, while the Danes would retain the remainder in order to punish them as an example and a warning to the slaves on St. Thomas in case they felt inclined to attempt a similar revolt. Two French barks were promptly dispatched with a body of two hundred and twenty men. To this force was added a Danish contingent, made up of the majority of the local soldiers, numerous planters and seventy-four loyal slaves from St. Thomas. After a landing was effected in Coral Bay, a 131 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS guerilla warfare was begun, for the negro forces, abandoning the fort and splitting up into separate bands, were pursued in all directions. So desperate had the situation of the revolting slaves become that some of them were forced to arm themselves with bows and arrows, owing to the lack of gun- powder. It was not long before the pursuers were successful in their grim task. Numerous small bands of slaves were overtaken and killed after offering an unsuccessful resistance. Finally, on May 24, a small band of some twenty-four negroes was found dead in the jungle. Evidently the men had committed suicide when they found that their last hope of escape was gone and that the liberty for which they longed was forever out of their reach. It was then thought that all revolting negroes had been accounted for. Twenty-seven captured slaves who had taken part in the revolution were summarily executed as a warning to possible future wrong-doers. | About two months after the departure of the French it was reported that a party of fourteen slaves were still at liberty. These also soon gave themselves up, relying on the promise of uncondi- 132 THE ROMANTIC STORY OF ST. JOHN tional pardon. This promise was not kept, how- ever, and they were all put to death. Of the ninety-two plantations on the island forty-eight had been damaged by the rebels, some - of these having been totally destroyed. But another sad consequence of the affair was a quarrel between the planters and the Danish West India Company. The planters claimed that the original insurrection had been started on the Caroline Estate of the Company, by laborers belonging to the company. They also said that the fort had been left in an insecure condition and that it was not properly garrisoned, so that it had been easily surprised. For these reasons the planters refused to pay one-third of the expenses incurred in quel- ling the rebellion which the St. Thomas authorities wished to charge up to them. While the rebellion was the cause of a great deal of loss to the planters, some of whom were forced to leave the island and settle on Tortola in order to escape their debts, St. John must have speedily recovered its prosperity. At any rate, records show that in 1789 the island had a popula- tion of 2883, of whom 167 were white, while 16 were free negroes and 2200 were slaves. 138 CHAPTER VII AROUND ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF ST. JOHN—MARKETING BY SAILBOAT—THE NAMING OF K. C. BAY—THE MISTAKE OF THE CORAL BAY BOOMERS—AN ATTRACTIVE CLIMATE— AN ISLAND WHOSE PROSPEROUS DAYS ARE IN THE FUTURE T. JOHN lies in latitude 18 degrees, 20 minutes N. and. longitude 64 degrees, 45 minutes W., and it is but three miles from the extreme western point of the island to the extreme. eastern point of St. Thomas. Numerous cays lie between St. John and St. Thomas, but — with the exception of Lovango Cay and Thatch Cay these are uninhabited. Strong currents set between the straits that divide the islands and the smaller cays, and navi- gation for large vessels is dangerous in the extreme unless a local pilot is on board to inform the com- mander as to the way in which the variable currents set at different times. St. John, unlike St. Thomas, is not surrounded by cays of any size. It approaches the British territory closely in the strait named The Narrows, where but one mile divides the United States 134 mod ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE island of St. John from the British Thatch Island. St. John is nine miles long, while its breadth is irregular; at the widest point it is five miles across. The area is 19.77 square miles, or nearly 12,700 acres, of which not over 400 acres are under cultivation. If the baytree groves are included, the total cultivated area might amount to about 1600 acres. The island consists of a series of mountain peaks, which lie in no particular order; the entire island is made up of hills and valleys, with almost no level land. The only regular mountain range runs along the north coast, but this is not continu- ous and cannot rightly be named a range. The highest elevation is Camel Mountain, about 1800 feet high. The next highest, Bourdeaux Mountain, is 1270 feet high. There are a number of small streams which empty on the south side into the sea, so that St. John is far better watered than the other islands of the group. While these streams are of no great size, they are sufficient to insure a supply of water at alltimes. A multitude of springs help to promise success to future agricultural efforts. The island is in large part of the same geological 135 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS formation as St. Thomas, though a larger quantity of coraline limestone is found here. Copper- and iron-bearing rocks also are said to exist, and the presence of greenish and reddish stones at Reef Bay, in which copper can be detected, seem to bear out this statement. Yet it is not thought that the ores contain a sufficient quantity of metal to make the working of the deposits profitable. The land of the island is far more fertile than that of St. Thomas and the soil covering the rocks is found in far thicker layers. No ships called at St. John, with the exception of an occasional schooner which puts into Coral Bay to load cattle for the neighboring islands, and the only regular communication with St. Thomas consists of the bi-weekly trips of a small sloop which carries the mail from one island to the other. All inhabitants of any consequence own their little sailing boats which they use not only for fishing but also for the transportation of their humble products to the St. Thomas markets. | The bays and inlets of St. John are not quite as numerous as those of St. Thomas, there being thirty-one on the former island and forty-five on the latter. Yet the entire island of St. John has 136 ME, a ¥ ch . wy i at 1 |. {imo —_wt — a al ‘"y 372 iT tip , t > m an ds \s * wm Mo) fy uy I hy ati ae -~ - ‘> ae _ RUINS OF K. C. BAY SUGAR ESTATE, ST. JOHN Hy a wer * —— ia h w ~" ] 7, nt. uf -— oH onde —— ee — a Pro EX Ss tL as hed Fy Anon, owen ny co Pt —_~ ry cn at mh 2 ‘- ~ FORT FREDERIKSTED, ST. CROIX Someysrg oF (GENE) SOUOL SOVANE 40 INSRWILLAY NVIAVUON HIIM ‘NIVINNON XOVECHNOd WOUL ‘ZVA TVHOO ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE an indented shore line. Beginning on the west coast one finds Cruz Bay, where is one of the two fairly large settlements. This bay has for the last hundred years been the site of the government offices and the residence of the local official in charge of the island. A large building which was fort, jail, court house and residence of the police- master in one, testifies to the former importance of what is now an almost deserted island. To the north of Cruz Bay, one finds K. C. Bay, where the large ruins of Duerloo’s estate call to mind the heroic defense of the settlers against the revolting slaves in 1733. The origin of the name “XK. C. Bay” is curious. In the days of the first colonization a Hollander who started a plantation on the north coast of the island found a large cin- namon tree on the shores of the bay included in his land grant. He named his property ‘Caneel- boom,” or Cinnamon Tree. In later years he owned another estate which he named “Klein Caneelboom,” or Little Cinnamon Tree. This name proved too much for the linguistic attain- ments of the other settlers, and in the course of time the abbreviation. K. C. Bay found popular acceptance. 137 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS After beautiful K. C. Bay one comes to Dennis Bay. The next bay to the north is Cinnamon Bay, and Maho Bay comes next. Finally, Francis Bay lies to the west of Mary’s Point. On the other side of the point, still on the north coast, is found Leinster Bay, the estate house of which atone time boasted the presence of the one Masonic Lodge on the island. The entire upper part of this “great house” which was situated on a hill overlooking the bay, was demolished by the hur- ricane of October, 1916, and the majority of the owner’s effects were blown down the hill into the sea. Brown’s Bay and Mennebeck Bay are also found on the north coast toward the eastern part of the island. On the extreme eastern peninsula is found Privateer Bay, named after the sea rovers who used to put in here to careen their ships. Reports are current in the East End settlement—the second of the two most important settlements of St. John —that there is pirates’ gold in the sands surround- ing this bay, and many a futile search has been made for this. Then comes Coral Bay. Extending inland from Red Point on the east to Ram’s Head on the west, 138 ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE this bay has numerous inlets, of which Hansen Bay, Watercreek Bay, Hurricane Hole and Coral Harbor Bay are the most important. Coral Bay is by far the best harbor in the Lesser Antilles, and even boasts of many advantages which surpass those of the wonderful bay of St. Thomas.. It is less exposed to the south and is absolutely pro- tected from all other points of the compass, so that, in case of a hurricane, ships lying in the bay would have but to shift their anchorage to any one of the deep indentations of Hurricane Hole in order to be able to ride out the storm in perfect safety. The shores of the bay are steep, and vessels of large draught can come quite close to the shore. The numerous peninsulas serve admirably for the erection of warehouses and piers. Of late years a number of St. Thomians, hearing rumors of the possible acquisition of the islands by the United States, bought up several of the abandoned estates lying upon the bay. Their idea was that the naval authorities might decide to use Coral Bay for a base instead of the harbor of Charlotte-Amalia. A little reflection on the part of the speculators might have conviriced them of the impracticability of this idea, for the mountains of the neighboring 139 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS island of Tortola completely overlook the bay and are but four miles removed from the inlets, as the crow flies. It would, of course, not be wise to build a naval station on the shores of a bay that could be controlled completely by an eminence on an island belonging to another nation, upon which the mounting of guns of heavy calibre would be an easy matter. The harbor of St. Thomas does not have a like drawback. It is not conceivable that Coral Harbor will ever be able to supplant the harbor of Charlotte- Amalia even in commercial importance, since steamers would not here find the facilities for loading and unloading their cargo and for filling their bunkers with coal which they at present have on St. Thomas. The south coast of the island is precipitous and has but few bays that are easy of approach. The promontory of Ram’s Head, which forms the west- ern boundary of Coral Bay, is usually given a wide berth by local sailors; the seas run high in this neighborhood, and the cliff-like rocks make landing an impossibility. . After passing this dangerous spot, one comes to Lamesure Bay and then to Reef Bay, a reef- 140 ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE girdled inlet formerly of importance as a sugar shipping center. Continuing to the westward, Fish Bay and Rendezvous Bay are found, the latter so named because it was the favorite meeting place for certain privateers who assembled here to prepare for their piratical raids upon the St. Thomas shipping. The last bay, on the southwest coast, is Great Cruz Bay. No statistics are available as to the climate of St. John. In general, it can safely be said that the average temperature here is fully five degrees lower than on St. Thomas, even on the areas lying at sea level. A stay at Cruz Bay or on the north coast will speedily convince the traveler that he must sleep under a blanket, and if he spends a night in the mountains he will find the air quite bracing. The rainfall has never been systematically measured, but it is undoubtedly far larger here than on any other island of the group. In all probability this is due to the forests which still cover the hilltops. This island also lies in the hurricane belt, and it did not escape from damage during the disaster of October, 1916. In fact, the storm was more . 141 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS destructive here than on St. Thomas, although— owing to the comparatively few settlers on St. John —the material damage was not great. The Mora- vian missionary station and settlement of Emmaus, on the shores of Coral Bay, was among the worst sufferers and the church, living house and school- house were totally wrecked. Practically all the lime and coconut trees were destroyed and the baytrees were stripped of their leaves and badly damaged. The forests were devastated and the ruins of many an old and forgotten plantation- house, which had been hidden by the jungle, came to light with the removal of the larger trees. No snakes or poisonous insects other than the usual centipedes and scorpions are found on the island. Mosquitoes are few, but sand-flies generally herald the approach of a coming rain by their vicious bites. In this respect the island is not so different from the other Antilles, where some kind of similar affliction is always found, reminding the visitor that even the happy existence of the tropics has a few drawbacks. It is needless to speak of the sanitary conditions of the island. Since there are no settlements of any size, epidemics do not take place and malarial 142 ST. JOHN’S INDENTED COAST LINE fevers are unknown. The natives sometimes suffer from fevers which are attributed to malaria, but an investigation will show that these were brought on by exposure and carelessness. During the last two years of the Danish rule no physician was stationed on the island. A St. Thomian doctor came here every month or two for a short visit, staying just long enough to relieve the ailments of the few patients to be found. CHAPTER VIII THE CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS REMINDERS OF FORMER RICHES—COMMERCIAL AND AGRI- CULTURAL POSSIBILITIES—THE MAKING OF BAY RUM— CATTLE RAISING AND FISHING—THE STORY OF THE PETRO- GLYPHS—SCENERY AND RUINS TO DELIGHT THE VISITOR —THE CROSS AT REEF BAY—LEGENDS OF SLAVERY DAYS— TREASURES OF OLD FURNITURE—THE POSSIBILITIES OF ST. JOHN T. JOHN has a population of not over nine S hundred. Possibly the number is even smaller, no census having been taken for a considerable period. Of this population fully ninety-nine per cent. are colored. Like the St. Thomas negro, the St. John negro is noted for his politeness. Added to this virtue is friendliness toward strangers. The negroes are very accommodating, without a thought of recom- pense for their services, as many a visitor has learned during a stay on the island. For instance, should one get lost on one of the mountain trails he would need only to tell of his predicament to the first native he meets. At once the native would accompany the stranger and show him the right road. He will expect no reward, nor will he think 144 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS of the possibility of reward, even though he be suffering from the pangs of hunger and though he may have gone far out of his way to be of service. There is much misery and want on the island. This is due to the lack of work and the very small wages which the planters—who themselves are forced to lead a hand-to-mouth existence—are able to pay. Unlike a St. Thomian, a native of St. John is too fond of his little island to wish to seek employment elsewhere. He may occa- sionally sign on as a sailor on some local vessel, but the ties which bind him to his own island are too close to allow him to remain content with a prolonged absence. He is ready to eke out an existence on the wages of whatever work he can obtain here, rather than try for higher wages elsewhere. The inhabitants make their living principally by the collecting and selling of the bayleaves to the owners of the stills which manufacture the essential oil of bay rum. They are paid eight cents for a bag of leaves weighing sixty-five to seventy pounds. This opportunity is presented only during certain seasons. The natives are also experts at the building of small sailing boats; poor 10 145 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS indeed is the man who does not own a small craft of some kind with which he can go out and obtain his supply of sea food. The two principal villages of the island are at Cruz Bay, where perhaps a hundred and fifty natives reside, and at East End, where there are not more than a hundred. Still another settle- ment is the Moravian station of Emmaus in the neighborhood of which about twelve families, con- sisting of some sixty persons, have settled. These three villages have schools with a fairly good attendance. In recent years the Moravian mis- sionaries have made attempts to teach the chil- dren. and the women to make baskets of a wiry kind of grass that grows here in abundance. It is quite possible that ultimately the sale of these baskets to visiting tourists on St. Thomas may become the means of providing many a St. John family with pin-money. There is no reason why brooms should not be made of this same grass, for it is well adapted to the purpose. The scarcity of broom corn in the United States and the high price of labor there would help in the development of a profitable industry. The ruins of sugar estates everywhere convince 146 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS one of the former importance of this island and of the riches that are lying idle in its fertile fields. Of late a number of planters have made attempts to raise on these abandoned estates lime trees, from whose fruits the citric acid and the lime juice of commerce are manufactured. With slight in- vestment this venture should become profitable. Machinery could be installed to crush the fruit, and the old sugar kettles could be employed to evaporate the critic acid from the juice. Yet another industry of the island is the manufacture of charcoal, which commands a ready market on St. Thomas. Practically all cooking in the West Indies is done over charcoal stoves, for charcoal is always available on the wooded islands and this fuel does not heat up the kitchen as would a coal-burning range. There is a great deal of timber on the abandoned estates of St. John, so the inhabitants are never at a loss for wood which can be manufactured into charcoal. The smoke arising from the charcoal pits is a familiar feature of the landscape. The commercial and agricultural possibilities of St. John are great. In the first place, the bay- tree (Pimenta acris) flourishes on the little island. 147 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS It has been found by actual experience that this bay tree is somewhat erratic and is most particular as to its habitat. Attempts have been made to grow it on various islands, and practically all attempts were failures. Even on St. John, small as it is, it seems that the trees do well only in certain parts and are unable to gain a foothold in other parts. Why this is so has never been satis- factorily explained. But even with this drawback there are to-day many regions of St. John where an extensive cultivation of the baytree would be highly profitable. The trees are not regularly planted or set out at the present time, and prop- agation is entirely due to natural agents, such as the birds and the winds, which scatter the seeds. The leaves of the baytree are gathered by breaking small twigs from the tree and afterwards separating them from these twigs. Instead of harming the tree, this breaking off of the smaller branches seems to improve it; several branches will sprout from the break made by the removal of a single branch. The leaves are then distilled in copper stills of the usual type. This distillation results in the collecting of the essential oil, the 148 v7 a hi = \ r= JN 7) Se | ~~ a oes v% ’ { ws Oe ep i oy 7 } —---- Jd = es — —s oe a. + a a <> — ~~ Py ~—<" = 3 — EAST END, ST. JOHN ._ \« % A = ‘e 4 a . Tt, | Lae ae yi op ok ~* i~e bane a Ae _ y- oot: r\ ~et * it On fie) ~ a Pa -_- BAY-OIL STILL, ST. JOUN CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS bay-oil, which is contained in the minute cells of the leaves. The bay-oil is sent to St. Thomas and is there mixed with white rum or alcohol in the ratio of about one quart of oil to five hundred quarts of rum, the resulting product being the bay-rum of commerce. If cheap alcohol or rum is used the product does not have the delicate odor which is found when better grades are em- ployed. The essential oil, which is worth from five to seven dollars per quart, has a strong acrid odor. Occasionally bay-rum is made by distilling the bay leaves directly in the rum, but this method is slower land far more expensive. It has practically been discontinued, although bay-rum made in this manner is superior in quality and commands a higher price. ; The bay industry, therefore, presents one of the possibilities of St. John. While various proprietors are at present engaged in the cultivation of the trees and the distilling of the oil, there can be no doubt that development of this industry would result in material benefit, especially if a more modern type of still for the collection of the oil were employed. 149 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Again, St. John offers great possibilities as a cattle raising center. While the ground is gener- ally steep and hilly, the slopes are covered with excellent grass of all varieties and offer feeding grounds for thousands of herds of cattle. At the present time cattle raising is neglected. by the majority of landowners, there being but two real stock farms on the island, with a total of about six hundred head of cattle. Because of the in- creased population that will come to the neighbor- ing island of St. Thomas through the prospective establishment of a naval station there, and because of the fact that no duty would have to be paid on cattle exported to Porto Rico since the twe islands are under the same government, a ready market would be found for all cattle raised on St. John. There would be no rivalry in cattle production on the other islands of the group, for St. Thomas cannot compare with St. John for pasturage or for water supply and practically all of St. Croix is given up to sugar cultivation. The water surrounding the numerous small cays that encircle St. John literally swarms with fish of all species. Perhaps no better fishing grounds can be found in the Antilles than those between St. 150 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS John and the cays to the westward—Congo Cay, Lovango Cay, Mingo Cay, and Grass Cay. Yet there is always an unsatisfied demand for fresh fish in Charlotte-Amalia, and this demand must increase in the future. What then could be a more profitable investment than asuitable fishing boat with a motor auxiliary? Itcan find asafe harbor in any one of the numerous bays of St. John and, with this island as a center, can fish the surround- ing waters and carry the catch to the St. Thomas market. From the point of view of a tourist anxious to try his piscatorial luck, a visit to the little cays between the two larger islands is well worth while. Lovango Cay is inhabited by a Danish fisherman who rents the little island from the government and who would be ready to show the visitor the best location for fishing. By either trolling or rod fishing success is certain as soon as the bait has been in the water for the briefest possible time. No better place for rod fishing can be found than on Congo Cay, which is located due north of Lovango Cay and faces the wide Atlantic. A visit to this rocky island is an event. It consists of nothing but a collection of boulders which give 161 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS the impression that they must. have been piled one on top of the other by some giant who wished to amuse himself. Congo Cay presents a forbid- ding appearance. Vegetation is noticeable by its absence. The island resembles the upstanding fin of a shark. But one landing place is found here, and that is a mere ledge about two feet above water level and not more than six feet wide and twelve feet long. The visitor who is desirous of fishing here must be quick of eye and nimble of foot as he takes a hurried jump out of the rowboat which carries him to his destination. Should a heavy sea be running it would be inadvisable to attempt to make the landing, for not only would there be danger of smashing the boat on the rocks, but, even if a landing is made, it might prove impossible to embark for the return journey. The best rod fishing is to be had on the extreme eastern point of Congo Cay. Fish of all varieties seem to congregate directly under the rocks, which are some twenty feet above sea level, and to show an eager desire to be caught. | The visitor is reminded here also of the abo- rigines of St. Thomas in pre-Columbian times, who must have come here for the fishing, for in the rocks 152 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS there are a number of small cavities, perfectly rounded, in which the Indians evidently pounded the salt used to preserve the fish they caught. There is evidence that, while not engaged in fish- ing, they were employed in carving a series of apparently meaningless figures upon a large, flat boulder on the eastern extremity of the cay. Carvings of this character are named pictographs, or petroglyphs. Petroglyph!” Unless ane should happen to be a professional archeologist, he may have to consult a dictionary to find out the meaning of this word. And yet it is rather simple: Petro means stone, and glyph means a sign, so that the complete word merely means a sign carved on stone. So there you are, and the next time that a "passing gypsy carves a cabalistic sign upon the stone pillars of your front entrance, signifying that you keep a savage dog on your estate, and that your property had best be left unvisited, remark it well, for you will then actually be the proud possessor of a bona fide petroglyph. And so the Indians of the Antilles, in the days before the coming of the Spanish conquistadors, had an amusing habit of carving signs upon rocks 153 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS in certain of the islands inhabited by them. This habit not only provided the carver with the whole- some satisfaction that accompanies honest toil, but it has since provided countless archeologists and amateur archeologists with the joy of attempting to decipher the meaning of the carvings. This is especially true in the case of amateur archeolo- gists, who see the most wonderful significance in the humblest carving, so that the Simon-pure archeologist not only has the original pleasure of trying to unravel the mystery of the petroglyph, but is permitted the additional joy of scoffing at . the attempts of the amateur. Thus the circle is completed, and the shade of the Indian chuckles with glee at the problems bestowed by him upon those who have come after him. Chalk is the principal weapon of the petro- glyph hunter and is used by him to make the marking of the carvings more distinct, so that they will show up more clearly in the photographs. There is nothing to prevent an enthusiast from adding a carving or two of his own, not necessarily by hewing grooves in the living rock, but by the more simple and direct method of adding with chalk such lines as his fancy dictates. But that, of course, is another story. 154 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Petroglyphs are to be found on many of the islands of the West Indies. In fact, they are found from the northern limits of North America to the southernmost point of South America. Naturally, many of them have become obliterated by the action of the weather on the rocks. In addition to this, numerous rock carvings must still be hidden by the undergrowth of the primeval — forests, or be in such inaccessible places that their very existence is unsuspected. When they are found in the open, the rocks with carvings upon them are generally near running water. It is one of the favorite theories of the local historians of the West Indies that the presence of these petroglyphs indicates the existence of a pre- Columbian place of worship. Using this theory as a base, the local authors as a rule begin to write of “Carib sacrifices,” ‘“‘Carib orgies,” and what not, and make good copy out of the bloodcurdling yells of the unhappy victims of this fierce warrior tribe. But probably posterity will never know the true significance of these rock carvings, nor will it ever understand the vagaries of the Indian mind which made them. The carvings on Congo Cay are on the rock at 155 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS the extreme eastern part of the island. The rock lies almost horizontally and faces, to the eastward, a small island named Caravel Rock. There is a large cavity in the center of this rock, and one visitor suggested that this cavity was artificial and might have been used to store the blood of the victims of the Carib sacrifices. But here is another chance to see what a difference there is between cold facts and charming theories. In the first place, no proof ever has been brought forward that the islands of St. John and St. Thomas were inhabited by Caribs. In the second place Congo Cay, bleak, barren, hard to land on, and .with no place upon which to hold sacri- ficial ceremonies, would be too exposed to the neighboring islands to allow one to suppose that @ marauding tribe of piratical Caribs would have selected this place for the cannibal feasts. Third, the cavity in the rock was undoubtedly caused by the decomposition of the stone, and there are sev- eral rocks on Congo Cay that have cavities of this order. It is true that the opening of the cavity is somewhat smaller than the area of the lower sur- face of the hole, but one can readily see that the cavity would fill up with sea water whenever the 156 err ° ae, ¢, e-* —~ oo SNe a ~~ ~¥ * oF “ wee he a va m< —s HOSPITABLE CONGO CAY, ST. JOHN a = os ae SS oe -_ = a 5, al a = —t = a oo he —- ba | ee - | -*a to ge Se =~ ——— o s] ~, ae = ay —_— 2 no — et —~ et oem a a = « - ~<_ i —_-—¥ € — % SF? = « st ‘Ae — _ >» 5 > “2 ad bane} a — "rl Say iz ST ea = a me ,* 08 nae Be THE ONLY LANDING-PLACE ON CONGO CAY <% - . is t- ' o* —— — ~~ PRIVATEER BAY, 8ST. JOHN ~ o Th s — re’ sd Z . — ft ce ne -~ wy —— Ae ae ae, ~~ yz Ses 7 te ae x. BUILDINGS ‘ON CAROLINE EST ‘ATE, AND BAY-OIL STILL, 8ST. JOHN _ ae ee eo _CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS waves broke over Congo Cay during stormy weather and that this water would attack the sides of the cavity and make it-larger without necessarily enlarging the mouth. But to return to the mainland and to the sub- ject of sugar, St. John is not well adapted to the cultivation of cane and the manufacture of sugar, under modern conditions. Because of the present cost of labor this island, with its steep roads and hills, could not compete with sugar plantations on islands where flat areas make the gathering of the cane an insignificant item of expense. Even in the days of long ago the collecting of the sugar cane at the mill was done with a considerable expenditure of trouble and labor. Wooden troughs led down the incline to the level roads, and the cane was shot down these inclines and loaded on wagons when it reached the road. Many stories have been told of slaves who were decapitated or who lost a leg or an arm when they were struck by a heavy piece of sugar cane which escaped from the trough and came hurtling with terrific force through the air. On some estates it was found necessary to arrange some sort of cable tramway to convey the cane to the mill. On the summit of . 157 err THE VIRGIN ISLANDS some of the hills immense lignum-vite posts are still found to which these cables were attached. But if the production of sugar would not be profitable, undoubtedly truck farming would am- ply reward one who undertakes it on a large scale and the raising in the West Indies of all sorts of vegetables is a possibility which is frequently and strangely overlooked. The consumption of canned vegetables by the well-to-do in these regions is quite large, and the small quantities of fresh vege- tables that are raised are in demand at good prices. It is a common mistake to suppose that the tropics are not suited to the production of garden truck. As a matter of fact, tomatoes, lettuce, beans, melons, et cetera, not only thrive when well watered, but bear more abundantly than in north- ern climates. The raising of these vegetables on St. John would give employment to many, and a profitable market in St. Thomas would be assured. Another possibility is the erection of tourist hotels on St. John. The acquisition of the island by the United States should make these popular with the tourist. St. John should be even more popular than St. Thomas, for while St. Thomas is attractive because it has a busier outlook on ac- 158 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS count of the many ships that enter its wonderful harbor, and because of its magnificent scenery, St. John excels in scenery, and scenery attracts the tourist. Climb any hilltop in St. John and look north, east, south or west, and unrivaled views delight the eye. The surrounding islands of vivid green serve only to make more pronounced the contrast between the pale blue sky and the dark blue sea. Surely no other island in the Antilles offers views that can compare with this in natural beauty. But St. John has other attractions for the tour- ist than its scenery. If one is searching for the picturesque, it may be found in abundant measure in the ruins of the old plantation buildings whose walls and quaint staircases still exist in the tropical undergrowth. What can be more interesting than the exploration of an old mill with kettles for the boiling of syrup still intact, and of the remains of . a “great house” with its imposing avenue and slave quarters and kitchens nearby? Is the visitor in- terested in boating, bathing, hunting, or riding? The forty odd bays of the island will repay a sys- tematic exploration with a small yacht, and will astound one with the variety of their scenery. 159 _ THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Sea bathing here is equal to any in the West Indies and excels that at many of the resorts that are famed for this attraction. Then pigeons and doves are found at all seasons; these make excellent shooting and good eating. There is no road on St. John that is more than a bridle path; but also let it be said that there is no road that does not have features to delight the visitor. The road most commonly used by the inhabitants leads from Cruz Bay through the center of the island to Emmaus, and from there to the East End settlement. Directly after leav- ing the Cruz Bay landing one ascends the hill, passing, in turn, Herman Farm with its extensive ruins, and Adrian, another forgotten plantation which is almost entirely obliterated by the jungle. At Esperance a road branches off to the south coast and to Reef Bay. This branch road leads over the summit of Camel Mountain, the highest peak on the island, and then dips toward the sea at a precipitous angle. Some half mile inland from the shores of Reef Bay one obtains a distant glimpse of the Reef Bay waterfall. A searching glance is necessary, as it is hard to make out the thin thread of water that 160 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS comes tumbling from the heights above. The rocks back of the waterfall are plainly to be seen, however. It is said that this waterfall is never dry. Occasionally it becomes so small as to be almost negligible, but it never seems entirely to vanish. One is privileged to surmise, therefore, that in pre-Columbian days, when the woods of the island were still intact and fulfilled their pur- pose in drawing water from the clouds, the volume of water passing over the rocks must have been considerably larger. There are in reality two falls, but the higher fall is difficult of access. The lower fall is about forty-five feet high. As the crow flies, it is not over one and a quarter miles from the sea and not more than half a mile from the road. In order to visit it, it is necessary to follow a dried-up watercourse, and then cut a way through a some- what dense thicket. Before the hurricane of October, 1916, there was a small footpath follow- ing this water course, and the ascent to the falls was far easier than it is to-day. The lower fall empties itself into a pool some five feet deep and about twelve feet in diameter. This pool empties its contents into a second pool 11 161 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS about seven feet lower than the first. The second pool, in which the water is quite tranquil, is about six and one-half feet deep, fourteen feet wide and nine feet broad, and makes an excellent bathing place. The water, filtered during its long passage through the hills, is excellently adapted for drink- ing purposes, and it is possible that the Indians inhabiting the south coast of St. John must have come here for their supply of drinking water. Around this pool, in which bathing is a pleas- ure—a cold pleasure—one finds huge boulders upon which are more of the aboriginal carvings known as petroglyphs. There really are three sets of rock carvings on the stones surrounding the pool, and it is impos- sible to get all three sets in one picture. The most elaborate set is found just above the edge of the pool and the Indians seem to have designed the carvings so that their reflection would show clearly in the water. A few of the figures seem to depict a very crudely drawn human face, consisting of a circle for the face, with smaller circles or just dots for the eyes, and a line for the mouth. In one or two instances some extra lines below the large circle may represent arms and legs. But the 162 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS reader is at liberty to scoff at this suggestion. The largest figure of all, in appearance somewhat like a figure eight, or like a sand glass, is perhaps the most inexplicable. In order to give one some idea of these carv- ings, it may be said that from the figure on the extreme left side of the rock, just above the water line, to the figure on the extreme right hand side, just above the water line, is a distance of ten feet four inches. On the same large rock, a little to the left, but at a much higher point above the pool, one can find another series of petroglyphs even more enig- matical than those just above the water level. This group consists of six figures, two of which represent somewhat simply designed human forms —strongly reminiscent of the pictures chalked by children on wooden fences—and two simple faces. On the extreme western side of the pool is another rock upon which are seen three more carvings. This rock may well be named the “Archeologist’s Delight.” No doubt every person who ever has seen it, excepting of course the origi- nal Indians, has evolved some deep theory regard- ing the carvings on this boulder. Almost any 163 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS meaning may be given to two of the three figures, the one on the extreme left of the photograph and the one directly above the carving that looks exactly like a cross. It is therefore possible to eliminate two carvings at the very start, which is far more than would be done by seriously minded amateur archeologists who would deem it their duty to explain fully these two problematical carvings. But there still remains the crosslike figure. Can it be that the teachings of Christianity had penetrated to the New World before the discovery of St. John and the Virgin Island group in 1498? This is to be doubted. Then were the Indians converted to Christianity by the piously inclined conquistadors? Considering that these same con- quistadors were responsible for the total extermi- nation of the Indian race some thirty years after the discovery of the West Indies, this also is to be doubted. Then why the cross? Perhaps the most ingenious explanation is the one found in an early history of the Danish West Indies in which the author states that the Spanish monks saw the other carvings on the rocks and deemed them to be the work of the Devil. In order speedily to overcome the evil influence, the earnest friars carved the 164 — a aan * <fs ~_-— —xe 9 =y - sam tat > ~* ~ Aj via 7 se at 23 ‘v * ~~ My ji a " a —* PETROGLYPHS ON CONGO CAY Caravel Rock in Middle Ground ~ af THE CAROLINE ESTATE HOUSE AND PASTURE, 8ST. JOHN 4e i) Po wd 6 af. * — a as —~ ,, & ¢-? = . 7+ i es >, arr a <a THE CROSS THAT IS NOT A CROSS, REEF BAY, 8ST. JOHN i> ° ant, =? Ae & we ve a ute ax y —_ eV fy “ae “4 Par Ya Lie 4 & i> _/?- aa wat \ oft He + Mf ‘i sie 4 apie OB P Dies Ir = -- t\> ; eal wht } _- an me — tna s 2 S oS es ) o ‘e “ — = AF INDIAN PETROGLYPHS, BAY, 8ST. JOHN CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS sign of the cross on the rock, thereby neutralizing all other influences. But the carving of the cross appears to be of the same age as the other figures on the same rock. And the suggestion is made that the sign of the cross has been found in many places to which it is positively known that Christianity never pene- trated. Yet the sign is there, and has been found in many forms, perhaps one of the most common of which is the swastika sign. This sign repre- sents nothing more than the four cardinal points of the compass, east, south, west and north, and by a process of evolution first became a figure resembling two interlaced S figures and finally a simple cross. But when challenged on the subject, we must withdraw this explanation of the cross figure at Reef Bay. The carving representing the cross stands seventeen inches high, and the length of the cross arm is eleven inches. It is time to turn from the mysterious petro- glyphs and follow the south coast, by the Parforce Estate, once the property of one of the richest planters on the island. Rather than use ordinary plaster for the finishing of his walls, this land- owner had them decorated with ground rice mixed 165 \ THE VIRGIN ISLANDS with some adhesive substance; he claimed that this gave the walls a smoother appearance. He lived to regret his extravagance, when the abolition of slavery changed his former prosperous position to one of dire poverty. The road now mounts again, and after an ardu- ous climb the traveler reaches the summit of Bor- deaux Mountain, the second highest peak of St. John. From here one seems almost able to touch the crest of Sage Mountain on Tortola, so near does this elevation appear to be in the bright atmosphere of the tropics. The best view of Coral Bay can be had from this peak, and the white buildings of the Emmaus settlement form a promi- nent feature of the landscape. Descending toward the bay, the first estate reached is the Caroline property, famous in the annals of the slave insurrection. Here, it is said, the murdered daughter of the St. John judge still haunts the rooms of the “great house.”” Emmaus is reached next and one had to admire the industry of the Moravian Brethren who, in the eighteenth century, despite opposition and poverty, were able to erect the large buildings that were found here previous to the hurricane of 1916. 166 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS A little further along, on the road which leads to the East End settlement, the extreme eastern inhabited point of the island, one passes the re- mains of the fort whose garrison was massacred in 1788. A cannon or two is still embedded on the hillslope. Then the road continues along the south coast, up hill and down dale, and one has every opportunity of admiring the extensive inlets which form part of Coral Bay, whenever the road rises to any height above sea level. The pretentious farm of Hermitage, with its numerous buildings, is passed. This estate, like the Caroline Estate, is devoted to stock raising. Finally, one gets to the East End settlement, whose inhabitants live their quiet lives far removed from the bustle of the outside world. The explorer must return by the same road until he again reaches Hermitage. There he can take a branch road leading to the north coast of the island. The road to the westward along the north coast offers even more scenic splendors than does the south coast road, since the island of Tortola presents a succession of views that delight the eye. The first estate one comes to on going west is 167 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Leinster Bay, where an excellent boarding house for use by occasional visitors was once kept. The storm of 1916 blew this house down. The wonder- ful old mahogany furniture that was the envy of all who came to stay here was scattered in all directions. Near by are the remains of the building occu- pied by the only Masonic Lodge on St. John. One can almost picture the banquets held by the Masons when they assembled here in the olden days, when feasts were of first importance in the life of the West Indian planters. Annaberg, also called Brim Bay, is the next estate. Report has it that when the slave revolt of 1733 was being put down, three hundred of the rebels were found upon a precipitous cliff that can be seen on this estate and, rather than suffer capture, dashed themselves on the rocks below. While an act of this kind might actually have been committed by one or two of the slaves, the story can hardly be true of such a large number as three hundred, for the entire number of the rebels at large did not amount to this total. . There is an excellent view from this road of Mary’s Point, a square peninsula which reaches out toward the British Thatch Island. The Nar- 168 CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS rows between Thatch Island and the mainland of St. John are only a mile wide. In former days slaves who thought they might meet with kinder treatment on Tortola than they had experienced from their Danish owners, used to defy the numer- ous sharks found in these waters and swim across the strait. It must be remembered that slavery was abolished on the British islands of the West Indies in 1838 but that the institution continued its existence on the Danish islands until 1848. Thus if any slave held on St. John between these dates managed to reach British territory, he immediately became free, so long as he remained there. Even after the days of fleeing slaves there was excitement in The Narrows. Smugglers did a thriving trade across The Narrows, so the British government was obliged to erect a custom house and fort upon the isolated Thatch Island. These have long since been abandoned. After crossing the peninsula of Mary’s Point, the wayfarer arrives at Maho Bay and afterwards at America Hill. The estate house on this latter property is a noticeable feature of the landscape, for it is built upon the very summit of a hill which 169 THE VIRGIN ISLANDS has the appearance of a sugar loaf. The hill is some six hundred feet high, and the ascent to the house must have furnished needed exercise to its former owners. Cinnamon Bay and Dennis Bay come next. Both were in former days the sites of important sugar factories. From here the way leads across the island. At-K. C. Bay are the largest sugar factory ruins on the island. Here also is a coconut grove in which the damage done by the late hurri- cane was tremendous. On the hilltop, before the - beginning of the descent to Cruz Bay, may be seen the almost obliterated remains of another Danish fort, whose history no one seems to know. To the tourist who is interested in old colonial furniture, St. John offers interesting hunting grounds. In the most ramshackle negro cabins one is liable to run across the dilapidated remains of the most wonderfully carved mahogany four poster beds. These antiques may be marred by a century of neglect, but the wonderfully skillful cabinet makers of St. Thomas can easily restore them to their former beauty. Not only bedsteads, but sewing tables, claw-foot serving tables and interesting looking chairs are scattered over the island. These were probably given to the negro 170 hill | to th tots _* Pek —— _—~ = mr a zie? —= aL _= = —Y- Lg a <4 a... — —"+ a so a. << = = ‘ - dy he ~e —3 . a so ~ i 5 amet» me WHARF AND OLD FORT, CORAL BAY, 8ST. JOHN - ge ies ie ee = HERMITAGE ESTATE, 8T. JOHN CINDERELLA OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS laborers on the estates when the planters departed on account of the waning of prosperity. The visitor who picks up one or two of these pieces will be able in future years to boast of them to admiring friends. . It will be seen, therefore, that St. John, the Cinderella of the Virgin Islands, has her charms and that the exploitation of the island would well repay the original outlay. A suitable tourist hotel, built to entertain the traveler who is content with what the country offers and does not insist upon imported food, would be well patronized. Let a few young and energetic men, accustomed to the handling of West Indian laborers, . start produce farms on the rich soil of St. John and they would be certain of large returns. Let some capitalist stock a farm with a large number of cattle of a breed that will thrive in this climate, and he would be sure of a profitable investment. Let the bay tree industry be encouraged by having expert men advise the planters as to the best methods of increasing the groves. When all this is done, it will be found that St. John, now only a name and a small speck on the map, will become as important as its more prosperous sisters to the west and south. CHAPTER IX THE CHECKERED HISTORY OF ST. CROIX WHY THE TONGUES OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH’S MEN BECAME “BIGGE”—A SUBTLE METHOD OF POISONING—A JOINT OCCUPATION THAT LED TO MURDER—A STARTLING SUC- CESSION OF OWNERS, PLOTS AND COUNTERPLOTS—A BLUFF THAT SUCCEEDED—A VISITOR WHO DIED OF MORTI- FICATION—A CONFLAGRATION THAT PROMOTED HEALTH —AN ABANDONED ISLAND RESCUED BY DENMARK—A SYMBOLIC TRANSFER OF TITLES—OUT OF THE CLUTCHES OF AN EXPLOITING COMPANY. O record has been discovered of a visit | \ | to St. Croix between the time of its dis- covery in 1498 and the day in 1587 when Sir Walter Raleigh touched here. There is, however, assurance that the Indian inhabitants of St. Croix made a few visits to Porto Rico during this period and instilled a lively fear in the early Spanish settlers of the latter island. It was the practice of the St. Croix Indians to go to Porto Rico to manufacture their sea-going canoes, as the Porto Rico forests bore trees of greater size than those of St. Croix. On one of these occasions a Porto Rican chieftain demanded that seven of the St. Croix cannibals remain on his island in order to be kept as hostages in case of attack by other Indians from the same island. When the 172 a ely mle} iar ala (ee ae ag! es ~— -- —- + a ( _ 9 2044 022 174 882 1 ss: The borrower must return this item on or before the last date stamped below. If another user places a recall for this item, the borrower will be notified of the need for an earlier return. Non-receipt of overdue notices does not exempt the borrower from overdue fines. Harvard College Widener Library Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-2413 WIDENER |g DE i WIRRNE™ 2 ORR \ \ FEBO A, 2006 -. A Re ~~! Please handle with care. Thank you for helping to preserve library collections at Harvard. 4 | ‘nt + the ede tade rn d we -* wee des =~ e a= -- Pry a q? if