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| Agramonte Plaza, Puerto Principe, Cuba. Photograph by V. K. Van de Venter, Jan. 28, 1900. |
by James M. Adams
CONTENTS.
| CHAPTER I | |
| The Arrival of the Colonists in Nuevitas Harbor. | |
| PAGE | |
A New Sight for Old Nuevitas—The Yarmouth drops Anchor in the Harbor—The Vanguard of the First American Colony Planted in Cuba—The Beautiful Cuban Coast—Picturesque Appearance of Nuevitas—"Distance Lends Enchantment to the View"—Character of the Colonists—Gen. Paul Van der Voort—Nearly all the States Represented—"The Only Canuck on Board"—The Voyage from New York
| 17 |
| CHAPTER II | |
| The Journey to Port La Gloria | |
An Irritating Delay—Ashore at Nuevitas—Midnight Row at the Pier—Convivial Colonists Clash With Cubans—Ex-Soldier Takes an Involuntary Bath—The Cuban Police—Hon. Peter E. Park—The Start for La Gloria—Some Intending Colonists Back Out—The Man With the Long, Red Face—The Only Woman—The Fleet Anchors—"To-morrow, Four O'clock, Wind Right, Go!"—An Uncomfortable Night—Cuban Captain Falls Overboard—Port La Gloria Sighted
| 32 |
| CHAPTER III | |
| A Tough Tramp to La Gloria City. | |
Arrival at the Port—A Discouraging Scene—Mud, Water, and Sand Flies—The Memorable Walk to La Gloria "City"—An Awful Road—Battle With Water, Mud, Stumps, Roots, Logs, Briers and Branches—Lawyer Park Leads the Strange Procession—La Gloria at Last—The Royal Palm—Women in Masculine Garb—Col. Thos. H. Maginniss—First Night in La Gloria—The Survey Corps—Chief Engineer Kelly—Experiences of the Lowells and Spikers
| 44 |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| First Days in the New Colony. | |
Isolation of La Gloria—The Camp at Night—Strange Sounds in the Forest—The Colonists Happy—Their Excellent Health—Remarkable Cures Effected by the Climate—The Agreeable Temperature—Prolonged Rainy Season—The "Hotel"—The Log Foundation—A Favorite Joke—The Company's Spring—Small Variety of Food—My First Supper in La Gloria—Eating Flamingo and Aged Goat—A Commissary With Nothing to Sell—A Fluctuating Population
| 59 |
| CHAPTER V | |
| The Allotment of the Land. | |
The Character of the Contracts—The Question of Subdivision—Some of the Difficulties—Matter Placed in the Hands of a Committee of the Colonists—Fair and Feasible Plan Adopted—Gen. Van der Voort's Arrival in La Gloria—His Boat Nearly Wrecked—Delay in Getting Baggage—Colonists Get Their Land Promptly—The Town as Laid Out—Site Well Chosen—Woods Full of Colonists Hunting for Their Plantations—Different Kinds of Soil
| 73 |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| The Sugar Riot. | |
Population of Colony Slowly Increases—Arrival of Second Yarmouth—Sensational and Ridiculous Reports—Consternation in Asbury Park—Laughing Over Newspaper Stories—Excitement Over Sugar—Mass Meeting to Air the Grievance—An Unexpected Turn of Affairs—Cable From New York Brings Good News—Van der Voort Elected President of the Company—Sugar Orators Remain Silent—A Noisy Celebration
| 86 |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| Adventures and Misadventures. | |
The Women in the Camp—Mrs. Moller—Her Costume and Extraordinary Adventures—How She Entered La Gloria—Roosts in a Tree all Night—Builds the First House in La Gloria—Her Famous Cow and Calf—Wonderful Bloomers—Ubiquitous Mrs. Horn—Weighed 250, but Waded Into La Gloria—Not "Rattled" by a Brook Running Through Her Tent—A Pig Hunt and Its Results—Surveyors Lost in the Woods
| 94 |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| The Cubans. | |
Good People to "Get Along With"—Their Kindness and Courtesy—Harmony and Good Feeling Between the Colonists and Cubans—Their Primitive Style of Living—The Red Soil and Its Stains—Rural Homes—Prevalence of Children, Chickens, and Dogs—Little Girl Dresses for Company With Only a Slipper—Food and Drink of the Cubans—Few Amusements—An Indifferent People—The Country Districts of the Province of Puerto Principe
| 104 |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| Steps of Progress. | |
Clearing and Planting—The Post-office—Col. John F. Early—The "Old Señor"—La Gloria Police Force—Chief Matthews' Nightly Trip "Down the Line"—No Liquor Sold, and Practically no Crime Committed—Watchman Eugene Kezar—Religious Services and Ministers—La Gloria Pioneer Association—Dr. W. P. Peirce—Mr. D. E. Lowell—Mr. R. G. Barner—Important Work of the Association
| 118 |
| CHAPTER X | |
| Events Important and Otherwise. | |
Worth of the Colonists—Gen. Van der Voort's New Cuban House—The "Lookout Tree"—Its Part in the Cuban Wars—The General's Garden—Marvelously Rapid Growth of Plants—First Birth in La Gloria—Olaf El Gloria Olson—Given a Town Lot—Temperature Figures—Perfection of Climate—The Maginniss Corduroy Road—First Well Dug—Architect M. A. C. Neff
| 133 |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| Self-reliance of the Colonists. | |
The Man With the Hoe—"Grandpa" Withee Able to Take Care of Himself—Not Dead, but Very Much Alive—A Pugnacious Old Man—Mr. Withee Shoots Chickens and Defies the Authorities—Big Jack McCauley and His "Influence"—"Albany" and the Mosquitoes—Arrival of Third Yarmouth—Arnold Mollenhauer—John A. Connell—S. W. Storm—The First School and Its Teacher
| 143 |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| The First Holiday in La Gloria. | |
Craving for Athletic Sports—Half Holiday Formally Proclaimed—A Beautiful Day—The Colonists Photographed—Lieut. Evans and His Soldiers of the Eighth U. S. Cavalry—Successful Sports—Baseball Game—An Event not Down on the Program—Excited Colonists—Lawyer C. Hugo Drake of Puerto Principe—His Scheme—Ordered Out of Camp—A Night in the Woods—Lieutenant Cienfuente
| 155 |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| Industry of the Colonists. | |
Pink Orchids on the Trees—Vegetables Raised and Fruit Trees Set Out—The Various Employments—Working on the Survey Corps—Chief Kelly's Facetious Formula—An Official Kicker—B. F. Seibert—Improvements at the Port—Fish, Alligators, and Flamingo—J. L. Ratekin—First Banquet in La Gloria—Departure of Maginniss Party—First Death in the Colony—Only One Death in Six Months—Lowell's Corduroy Road and Kelly's Permanent Highway
| 166 |
| CHAPTER XIV | |
| The First Ball in La Gloria. | |
A Semi-Anniversary—Town Lots and Plantations Allotted in First Six Months—A Grand Ball—French Dancing Master in Charge—Dan Goodman's Pennsylvania Modesty—Organizing an Orchestra at Short Notice—The Ballroom—Rev. Dr. Gill Lends His Tent Floor—Elaborate Decorations—A Transformation Scene—Some Taking Specialties—A Fine Supper—Music in Camp—An Aggravating Cornet Player—Singers in the Colony
| 177 |
| CHAPTER XV | |
| A Walking Trip To Puerto Principe. | |
Five Good Walkers—A Halt at Mercedes—Sparsely Settled Country—Cuban Trails—A Night in the Woods—A Cripple From Sore Feet—A Pretty Country Place—The Cubitas Mountains—Hunting for the Late Cuban Capital—A Broad and Beautiful View—Seventeen Miles Without a House—Night on the Plain—The City of Puerto Principe—Politeness of Its People—The Journey Home—Sanchez' Sugar Plantation—Lost in the Forest—La Gloria Once More
| 186 |
| CHAPTER XVI | |
| In and Around La Gloria. | |
Horses That May Have Committed Suicide—Colonel Maginniss "A Master Hand in Sickness"—Sudden and Surprising Rise of Water—A Deluge of Frogs—A Greedy Snake—Catching Fish in Central Avenue—D. Siefert's Industry—Max Neuber—Mountain View—A Facetious Signboard—The Sangjai—An Aggravating and Uncertain Channel
| 203 |
| CHAPTER XVII | |
| The Colony at the End of the First Year. | |
The Saw Mill—The Pole Tramway to the Bay—A Tragedy in the Colony—Death of Mr. Bosworth—The Summer Season—The Country Around La Gloria—The Cuban Colonization Company—Guanaja—The
Rural Guard—Organizations in La Gloria—The March of Improvements—Construction of Wooden Buildings—Colonists Delighted With Their New Home in the Tropics | 212 |
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