326 To the River Plate and Back 



approached the landing-stage our attention was called 

 to the fact that several vessels had sunk near the shore, 

 only their masts being visible above the water. Men 

 in small boats were working about them. Inquiry 

 elicited the fact that the day before the place had been 

 visited by a hurricane, and that half a dozen small craft 

 had been swamped along the landing, and some houses 

 unroofed. Those who spoke of the matter did so in 

 a way which seemed to imply that it was quite an 

 ordinary occurrence. 



The architecture of Port of Spain is conformed to the 

 requirements of life in a perpetual summer. Every- 

 thing is open to the air, and devices to shelter from the 

 heat of the sun in the form of broad verandas and 

 awnings built over doors and windows are common 

 features in residences of the better class. The streets 

 and roads are well-paved and clean. The open spaces 

 in the parks look smooth and green like English lawns. 

 The sides of the roads are adorned by trees, many of 

 them of huge size, upon the branches of which grow 

 great colonies of epiphytic plants, bromelias and 

 orchids of various genera. We first drove out to the 

 waterworks. The water from a number of clear 

 mountain-streams is collected in large reservoirs and is 

 then conveyed by pipes into the city. On reaching our 

 destination we alighted from our conveyance and went 

 in and examined the place. An attendant came for- 

 ward and dipped up some of the sparkling water for us 

 to drink. It seemed to be very pure, but it would have 

 been somewhat more palatable had it been cooler. 



The reservoir is located in a deep valley, about which 

 under the shade of great trees cacao-bushes were grow- 

 ing. While we were inspecting the reservoirs the 

 chauffeur had pulled one of the ripe cacao-pods, and 



