SANTO DOMINGO 



SANTOS-DUMONT 



In the spring of 1916 the Dominican Con- 

 gress voted to impeach President Enrique 

 Jimenez for alleged violation of the constitu- 

 tion, and as a result of this action the garrison 

 at Santo Domingo city revolted. To prevent 

 civil war United States marines were dispatched 

 to various parts of the republic, and in Novem- 

 ber a military government was proclaimed by 

 the commander of the American marines at the 

 capital. Martial law was to be in force until 

 complete order was restored and a stable gov- 

 ernment assured. In June, 1917, Santo Do- 

 mingo severed diplomatic relations with Ger- 

 many, and proclaimed that its sympathies were 

 with the United States in the War of the Na- 

 tions. B.M.W. 



For physical features, early history and cli- 

 mate, see HAITI. Consult Ober's In the Track of 

 Columbus. 



SANTO DOMINGO, the oldest existing Euro- 

 pean settlement in the New World, was 

 founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, 

 brother of the illustrious discoverer. It is the 

 capital city of the republic of Santo Domingo, 

 which occupies the eastern part of, and shares 

 with the republic of Haiti, the second largest 

 island of the West Indian group (see HAITI). 

 Santo Domingo city is a seaport on the south- 

 ern coast of the island, at the mouth of the 

 Ozama River. The place, even at the present 

 time, is typically Spanish. About it is an old 

 wall used in early days as a defense against the 

 raids of pirates and island natives. Most of 

 the inhabitants dwell in thatch-covered cot- 

 tages, but the picturesque ruins of great stone 

 mansions tell a story of former grandeur. The 

 streets are straight, but narrow and unpaved. 

 One of the most interesting buildings is a large 

 Gothic cathedral, where Columbus and his son 

 Diego were formerly buried (see COLUMBUS, 

 CHRISTOPHER). In the principal city square is 

 a statue of the navigator. In the article SANTO 

 DOMINGO, above, is an illustration of the ruins 

 of the old Columbus home, erected by Diego. 



Santo Domingo is important commercially as 

 a center for the export of coffee and sugar. 

 The harbor is not naturally well protected, but 

 it has been improved by the erection, at the 

 entrance, of a jetty and a sea wall. In 1913 a 

 large concrete wharf was constructed. Esti- 

 mated population, 25,000. 



SANTOS, sahN'toosh, one of the busiest sea- 

 ports in South America, is situated in the Bra- 

 zilian state of Sao Paulo on the Atlantic coast, 

 200 miles southwest of Rio de Janeiro and 

 twenty-five miles directly southeast of the city 



of Sao Paulo, of which it is the port. Santos 

 is the first port in the world for the export of 

 coffee, shipping out the vast output of the state 

 of Sao Paulo. The wide, deep bay on which 

 the city is located provides a harbor which can 

 accommodate the largest vessels, and great 

 sums of money have been spent on improve- 

 ments, including a wall of stone and cement 

 along the water front. Railway connection is 

 had with the interior by way of Sao Paulo 

 (which see). Santos is an attractive city with 

 many fine public buildings, but is situated in a 

 region naturally imhealthful. Epidemics, how- 

 ever, have been checked to some extent by the 

 construction of a good drainage system, and the 

 population has greatly increased. Population, 

 1914, estimated, 90,000. 



SANTOS-DUMONT, sahn' tohs dumawN', 

 ALBERTO (1873- ), a French aeronaut, a 

 leader in the development of the flying ma- 

 chine, was born at Suo Paulo, Brazil. He re- 

 ceived his education in France, and after his 

 father's death re- 

 sided in Paris. 

 His first experi- 

 ment in flying 

 was made in 1898 

 in a spherical bal- 

 loon. Soon he 

 had perfected a 

 dirigible balloon, 

 but his first trial 

 with this ended 

 in failure. In 

 1899, with an- 

 other balloon he 

 made a long, suc- 

 c e s s f u 1 flight, 



whipJi innlnrfod navigation he made" his name 

 wnicn inducted famous, but he was later 

 the encircling of eclipsed by the Americans, 

 the Wright Brothers and Cur- 

 the Eiffel Tower, tiss, and by the Frenchmen, 

 proceeding from Bleriot and Nieuport. 



Vaugirard to Bagatelle. 



Santos-Dumont won the Henri Deutsche 

 prize of 100,000 francs, in 1901, for his trip from 

 the Aero Club around the Eiffel Tower and 

 back, which he made in twenty-nine and one- 

 half minutes, the time set for the flight being 

 one hour. The following year he attempted 

 to cross the Mediterranean, but an accident 

 sent both himself and his balloon into the Bay 

 of Monaco. He received the Chevalier Legion 

 of Honour in. 1904 and the Officer's Cross in 

 1909. His account of the work accomplished is 

 found in his volume, My Airships: A Story oj 

 My Life. 



SANTOS-DUMONT 

 In the early days of air 



