THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 



591 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE POSTOFFICE SAVINGS BANK FOB THE FIVE YEARS, 



1898-1902. 



*N. B. For period, 1st January, 1902, to 30th June, 1902. 

 FACILITIES OF COMMtNICATIONS. 



As there are no railroads in the Bahamas, the means of communication 

 are confined to sailing boats, steam vessels, cable and postoffice service. The 

 only means of travel among the various islands of the archipelago is the sail 

 boat. Those which are confined to Bahama traffic and do not wander far 

 away from the archipelago are small and of light draft. The necessity of 

 this will at once be understood when the shallow nature of most of the Bahama 

 waters is taken into consideration. During the winter months Nassau is con- 

 nected with Miami, Florida, by means of steamships which sail every other 

 day, and with New York with a similar line of steamships which sail about 

 every two weeks. At the close of the winter outing season the Nassau-Miami 

 line is discontinued. There is also a steamship service between Nassau and 

 England. 



There is a government cable service between Nassau and Jupiter, Florida. 

 The volume of business transacted by this cable is indicated in the following 

 table : 



NUMBER AND CLASSIFICATION OF MESSAGES SENT AND RECEIVED ON THE 

 GOVERNMENT CABLE FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1902. 



United Kingdom 424 



Other points 2,835 



Service 240 



Total 3,499 



Mail is delivered to the Out-islands by means of small sailing boats which 

 cover their routes about every fortnight. The revenue received through the 

 Postoffice for the twelve months from April 1, 1892, to March 31, 1903, 

 amounted to 4303. The custom duties on packages passing through the 

 Postoffice amounted in the same period to 638 18s. 3d. The total number 



