ne 
6 NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
just before we enter the Casas river, This island 
Robert Louis Stevenson makes famous in his story of 
“Treasure Island.” The Isle of Pines was first dis- 
covered by Christopher Columbus and he mentions it 
in his reports. The Casas river was named after his 
confessor Father Casas... This island was the home 
of the old buccaneers and pirates, notably the home 
of Morgan, who burned Panama and was a terror to 
the Spaniards, English and French merchantmen, The 
coral reefs surrounding the Isle of Pines were a guard 
to the pirates and as it was hard to tell where the rivers 
ran out there, priates would run up these rivers and 
hide. Finally the English government dredged out a 
channel to capture Morgan and this channel is now 
used in going to and from the Island to Cuba. It is 
facinating to get up early in the morning and see the 
steamer with her search light pick her way through the 
narrow channel with the water on each side very shal- 
low and with large wooden spindles painted white as 
guides to the channel. 
After passing Columbo Point we came to Viva Jagua, 
“Casa del Mar,” the winter home of John F. Atcheson 
of Pittsburg, Pa., who as each steamer comes up, just 
before entering the Casas river, runs up the American 
flag on a large flag pole close*to the beach. The steamer 
salutes the flag. How kind in Mr. Atcheson to do 
this, as it is a welcome and reminder to the American 
coming to the island. Mr. Atcheson comes to the island 
each year in November and stays until April. He has 
a beautiful place and is a great lover of shrubbery and 
rare plants and his place shows it. I had the pleasure 
of meeting him and spent many hours in his company 
and received a great deal of information and instruc- 
tion from him in regard to the island. 
We steam up the Casas river a short distance and 
arrive at Nueva Gernoa, the end of the trip. Nueva 
Gerona is a splendid town,—Spanish architecture, filled 
with enterprising American business men who are up 
and doing, It has well laid out streets, two banks, 
churches and schools, an enterprising town with news- 
papers edited by Americans, also some good hotels. 
Along the Casas river are some very pretty bungalows 
built up on the side of the river against the hill. Mr. 
Oscar Scneider and Mr. Binckley have two very attrac- 
tive places, Dr, Dupree has also a very attractive place 
a little way back from the town. 
The Isle of Pines was never set off legally to Cuba, 
but Cuba has jurisdiction over same for the present. 
Its fate still remains on the table in the United States 
Senate or in other words “pigeon holed.” Cuba re- 
ceives over three hundred thousand dollars each year 
from the island. I believe this year Cuba has given | 
$800.00 in prizes at the Santa Fe fair, They do little 
for improvements. The island has a system of roads 
which are fine and were built by Uncle Sam’s soldiers 
during the two years occupation under General Wood, 
and these have been extended by private subscription 
and land companies. A great many of the bridges are 
built of concrete. 
The Isle of Pines is about 42 miles long and 32 
wide; 97% of the island is owned by Americans. It 
has a population of 8000 and is growing fast, It is only 
a question of time when this island must come under 
the United States’ flag, as the land was bought up by 
Americans and they were given to understand that 
this would be done as they bought the land under these 
conditions. 
When we arrived at Nueva Gerona I was met by 
Peter Smellie with a pair of mules, as I desired to see 
the island in a leisurely way. We drove over the is- | 
land to La Siguanea, visiting the different towns and 
communities. On our way we pass Viva Jagua beach 
a little off the main road; also the estate of T. F. Kee- 
nan of Pittsburg, Pa., who occupies it as his winter 
home and which is called “Brazo Fuerte.” An old 
type of residence is the Sarda homestead. On the sides 
ef the roads through the island are different kinds of 
palms,—the bottle or cabbage, post water and the royal 
palm, also hard pine trees. We also see grape fruit, 
orange and lemon groves and the beautiful pineapples, 
all of which are much sought after and cannot supply 
the demand. Great strides are being made in fruit 
culture. 
The climate is wonderful. At 7 A. M. the ther- 
moneter registers 68 to 70; at noon 80 to 82, and is 
the same the year around; at 9 A, M. a trade wind blows 
over the island until 6. P. M., then at 9 P, M. it again 
blows through the night. The average temperature the 
year round is 73, You do not have that sultry heat 
or the dog day variety as we have here. It is much 
better climate than Cuba, though only 90 miles distance. 
They are increasing their fruit culture 1000 acres each 
year and with the advent of the constant stream of 
new setttlers this will keep increasing more. 
(To BE CoNTINUED. ) 
REAL ESTATE. 
Samuel D. Warren of Bosto1 has 
purchased through the real estate 
agency of B. Frank Raymond 153 
acres of land in Essex, a tract three 
times the size of Boston common. Jn 
order to secure this property it was 
necessary to buy the farms of 
Henry Andrews and Reuben Low 
and tracts of various sizes from 
Alvin Burnham, Col. W. D. Sohier, 
heirs of Samuel Andrews, David 
Mears, Arthur Haskell, Harry Mears, 
heirs Albert Story and Enoch Story. 
The property fronts on Apple St. 
and comprises nearly all of what is 
called Rocky Hill. It is beautifully 
situated, rising 200 feet above the 
Jevel of the sea and has a command- 
ing view of the Ipswich sand dunes, 
the ocean, the mountains in Maine, 
besides a wide stretch of country or 
all sides. Its southern exposure 
borders upon Conomo drive, one of 
the beautiful woodland avenues built 
by the North Shore Improvement 
society and connecting with a net- 
work of woodland roads leading to 
Beverly Farms, Pride’s Crossing, 
Manchester, Beverly, Wenham and 
Hamilton. Although, as the name 
implies, there are plenty of rocks, 
there is also tillage land, fruit trees 
of various kinds in good bearing, 
woodland trees in great variety, 
brooks, woodland paths, shady nooks 
and dells on every side. A natural 
game preserve, one can hardly walk 
in any direction without starting 
partridge and pheasants and some- 
times deer. It is understood that a 
house will be build in the future and 
the grounds improved, The people 
of Essex are greatly pleased and 
justly proud of their prospective 
citizens. 
xX—x 
John Waldron of Manchester, con- 
veys to Nora T. Flatley of Manches- 
ter, 4875 sq. ft, land and buildings 
on Vine street, Manchester. 
John Waldron of Manchester, con- 
veys to Ellen Morley of Manchester, 
5700 sq. ft. land and buildings on 
Vine street, Manchester, 
Austin Morley et al, of Manches- 
ter, convey to John Waldron of Man- 
chester, 5700 sq. ft. land and build- 
ings on Vine street; also 4875 sq. ft. 
land and buildings on Vine street, 
Manchester, 
