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Why Uncle Gduchi Virgin Islands -T^ 3 '“if I HHite IfP* : trr-£-Zys i WS&^ —• U £*§l H '** Jjecrei Bases at Culebra to Control Caribfoearv * * t By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN .. ———•% ave you ever wondered nwhy Uncle Sam bought the Virgin islands and bunded to the Danish minister at Washington a treasury warrant for j&y $25,000,000 in hard cash? Yes? Then there is no need of feeling lonesome; •tliers have wondered too. No? Well, lots of good Americans have, even if you haven’t. tt took Uncle Sam more than 50 years to get possession of the Virgin Islands. Ills efforts began in 1865, when William H. Seward, Lincoln’s secretary of state, offered Denmark $5,000,000 for them. That was in Civil war times, too, when our na tional debt had piled up mountain high- Two years later Seward offered $7,500,000. Apparently the deal near ly went through, but It came to naught. Now v what did Seward want of the Virgin Islands? History doesn’t say. ltut it is it good guess that Seward, wko was a good deal of a statesman, knew Instinctively —or was told by .someone whose judgment lie trusted — that Uncle Sain should have a foot hold in I lie West Indies for good and sufficient reasons. It should tie re membered that it was Seward who in 1807 b ought Alaska from Russia for sT.s<X) t o<)o in spite of nation-wide rid- Iruh\ and got a famous bargain. Negotiations were started again in 15)01 and failed. Another effort in 1910 accomplished nothing. Then CTon? the purchase of U)l7. Evidently wome high interest in the United States wanted the Danish West Indies and knew why it wanted them. These Virgin islands are part of the Lie ward islands, West Indies, lying 40 miles oast of Porto ltico. The West Indies form n vast archipelago that Stretches in a curve from Florida to the northern coast of South America. Tluiy separate the waters of the At- limtic ocean from those of the Gulf *f Mexico and the Caribbean sea. There are several well-defined groups —the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles (Including Leeward Wturds), etc., etc. The Greater An- Blies include the big and Important fcstutvds like Cuba, Porto Rico, Haiti *ndt Jamaica. The Lesser Antilles cvrve in a double column from Porto Rico south to Trinidad. Somewhere In the West Indies Is the spot which affords the natural control •f the Caribbean sea and the water approaches to Uncle Sam’s Panama canal. There are in the West Indies Hbo republics of Culm, Santo Domingo and Haiti; the American island of HSu-to hlco; British, French and Dutch Fast Indies, and the American Virgin islands. What did we get for our $23,000,000 when we bought the Virgin islands? We got about 50 Islands, only 3 of which are large enough to be consid ered except on hydrographic charts. These are St. Croix (Spanish, Santa C"ri:*) ; St. Thomas, which has one of fh > finest harbors in the world, and ttse smaller island of St. John. Nearly nfl of the islands are mountainous and rugged. Hurricanes are frequent, but the climate is fairly healthful. Ne groes form the bulk of the popula tion. Altogether, we got about 140 •sptnro miles and a population of 40,- BPO. The city of St. Thomas or Char tote Amalie, was formerly the Tom cieroial metropolis of the West Indies. The name of Virgin Islands Is also wed geographically to Include, in ad dition. a number of British islands md two American Islands. Crab and CVlobrn, with an area of 130 square niT's and a population of 12,000. I __, • n * I —■ Ur# S<hsTY~ : ' ; / / / Jtf>' jjj-* '“**“*“* ( (f / 7\ > v -.9 lP ' These two islands we did not buy from Denmark with the Virgin islands. We got them from Spain as one re sult of our victory in the Spanish American war of 1898. Please note that in 1901 Uncle Sain revived his efforts to purchase the Virgins and kept at it until they were his. So, here’s the true inwardness of the Virgin Islands purchase: We bought the Virgin islands because we had Crab and Culebra islands. We bought the Virgins in order to be able to protect Crab and Culebra.* Culebra means “Snake.” And Culebra is the hidden snake in the grass! Culebra is well named, being long and sinuous. Its coast line is a crazy sort of thing, being Indented by bays, gulfs and harbors and by inlets con nected by narrow mouths with the sea. On it there nre no springs or wells or freshwater lakes or streams. The peo ple catch their water in cisterns. There is no shortage of rain water. Rain falls every few days and it falls as if the bottom had dropped out. Then the sun comes out and in a few hours ev erything is dry and baked. What, therefore, does Uncle Sam see in Culebra that he sets such store by It? So far as anyone knows there’s no gold there or precious stones or valuable minerals. And It’s evidently no great shakes as a winter resort. Well, the truth is that Uncle Sam’s navy and aircraft men are the fellows so particularly interested in Culebra. Im mediately after the completion of the maneuvers of our navy this spring in the Caribbean and around the Panama canal the advanced base hom'd went into confidential and more or less se cret session at St. Thomas. Four naval officers, representing both mu rine and aircraft forces, made Impor tant plans which revolve about Culebra as a submarine and aircraft base of control in connection with the Carib bean sea and the Panama canal. G. K. Spencer, U. S. N. R. F.. editor of the United States Navy, contributes an article to the New York World on the subject of these plans, in which he says, among other tilings: “Over in the Island of St. Thomas four naval officers were making his tory. They were deciding a close question of state —‘advanced bases of the United States of America in the Islands of the Virgins,’ and each, as lie fumbled his notes, was aware that America’s advanced base in the Vir gins would perhaps some day be the focal point of war for the Americans against enemy marauders, or in de fending the transcontinental i*ir lanes between North and South Amer ica. “Each understood full well that these Virgins, with their Snlniuis-blue waters, are fated to receive the trans fer of air traffic between the conti nents when the peoples of earth en cumber the soul and their air ma chines patrol in myriads the air now only conquered by the heavy bombers of the navy of the United States. “Each had his maps before him— marked off the Virgins, midway be tween North and South America in the Caribbean. Heavy black crayon THE DANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DAN lELSVILLE, GEORGIA. /*! fe, . \ : MS' * Wr:***.-:;-: \. \ ' S&ofo Stanley, navy pilots. A photographer was present. Suddenly Bates yelled to him and pointed downward. We were passing over an ideal landing field. The photographer ‘shot it.’ Thousands of such ‘shots’ were made during the two months in which the aircraft squadrons moved over these islands. Captains Gherardi and Mar shall sat In council with these reports on their knees. “Culebra, then, is the snake which darts its head hither and to in the Indies anil flashes its fangs at those who desire to penetrate our inner sea and our national throat —the Panama canal. With one base we defend the canal and we dominate the future air routes between the Americas. While I was at Culebra this spring a flying boat of the Aeromarine company ar rived one day from ‘the States’ and squatted down to an anchorage on tho water —just to show it could be done. “The United States navy Ims created, within the hot breasts of Culebra, a secret submarine base from which in war can Issue forth the undersea boats for defense or offense. “The United States navy has desig nated, within the colls of the snake, secret air and destroyer bases, and the snake, when it uncoils in the act of hostility, will display a veritable nest qf vipers. Its uncoiling stroke will spread woe to those who Invite its at tack. “It is the key to our Caribbean de fense (the defense assault point for the Panama canal) and the future aerial customs center for regulation of the commercial air lanes. “It makes the Caribbean an Ameri can lake. “Culebra represents both a threat and a warning to those who may wish us ill. And it Is not defended with heavy guns. The fleet itself is the striking arms of Culebra. “However, the navy sees Culebra in a future day as the transfer depot for interoceanic airplane and seaplane traffic and the navy’s designation of Culebra ns an advanced base seems to portend events which dwarf the pretensions of Gibraltar —which will bring a population to Culebra. a mix ture of races and of jargons, flying with the commerce and establishing commodity depots on tills passionate little island, the snake. “In that future the navy of today. I which starts it on its way, will it self evolve into what superengines ot control? “And ‘Culebra,’ the snake, will bur , become a mart.” rings su: rounded the island marked ‘Cule i>ra.’ “Tlie four naval offi cers sitting in council at St. Thomas were Admiral Montgomery M. Taylor, Capt. George C. Day, Capt. Walter Gherardl, who commands the aircraft squadrons of our scouting fleet, and Capt. Albert Marshall, commanding our air craft squadrons of the battle fleet. “The purpose of these last two officers on the council sudden ly occurred to me one day when I was flying over tlie Virgins with Lieut. Cos m. Paul Bates and Lieut. H. T. '"WI B v >hT. •• y Laying and Breeding House for the Average Farm Floe! / - 'jrj*-'*™*?'* gllliif !|iixi|7 * * ’ kv, zzzkkizZLr 'jkXk ■•-"• a - *■ -'T- 'r . if.-" By WILLIAM A. RADFORD Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice FREE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building work on the farm, for the readers of this paper. On ac count of his wide experience as Editor, Author and Manufacturer, he is, with out doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address all inquiries to William A. Radford, No. 1527 Prairie avenue. Chicago, 111., and only inclose Mvo-cent stamp for reply. Almost no farm is without a flock of poultry, but there are many farms where the producers of eggs do not receive the consideration they deserve, and as a consequence fall far below tlie productivity of which they are ca pable. Here is a laying and breeding house for a farm flock which numbers about 75 liens. And the building is very economical, considering the first cost. Tlie size it 12 feet by 27 feet, which will allow four square feet for each lien when it is used for tlie flock of 75. The building is of frame con struction on a concrete foundation, and it lias a floor of concrete. The sloping roof gives the south face a height sufficient to accommodate win dows and doors which furnish light and ventilation. At tlie back are the nests and tlie roosts. The pitch of the roof is sufficient to make it shed water readily and the tight construction insures warmth in tlie winter months. This poultry Equipment of Modern Homes Mostly Built In Space-saving is an all-important item in home building and to this end architects and builders have resorted to the built-in features. The built-in equipment is valuable both from the standpoint of conveni ence and from the fact that it requires the minimum of space for installation; also many otherwise unused portions of the home can be developed into useful areas. The modern kitchen is much smaller than the old type; It is designed and arranged to reduce the number of steps necessary to do the work, a high ly appreciated advance in labor-saving. Cabinets which do duty as both stor age and work table, so planned as to permit the cook to reach the materials without walking back and forth is the accepted standard of modern kitchens. Electric equipment and arrangement of the wall plugs are also in conform ity to the modern idea of saving in labor, and when properly arranged and in connection with the built-in equip ment are a most pleasing addition to the kitchen. The breakfast nook or room is prob ably the greatest comfort feature to Hie home, combining convenience with great saving in labor, more especially where there are children. The equip ment of this room should be built-in, sanitary fixtures. Many practical fix ture arrangements are featured by manufacturers specializing In this type of equipment which are a delight to every woman who manages her home. The breakfast-room equipment should lie planned so that it can be easily cleaned and for this purpose tiled floor and either tiled or washable walls should be planned. Tiled floors and walls, while costing more for initial installation, have practically little or no maintenance expense and in a short time more than pay for the added expense. Built-in refrigerators are handy, but in nil a recessed space for a standard type is to be preferred, as these have been developed to a much more effi cient degree than the type which are •i part of kitchen cabinets and equip ment. In planning the kitchen do so with an eye to reducing the size and to a removal of surplus furniture which requires moving while the floors and walls are being cleaned. Tn-n-door beds or wall beds are al ways acceptable features In every home and are of convenience not alone from the standpoint of extra sleeping accommodations, hut from the double services which the rooms can be put ! to. A sewing-room or nursery with me of these beds can at a moment’s ..mice im converted to a guest cham ,. ~ very satisfactory arrangement. ■ i ;• features, such as mothproof • { inset cabinets with drawers • gerupnts for winter or sum ac are very useful and prtic and their installation cost CL & /S’ 2 2 DSfISIMT 3 S $ 'ymmmc S* f=— — V | -RoOSTS j - °! i gbi § 1 a nwigronr a mnmax ■ o, 1 $ 1T003T3 B g t——aai \l/ h IS&O' 1 J Floor Plan. house is altogether suitable for tn farm flock and will repay the efforts and expense of building it. is very minor in comparison with their convenience. Built-in features never can nor will displace furniture, and are not intended for such a purpose; they are, however, valuable in reducing the number of pieces of furniture required and the elimination of many unwieldy and cumbersome units which must be moved to and fro when cleaning. The built-in equipment in the mod ern home of today is so built and arranged as to be thoroughly sanitary and to require the minimum of labor for cleaning, a condition quick to be taken advantage of by housewives who are insistent upon incorporating these features in the house plan. Safety Rules for the Use of Gas in Any Building Make sure that lamps, stoves, heat ers, pipes that burn gas, and their connections, are well made, tight and free from leaks. When you smell escaping gas, first open doors and windows, then find the leak at once. Never look for a leak with a lighted match, lamp, candle, or flame of any kind; use an electric flashlight, if you have one, otherwise find the leak by the sense of smell. Correct the leak at once, or else shut off the gas at the meter and send for a gasfitter. Do not light up in the house until this has been done. Never buy cheap rubber gas-tubing. If vou cannot connect with solid-iron pipes get a good quality of flexible metal tubing and make sure that it tightly joined at both ends. Garage Drain In building a garage It is very es sential that arrangements be mad carry off the water from washing car or cleaning out the garage. 1 is not so apparent in the sumrne months as it Is In the winter he the surplus water swept out or garage will freeze and interfe [ D the closing of the door. A dram be Installed at a minimum expe the time the concrete Is placed. Cedar Closet Lining The advantage of built ' ln ment of every kind is sothorou„ cepted that the unlversa •- closets of one kind or another > a question of time, partly, , of the moderate cost .<* BU< * “ er pleas linings. The cedar has a ™ wei; ant odor, P re f enes J„4l'In private rJZ% n Xotels apartment, Salt Will Clean CMmn^ Common salt will c' e ‘ , wn my* of accumulated soot be -,r thing else. The salt - the tire Ims ben well start- tJ careful not to do It when - ; on the line.