A Brief Visit to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

all days out of New York south by teeth on a palatial modern steamed virgin island soaked in pirate lore those chips of swashbuckling cutthroats laden with captives and booty still idle on the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea to adopt some distance from steering the same cause as did Sir Henry Morgan teach Bluebeard in their life through a narrow channel which would still try the patience of our skipper where he powered by sail and not by steam as a choice of autos or motor boats to take us from the landing dock to the town profit we choose the boat which allows us to view the colorful buildings as we glide across the still waters to the walk st. Thomas in a country where nature is bountiful home of happy carefree natives where even the most trivial event is made excuse for a holiday down to the docking of a boat [Music] on writing however this patient little animal will accommodate you if you've crossed his masters found with silver you fooled him with that broad brimmed hat he thought you hailed from the wide-open spaces of the wild and woolly West now he must think you're from Boston to the right Emancipation Park supposed to be the place where in 1848 the proclamation freeing the slaves in the Danish West Indies was written the Lowertown or the government colony on the hills in the background treats seemed like endless stairways sometimes flights with as many as 100 steps the influence of the old world in the front yard of the new everything's alright as you approach st. Thomas but it's all left the moment you land traffic signs or police will change your walking or driving habits of a lifetime within a few minutes [Music] and if by any chance you're looking for a particular address you'll sign that your English or even high school French is of no assistance as the markers are still in the language of old Denmark from whom the United States purchased the islands in 1970 open drains lead water from tarantulas from the hills to the sea the hills were denuded of trees by hitting them with disease then prevalent on the island in all tropical countries the native marketplace of the visitor who will already hours of the morning and search it out there a pleasant cut the manners and customs of the people in st. Thomas one time the produce of not only this island but of Island communities nearby there's a true cross-section of the people themselves the bickering and battering of the buyer and seller the chitin chatter of locals and it's in an English that is decidedly English roots the whole world knows a tropical like the coconut and the banana a lot of others many never see like the guava the papaya and the Sapodilla this little native maid has come to market on four legs instead of two the co-operative store down near the walk sells native handicrafts article census which range from woven hats bags and so on to guavas preserved in rum and packaged in colorful containers truly French creations from any of the woven hats and bags are made by those and daughters of French fishermen styles may come and styles may go but visit st. Thomas for any length of time you'll probably find yourself wearing one of these like colorful and comfortable Chapel a vast assortment in size weave and color to suit any taste or types of beauty how do you like this [Music] st. Thomas is a port of call for the giant airliners enroute from the north in South America this modern influence has left its mark on the community through the naming of one of its large contiguous bodies of water Lindbergh Bay in honor of the illustrious flying Colonel who landed there on his goodwill trip to South America [Music] one is apt to think of ocean bathing in tropical waters as a hazardous sport when the surf at st. Thomas it is claimed that attacked by sharks or other vicious denizens of the deep are unknown their protective real off the shores of the island which these ocean Marauders fear to pass are said to be the [Music] conveniently located in an important southern ocean lane st. Thomas has for centuries attracted vessels which stopped there to take on supplies we ship their cargoes or refuel no coal is mined brought there from far distant points but the refueling of modern steam important activity among the natives native men and women and the women are not in the minority add to their incomes by performing the arduous physical tasks incident to calling the ship's a new load of coal for a modern ship runs into the thousands of times and in st. Thomas it all goes into the bunkers by way of these little baskets each one of which holds 60 pounds payment for the labor is at the rate of about 1 and 1/2 cents a basket ships officers and the token to each loader passing with the full basket the loader later redeemed this for cash a daily wage worthy McCord astounded of living can only result from almost endless round trips between the coal island the bunkers with a stiff hall of the cleated gangplanks as an important hazard it's the tropics and it's not uncommon for a thoughtful husband to carry his wife's empty basket back to the coal pile for refilling [Music] hi in the hills one finds a seat which commemorates the active Sir Francis Drake he was you will recall the heroic British adventurer Explorer privateer and dad whose vast and maybe legendary well still provides the basis for numerous get-rich-quick promotions the seat looks down on magens bay and out over a broad expanse of the Atlantic Ocean Drake and others sail their vessels in these difficult waters height of the problems presented because of tide and wind present a sailor's regard this performance as fight a nautical theme [Music] from the south side of the island facing the Caribbean the visitor finds enjoyment internally appointed Bluebeard's Castle Hotel an interesting union of the old days of Ramallah that creature comfort the hotel is a development of a simon-pure pirate castle named for its most colorful owner it was a barbed bliss not the Bluebeard who killed so many wives but another Hardy Buccaneers own lydia chosen as a lookout possibly for the Bulls he might attack climb the hill to look in on a remaining take Laureus aid from the hotel veranda the quaint town of st. Thomas encircling the harbour below immediately impress is one with the characteristic of the sturdy Dame's who developed its centuries ago the harbour is almost completely lands on a safe refuge in timeless within the past few years there has been a marked increase in the popularity of st. Thomas as a tourist resort it is now an American possession distinctively tropical in appearance and customs and it easily reached by fast steam ships from America's largest centres of population the comforts of the old castle hotel have had a great deal to do with the development of this popularity the spacious landscaped grounds include broad tear lined with palm and mahogany trees which afford cooling shade in which to linger for rest and refreshment while enjoying an absolutely unforgettable view let's watch carefully and see would excite the interest of these ladies aha the bottles tell the story and it's a story told few other places in the world there's a famous drink in the Virgin Islands they call a swizzle good love that and so on almost ad infinitum including lime sugar ice and water the most popular dispensing agent of scientific chemist and engineer so precise of their sense of quantity and so expert they're manipulative ability yada say Stein swizzle stick the business end goes into the assorted liquids in the pitcher the other end between the palms of the hand it's rotated fast and long how long if you should happen to attempt the job yourself can only be determined by your power of endurance and your power to resist thirst if I haven't been intoxicated by the attendant atmosphere I seem to remember but two ladies at the table and ladies names whistles is a large order on any man's eyes we're moving on possibly to many other interesting ports along the Spanish Main where the tropical Sun beats down on the tempering trade winds still blows but we'll always remember quaint curious old st. Thomas and the beautiful harbour the trawlers come and go we've seen and been entranced by the gem of the Caribbean [Music]