Show V Isle Lies Quietly In Cal a ibb I Discovered by y Columbus is Land Now Belongs to Great Britain Prepared Washington g by t National g D. D g. g C. C C. Service iv Society Columbus discovered Trinidad Trinidad Trinidad Trin Trin- I idad in 1498 on his third voyage voyage voyage voy voy- age to the N New ew World In a aletter aletter aletter letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Isabella Isa Isa- bella he explains why it was named Trinity A sailor went up to the top main-top to look out and to the westward saw three mountains near one another These peaks lo locally locally lo- lo cally known as the Three Sisters officially are Trinity hills Sailing along the islands island's southern coast the explorer saw l lands as s lovely and as I green as as' the orchards of Valencia Valencia Valencia Va Va- lencia in March After crossIng crossing crossing cross- cross Ing the Gulf of Paria he turned westward coast o of what is isnow isnow isnow now Venezuela This shore he termed the he most lovely in the thc world Convinced that the earthly paradise paradise par par- adise of the ancient philosophers lay somewhere in these newly discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered regions the admiral later petitioned his sovereigns for authority authority authority author author- ity to explore further but his proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed expedition was never carried out Across the gulf dimly Columbus Columbus Co Co- Co lumbus saw the hills of the South American continent rolling away in recurrent waves Dismissing them themas as another island he set around l for home Raleigh h Burned Cit City In 1595 Sir Walter Raleigh came cameto to Trinidad on his way to El Dorado Dorado Dorado Do Do- rado wh which ch had been located beyond beyond be be- yond ond question in the upper regions of the Orinoco Being of a military military military mili mili- mili- mili tary mind and knowing the danger of a hostile city at his rear he burned the Spanish capital He Hen n v Ky A WA WN AN LEA SCAThe t u us s a Q lJ GULF t Q The island of Trinidad lies within sight of oj South Americas America's Americas America's Amer Amer- ica's nation of Venezuela in inthe inthe inthe the southern reaches o of f the Caribbean sea white cotton young girls and boys playing playing playing-au all clatter under the trees while the air is cool and the world good It will not be the the same at nt noon Trinidad superficially seems the reverse of an nn ant heap for its activity activIty activity ity shows best at the surface the veneer of the water front You stand by the cranes where cargo is fed into the maws of omnivorous tenders and come to the conclusion that tha t the island is crudely modern The coconut is one of the faces Out of the palm groves mile after mile of them come millions of coconuts coconuts coco coco- nuts a year Many of at them are arc turned into copra which is the dried broken meat of the coconut In some regions of the island you see East Indians working in the flooded green fuzzy-green areas of rice fields their legs bare their heads shielded under big hats their whole of the Orient Butrice But Butrice Butrice rice is rare Mile after niter mile of sugar sugar sugar sug sug- ar cane rolls down from the mountains mountains moun moun- pale-green pale and high Water buffaloes work in these fields at cutting times You happen upon a group of women who are are arc chopping stalks into small sections They plant these says your guide After HAfter a while another mother sugar sugar sugar sug sug- ar cane grows out of each section They get about five new sugar canes out of each cach old stalk Use Weapons We pons Craftily The cane workers wield their machetes machetes machetes ma ma- wi with h consummate skill They are arc predominantly East Indians Trinidad is crowded with East Indians Indians Indians In In- about a third of its population belongs to that race After slavery slavery slavery slav slav- ery was abolished in the island they were brought over from India between 1845 and 1917 under a system system system tem of indenture to work on the j r. r r. r d Ar wr d a Z ti f r L Lt t t y A c SK i dF t t H Y YV V V ii c cG cd d G i f r ra rasi L Wv x j r si East Cast Indian employees at w work rk on a sugar plantation cut cat ting ling up stalks which id will Dill be replanted and produce new cane calle This like almost everything else else is an immensely humorous business to the natives V tarried in the Gulf of Paria to calk his ships with pitch from the fa- fa famous meus Pitch lake Inke Another arrival Sir Sic Ralph Abercromby Aber- Aber V sailed to Port in cromby Spain Port 1797 and demanded that Don Jose JoseMaria l Iaria Chacon th the Spanish governor govero gover gayer o. o nor nor surrender the island Chacon was a humane man out of touch with his his' times Sensible of the bloodshed which was certain to result re- re suit sult from any conflict with Abercromby's Abercromby's Aber Aber- r cromby's cromby s superior force he turned Trinidad over to the English sh There and then the island settled into its niche became steadfast loyal and serene Ranking next to Jamaica in size among the British West Indies Trinidad Trinidad Trinidad Trin Trin- idad has nearly twice the area of the state of Rhode Island The colV colony col any ony of Trinidad and Tobago has a population estimated in 1935 at atmore atmore atmore more than More than 1000 miles of good roads and miles of government railways help trade and travel City Not Distinctive Perched on the bow of a tender you see the capital from the humble hum- hum t ble bin viewpoint of the e early visitors Port Spain Port of Spain today todDY is rather enig enig- matic Unlike most cities of the world it has no established personality personality personality person person- I no tangible formula of atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- phere that one can grasp and hold aloft with triumph It is a tropIcal tropical tropical cal metropolis of about peo- peo pie with some of the finest hotels in the West Indies Hot in Mid l Some of the British residents rise L at nt sunup while th the air is cool to t walk the circle of that of-that vast space of meado meadow Queens Queen's Park Savannah Savan Savan- nah It Is a long walk But Dut mornings mornings mornings morn morn- ings in the tropics ar are a compensation compensation tion for the day the English in while linen the East Indians in plantations After their period of service was ended they were either given free passage back to India or allowed to remain Many stayed East Indians throng Port of In They crowd the streets and markets markets markets mar mar- with a lusty car carelessness the they regard work but little and seem to subsist almost miraculously without without with with- out It They stride on their way with easy carriage rather a lordliness lordliness lordliness ness and incessant amusement And they laugh at themselves wholeheartedly An East Indian was having his hail hair cut or rather although unwittingly having it shaved Absorbed in conversation with someone standing in the doorway doorway doorway door door- way he was unaware that the barber barber bar bar- ber was half asleep at his work it was near siesta time Not until the patron had risen clapped o oh on his hat and found it upheld only by his ears cars was he conscious us a of what bad had happened A flood of terrible abuse descended descend descend- ed on the barber It continued unabated un tm abated until finally screaming aloud his misfortune the bald victim victim victim vic vic- tim emerged onto the street where he called on the passers-by passers to witness witness witness wit wit- ness his misery Heads popped from windows men stepped to the doors of ot their stores even the donkey carts paused Everyone thought it was funny very funny The victim stormed away shaking his fists at the heavens heavens heavens' ens ens ens' But after a while he came to a n sile silent t alley where he turned aside to contemplate himself His big hand explored the stubble that stuck out on top After a moment a smile spread upon his lace face nce He grinned He put both hands to his head and chuckled In a moment hands still on his head he started to roar |