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Show $25,009,000 Virgin Island s UNITBD 5TATE5 "- ' fX Picturei v virgin islasdsi 1 Parade ?, S C&r T-"-, D ECAUSE Senator Charles Sumner and President Andrew Johnson u were political enemies in 1865, the United States lost $17,000,000 on its purchase of the Virgin islands in 1917. Climaxing long negotiations, Denmark Den-mark agreed to sell the three historic islands immediately after the Civil war for 55,000,000. Sumner's objection was forgotten by 1917, but by that time Denmark wanted $25,000,000, more money than the United States had paid for any territorial acquisition. But the Virgin islands have long since established their value. More- FT- v . i. - ; I ' over, they are vastly interesting to the tourist, geographer or historian. For example, Charlotte Amalie (above) utilises its sea water for san-! san-! itation and fire fighting through a new PWA pumping system, also using rain : water to quench its inhabitants' thirst, j At the left American property owners survey their lands from the ruins of the "great house," formerly occupied by Danish governors of the Virgin islands. is-lands. Each March 31 the natives don ancient an-cient attire and celebrate "transfer day," marking the anniversary of America's purchase. Work is abandoned aban-doned and jubilation rings up and down the three islands. Drums, tam-borines tam-borines and all available musical Instruments In-struments are taken from the shell and dusted. Jumbie (ghost) dancers immortalize in measured dance rhythm the lives and deeds of renowned Biblical characters, the favorite impersonations im-personations being David and Goliath. Up and down twisting roads the jumbie jum-bie troupe repeats its performance. Here are silent cannon in the courtyard of Fort Frederick, St. Croix island. Built in 1760 under the reign of good Danish King Christian V, its first administrator was Baron von Prock, then governor-general of the Virgin islands. Most Americans believe the islands are barbaric, not realizing their history is far older than that of the United States. But today the American flag flies over Fort Frederick, on a staff which once supported the white crossed, reg flag of Denmark. -' it & t V ski Tourists visiting this ancient barracks and military barracks seldom recall that the Virgin Islands were once a cause of considerable international interna-tional hard feeling, most of it resulting from Denmark's negotiations with the United States. Prussia resented the deal and Denmark was not in a position to incur such antagonism. Secondly, the British foreign office distrusted the plan, while a third stumbling block was Denmark's treaty with France in 1733, practically binding the Danes not to sell St. Croix without consent of France. Since Emperor Napoleon III disliked the United States, Denmark hardly knew which way to turn. These were only a few of the reasons why America spent 52 years bargaining for the islands before the sale was finally completed. Virgin islands attract larger tourist crowds each year. |