A Brief Visit to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

[Music] [Applause] four days out of New York South by East on a palatial modern steamer entering st. Thomas Harbor in the midst of the Virgin Island so rich in pirate door where ghost ships of swashbuckling cutthroats laden with captives and booty still idle on the blue waters of the Caribbean we've come from the open sea to adopt some distance from the town steering the same course 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 toured by sail and not by steam there's a choice of autos or motor boats to take us from the landing dock to the town proper 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 the 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] it's but a short walk to the main street if you insist on riding however this patient little animal will accommodate you if you've crossed his master's bound with silver sister 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 read to the multitude just beyond the Grand Hotel from which one may view life in the Lowertown or the government colony on the hills in the background visiting friends in st. Thomas is often a task as well as a pleasure many of the streets 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 all right as you approach the 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 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 Pro loomed the United States purchased the islands in 1970 open drains lead water from torrential rains from the hills to the sea the hills were denuded of trees by early colonizers who mistakenly associated them with disease then prevalent on the island in all tropical countries the native marketplaces offer much that is of interest to the visitor who will arise in the early hours of the morning and search it out there a pleasant colorful educational exhibit of the manners and customs of the people in st. Thomas one time spread 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 local gossip and it's in an English that is decidedly English fruits the whole world knows the tropical like the coconut in the banana but 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 wharf sells native handicraft articles and specialties which range from woven hats bags and so on to guavas preserved in rum and packaged in colorful containers truly French creations for many of the woven hats and bags are made by the wives and daughters of French fishermen styles may come and styles may go but if you visit st. Thomas for any length of time you'll probably find yourself wearing one of these light colorful and comfortable chapeau a vast assortment in size weave and color to suit any taste or type of beauty how do you like this [Music] st. Thomas is a port of call for the giant airliners unroot from the north to Central and 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 one is apt to think of ocean bathing in tropical waters as a hazardous sport but even the tiny tots are safe in the surf at st. Thomas it is claimed that attacks by sharks or other vicious denizens of the deep are unknown their protective reefs well off the shores of the island which these ocean Marauders fear to pass are said to be the reason [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 on the island it's brought there from far distant points but the refueling of modern steamers is an 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 tonnes 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 a full basket the loader later redeems this for cash a daily wage worthy of the name according to any standard of living can only result from almost endless round trips between the coal pile and the bunkers for the stiff haul up 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 activities of Sir Francis Drake he was you will recall the heroic British adventurer Explorer privateer and Admiral 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 sailed their vessels in these difficult waters in the light of the problems presented because of tide and wind present day sailors regard this performance as Bight a nautical Pete on the south side of the island facing the Caribbean the visitor finds enjoyment in the modernly appointed Bluebeard's castle hotel an interesting union of the old days of romance and the present demand for effect creature comfort the hotel is a development of a simon-pure pirate castle named for its most colorful owner edward de Labarre bliss not the Bluebeard who killed so many wives but another Hardy Buccaneer so named because his beard is said to have had a tinge of blue Bluebeard chose the spot as a lookout possibly for vessels he might attack we climb the hill to look in on a remaining page of the history of a romantic if not a glorious age 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 it centuries ago the harbor is almost completely land but a safe refuge in time of storm 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 position distinctively tropical in appearance and customs and it's easily reached by fast steam ships from America's largest centres of population the comforts of the old castle hotel has had a great deal to do with the development of this popularity the spacious landscaped grounds include broad terraces 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 what excites 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 you take a little of this a little of that and so on almost ad infinitum including lime sugar ice and water the most popular dispensing agent seemed to be a combination of scientific chemists and engineers so precise of their sense of quantity and so expert their manipulative ability yard assay Stein swizzle stick the business end goes into the assorted liquids in the pitcher the other end between the palms of the hands 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 but if I haven't been intoxicated by the attendant atmosphere I seem to remember but two ladies at the table and ladies nines whistles large order on any man's island we're moving on possibly to many other interesting ports along the Spanish Main where the tropical Sun beat down and the tempering trade winds still blow for quaint curious old st. Thomas in the beautiful harbour that's always come and go we've seen and been entranced by the gem of the Caribbean [Music]