A Liberian Journey

Creator

Richard Pearson Strong

Date

6/29/26

Coverage

Tenerife, Canarias Province, Canary Islands, Spain

Transcription

June 29th.

Writing in a book with a sheet of carbon paper between the leaves is something like writing ones thoughts on a typewriter: one has to become accustomed to it.
We arrived at Teneriffe at 2 P.M., July 29th. Fig. I gives an idea of the approach to the town, which is typically Spanish with narrow streets, etc., and which I therefore need not describe. Outside the town most of the hills are terraced for the cultivation of fruit – grapes and bananas. There are huge banana plantations on the island. The plants, however, are usually only four to five feet high, or occasionally six feet, or about one third the height of those we have seen in Panama, Costa Rica, and other parts of Central America. They are owned by the Fiffe Co., now a subsidiary of our United Fruit. The plants though so small give an excellent yield of a smaller but I think, better flavored fruit than we get from Central America. Two excursions on shore were offered by the ship’s steward: one by motor car to Port Orotava, a health resort some 4,000 meters above sea level, and visiting en route the botanical gardens, bathing beach, and banana plantations; the other to a forest on the island called Mercedes. I asked George S. to find out which the men wanted to take. Three - Bequaert, Allen and Linder -chose the forest route (by motor) and the remainder - George, Theiler, Coolidge, and Whitman - the Port Orotava route. I went with the latter party. It is a beautiful motor ride over hills covered with fruit trees, grain fields, etc, through avenues of Eucalyptus trees, hybiscus, oleanders, and a very delicately foliaged species of cedar, also some acacia trees. The noticeable feature was the small size of all the plants: fully ripe corn only three or four feet high or the wheat even less, grapes, etc. all dwarfed. There must be very severe wind storms on the hills and there are evidently long droughts. The bananas are raised on the terraces by artificial irrigation, which is extensive. Figs. 2 and 3 show the character of the country we passed through. The bathing beach is very poor and does not give visitors a satisfactory opportunity to bathe. Returning to Teneriffe we dined at a hotel near the dock at which we were anchored, having a bottle of very fair Orotava wine. Afterwards we strolled for a few minutes as the residents were doing in the Plaza (as is the custom in Panama) or sat on the benches. Only there was no band. We discharged and loaded cargo most of the night, taking on board large quantities of potatoes, dried fish and some wine. Leaving about 2 A.M. we reached Los Palmas at about 9:30 A. M. June 30th, a most uninteresting port of some 30,000 inhabitants. The residents live at a distance of some four miles from the “Port” where the business is done. The place is dry and dusty. The outskirts resemble a desert with no vegetation on many of the hills. Some of the men went for a motor ride--George, Coolidge, Whitman, and Theiler. I spent some time strolling about and finding the cable office. There was no cablegram for me, but I did not expect one. I purchased some envelopes and a pair of rubber <space> for the bath in wet weather and returned to the ship. It was quite hot on shore. We sailed at 4 P.M. On board there is an Englishman, Mr. Mills, and his wife (an American). He is to take charge of the British Legation in Monrovia. He has just come from the British Embassy at Rio. The wife of the German Consul in Monrovia is also on board. Poor things, they do not know what sort of a life they are going to.

Type

Diary

Citation