Transportation
Climatically the Virgin Islands offer much to attract the tourist as a winter resort. They need first-class hotels, to be built and managed by competent Americans. There is no reason why the islands should not become popular with the tourist as soon as suitable accommodations have been provided.
BAY OIL STILL
From “The Virgin Islands,” by Luther K. Zabriskie, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Publishers
LABORERS’ HOMES ON A ST. CROIX PLANTATION
From “The Virgin Islands,” by Luther K. Zabriskie, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Publishers
Situated 1440 miles south of New York and 1025 miles from Colon, the northern entrance to the Panama Canal, the islands are ideally placed for a short sea voyage. The population in recent years has been diminishing, because of the loss of trade and the consequent falling-off of the number of ships in the harbor. At one time there were 46,000 people on the islands; in 1911, the number had dwindled to 27,000, and the present population is said to approximate this figure.
The only means of transportation on St. John is by horseback. As the island is very hilly, the roads are not suitable for vehicles. On St. Thomas there are about fifteen miles of good roads, traversed by numerous carriages and a few automobiles. St. Croix boasts one hundred miles of roads, but few of these are paved.