Previous to the purchase, Rear Admiral Casper F. Goodrich thus defined the advantages of the transfer in an interview in the New York _Times_. “Were the Danish West Indies in the possession of an enemy, what interests of ours would be menaced? Let us seek the answers to this momentous question. From them, as a base, to Charleston, our nearest important Atlantic harbor, is about 1200 miles; to Norfolk about 1300 miles--distances easily covered in three or four days by a fleet which could fight an action and return with plenty of fuel left in the bunkers. Moreover, raiding operations therefrom, could, and doubtless would, seriously interfere with, if they didn’t wholly interrupt, our foreign commerce, even at remote points, such as New York, Boston and Portland. In the other direction lies Colon, a little more than one thousand miles away from St. Thomas. It is against Colon that an inimical campaign would more possibly be directed. The possession of this gateway to the Pacific would restore the conditions of the war with Spain, when the _Oregon_ had to circumnavigate the whole of South America in order to join Sampson off Santiago de Cuba. [Illustration: STREET IN FREDERIKSTED] [Illustration: HOUSE WHERE ALEXANDER HAMILTON LIVED AS A BOY, FREDERIKSTED, ST. CROIX] [Illustration: DANISH SUGAR MILL, ST. CROIX] “It is evident that a foreign nation endeavoring to acquire the Danish West Indies could in fact have no mere commercial or profitable colonial aim in view. There is but one harbor in the group that is especially fit for a naval base--Charlotte Amalie, on the south side of St. Thomas. By skill and care it could be made to accommodate a fleet large enough to occasion us grave concern. From a secure harbor for merchant steamers to a naval establishment and a military outpost, the path is neither hard nor long. It is wiser, however distasteful, to forestall any such manoeuver by a foreign power by buying the islands ourselves. We do not relish the idea of such a thorn in our side, such a threat to neighboring Porto Rico, to our naval station at Guantanamo (only 300 miles distant), to that at Key West (1000 miles distant), to the free navigation of the Caribbean Sea, and the Mona and Windward Passages (between Porto Rico and Haiti, Cuba and Porto Rico, respectively), or to our Gulf cities. Thus it appears, north, east, south and west, these islands are a most valuable _point d’appui_ for any European government wishing to quarrel with us. It is, therefore, in the highest degree essential that we spare no effort to prevent their falling into unfriendly hands.” _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. [Illustration: BAY OIL STILL