WEST INDIES, DANISH 342 WEST PALM BEACH ly hot, and the islands abound in tropical productions, as sugar, cotton, coffee, cacao, tobacco, maize, etc.; or- anges, lemons, limes, pomegranates, cit- rous pineapples, manioc, yams, potatoes, etc. Except Cuba, Haiti (in which there are two republics) ; Porto Rico and other islands acquired by the United States from Spain, Virgin Islands acquired by the United States from Denmark, and a few islands off the coast of South Amer- ica, the West Indian Islands are in the possession of European powers. The chief British possessions are: Jamaica, Barbadoes, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trini- dad, Tobago, Antigua, St. Kitt's, Domin- ica, Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas; Dutch St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Martin (partly French), Bonaire or Buen Ayre, Curacao, and Oruba or Aruba; and French, Martinique, Deseada, Guade- loupe, Marie Galante, St. Martin (partly Dutch), St. Bartholomew, and Les Saintes, Two-thirds of the inhabitants are negroes. Total pop. about 6,000,000. WEST INDIES, DANISH. See VIR- GIN Island. WESTINGHOUSE, GEORGE, an American inventor; born in Central Bridge, N. Y., Oct. 6, 1846; removed to Schenectady, where he received a public school education; entered the machine shop of his father; and at the age of 15 designed a rotary engine. He served in the Union army in 1863-1864. His in- ventions include the Westinghouse air brake, electrical machinery, railroad sig- nals, etc. In 1884 he was decorated with the Order of Leopold by the King of Belgium, and in 1889 with the Order of the Crown of Italy by the King of Italy. He died in 1914. WESTMINSTER ABBEY, the corona- tion church of the sovereigns of England, and one of the chief ornaments of Lon- don, It is a magnificent Gothic pile, situated near the Thames, and adjoining the Houses of Parliament. In 1065 a church was built here in the Norman style by Edward the Confessor. Part of this structure still remains in the pyx house and the S. side of the cloisters; but the main building, as it now stands, was begun in 1220 by Henry III. (who built the choir and transepts), and was practically completed by Edward I. Va- rious additions, however, were made (in- cluding the nave and aisles, the W. front, and the Jerusalem Chamber) down to the time of Henry VII., who built the chapel which bears his name, while the upper parts of the two W. towers were designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The extreme length of the church, in- cludmg Henry VII.'s chapel, is 531 feet; breadth of transepts, 203 feet; height of roof, 1024 feet; height of towers, 225 feet. The coronation ceremony takes place in the choir, where the coronation stone brought by Edward I. from Scotland is situated beside the cor- onation chairs of the English sovereigns. Westminster Abbey is distinguished as the burial place of a large number of English kings from Edward the Confes- sor to George II.; the N. transept is occupied chiefly by monuments to war- riors and statesmen; while in the S. transept is situated the "Poets' Corner," the burial and memorial place of most of England's great writers since Chau- cer's time. See London. WESTMINSTER COLLEGE, a coedu- cational institution in New Wilmington, Pa.; founded in 1852, under the auspices of the United Presbyterian Church; re- ported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 15; students, 200; presi- dent, W. C. Wallace, D, D. WESTMINSTER HALL, the hall of the old palace of Westminster, in Lon- don; erected by Richard II. (1397-1399) on the foundations of a structure built by William Rufus. It has a fine porch, and its hammer-beam roof of carved timber is considered the most notable of its kind; length of the building 290 feet, breadth 68 feet, and height 110 feet. The building is closely associated with many stirring events in English his- tory; but it is chiefly remarkable as the place where wei*e held such great state trials as those of the Chancellor More, Lady Jane Grey, the Earl of Strafford, King Charles I., and Warren Hastings, and as the center of the highest English courts of law till these were removed to the new buildings erected for their ac- commodation. The hall now serves as a vestibule to the Houses of Parliament. WEST NEW YORK, a town of New Jersey, in Hudson co. It is on the Hudson river, and is connected with New York City by ferry at 42d st. Its industries in- clude the manufacture of silk, rubber goods, cottonseed oil, textiles, sugar, and powder. Pop. (1910) 13,560; (1920) 29,926. WEST ORANGE, a town of New Jersey, in Essex co., on the Erie rail- road. It is beautifully situated at the base of Orange Mountains, is an im- portant manufacturing center, and con- tains the laboratories of the Edison Com- pany. There are two public parks and many handsome residences. Pop. (1910) 10,980; (1920) 15,573. WEST PALM BEACH, a part of the city of Palm Beach. Fla. Pop. (1910) 1,743; (1920) 8,659.
