Herald and news. [volume], May 19, 1898, Image 4

About Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943

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THE CUBAN PORTS;
Beleaguered Cities and Their
Coveted Harbors,
ABOUT PUERTO RICO AND SAN JUAN,
West Indian Spanish Cities, Blockaded and Otherwise, That
Are Now the Cynosure of All EyesHavana, Bahia A
!-
Ranking among tbe foremost seaports
and coinmeroiul marts of tbe world Ha
vana, tbe capital and great maritime
city of Cuba, lies on the west side of a
beautiful bay of tbe gulf of Mexico.
Havana is upon tbe northwest coast of
the island, almost due south and HO
miles distant from Kay West Tbe
number of its inhabitants, owing to the
peculiar. mode of census taking in its
colonies by tbe Spanish government, is
not definitely known, but probably it
comprises 800,000 people, white and
black. The city stands on a sort of pen
insula formed on one side by the bay
and on tbe other by tbe waters of the
gnlf of Mexioo.
Within tbe past two years Spain has
squandered vast sums on what it con
siders the strengthening of Havana's
fortifications, but in spite of all that
the town is in do position to repel any
serious attack by land or sea. Havana's
defenses facing the sea may be divided
into two parts, those at tbe entrance of
and in tbe barbor and those which have
been recently put up along the coast
east and west of the mouth of tbe har
bor. The most widely known of all
Havana's forts is tbe celebrated Morro
Castle at tbe western entrance of tbe
port. - A century or more ago its tre
mendous bastions, bristling with ' the
heaviest and deadliest artillery of tbe
age, bade defianoe to all the navies of
the world. Today the once terrible
Morro is used as a prison aud is practi
cally worthless for defense of the city.
On tbe eastern Bbore of tbe harbor rise
the walls of tbe fortress known as La
Cabana. They run from he southern
sally port of the Morro to the village of
Casa Blanca in an oubroken palisade of
gray aud white stone, enlivened here
and tbere with spatters of brilliant red.
There are newly made sand batteries
along the western and eastern shores of
tbe bay and to tbe passage from the
outer sea. Jlost of the guns in the Span
ish fortifications are of antiquated mod
el, the old smoothbore Parrott guns be
ing a large element in the armament
There are, however, a considerable
Bomber of heavy Krupp gnus of ap
proved model, wbicb in the bands of
good gunners might give trouble to an
attacking fleet, but as most of these
guns are mounted en barbette, with no
protection to gun or guune.-, a well
directed fire from the vessels wculd soon
render them useless. Tbe value of tbe
Spaniards' mines and torpedoes with
which the harbor is supposed to be fill
ed will proLably soon be thoroughly
tested.
Under the present blockade by United
States vessels commerce is of course at
an end in tbis great port. Within tbe
city (he usual gayeties prevail among
tbe wealthy Spanish population aud
tbe civil and military officers, while
Spanish soldiers Are on short rations
and pacificos in the ruburbs are starv
ing. Tbere is much of magnificence as
cf squalor in tbis great city that soon
may be shattered by a bombardment.
Though some portions cf Havana make
yon think that tbe world bas gone back
a few hundred years, the city cf today
has a surprising air of newness. All
that extensive fpsce which until re
cently was core j. led by the old walls
Honda, Matanzas and Santiago
nas been built tip with great establish
ments and palatial residences fronting
on a newly laid park, or "boulevard,"
as it is called. Tliis is the celebrated
Prado.
There is an old town and a new town,
the former inside tbe ancient limits,
with its excessively narrow, badly
paved, dirty and vile smelling streets,
always densely thronged in tbe morn
ing, tbe latter pervaded all day by an
aristocratio stillness, but blossoming
forth wonderfully after nightfall. Here
is tbe Paseo de Isabel, the finest thor
oughfare in Havana, crossing tbe city
from end to end, flanked by tine bouses,
with a double row of trews aud spacious
carriageways and many fountains aud
statues. The Paseo de Tacon, laid out
in tbe same way, forms a continuation
of this drive aud lends to tbe Botanical
garden. The governor general's palace
is in this pHseo, where tbe captain geu
eral and bis staff have an office for the
transaction of public business, as well
as tbeir residence.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
One the Capital or Cuba and Still On of
Ita Great f'ltlea.
At the bead of a fine bayon, formed
by tbe widening of the Santiago river
at its mouth on the southeast coast of
Cuba, lies tbe city of Santiago de Cuba,
tbe second town in political rank and
tbe third in commercial importance in
tbe island. It was in early times tbe
capital of Cuba, and it is still the cap
ital of the eastern department and of
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
tbe province bearing its own name. The
city is situated on tbe side of a hill ltul
feet above the bay. Tbe streets are bad
and many of them are very steep, but
all are lighted at night by gas end are
lined with well built stone bouses. The
city is supplied with bad water through
an aqueduct, aud as it is shut in from
tbe northern breezes by mountains the
suffocating heat and tbe miasmatio
effluvia from adjacent marshes render
it tbe n.ost nnhealtbfnl abode in the
Antilles. Tbe harbor, although one of
the best in America, is difficult of nc
cess, owing to tbe narrowness of the
entrance. It is defended by four forts.
West of tbo city, 12 miles distant, are
the extensive copper mines of El Cabre,
which export annually more than 25,
000 tons. The other exports ce coffee,
sugar and molasses. Tbe port, four
miles in length, is well sheltered and
is deep enough fcr ships of tbe line.
Santiago de Cuba is connected by rail
and telegraph with the principal towns
on the island. Tbe city's population is
45,000.
The bills which inclose Santiago on
three sides, rising rapidly from the bay
to mountains of great height aud beauty,
are lovely to look upon aud aflord ex
cellent drainage to the city. Starting
at the shore, tbe narrow streets run
steeply up tbe hillsides 1.'0 feet or more,
and appear to Lave never teen repaired
since the days of Velasquez, the found
er of the city. Tropical rains bave
washed great gutters down tbeni, in
some piaces three or four feet deep, and
the traffic of nearly 400 years bas up
rooted the original cobblestones aud
worn dangerous pitfalls and mantraps.
de Cuba,
Tbe street in which tbe American con
sul lived before bis withdrawal one of
the principal thoroughfares is not
passable at all for vehicles, nor for
horsemen after dark, aud to walk
through it at any time is almost at tbe
risk of one's neck. Most of tbe streets
are lined with cement sidewalk from
10 to 15 inches wide, but some of them
have no sidewalks, aud jttdestriau are
obliged to take the road, where naked
children are always playing in tbe
streams of offensive water that percolate
through the broken stoues. It is no
wonder that this city has the reputation
of being the most unhealthy place in
Cuba. Hemmed in by mountains, with
all this filth fettering in tbe sun, tbe
surprise is not that yellow fever makes
an annual visit and carries off many
victims, but that it doe not remain tbe
year around. Wbeu tbe rains descend,
these almost perpendicular alleys are
sometimes filled with torrents of such
impetuosity that no one can cross them
on foot, aud even horsemen hesitate to
climb them. Tbe city might easily
have an inexhaustible supply of pure
cold water if only there were sufficient
enterprise among tbo citizens to cause
it to be brought in pipes from the neigh
boring heights. But Santiago remains
wretchedly deficient in this respect,
though there is much suffering and ill
health from lack of this prime necessity
Referring to tbe name by wbicb tbe
ancient city is kuown, it should be said
that San Jago, San Diego, Santiago, arc
really tbe same name, rendered James
in our luuguage, and wherever the Span
iards have been then- are dozens of
tbem. By the way, tbo harsh sounding
word which . we say for Cuba is not at
all that which the discoverer bestowed
upon the largest island of the Antilles
but should be prououueed as if spelled
Koo-bah..
Historically Santiago de Cuba is
memorable mainly for tbe French occu
pation aud ransom in 153:!, and tbe
affair of tbe Virginias, which occurred
just 20 years ago and resulted in the
Spanish government's paying an indem
nity to the United States for the mur
der of Captain Fry and bis companions.
Santiago bas also been the seat of most
of Cuba's modern rebellious against the
arbitrary aud bitterly oppressive rule
of the home government, an 1 n loop
line of patriots, shot on the rampart
of Morro Castle, overhanging tiie har
bor, have furnished food for sharks.
In the hurbor of Santiago de Cute
lies the wreck of the old St. Paul, out
of the ships of tbe Spanish armaria,
which Philip II sent to Knglnnd in tin
year 1588. It wasoue of the few of that
famous flotilla which escaped destruc
tion at tbe time iu a tremendous gale
that tore the armada to pieces. After a
checkered career, in which the St. Pau;
breasted tbe waves of innumerable sea:
and withstood the storai of three cen
turies, sbe was sent over to perform
some government service forthebpau
ish colonies in America. Being caught
in a hcrricaue somewhere off the coa;;
of South Caroliua, she was driven f ir
southward an.1 finally put in at Suntiag-i
in great distress. Here i,!:a wns ran
ashore, aud for many years affervra:;!
figured as a guardship, looking .a-- trim
as ever, UDtil, not long ago, some van
dal set fire to her and she was burned
to the water's edge. Now she is par
tially visible only at low tide, ber ribs
and stanchions still held together by
the stout keel timbers and lower sheath
ing. CARDENAS AND BAHIA HONDA
Two Porta That Arc Mnch Tallied About
In These Day.
Situated in one of tbe finest sugar
producing districts in the West Indies
and 103 miles east of Havana is tbe
maritime city of Cardenas. Although
comparatively a modern town, having
been founded in 1828, it baa grown so
rapidly as to be at present one of the
principal commercial centers of the
island. It is the capital of the civil dis
trict of its own name in tbe western
department, and it has a population of
about 11,000, comprising 7,700 whites
and 3,800 negroes. Tbe streets of Car
denas are broad, regularly laid ont and
lighted with gas. A spaoions square in
the center is embellished with a bronze
statue of Columbus, and tbe city's
houses, a number of which bave two
stories, are neat, well built and solid.
Tbe port, protected by a neck of land
stretching northwest of the city, though
shallow, is nin) odious aud is much fre
quented by shipping. Tbe loading of
vesels is much facilitated by a number
of good wharfs extending for the most
part a long distance from the shore.
' Cardenas is the headquarters of tbe
military district It is connected by rail
, :
BAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.
with Havana aud Matanzas in one di
rection and with Oucaro in tbe opposite
direction. Several lines of steamers ply
to various other points. At a time short
ly prior to tbe recent opening of hostili
ties between the Ui. d States and
Spain a large proportion 4t tbe mercan
tile community in Cardenas was Amer
ican. , To its enterprise the city main
ly owed its importance, aud so general
ly bas this been acknowledged that a
common name for tbe place bas long
been "the American city." The chief
exports are sugar, molasses aud coffee.
Before the outbreak of tbe latest Cuban
revolution 115,000 boxes of sugar were
on an average furnished annually from
single one of the surrouudiug planta
tions.
Bahia Houda (Deep Bay) is a harbor
of Cuba on the north coast of tbe island,
60 miles west southwest of Havana. Its
deep, landlocked waters afford an ex
cellent barbor, but from its situation in
respect to the commercial productions
of Cuba and its advantages over Havana
for trade with Europe and tbe United
States tbe city baa not attained great
proportion. Tbe facilities for landing
filibustering expeditions there and sup
plies for the insurgents have compelled
the Spauiards to maintain a vigilant
patrol before Babia Honda, and now in
the present war tbe United States ships
keep careful watch of that harbor dur
ing tbe blockade of the Cuban ports.
THE PORT OF MATANZAS.
Ita Forts Were Recently Reduced bjr the
Dnited State Fleet.
Fifty-two miles east of Havana, at tbe
mouth of tbe San Joan river, lies tbe
seaport city Matanzas, whose fortifica
tions were so rudely battered by three
ships of Admiral Sampson's blockading
fleet a sbort time ago. The harbor is
spacious, easy of access and well shel
tered' except to tbe northeast, from
which quarter a heavy swell sometimes
rolls in. Tbe surrounding country com
prises tbe richest part of tbe island.
being covered with magnificent sugar
estates. Tbo climate though hot is salu
brious. Matanzas is situated on a flat I
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MATANZAS,
td-rtsr 3?-,gra''5------ issasASS-a&gC?-- I t',itS-.-
, cn fcotH sides of the river. The hon?M
'are substantially tuilt. mostly of stone,
i .-;! cn ontim nhsence of architec
tural beauty. For defense the castle of
San Severiuo and several land batteries
are relied on. For commercial impor
tance Matanzas ranks next to Havana,
and it is connected by railways with
Havana, Cardenas and other principal
towns on tbe island.
Prior to the outbreak of the last rev
ii,,fi,m in flnhn Matanzas bad a popula
tion of 50,000, but this in the suburbs
bas been largely increased by the hud
dling there of helpless pacificos driven
in from the rural districts by General
Wevler's oldiers to starve.
The valley of the Ymnuri. one of the
most beautiful in the world, may be
seen from the decks of ships coming into
the bay of Matanzas. Then it appears
as a long, deep cut between two ridges
of hills, but its full beauty and rich
ness are not apparent till the valley is
seen from above. The ridge by the val
ley is a favorite point of observation for
i,.ir..(.ra The climb CD the bill to
tbo church which the devout Catalans
have erected for votive offerings to the
Virgin of Monserrat is a toilsome one.
The height once reached, a magnificent
panorama bel"v unfolds itself.
THE CITY OF CIENFUEGOS.
It I a Ileantlfnl Spot and I IK-fended
bjr a Fort.
On tbe south side of the island of
Cuba, ISO miles southeast of Havana,
is the city of Cieufueeos, one of tb
most beantiful on the island. It bas a
population' of 10,000 aud is capital of
n jurisdiction in tbe department of tbe
center. Tbe barbor, which is capacious
aud safe, is defended by the fort of Los
Angeles. The streets are wide and
traigbt, aud many of the houses are
surrounded by gardens. Railways con
nect tbe town witbCardeuas end Sagua
la (Jrunde on the north coast Ciuu
futgos was founded iu 1813 aud was
! uurned from the captain general of Cuba
at that time. In the general devastation
I of tbe island, tbe destruction of prop
: eriy aud tbe stopping of all business iu
j (lustriea during the efforts of the Span-
revolution Ctenfuegos and its environ
ing districts have suffered less than most
other localities.
SAN JUAN IN PUERTO RICO.
It la tli I'riacipe.1 CUj of Ilia Island and
I Well Defended.
Favored in some respects above all
other islands of the Greater Antilles is
Puerto Rico, tbe smallest and most
easterly of the group. It is separated
from Santo Domingo on the west by the
Mon a passase, in which lies tbe island
of Mona, and from the Virgin islauds
on tbe east by tbe Virgin passage, in
which are Vieque and Culebra islands.
In chape tbe island is nearly a rectan
gle, the length of which east and west
is OH miles aud tbe breadth north and
south about 86 miles. It lies wholly
within the tropics, und its area, includ
ing its dependencies, the three islauds
nnined, is ,.30 square miles. Itscoasts
ore peneraily regular, let there are
u acy Lays and iultls, nnd the north
coast contains i:mi;y navigable lagoons.
Wl ile the capita), Ponce, is tbe )ar-g-st
city uf the island, San Juan is
tie principal seaport, and a special in
terest cttacbes to this celebrated b;rbor
tocHy iu the desire cf hpain to bold it
end cf the United States to obtain ii as
a base cf naval supplies, for it is the
pafcviiy ii.to Puerto Kica
As sct u from tbe aca Scu Jcnn con
sists nhiK st entirely of a series of mass-
WHICH WAJ RECENTLY BOMBARDED.
ive fortifloations that collectively
form the castle, as tbe Spauiards call
all tbeir big forts, although this bas lit
tle of the appearance that is commonly
supposed to belong to a castle. It is,
town a city of forts and batteriet,
all bnilt of stone, rising one above an.
other, crowding and jotlig each oth
er. Wben it was built, it must bbve
been uearly impregnable, and evn now,
although modern guns would soon r.
duce the stone works, tbe place could
in a few days, from itB commanding
situation and other natural advantage!,
be made a stronghold.
Tbe town lies on a rocky peninsula,
shaped like the narrow end of a long'
curved squash. This peninsula is au is
land, in fact, being separated from tbe
mainland by an insignificant iulet a few
miles down tbe coast. In front of the
peninsula is the sea, behind it tbe bar
bor. Tbe land rises somewhat abruptly
to a height of perhaps 200 or 250 f.t.
On tbe seaward slope are tbe fortifica
tions, on the harbor slope is the titv.
On tbe slept toward tbe harbor so smull
a space is left that the houses are crow .
ed together aud are in general taller
than West IudinD houses. In erhV.ti o
to the earths, or perhaps as part of tb:it
fortification, a great wall was bo:lt
around the city, which is kept in en h
good order that it is as perfect today is
it was a century ago. The city, how. ?
er, bas outgrown tbe wall and wn:j
buildings are now outside.
San Juan has about 30.0(10 inhabit
ants and its commerce is large. It i tie
I haat kent and nlnanest citv I have seen
in any Spanish country. It has not the
wealth or the grandeur of Havana, but
it is in mnch better order. Tbe streeu
are' broader than in the old parts of Ha
vana, there is a good system of sewer
age and plenty of lights, both gas and
electric. There are good broad sidewalk!
aud well paved roadways. The hooses
are mostly of brick or stone, cemented
on the outside, and this cement is kept
iu good repair and well psiu'od or
wbitewssbed. Rainwater is us?d ex
clusively, caugbt from the roofs ani
stored in stone tanks. This is tbe granl
city of Puerto Rico, aud the Puerto Ei
catis are justly proud of it. rarely call
iug it by its name, bnt sneaking of it
always as "tbe city" or "el capital."
Iu Suu Juan and Pnerta Rico gener
ally oue finds a climate where tbo ther
mometer never falls below 60 degrees
aud seldom rises above 80. Owing to ita
favorable position hurricanes do not
disturb Puerto Rico; earthquakes are
ou kuown here; snakes and other venom
ous creatures are as scarce as in Ireland,
and there nre plenty of places in the
bigl'lunds where yellow fever and kin
dred diseases cannot come. Though
Puerto Rico is populated to the number
of 809,000 mainly by au educated cla"
of Spaniards, with a mixture of Creoles,
Germans, French, Danes, Swedes and
Russians, und a modicum of Cbiuess,
Canary islanders and Cbnrtas, cr de
scendants cf the Moorish Jews frcia
Majorca tbero is plouty cf room f'
more, aud. unlike most cf tbe islands,
tbere are a pood many more white uti
zens than I lack ones.
The official society of San Juan is
headed by bis excellency the captain
geuerul, appointed by tbe Spanish crown
to govern the island, and his assistants,
the junta of military officers, who are
also crown appointees. The captain gen
eral is president of the royal audieucia,
or assembly, and tbe members of the
cortes are drawn from the seven colonies
into wbicb tbe island is divided one
representative for so many hundred in
habitants. There normally are 3,566
regular troops garrisoned in the ilorro,
besides a reserve militia.
W'4,
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