m Ull •'■•••■■■ ■ : - •■.' : •■'•'••'•■ . mSKm. ■■■:■.■■:■:■■■ Kg _m " s ^gs&@ f ' Class _i Book,____^ GopyrightN CQE3?EGi!iT DEPOSJT. A CUBAN ROAD CUBA PAST AND PRESENT BY A. HYATT VERRILL Author of "Porto Rico Past and Present and San Domingo of To-day," "An American Crusoe," etc. Revised Edition with 1919 facts and figures WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS NEW YORK DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 1920 Copyright, 1914 5y DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY Copyright 1920 By Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. £0 -52**? ©CU566159 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I CUBA OF THE PAST 1 Discovery of Cuba, Its early history, Settle- ments, Attacks by Pirates, Wars, Revolu- tions, American intervention. II GEOGRAPHY AND CHARACTERISTICS 11 Size, Surface Coast, Area, Fauna, Flora, Fertility, Resources, Wealth, Exports, Population, Condition, Health Climate. III LOOKING FORWARD ....... 20 Cuba's health and sanitation, Its conditions under Spanish rule, Education, Modern methods, Improvements, Settlers in Cuba, The future of Cuban agriculture and de- velopment. IV LA HABANA 28 Havana from the sea, The harbor and docks, Shipping, Skyline of Havana, Streets, Houses, Carriages and traffic, Cen- tral Park, Shops and stores, Coaches, Prado, Strolls about Havana, The Maledon and Vedado, Jail and other buildings, A drive through the city, Markets, Colon Park, Cigar factories, Plaza de Armas, Monu- ments and plazas, Government buildings and ancient forts, Cathedral and Columbus, Cemetery, Botanic gardens, Walls. V HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS ... 55 How to keep healthy, Taking things easy, CONTENTS CHAPTER PAG« Getting about, Carriage hire, Language, Money, Tips, Theatres, Lottery, Bathing, Country Club, Caf6 life, Native beverages, Cafes, Water, Fashions and dress, Peddlers, Railway station. VI THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA . ... 79 The Morro and Cabana, Marianao and its beach, Guanajay and the rural districts, Regla and Guanabacoa, Cojimar and Casa Blanca, Auto roads, Madruga, Guines, Sugar mills, Cotorro, Special excursions. VII PLACES OF INTEREST AND HOW TO REACH THEM 88 Trolley car service, Alphabetical list of in- teresting spots, Churches, Theatres. VIII THE PROVINCES OF CUBA . H H . 112 Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Oriente. IX THROUGH THE INTERIOR ..... 120 Travel by the Cuba Railway, The interior towns. Character of the country, Industries- and resources, Scenery, Historical interest, The Trocha, Forest growths, American col- onies, Pirates, Scenes of battles, Lumbering, Mountain scenery, Santiago suburbs. X SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS . . .138 The suburbs, Morro, The city streets, Cayo Smith, Hotels and restaurants, Churches, Drives and roads, El Caney, San Juan Hill, The Peace tree, Cobre and the image of Nuestra Senora de la Caridad. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XI THE SOUTHERN COAST AND ISLE OF PINES 149 The Sierra Maestre, Manzanillo and Bay- amo, The Gardens of the Queen, Jucaro, Tunas de Zaza, Casilda and Trinidad, The City of a hundred fires, Batabano the "Lit- tle Venice," The Isle of Pines. XII MATANZAS AND THE NORTHERN PORTS 167 Matanzas and the "Vale of Paradise." Car- denas. Sagua la Grande, Caibarien, San Fernando, Nuevitas and La Gloria, Puerto Padre and Chaparra, Gibara the landfall of Columbus, Holguin, Nipe Bay and Antilla, Baracoa, the first settlement. XIII THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA .~V%". 186 XIV COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL CUS- TOMS ...„. 198 XV CUBA'S MODEL CLUB . . „ *'\ M ,. . 208 XVI HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND OTHER ITEMS 216 Hotels and their rates, Restaurants and cafes, What to eat and drink, Spanish dishes and their equivalents, Hotels in the interior. XVII A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES .... 225 Area and population, Temperature and rain- fall, Health, Value of commerce, agricul- ture; Land and opportunities for invest- ment; Schools and transportation. XVIII CUBA'S SHARE IN THE GREAT WAR . 286 ILLUSTRATIONS A Cuban Road .* Frontispiece FACING PAGE "Loma del Angel," the Narrowest Street in Havana 12 Church of the Angels, Havana 30" In Colon Park, Havana 38 ' Central Park and Gallegos Club, Havana. ... 58" A Vendor of Fowls, Havana 70 ^ The Bamboo River, Cuba 82 The "Templete," Havana 106 Loading Cane, Santa Clara 122 - Peon's House in Camaguey 130 The Morro, Santiago 140 Monuments at San Juan Hill 148 A Settler's Home in the Isle of Pines 156- Plowing with a Crooked Stick 180 The Pinar del Rio Highroad 188 Road in Santiago Province 196 INTRODUCTION Cuba, with its splendid climate, its tropical ver- dure, its quaint old-world towns and its historic associations has long been a favourite resort for tourists and travellers. Long before the Spanish- American War or the destruction of the Maine, thousands of Americans and Europeans annually visited Cuba, and despite the drawbacks and dis- agreeable features of the Island under Spanish rule they were charmed with the climate and sur- roundings and raved over the life, colour and at- mosphere of Havana and Santiago. With the expulsion of the Spaniards and the end of the Spanish dominion in Cuba the Island rapidly improved, and under American rule and later its own Republican administration, Cuba's popularity increased until at the present time it is one of the greatest of winter resorts in the Western Hemisphere. Under Spanish rule the visitor practically took his life in his hands if he visited Cuba for any INTRODUCTION length of time. The towns and cities were filthy ; yellow fever and other dread diseases stalked un- checked and unhindered everywhere; thugs and brawlers lurked in the dark unlit streets and along the water-fronts and at any time rumours of an insurrection or the suspicions of the Spanish offi- cials were liable to place a foreigner in jeopardy of his life and liberty. To-day all this is changed. Cuba's streets are as clean and neat as any in the world ; disease has been stamped out and the Island can boast of being the second healthiest country in the world ; the water-front and the " slums " are ablaze with electric lights, are thoroughly policed and one is as safe as on upper Fifth Avenue in any part of the Island, while palatial hotels and every modern convenience make life in Havana as comfortable, luxurious and pleasant as the most exacting trav- eller could wish. Nevertheless many Americans still associate the Tropics with disease, dirt and discomfort and can- not realise that within three days of New York there is a smiling, luxuriant tropic land teeming with life and business, radiant with colour and INTRODUCTION light and combining the enchantment of oriental Spain with the luxuries, progressiveness and im- provements of twentieth-century America. Although Cuba is best known and is most to be recommended as a winter resort, yet in midsum- mer it has its attractions and many visitors find Cuba far more admirable in summer than in win- ter. At this season it is hot in the large coast towns it is true, but in the interior it is pleasant, and nowhere on the Island does the temperature soar into the nineties as it does in New York and our Northern towns. Moreover, in the summer, tropical fruits are at their best, flowers deck the country with a riot of colour and the miles of poinciana trees form masses of living flame, a gorgeous scene never dreamed of by those who have seen the Tropics only in the winter season. To tell just what the visitor to Cuba may ex- pect, just how to see the various points of in- terest, how to travel from place to place, what to do and what not to do, is the object of this book. The aim of the author has been to paint Cuba as it really is, — not as the steamship fold- INTRODUCTION ers or the hotel advertisements would have us be- lieve; and not to exaggerate its attractions nor to disparage it. Over a score of years ago the author visited Cuba and saw it at its worst under Spanish rule and on the brink of a devastating war, and with all its faults, all its drawbacks and all its disagreeable features he found it fascinat- ing beyond words. Again he has visited the Island and has seen it at its best; Cuba ruled by its own people; Cuba prosperous, modernised and rejuvenated; and while much of the old has been lost, the loss has been Cuba's gain, and Cuba, with its life, its cus- toms and its atmosphere, is still the fascinating land of enchantment as of yore. Aside from Cuba's attractions to the tourist, the traveller or the health-seeker, there are vast op- portunities for American settlers on the Island. Many Americans have made their homes in Cuba and many more are yearly emigrating to its shores. In the present volume the author has paid par- ticular attention to this phase of Cuba, and has set forth the actual conditions, facts and figures INTRODUCTION as he found them and as furnished from absolutely reliable sources, and he feels confident that in this work the prospective settler in Cuba, the tourist or the casual visitor will find a vast amount of useful and valuable information never before com- piled in any popular handbook of Cuba. CUBA PAST AND PRESENT 25 o u 31 E L\ F X I\ TROPIC OF ^CANCER _ — n^t^^#i fo.J/' TTombrc .1. URi .-n V'^Si ^'^^" T° 'a \ BAROUESAS KEYS ■ K -\ 5^r U u III; 1 1: / s 1 1 // LORIDAi.// / k /bem.ni,^---^ I 'I* ■■•■• T '■:■?% tiP / I fi? / RIDING fl ^.BERRY l"< ^ISLANDS |J rIEty'PROVIDENCE I. A'addlebac»\kevv highbouhne key. cing:rkey " oRoji CFwi c 4 Gulf'cfi* Matammio to?p£ ,m,:, eibaboPCv ^ I £> v \ N **£: "^M ■ Inrlo ^. »— - ^l'" -^- N^-eu»£ HIM! i/V v ^ v ^^ ^„ ^s %«. t'-'A'.L- Guanaeabo ^ cavVa^ 5 c^cav^a. brae A AT o M C " U I fo~Ta~mptcb~ ToP22Stf V X J\ O F\\ BARQUESAS KEYS'- /'' -W-(i //// ' \ 0ly t4<& , Ports,-- S J ^E$^G CHAPTER I CUBA OF THE PAST It was on October 28, 1492, that Columbus first sighted the beautiful island we now call Cuba and landed upon its northern coast. Although the great admiral was impressed with the marvellous fertility and beauty of this " Queen of the An- tilles " and wrote that it was the " most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen," he never circumnavigated the Island — merely landing on the south shore at a later visit, 1502 — and he died in 1506, believing that Cuba was a continent or a portion of Asia. In 1508 the Spaniards, under Sebastian de Ocampo, explored the entire coastline of Cuba, demonstrating that it was an island, and on this trip the harbour of Havana was discovered. Here Ocampo careened his ships, pitching them with the soft asphalt still found in the hills of Guanabacoa and from this fact he named the bay l % CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT " Puerto de Carenas " or " Port of Careening." At this time the Island was inhabited by numbers of naked, peaceful, friendly savages, much like those of the Bahamas, while the verdure and lux- uriance of the land filled the Spaniards with won- der. The Island was at first named " Juana " in honour of the Prince John, son of Ferdinand and Isabella; but at the death of the king it was changed to " Fernandina." Later it was again altered to " Santiago " after the patron saint of Spain, and still later it was again changed to " Ave Maria " after the Virgin Mary. The pres- ent name " Cuba " was the name by which the Island was known to the native Indians and which freely translated signifies a "jar of oil." In 1511 another expedition, under command of Don Diego Velasquez and consisting of four ships and about 300 men, set out from Santo Domingo for Cuba. This expedition was sent forth by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher, who was then governor of Hispaniola, and with the fleet sailed Don Hernando Cortes, who later became famous as the conqueror of Mexico. CUBA OF THE PAST 3 Velasquez landed first at a port on the southern coast which he named Las Palmas and which was near the present town of Guantanamo, but this was not deemed a favourable spot for a settle- ment and it was not until 1512 that the town of Baracoa was founded on the northern coast. After seeing Baracoa established, Velasquez sailed to the southern coast and founded Bayamo and Trinidad, and finally entert I the magnificent har- bour of Santiago which he founded in 1514. In 1515 Velasquez established a settlement at the mouth of the Guines River on the southern coast which he called " San Cristoval de Habana," but the name was in 1519 transferred to the pres- ent Havana and San Cristoval became known as Batabano. In 1519 a number of settlers were transferred from Batabano to the present site of Havana and their landing place may still be seen at a small chapel called the " Templete," while near at hand is a silk-cotton tree — a scion of the original ceiba under which the first mass was said at the landing. Havana soon became a very important port, 4 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT for it was in a commanding position and ships passing through the Florida Channel or from Central American and Mexican ports made it their place of call. Its richness and prosperity soon attracted the attention of the freebooters who sailed the Spanish Main and early in its history the city was sacked by the pirates repeatedly. In fact, the early records of Cuba are almost wholly devoted to relating accounts of the manner in which the settlements were plundered and de- stroyed by pirates from England, Holland, and France. The importance of the town and its unprotected condition soon made it apparent that strong for- tifications were necessary, and in 1528 work was begun on two strong castles known as the " Bateria de la Punta," or the " Battery of the Point," and the " La Fuerza " or " Fort " ; both of which may still be seen with their ancient, mellow-tinted walls and quaint lantern-like sentry boxes. These two forts, together with the enormous castle known as the " Morro," on the opposite shore of the harbour, were not, however, completed for nearly a century and were still unfinished whes CUBA OF THE PAST 5 Sir Francis Drake threatened the city in 1585 and 1592 and when the Dutch buccaneers arrived in 1628. In 1538 Havana was totally destroyed by French privateers and to prevent another similar disaster, work on the fortifications was pushed diligently and the " Fuerza " was completed under the direction of Fernando de Soto in 1539. Again in 1554* the French sailed upon Havana which they attacked and reduced to ashes, despite the forts, and soon afterwards the additional fortresses of " La Punta " and " El Morro " were completed ; but it was not until 1665 that the city walls were begun and the city really became free from fre- quent pillage. From the time of the completion of the forts and walls Havana became almost impregnable and in its harbour countless ships and galleons lay safely at anchor while its streets were filled with throngs of people and its residences were occupied by many an illustrious grandee and famous con- quistador. Here died Ponce de Leon, founder of Porto Rico and discoverer of Florida, who was brought to Cuba fatally wounded by an Indian 6 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT arrow; here Pamphilo de Narvarez outfitted his ill-fated expedition that in 1528 penetrated Flor- ida and disappeared forever; and from Havana's harbour sailed forth in 1539 the greatest of all the expeditions, — that of De Soto. With pomp and ceremony, the blare of trumpets, fluttering banners and hundreds of mail-clad men, the ships set out ; but the leader was left resting beneath the waters of the Mississippi while poor Dona Isabel — De Soto's wife — gazed westward from Ha- vana's parapets and watched through weary months for the return of the ships, finally dying of a broken heart as she realised the fate that had befallen them. Until 1608 Santiago was still the capital of Cuba, in which year the seat of government was transferred to Havana, where it has remained ever since. Santiago was as frequently attacked by pirates as Havana before the Morro and other forts were completed, and in 1553 a French privateer in- vaded the harbouir and for two days fought a desperate battle with a Spanish cruiser, only to retreat on the third day disabled and in an almost CUBA OF THE PAST 7 sinking condition. The same year a force of 400 French buccaneers attacked and captured the town, held it for a month and only withdrew upon the payment of an $80,000.00 ransom. A similar fate also befell Havana in 1534 and 1554 and again in 1624, the French and Dutch in turns cap- turing and holding the town for ransoms. Not alone from freebooters and sea rovers did the Cubans suffer. Europe was constantly in a state of war and in 1662 the English attacked Santiago with nearly 1,000 men, carried off all the treasures, slaves, church bells and guns from the forts and left the town penniless, destitute and at the mercy of any enemy. The city soon re- covered, however, and in 1663 the Morro was re- built and through storm and flood, stress and war, has withstood the shower of shot and shell, of earthquake and of hurricane, and still stands — frowning, grim and defiant upon the lofty cliffs above the entrance of the harbour it has guarded so well. Havana has not at all times been Spanish, how- ever, for in 1762 Lord Albermarle, with a fleet of over 200 ships and an army of some 15,000 8 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT men, assisted by colonial troops from New Eng- land with " Old Wolf Putnam " in command of a regiment, arrived off the harbour. The Span- iards, completely taken by surprise and entirely unprepared for an invasion, hastily assembled a few troops and for nearly a month put up a de- termined and obstinate resistance^ On July 3 the Morro was blown up and partly destroyed and the English from this point trained their guns on the city forts which were obliged to surrender on August 14. For a year Havana was under British domain but it cost England and her colo- nies dearly, for no less than 30,000 lives and $16,000,000.00 were required to capture the city, which in the following year was exchanged for Florida. For nearly a century Cuba prospered, — almost undisturbed by foreign or domestic troubles, — al- though the misrule, cruelty and oppressiveness of the Spaniards gradually paved the way for rebel- lion, slaughter and the ultimate loss of the Island to the crown of Spain. So unbearable had the condition of the Cubans CUBA OF THE PAST 9 become that in 1848 the United States offered Spain $100,000,000.00 for Cuba but the offer was refused, whereupon the Cubans commenced prep- arations for open rebellion. The Narciso Lopez outbreaks in 1850 and '51 were futile and many lives were lost, but in 1868 a rebellion blazed forth which lasted through ten long years, ravaged the Island from end to end and was terminated only by the treaty known as the Peace of Zanjon which Spain soon abro- gated. Although important reforms were promised they were never fulfilled and in 1895 the most formid- able of all rebellions broke out in the Island. This revolution soon grew to such an extent that in 1905 Marshal General Campos was sent out from Spain, but in suppressing the rebellion he failed and the notorious " Butcher " Weyler suc- ceeded him. Although Weyler did everything in human power to suppress the revolution — re- sorting to inconceivable cruelties and the most ex- treme measures — yet the rebellion steadily grew in extent, while Weyler was succeeded by Blanco ; the war continued, and the culmination came in 10 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT 1898 with the destruction of the Maine in Havana harbour. Within one hundred days thereafter Cuba was freed from Spain and on the first of January, 1899, Blanco and the last Spanish soldiers set sail for Spain and the Stars and Stripes waved from the ancient forts and buildings over which for so many years had flaunted the red and yellow banner of Castile and Leon. For three years Cuba remained an American pos- session and under the military government of the United States a wonderful work of reformation, reconstruction, sanitation, and improvement was carried out, until on May 20, 1902, Tomas Es- trada Palma took his office as first president of " Cuba Libre " and the Island was launched forth as a new republic with a glorious future, unwonted prosperity and untold resources before it. CHAPTER II GEOGEAPHY AND CHABACTEEISTICS Cuba — the very name conjures visions of ro- mance, beautiful women, soft music-filled nights and cigars, and — were the truth known — in the minds of most people cigars are more intimately associated with thoughts of Cuba than anything else. Cuba, the " Pearl of the Antilles," is the largest of the West Indies and is the nearest island of importance to the United States, as from Key West to Havana is less than 100 miles. From Cape Maysi on the east to Cape San An- tonio on the west, Cuba stretches for nearly eight hundred miles and from north to south it varies in width from twenty t? one hundred miles; the total area being about 45,000 square miles; six times the size of Jamaica or a trifle larger than the State of Pennsylvania; while, if placed on a map of the United States, it would cover a space 11 12 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the width of New Jersey and stretching from New York to Indianapolis. About one-fourth of the surface is rough and mountainous, some three-fourths of the remaining area plains and rich valleys, and the small balance swamps. The majority of people — and even those who have visited Havana — imagine Cuba as a flat, rather level island. In reality, the Island is ex- ceedingly mountainous in many places and the summits of the Sierra Maestra range in the south- eastern part of the Island are among the loftiest in the West Indies ; the highest peak, Pico Tur- quino, towering to the clouds for a height of 8,320 feet and surpassing the Blue Mountains- of Jamaica by 1,000 feet and second only to Loma Tina of San Domingo in altitude. The shore line of Cuba is very broken and irreg- ular, with numberless bays, lagoons and coves and with over 600 small islets or " cays " off the north shore and over 700 off the south shore. While these islands render the navigation of Cuban wa- ters dangerous and difficult yet at the same time Ithey serve to break the force of wind and waves LOMA DEL ANGEL" THE NARROWEST STREET IN HAVANA GEOGRAPHY 13 and Cuba has more good ports, for a place of its size, than any other island in the world. In fact, one of the Island's nicknames is the " Isle of One Hundred Harbours," more than fifty of the har- bours being ports of entry and practically land- locked. Flowing across the broad and fertile plains from the distant mountains and emptying their waters into the Caribbean and the Atlantic, are numerous rivers, many of them broad and beautiful, but only one — the Cauto, near the eastern end of the Island — being navigable for any great distance. In many places near the coasts, and particularly in the south-central district, are large swamps, while in the eastern provinces are extensive forests and in the mountains are rich mineral deposits. With its varied surface, its tropical climate and its rich soil, Cuba offers ideal conditions for rich and luxuriant vegetation and the flora comprises over 3,000 species, while the forests contain such valuable woods as mahogany, lignum-vitae, grana- dilla, sweet cedar, logwood, sandal wood, red sanders, etc. ; the forest area covering nearly fifty per cent, of the Island's surface, more than 14 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT 1,200,000 acres being government land. In addi- tion, every tropical fruit, flower, plant and prod- uct thrives luxuriously in Cuba, while in the moun- tains and high interior plains many temperate products may be raised. Though so rich in flora, Cuba is poor in fauna — ' save for birds and insects — the only native mammals being the odd Solenodon or " Almiqui " and the giant tree-rat or Capromys, known locally as the " Hutia." Deer have, however, been in- troduced and in many districts deer hunting is a favourite pastime. The birds of Cuba are very numerous, including over 200 species, many of them magnificently beautiful in colour, others with wonderful songs, while a number are true " game birds " and are much hunted. The marine fauna is very rich, the bays, rivers and seas abounding in food fishes, crabs, shrimps and lobsters, while manatees are found in the swamps and river mouths and shell- fish and crawfish are also abundant. Serpents and other reptiles are common but are non-poisonous. Alligators are found in the swamps, iguanas and other lizards abound, and GEOGRAPHY 15 numerous snakes, the largest of which is the Cuban boa or maja, are common in the forests. The insect fauna of Cuba, as in all tropical countries, is very rich and numerous, scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, and giant cockroaches be- ing common, while giant fireflies make the nights glorious with their myriads of twinkling, glowing lights. Of troublesome insect pests Cuba has its share, for mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and the " chigo w or " jigger " all occur, but are seldom troublesome to the traveller, save in outlying districts or the poor native huts. In fertility and resources Cuba is remarkable and is exceeded only by San Domingo, and as the latter island is undeveloped a comparison of the two countries is of little value. Even under Spanish rule Cuba was wonderfully rich and prosperous and since she has become an independent republic her commerce and industries have increased marvellously. Indeed, Cuba is an intensely commercial country, importing nearly everything she consumes and exporting virtually all she produces. Since 1902, when the republic began, up to 1919, Cuba's for- 16 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT eign commerce has increased 500 per cent, with the balance of trade largely in favor of the re- public. The United States plays a predominating role in both the export and import trade of the republic, buying vast quantities of sugar, tobacco, iron and copper ore, and selling to the Cuban merchants foodstuffs, textiles, boots and shoes, steel products, coal and lumber. Cuba's principal crop is sugar, next in value is tobacco, while citrus fruits, bee products, hard woods, molasses are important products which bring large returns to the native planters, many of whom are very prosperous. Moreover, Cuba is not over-populated, for with its population of 2,700,000 there are but fifty- three persons to the square mile, as compared to 330 in Porto Rico, 425 in England, 315 in Ger- many, 317 in Japan, 310 in Italy, 500 in Rhode Island, 600 in Belgium and 1,000 in Bermuda, al- though Cuba could easily support more inhabi- tants to the square mile than any of the above countries. There is a popular belief that a large proportion of the Cubans are negroes or coloured, but as a GEOGRAPHY 17 matter of fact only 30 per cent, are coloured, the balance or 70 per cent, being of pure Spanish descent or whites from other countries. Cuba to-day is a progressive, orderly, healthy and modern country with over 5,000 schools, splendid sanitation, excellent hospitals, magnifi- cent public institutions, and a marvellously effi- cient police force which has rendered the Island one of the safest places in the world. The trans- portation facilities consist of over 2,500 miles of steam railways, nearly 300 miles of electric rail- ways, a thousand miles and more of splendid macadam highroads, numerous coastwise steamers and twenty-two steamers a week to the United States, not to mention the various ships sailing to South and Central America, Europe and the West Indies. Within the past few years numbers of foreign immigrants and colonists have flocked to the Is- land, attracted by the low price of land and the superlatively productive soil; the average yearly immigration amounting to nearly 45,000 people. Many foreigners have taken up land in Cuba and have done well, for the native markets and for- 18 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT eign export trade demand far more than the sup- ply of fruits, vegetables and other products raised. Garden truck yields anywhere from $100.00 to $400.00 per acre. Citrus fruits yield from $50.00 to $500.00; tobacco is planted, grown and gath- ered in ninety days and often brings a profit of five hundred dollars an acre ; while sugar cane, on the best soil, may be cut for fifty years without transplanting. In most places, however, irriga- tion is necessary to insure a profitable crop of tobacco or vegetables and without it the crops are often a total loss. In point of health Cuba is the second healthiest country in the world, Australia alone being bet- ter, with Porto Rico third, the death rate per thousand in Cuba being but 12.69, while in the United States it is 15.00. The climate—* though tropical — is seldom oppressively hot, save in the coast towns, and the nights are usually cool and pleasant. The average range of mean temperature is but 12 degrees F. with a July average of 82.4 and a January average of 70.3 and an extreme range of from 60 to 92. In the mountains the average temperatures are much GEOGRAPHY 19 lower and the nights are often so cool that blan- kets and light overcoats are required. The rain- fall is not excessive, the average being fifty-four inches a year and the winter months are usually dry with showers during the summer or rainy sea- son. On the coasts the rainfall is far less and in the interior far more than the average given, but as compared with other tropical islands the rainfall is comparatively light. CHAPTER IH LOOKING FORWARD A great many people know much less about Cuba than about far distant countries, although it is so close to our shores and the real truth about this island is seldom known save to those who have actually visited it. It is a common idea that Cuba is a veritable plague spot with a torrid temperature, unbear- able in summer, and with a turbulent, undesirable people ; a country covered with vast swamps where poisonous reptiles and malignant fevers lurk, and in fact a country dangerous to visit and fatal to live in — save for a few days or weeks in the tour- ist season. In reality the very contrary is the case. Cuba is the second healthiest country in the world; its climate in summer never reaches the terrific, swel- tering, humid heat of our Northern cities; there are no poisonous snakes ; the swamps are few and 20 LOOKING FORWARD 21 only on the coast; fevers seldom or never occur in the interior and even in the coast towns, where formerly yellow fever and malaria abounded, the elimination of mosquitoes has stamped " Yellow Jack " from the Island and nearly wiped out malaria. The Cubans themselves are quiet, sober, hos- pitable and peaceful — the very fact that for so many years they remained loyal to Spanish mis- rule proves this — but like all Latin races they are temperamental, quick-tempered, haughty, proud and inclined to be lazy and to put every- thing off to manana. Cuba has always been famous as among the rich- est agricultural countries on the globe, consider- ing the size and population of the Island. Even under Spanish military rule Cuba was highly profitable, and for over twenty years paid an an- nual revenue to Spain of from twenty to forty million dollars. At that time there were but some 1,200,000 peo- ple on the Island and less than ten per cent, of the land was cultivated. Think of it! Little more than a million people paying an average of n CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT 30,000,000 dollars annually or practically $30.00 per capita — almost as great for each inhabitant as the total per capita circulation of the United States ! In no other country could such a situa- tion be found and yet this heavily taxed and terri- bly mistreated people paid this enormous tribute, and, more wonderful yet, they lived, had numerous luxuries and many of them grew rich. If such was the condition before Cuba gained her freedom, what may we not expect when under her own rule and zealously watched, guarded, and fostered by the United States. For many years Americans and other foreigners would have been glad indeed to invest money in Cuba if it could have been safely accomplished under Spanish rule ; but to-day capital is flowing in with wonderful rapidity for the Cuban government is guaranteed stability by our own government and American investors are as safe in Cuba as in the United States. As the population of Cuba increases at the rate of 90,000 a year and births exceed deaths by 45,000 yearly, the population will soon double and treble and with the increase of population so also will the productiveness and resources increase. LOOKING FORWARD 23 Each year and month and day the people are being educated, are becoming more intelligent, and are learning to improve conditions so that none can foresee or can begin to estimate what prosper- ity may be Cuba's in another twenty years. With a soil unequalled in fertility, an ideal cli- mate, health second to but one land in the world, scenery that rivals that of California and the great markets of America within three days of her doors, no country has a more brilliant prospect than the " Pearl of the Antilles." Possibly no other event since the liberation of the Island will affect the future of Cuba as much as the opening of the Panama Canal and already the benefits are being felt. All over the fertile Island modern methods and progress are pushing out the old-time, slow-going methods and conservatism and, best of all, the old-time customs are giving way — not to a foreign invasion that will destroy the national character, language and traditions of a people as in Porto Rico — but to a rejuvena- tion, a transition and a newer, more liberal, brighter life brought about by the Cubans them- selves for their own race and children. 24 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Throughout the Island the crude, thatched hovel is giving place to neat cottages, the lumbering ox carts are being supplanted by spring wagons, automobiles speed over many miles of roads whereon mule-trains were formerly the only means of transportation. Wells and windmills have generally supplanted the water carts and irriga- tion has made countless parched acres to blossom and bear and add their bountiful crops to the Island's whole. In the old Spanish days sugar and tobacco were practically the only money- making crops, for the Spanish government pro- hibited raising many articles considered essential until the native planter had become thriftless, careless and discouraged and by the smallest pos- sible amount of labour secured enough returns from his two crops to pay his tribute to the crown and support himself and family in comparative comfort. With the advent of shrewd, trained agricultural- ists and modern methods all this has been changed and by leaps and bounds the fertile land is being transformed into the most productive of all gar- den spots. LOOKING FORWARD 25 Moreover, the Cuban is ready and willing to learn from his American neighbours, and as he sees these strangers succeed and grow rich, he too aims to do the same, and while it still remains for the American settler to lead the way to improved con- ditions, yet on every hand the Cuban is found at his side, learning, helping and with each mutually benefitting from the other's store of experience and knowledge. Not all the settlers in Cuba will succeed; hard work, perseverance and patience are required, for no form of agriculture — no matter where situ- ated — was ever or will be ever a " get-rich- quick " proposition. Many settlers have, however, succeeded almost beyond belief and even in those particular lines in which the Cubans were supposed to excel all others. While Cuban tobacco has long been rec- ognised as the finest in the world it has often been assumed that much of its success was due to the care and cultivation which only Cubans could master. In reality, while it is perfectly true that what a Cuban does know of tobacco he knows as well or even better than any one else in the world, 26 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the lack of education, of experience, of years of scientific research and study which have benefitted our tobacco growers has handicapped the Cuban. In one or two seasons of observation of local con- ditions the Northern farmer can acquire all that it has taken the Cuban generations to learn. By adding what he has thus acquired to Yankee com- mon sense and modern scientific methods, the American can secure a better quality of tobacco than Cubans ever dreamed of and with the in- creased size of leaves, superior quality and greater yield come higher prices. In the past the great drawback to Cuban agri- culture has been the lack of water, for in dry seasons there was a poor crop or in wet seasons the fields were flooded ; but now, with wells, wind- mills and irrigation systems a good crop is always assured and an abundance of water is ever at hand. These facts are no truer of tobacco than of any other crop and while Americans are succeeding wonderfully well — where land and conditions are favourable — - yet the Cuban is also " making good," for the same indomitable spirit, untiring perseverance and bright hopefulness that led him LOOKING FORWARD 27 through jungle and swamp in his fifty years' war against Spain will enable him to conquer all ob- stacles and to carve out a glorious future for him- self and his beloved " Cuba Libre." CHAPTER IV :la habana Havana, first seen at sunrise from the sea, is transcendingly beautiful and a sight never to be forgotten. To the left the grim old Morro stands out boldly on its rocky promontory, while to the right the flat-roofed, multicoloured town stretches for miles along the surf-bordered shore and bathed in the glorious rosy light of dawn the city appears like some wonderful pastel or like a scene from fairyland, in its setting of amethyst and turquoise sea, azure sky and distant green hills. Between the Morro and the town lies a strait of deep blue water scarce two hundred yards in width and as the ship steams slowly between the guns of the ancient " Punta " fort and the battlements of grey old Morro, we see before us the extensive harbour. Moored to buoys and to the immense concrete docks are scores of great ocean steam- ships flying the flags of every nation, while a for- 28 LA HABANA 29 est of masts stretches for a mile or more along the waterfront where sailing vessels of every rig and country are loading and discharging cargoes at innumerable wharves and slips. Busy launches, bright coloured rowboats, clumsy droughers, fussy tugs and puffing ferryboats plough back and forth across the waters of the bay in every direction while the distant shriek of locomotive whistles, and the clang of trolley cars are borne faintly across the water from the town. As the visitor looks upon this mass of shipping, upon the busy wharves and the teeming water- front of the town, he realises that Havana is no small, crude, tropical town, but a huge, bustling, modern city and withal as foreign, as fascinating and as strange as any city of the old world. A few years ago Havana presented a low, even skyline of flat-roofed houses broken only by the old grey church towers with their ancient belfries. To-day modern, fireproof hotels and office build- ings rear their steel and concrete heights above the older edifices and towering smoke-belching chimneys mark the enormous electric power plant and various factories. 30 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Although vast changes have been wrought in Havana by the erection of modern buildings, by the repaving of streets, by the installation of trol- ley lines and by modern methods of sanitation, yet the town as a whole remains unaltered. The life, the people, the customs and the charm of local atmosphere are the same as a score of years ago — modernity has improved it, has eliminated much of the bad and has robbed it of none of the good and has left it the same lovable, interesting and quaint old town as of yore. Most of Havana's streets are narrow and lead between massive old Spanish buildings fronting directly on the narrow sidewalks, and as the trav- eller drives or walks towards the central plaza and the hotel district he passes by great arched doorways leading to dim mysterious patios, by windows covered by iron bars and grillwork and by house-fronts decorated with wonderful designs in rich Spanish and Moorish tiles. Through these narrow streets flows a constant stream of traffic; pedestrians of every class, rub- ber-tired coches, rumbling drays and carts, huge auto trucks, chugging automobiles and CHURCH OF THE ANGELS, HAVANA LA HABANA 81 clanging trolley cars. To the stranger it seems truly marvellous that so much traffic can wend its way through the narrow, congested thoroughfares and one constantly expects collisions and block- ades ; but the traffic officers are efficient, the drivers skilful and everything goes smoothly and without interruption and accidents seldom occur. Among the first unusual things which attract the attention of the visitor are the numerous canvas canopies stretched across the streets and which form a veritable covered way between the buildn ings on either side. Unlike our Northern awn- ings, thse Cuban affairs are far above the side- walks and are gaily decorated with paintings, signs and fringes and give the appearance of an Oriental bazaar to Havana's shopping district. Passing through these narrow, busy, downtown streets the visitor at last comes out upon the Cen- tral Plaza or " Parque Central " — the centre of Havana and the spot from which the main thor- oughfares and trolley lines radiate. Around this great open space are the numerous hotels and club houses, enormous stores and many theatres. The park itself is a lovely spot, — a place filled 32 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT with palms, flowering shrubs, beds of bright-hued plants, and surrounded and shaded by scarlet- flowered flambeau trees. In the centre is the splendid statue of the martyred patriot Marti while innumerable electric lights transform the night into day, benches and settees are scattered under the trees and on certain evenings a band plays in the centre. On all four sides of the plaza are huge buildings, prominent among them being the modern fireproof Hotel Plaza, the Bazaar de Paris, the Asturias Club, the old Inglaterra Hotel and the wonder- fully ornate and beautiful Gallego Club, — a club- house built by clerks and workingmen and costing over a million dollars. Here, about the park, centres the gay night life, the theatre crowds and much of the business and traffic of Havana and here, perhaps better than anywhere else in the city, can the visitor find con- stant interest and amusement and can best see and appreciate Havana and the Havanese. Each of the several blocks which surround the park is occupied by a single massive building two or three stories in height, and surrounded by aA LA HABANA 33 arcade formed of great pillars or columns leaving arched openings between. Under this shady colonnade one may wander in cool comfort and shop at the booths and stores that occupy the ground floor while on the street without the sun blazes down in tropical fervour and the air palpitates with heat. These arcades or bazaars are typical of Havana and are most interesting and fascinating places. All the stores open directly on the sidewalk, their doorways merely broad arches which are covered by rolling iron screens at night and here people shop, eat, drink and are shaved in full view of the passing throngs and practically in the open air. From side to side of the great buildings, — and often diagonally as well, — run passageways bor- dered by booths and small shops and here one sees the stock in trade of merchants of every con- ceivable kind. Clothing and shoe dealers are, however, in the majority and one marvels how so many shoes can be sold, even in a city the size of Havana. There are shoes of every style, shape, colour and class ; thousands upon thousands of shoes ; shoes on the floor, shoes in cases, shoes in 34 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT piles behind the counters and shoes hung up and down upright posts until the whole place seems a veritable forest of some strange trees bearing countless shoes as fruit. How many shoes there are in even one of these bazaars is pure guesswork but a single shopkeeper confessed to thirty thou- sand dollars' worth and there are shoe-shops by the score in a single building. One may wander about one of these arcades and purchase any manner of article, for hats, china- ware, laces, toys, embroideries, musical instru- ments, groceries, tobacco and cigars, souvenirs and saddles are side by side and between the stores proper are numerous restaurants, cafes and bar- ber shops. Very different are the stores in the busy shop- ping districts of the town. In Calle O'Reilly or Calle Obispo one walks along beneath the shade of awnings and sees store after store with great plate glass windows, elaborate brass and mahog- any fronts and every modern convenience and a visit to Cuba would indeed be incomplete without many many hours spent in these quaint streets with their wonderful array of shops. One meet? LA HABANA 35 with constant surprises and new experiences in Havana and in visiting the stores we will find many amusing and odd customs. It seems strange to a Northerner to find a store selling rosaries, crucifixes and lottery tickets or to see bicycles, clocks and sewing machines in the same window or to find guns and ammunition sold in a confec- tionery store; but the climax is reached when we discover a large shop doing a rushing business in bed quilts, mattresses and canary birds! Although the shopping district is interesting there are far more important and attractive spots to visit and as one soon becomes exhausted by walking and as the trolley cars are close and rather slow the visitor will do well to hire a coche, one of the quaint Victoria-like public carriages, and drive to the various points of interest. Of all things in Cuba the coches are the cheapest and most in evidence; they stand at every corner and on every street and for the modest sum of twenty cents one or two people may ride any- where in Havana from one point to another while a third passenger costs but five cents addi- tional. If longer drives are desired the coche 36 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT may be hired for $1.00 to $1.25 per hour and in a few hours every point of interest in Havana may be visited. Just what should be seen first or just what route should be followed is a matter that each visitor must settle for himself, but no mistake will be made if the first drive includes the Prado, the Malecon and the Vedado. The Prado is a magnificent asphalted boulevard stretching from Colon Park to the Malecon, a dis- tance of nearly two miles, and with a beautiful park through its centre. In reality the Prado may be said to be a series of small parks with a boulevard on either hand and shaded by deep green laurel trees, flaming poincianas and graceful palms. Opposite the entrance to Colon Park stands a magnificent statue of an Indian goddess known as La Habana or La India and from this spot the visitor should drive slowly down the Prado to the sea-wall and the Malecon at the farther end. From La India to the sea the Prado is all beautiful and one cannot blame the Cubans for being enormously proud of it. On either hand the boulevard is bordered by splendid mansions, beau- LA HABANA 37 tiful residences, handsome hotels and enormous club houses, while the cool green parklets in the centre combine to form a wonderful, shaded, airy promenade for pedestrians. During the day the Prado is always well filled with carriages, auto- mobiles and people afoot, but after sundown it fairly teems with life and it is doubtful if there is a noisier or more animated place in the world than the lower section of the Prado from early evening until long past midnight. Although the original Prado was designed and built by the Spaniards when General Tacon was in power, yet it was not really completed and brought to its present perfection until the Amer- ican intervention. At this time the Malecon was created, thus putting the finishing touch to the great parkway while the Prado itself was im- proved, remodelled and formed into one of the most attractive driveways in the world. At the Malecon the Prado ends in a broad, cir- cular, open space, in the centre of which stands a circular pavilion or band-stand, its roof supported by twenty Ionic columns and with tablets in- scribed with the names of famous composers. In S8 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT front of this little temple to music the sea-wall sweeps in a semicircle from the ancient Punta for- tress on the right to the Malecon drive on the left, while across the narrow harbour mouth the Morro towers above the sea with the lone-starred flag of Cuba fluttering above its ramparts. The old Punta fort is one of the original forti- fications of Havana, but to-day it is kept more as a curiosity than anything else, and its odd sen- try boxes, ancient guns and deep moat are very interesting. To the right of the Punta is a large savanna or open space covered with smooth green lawns, well- trimmed trees and beds of tropical verdure through which sweep broad asphalt drives. On the further side is the old Carcel or jail, a great, rambling, yellow building 300 feet in length, 250 feet in width and designed to house 5,000 pris- oners. Herein was the dreadful garrote by which the Spaniards executed the condemned, and here, in Spanish days, prisoners were confined amid un- speakable conditions of filth and neglect. To-day it is clean, sanitary and neat and is occupied by the Board of Education and may be visited by ob- IN COLON PARK, HAVANA LA HABANA 39 taining a permit from the municipal authorities. Midway between the Carcel and the Punta may be seen the remains of a demolished building bear- ing an inscribed tablet which commemorates the massacre of eight Cuban students which took place near the spot in 1871. They were accused of in- sulting the memory of a Spaniard and although acquitted by trial they were afterwards shot to appease the clamor of Spanish rabble for their death. To the left of La Punta a broad drive- way extends for several miles along the sea-wall. This is the Malecon proper and forms one of the pleasantest driveways imaginable, with rows of residences on one hand, on the other the deep blue sea from which a refreshing breeze blows almost ceaselessly. Continuing along the Malecon the visitor may reach the Vedado, passing on the way the leper hospital of San Lazaro and the odd, round watch-tower on the seaward side. The road here becomes poor, for the Malecon as planned has never been completed, but the native cocheros are equal to any occasion and will drive safely over gullies, rocks and trails that seem passable only for a goat. 40 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT The Vedado is the residence district and con- tains many fine houses, but they are monotonous in the sameness of their sombre Spanish architec- ture and are usually half-hidden in a tangle of shrubs, palms and flowers which grow in riotous confusion with little attempt at orderly or attrac- tive arrangement or proper care. It is a pity that a district so well situated and with so many fine homes should have such poor streets, for the Vedado thoroughfares are poor be- yond description. In many places they are mere gulleys filled with boulders, deep ruts and stones and in rainy weather are ankle deep with mud. The streets are usually bordered with close-set laurels and other trees which cast a grateful shade, but in the midst of the section are many rubbish- strewn vacant lots with tumble-down sheds and outhouses standing close to magnificent homes and ruining the effect of the whole. From the Vedado one may return to the Central Park by any one of several routes, but the most attractive is probably by the way of Colon Ceme- tery, El Principe Fort, El Cerro and the Botanical Gardens. LA HABANA 41 Colon Cemetery is very extensive, is filled with shrubs and trees and contains a great many mag- nificent monuments, notable among which are the shafts erected in memory of the massacred students already referred to and to the victims of the de- struction of the Maine. The entrance to the cemetery is surmounted by a sculptured arch bearing allegorical figures and a bas-relief of the crucifixion, the whole forming a most artistic and imposing gateway. Should a funeral be taking place the visitor will be fortu- nate, for the Cuban hearses are wonderful affairs and well worth seeing. Decorated with scarlet and gold they are drawn by six or more gaily ca- parisoned horses which are driven by liveried out- riders while on the box perch footmen in the gor- geous gold and crimson costumes, cocked hats and gold lace of the sixteenth century. To a Northerner they appear far more like cir- cus wagons than hearses, but they satisfy the Cubans and a deceased man's standing and wealth can be determined by the number of horses and gorgeousness of his funeral carriage. Fort Principe is a quaint, old-time fortress 42 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT crowning a hilltop from ■which a magnificent view of the city may be obtained, and although at pres- ent used as a jail the projecting sentry boxes, the moat and drawbridge and the arms of Castile and Leon above the gateway are all interesting. Nearer the city is the Botanical Garden, a beau- tiful spot filled with a vast assortment of palms, ferns, orchids, shrubs, vines and flowers, artificial grottoes, cascades and pools and with wonderful, palm-bordered walks. It is not as well kept or as much frequented as it deserves and is capable of being transformed into a perfect paradise of trop- ical verdure with a little trouble and expense and with competent men in charge. From the Botanical Gardens one may return to Central Park through any one of numerous streets, among which are the beautiful avenues of Paseo Carlos III or Paseo Tacon, streets well maca- damised and shaded by double rows of trees and bordered by numerous fine residences. Such a drive as outlined will cover a large part of the most interesting and attractive portions of the city, but there are many sights to be seen and LA HABANA 43 many points of interest to be visited within easy walking distance of the hotels. One of the first places which visitors to a strange country wish to see is the market. Havana has* several markets, the largest being the Tacon, a block from the Colon Park and but a few blocks from the Parque Central. Another large market is the Colon, situated be- tween Zuleta and Montserrate Streets but one block from the Hotel Plaza. Either of these mar- kets affords a most interesting sight to visitors and by strolling through them the stranger may obtain a very good idea of the numerous natural products of the Island. The closely packed stalls are mainly filled with fruits and vegetables, both tropical and temperate. Bananas of every size, colour and variety are everywhere and to the per- son familiar only with the common red and yellow varieties the multitudinous array of these popular fruits is simply marvellous. There are tiny, thin- skinned, sugar-sweet bananas; slender, green and red-spotted bananas, that look like some lizard or snake in colour; stout, stubby, orange and red 44 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT bananas ; bananas that are green when ripe ; bananas that are covered with black blotches and appear half decayed but in reality are delicious ; and each and every variety with some particular points of superiority and each with a local Cuban name. Side by side with the bananas are their near relatives the plantains ; huge, green or yellow fruits that are delicious when boiled, roasted or fried and which form a staple article of diet in all tropical lands. Pineapples are legion and of many kinds ; oranges, limes and grape fruits are on every side ; while innumerable odd-shaped, strangely-coloured fruits invite the visitor to taste and sample these unusual products of the Tropics. Anonas, or custard apples, with their rough green and brown skins, containing a cool creamy pulp that savours of vanilla ice cream; zapotes with their leathery rind and orange, spicy meat; nis- peros or sapodillas with their brownish sugary pulp ; rose apples ; pawpaws, sour sops, guavas, yackees, prickly ears, melons and last, but more numerous than all, mangoes of a hundred shapes and varieties and varying in flavour from a kero- sene-soaked sponge to a combination of straw- LA HABANA 45 berries and pears. Even more numerous in forms and varieties are the vegetables. Carrots, cab- bages, potatoes, lettuce, Lima and string beans, peas, corn, beets, radishes, cauliflowers, aspara- gus, and egg plants are piled high beside yams, sweet potatoes, yucca, taro, palm-cabbage, cho- yotes, and other native Cuban vegetables, for to these markets come the farmers from far and near and in Cuba's rich soil and various climates almost every known vegetable and fruit may be grown to perfection. The fruit and vegetable stalls are but a small portion of the market and the fish and poultry sec- tions are fully as interesting — if one can stand the odour. Early in the morning is the best time to visit the markets and at this time the fish stalls will be found filled with denizens of the sea that will seem wonderful indeed to the Northern vis- itor. Land crabs tied in bunches, great saltwater crabs with scarlet shells, huge clawless lobsters with their peacock tints, crawfish from the rivers, shrimp from the bays, eels, oysters, clams and snails are all in evidence, with here and there a slimy repulsive cuttlefish or octopus — a sea deni- 46 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT zen that is excellent eating despite his appearance and which is greatly relished by the Cubans and Spaniards. But more noticeable than all else are the wonderfully coloured fish; brilliant, scarlet snappers ; crimson squirrel fish ; blue, green, golden and orange parrot fish ; silver and turquoise angel fish; rainbow flounders; great snake-like morays ; iridescent pompanos and bonitos ; scin- tillating, metallic-scaled dolphins; silvery tarpon; clean-cut, savage-looking swordfish and a thousand and one varieties of lesser fishes may be seen, for the Cuban waters swarm with marine life and no one knows better than the Cubans how to cook fish to perfection. Fully as interesting is the poultry section of the market, for the Cuban has ways of his own in selling poultry and his ways are odd indeed from our point of view. Here in the poultry stalls one may buy eggs, pigeons, turkeys, quail, plover, squabs, guinea fowl, ducks and geese. If you wish a whole fowl you may purchase it alive or dead, plucked or unplucked, and if your family is small or only a small quantity of fowl is desired you are not compelled to purchase more than you LA HABANA 47 need or to go without. The Cuban poultryman sells fowl in sections as readily as whole and in the markets one may buy a neck, a breast, a wing, a pair of legs, a head or even the giblets sepa- rately. It is a strange sight to see a stall with every conceivable portion of a fowl's anatomy dis- played separately and one is filled with admiration at the skill displayed by the marketmen in dissect- ing and dismembering the birds in such a manner as to obtain such a multitude of cuts, steaks and joints from a single carcass. It is but a few steps from the Colon market to the beautiful Los Angeles church with its roof prickly with miniature steeples and towers and its yellow painted walls. The church itself is of little interest for it is not very ancient and has been remodelled and rebuilt; but the streets in its vicinity are well worth vis- iting. These are among the oldest and quaintest streets of the city and one — the Loma del Angel — is the narrowest thoroughfare in Havana, being scarce ten feet in width. A short distance from this church and towards the Malecon is the immense cigar factory of 48 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Henry Clay and Bock and Company and as visit- ors are welcome, a tour through this up-to-date cigar factory should not be omitted. In passing from the church to the factory one's attention will be drawn to a fragment of ancient stone work bear- ing a strange lantern-like sentry box. This is all that remains of the old Spanish wall which orig- inally completely surrounded the town, for Havana was once a walled city, but its growth was so rapid that it soon spread beyond the walls and for many years they have been demolished and destroyed save here and there where some fragment was utilised to form the wall of a house or building or was spared as a monument for its historical in- terest. From this spot it is but a short stroll back to the hotels and Central Park or to the cool seaside benches and restaurants of the Malqeon. Another pleasant walk which will prove full of interest is down O'Reilly or Obispo Streets to the Plaza de Armas and the palace. Obispo Street is always interesting and with its grateful shade, cast by the canvas canopies, is cooler and pleas- anter than most of Havana's streets. Turning LA HABANA 49 down the broad avenue between the Bazaar de Paris, or Gomez Block, and Albisu theatre, one comes to a little square or plaza containing a mar- ble statue of Albear, the engineer who built the reservoir and constructed the pipe line through which Havana's water supply is led from distant Vento Springs. This is known as Albear Square and at the left is Calle O'Reilly and at the right Calle Obispo. Proceeding down Obispo Street beneath the awnings we pass the Cuba Trust Com- pany's white marble building and a block or two farther on reach the Banco Nacional de Cuba, a magnificent six-story white marble building. The bank proper occupies the first floor, which is in reality a miniature park or plaza with an open central patio. Elevators carry the visitor to the upper floors, the fifth of which contains the of- fices of the United States Consul General, while from the roof one may obtain a splendid pano- ramic view of the city. A short distance beyond the bank one comes upon the Plaza de Armas, — a large open square filled with palms and shrubs and in the centre of which is a handsome statue of Ferdinand VII of 50 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Spain. This plaza was really the nucleus of Ha- vana and dates from 1519. It is close to the orig- inal landing place of the founders of the city, a spot marked by the little " Templete " on the har- bour side of the square and beside which stands a silk cotton tree, a sprout from the original ceiba beneath which mass was said on landing. Grouped around the Plaza de Armas are the various ad- ministrative buildings, such as the President's Pal- ace at the west, the Senate Building to the north, the Hall of Representatives at the south and the Post Office at the northeast. All of these build- ings are of interest and are open to visitors, the President's Palace being particularly well worth seeing as it contains a beautiful patio filled with flowers and palms, a splendid statue of Columbus, broad marble stairways and the old Spanish Throne Room. On the northern side of the square 6tands the ancient fort or La Fuerza, the oldest structure in Havana and of great historical in- terest. La Fuerza was built in 1538 under the personal direction of Ferdinand de Soto who sailed for Florida the following year. Here in the fort he installed his wife, the Dona Isabel, as LA HABANA 51 " adelantado " and here she waited patiently for his return until after four long years of vigil she realised that hope was useless and died of grief and a broken heart. The grim old fort has seen many a hard fought battle and has bravely with- stood assaults of pirates, buccaneers and foreign invaders only falling to the guns of Morro trained upon it by the British forces. Within its grey walls have reposed countless millions of gold and jewels, for it was the great treasure vault of the Indies and galleons and plate ships, homeward bound from Peru and Mexico stored here their treasure that it might be safe from sea-rovers and marauders. For many years the quaint old fort fell into a state of decay and neglect, but at the American invasion it was rescued from its igno- minious surroundings, cleared of filth and rubbish, partially restored and now stands forth with bridge and moat, high walls and ancient sentry boxes, a splendid and enduring monument of Cuba's most interesting past. From the Plaza de Armas one may turn to the left and pass up O'Reilly Street; but it is better to pass behind the rear of the Palace, see the pic- 52 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT turesque vista of O'Reilly with the age-grey belfry of San Domingo church towering above the house- tops and continue to Emperado Street and past the Cathedral. This ancient church was commenced in 1656, but was not completed until 1724. It is Latin-Gothic in architecture, built of native limestone and has assumed a dull, hoary-grey tint which makes it appear very ancient. The exterior of the Cathe- dral is quite imposing and within there are several fine paintings, among them a supposed Murillo, depicting the Pope and his Cardinals celebrating mass on the eve of the departure of Columbus. The altar is very beautiful and built of Italian marble and surrounded by marble mosaic floors while the embroidered and jewelled vestments are marvellous and may be seen by application to the Sacristano. The Cathedral is, however, most widely celebrated as having been at one time the resting-place of the bones of Columbus — which it never contained, if researches and historical facts may be believed. Columbus was buried in Valladolid, Spain, in 1508, and the body was later transferred to Seville and thence to San Domingo LA HABANA 53 where it was deposited in the great cathedral in San Domingo City. When the French, in 1795, took possession of San Domingo the retiring Span- iards removed certain bones believed to be those of the discoverer and carried them to Havana. Here they were received with great pomp and ceremony and were reinterred in a niche in the Cathedral in the wall of the chancel. Later they were removed to a magnificent tomb beneath the dome and here the bones remained until the evacua- tion of Cuba by the Spaniards when the remains were once more transferred to the Cathedral of Seville, Spain. All this is a matter of undisputed history but when a second casket of bones, bear- ing inscriptions proving it to be the coffin of Co- lumbus, was discovered in the San Domingo Cathe- dral, doubt arose as to the identity of the Havana bones. The Havanese and the Spaniards used every argument to prove their relics the genuine ones, but the preponderance of evidence appears to be in favour of the bones still in Santo Do- mingo ; the remains transferred to Cuba and later to Seville being probably those of Diego Columbus, the son of the great admiral. 54 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT However this may be, the Havana Cathedral is well worth visiting and in the wall may still be seen the niche wherein the alleged body of Co- lumbus rested for many years and where formerly was a tablet inscribed with the following lines: w O Grand Columbus, In this urn enshrined A thousand centuries thy bones shall guard; A thousand ages keep thine image fresh, In token of a nation's gratitude." CHAPTER V HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS The visitor in a tropical country should never expect to accomplish as much as in the North. Although the temperature may not be as high as in New York, and there is little humidity, yet the climate is invariably enervating, — at least in the coast towns, — and one becomes tired and ex- hausted much sooner than in temperate climates. Many tourists try to live in the Tropics exactly as they do in the North. They eat the same kind of food, imbibe the same drinks, keep the same hours of eating, sleeping and walking, and scoff at the native ways of life. This is a great mistake ; the people of the Tropics know far better than North- erners what to do and what not to do, what to eat and drink and what to avoid, and how best to di- vide the twenty-four hours between sleeping and waking. " When in Rome do as the Romans do " is thoroughly applicable to the Tropics, and if one desires to be healthy and to accomplish any- 55 56 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT thing in tropical lands he must follow the example of the natives as to his manner of living. It is not necessary to eat all kinds of native food or to live in native discomfort to do this; there are plenty of wholesome, appetising, native dishes and many Northern viands are perfectly suitable for the Tropics ; but it is a wise plan to follow the best class of natives in selecting food, drinks and refreshments. An abundance of sleep is most essential in trop- ical lands and nearly all tropical people take a long siesta or nap in the middle of the day. This enables them to keep late hours at night and to be *ftp betimes in the morning, — the pleasantest por- tions of the whole twenty-four hours, — and in this Universal custom lies the secret of the Spanish- American's fondness for night life. In Havana, Jife and gaiety is at its height from nine in the evening until three in the morning and to the cas- ual observer the Havanese never seem to sleep and the streets about the plaza and Prado are as noisy and bright with life at two a.m. as at eight p.m. Of course the average tourist is limited for time in most cases and there is a great temptation to HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 57 rush and " do the town " in a few days or hours. It is far better to take things easy and see less with greater comfort. We laugh at the tendency of the Spanish-American to put everything off until " manana," but in this habit lies his safe- guard of health and after a few years in the Trop- ics the American is prone to postpone a large part of his business until to-morrow and becomes a thorough convert to the manana habit himself, or else exhausts his vitality and falls an easy prey to disease and drink. In Havana, the custom is to rise early, take a meagre breakfast or desayuno of coffee, bread and fruit with perhaps a couple of boiled eggs or other light food. After this repast one may stroll about the town or drive hither and thither until about eleven o'clock when almuerza or luncheon is served. After luncheon a siesta is taken or one loafs about the house or hotel until two or three o'clock when once more a car ride, walk or shop- ping tour may be taken. From five p.m. until ^nightfall is the busiest hour for business and shop- ping and for walks and drives along the water front or in the suburbs. About seven comida or 58 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT dinner is taken and the rest of the evening and most of the night is spent in the parks, in the theatres or on the Prado with frequent visits to the innumerable cafes and restaurants where iced soft drinks, ice cream, coffee or other refreshments are indulged in freely. It is not necessary to exhaust oneself by walking in Havana, for the trolley cars, auto-busses, and coches are cheap and carry the visitor to nearly every point of interest; or carriages or automo- biles may be hired by the hour or trip at reason- able rates. A large proportion of the Havanese speak English, and every hotel, restaurant and store has at least one English-speaking employe. Many of the cocheros do not speak English, but by merely mentioning the name of one's destination the coach driver will understand where his passen- ger wishes to go. It is an easy matter to lose oneself in Havana and in order to avoid any pos- sibility of going astray the visitor should always carry the address of his hotel or boarding house on a card which may be shown to a coach driver or policeman in case of necessity. There is no possibility of the carriage drivers HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 59 overcharging, for the rates are regulated by law and every driver carries a copy of the tariff law. In the case of long drives, or when the coach is hired by the hour, definite arrangements as to charges should be made in advance for the cocheros always hope to receive a little more than the law allows and on the other hand are frequently willing to reduce the legal rate considerably in order to obtain a fare. The visitor who speaks Spanish has a decided advantage and even a slight knowledge of the lan- guage is very useful. Havana lives for a good portion of the time on the tourists and Havana merchants, guides, hotel keepers, cocheros and even the street vendors consider American tourists fair prey and charge double or treble the prices they would dare charge Cubans. If one does not speak Spanish and is unfamiliar with the customs of the country it is a wise plan to have some Cuban friend, or a hotel interpreter, do the purchasing and hiring and a few dollars expended in tips to a competent interpreter will usually save many dollars in over-charges. Ha- vana is literally alive with guides and local tour- 60 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT bureau solicitors and the latter are often exceed- ingly annoying and even insulting when their serv- ices are declined. At times these runners try to make the stranger believe that it is impossible to obtain entrance to the various public buildings and ruins without their assistance, but this is false, for every building or place of interest that can be seen in company with a tour-bureau agent may be seen just as readily by any stranger alone. Before the Great War Cuba possessed what might be called a "mongrel" system of coinage. Spanish, French and American currency formed the medium of exchange. This was costly and in- adequate, and in the fall of 1914, when an unprec- edented rise in the price of Spanish and French coins occurred, the Cuban Legislature found it necessary to authorize a national currency which would emancipate the country from a European system and enable the Republic to buy gold and silver in the open market and coin these metals in the mints of the United States. The new mone- tary law was approved by President Menocal on October 21, 1914. It demonetised the Spanish gold dollar, a Spanish or French coin of 21.13 grams HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 61 of pure gold, used solely in Cuba as a legal stand- ard of computation for a century past, and in the course of two years these coins were re- patriated by the Government without affecting the exchanges. The law created a national gold standard, at a mint parity with the American dollar, which was also made a legal tender. Hence American paper and metallic money now circulates to the exclusion of other foreign moneys, simplifying exchange operations and adding another bond to the close commercial and social relations existing between the United States and Cuba. Cuban gold, silver and nickel pieces are coined, of specified denomina- tions. Silver coins are absolute tender for obliga- tions not in excess of ten dollars, and to the extent of eight per cent of payments over that amount. In former years the Cubans invariably quoted prices far in advance of what they actually ex- pected to receive and an article priced at $1.00 could usually be purchased for fifty cents or less. Since the Americanisation of Cuba and the influx of tourists the prices quoted are now usually ad- hered to and save in the markets, small shops and 62 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT outlying towns it is a waste of time to try and " beat down " the prices asked. In Havana the custom of " tipping " is as preva- lent as in New York or elsewhere and tips are usually calculated at a basis of ten per cent, of the bill in restaurants, hotels, etc. ; but more than a peseta should never be given, the ordinary tip being a real or Spanish dime. Beggars are sel- dom seen and should not be encouraged, for only professional beggars are at large, the deserving poor being amply provided for and well taken care of in all the large Cuban towns. In attending theatres one may purchase tickets for one or more acts or for the entire performance but the moving pictures have now largely super- seded the legitimate theatre in Havana as popular places of amusement while the Basque game of pelota or Jen Alai, cockfights, baseball, golf, boat- ing and autoing are very popular. The Havana lottery is a most important insti- tution and one sees the tickets on sale in every shop and store and by every street vendor. This lottery is perfectly fair and square and as the tickets cost but twenty-five cents each and the HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 63 drawings are frequent it is doubtful if they are really any serious drain on the people's money. Oddly enough, visiting Americans are among the largest and most frequent purchasers of the lot- tery tickets, although they hold up their hands in horror at such open " gambling " and pretend to disapprove most seriously of anything per- taining to lotteries or games of chance. Ameri- cans not infrequently win large sums at the lot- tery and it is doubtful if they ever consider their winnings as " tainted money " or refuse to ac- cept it. As to the advisability of a state lottery each must form his or her own opinion, but oddly enough where the lottery is an open public insti- tution drunkenness and crimes arising from in- toxication are rare. This may not have any direct connection with the lottery, for the Span- ish-American considers it a degradation to be seen under the influence of liquor in public, but in the opinion of the writer it is far better for the peo- ple to spend money on lottery tickets than on drink, card games, dice or other forms of dissi- pation and gambling. Where the lottery holds 64 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT sway there is little money left for dissipation after the lottery tickets are bought. Every country has its weaknesses and if the Cubans prefer lot- teries to other games of chance there is no reason why we should criticise or object. It may con- sume a good portion of the workingman's savings, but it certainly does not induce rowdyism, vice or crime. If the visitor is fond of bathing he may enjoy a splendid swim by travelling to Marianao beach, a distance of some ten miles from Havana and reached either by trolley or electric trains which leave the Concha Station hourly. The trip costs but ten cents and the country traversed is quite interesting and typical of rural Cuba, with broad level pastures, pineapple fields and great numbers of magnificent royal palms. Marianao beach is some distance from Marianao itself but the town is worth visiting as it is old fashioned, picturesque and has the reputation of being the cleanest town on the Island. Between the beach and the town is the Country Club, a beautiful property with a magnificent golf course, tennis courts, croquet lawns and handsome HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 65 shrubbery, trees and flower gardens. The club house is of the old mission type of architecture and is a most attractive and pleasant place to visit if one is fortunate enough to secure an intro- duction through friends who are members. In Havana itself a good insight into Cuban cus- toms and life may be gained by strolling through the various, much-frequented thoroughfares or the numerous cafes or restaurants which are on nearly every corner and are wide open to the street. The Cubans are great patronizers of cafes and at the small marble-topped tables they congregate in groups; sip native drinks or beer, smoke cigars and cigarettes and chat and gossip by the hour. All of these open cafes or restau- rants are perfectly safe and respectable and ladies visit them as freely as men. Cubans as a race are very quiet, orderly and well behaved and treat women with respect and never stare rudely at a stranger or make remarks. Although any sort of beverage, either alcoholic or not, may be pur- chased in the cafes, yet the favourite drinks are the delicious native refrescos. These are merely iced fruit syrups made from fresh native fruits, 66 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT but they are cooling, pleasant and perfectly safe and healthy. In variety they are almost endless, for any and every fruit of the Island, as well as many of our Northern fruits, are used for making refrescos, but among them all the favourites are naranjada or orangeade; Umonada or limeade; pffia colado or strained pineapple; piria sin colar, or unstrained pineapple; anona, or custard ap- ple; grendda, or pomegranate; and ensalada, which is a combination of various fruits. Coffee and chocolate are also served in these cafes, the former being poured hot from a pot carried by the waiter with salted boiled milk added from a second pot. The chocolate is delicious but is very thick and rich and is seldom relished by Northerners at first. Ice cream or mantecado is also served as well as helados or water-ices, and many of these are as rich, pleasant and well made as our Northern products. These little cafes have wonderful resources and one may order anything from a refresco to a course dinner and have it served promptly and well; — in fact the very best way to live in Ha- vana is to room at some good hotel, and take one's HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 67 meals at any restaurant or cafe that may be con- venient. Fortunately there is no danger in drink- ing water freely in Havana, for the water supply is obtained from Vento Springs nearly ten miles away, through a covered aqueduct, and is among the purest of waters known. In former times the Havana water was almost undrinkable as it was led to the city through an open ditch and reeked with filth and decomposing vegetation. In nearly every Spanish-American country there are many interesting native customs, habits and costumes, but in Havana the majority of typical native ways have been lost or given up since the Spanish evacuation. The graceful mantillas for- merly worn by all classes of women are now but seldom seen save on the heads or shoulders of the old ladies or the poorer classes and the latest Parisian fashions and fabrics are much in evi- dence, — in fact, the Cuban women dress far bet- ter and in later fashions than their New York sisters, while the men wear light flannels, linens, alpacas and silks which are most appropriate for the climate. In home life the Cubans are rather retiring and one seldom sees Cuban ladies on the 68 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT street, save in the late afternoon or evening or in automobiles. The custom of men embracing, pat- ting one another on the back and kissing the cheek when meeting or parting is still in vogue and seems very funny to the less demonstrative Northerner, but the Cubans take it very seriously and no doubt think it is just as odd for us to merely grasp hands and mutter a few commonplace words when parting from or meeting old friends or relatives. There are, however, many minor local customs which one will constantly see, such as the milk vendor riding on horseback with his cans slung on either side of the saddle; the odd house-shaped stores on wheels from which bread, cakes, drinks and sweetmeats are sold; the fruit pedlars with their wagons embowered in palm leaves ; the fowl- sellers with their carts piled high with coops of live chickens ; the queer, diminutive watering carts with a single barrel on wheels drawn by a sleepy donkey, and the loads of Guinea-grass travelling along the streets without apparent reason but which in reality hide the tiny burro upon which the bundles of grass are piled high. HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 69 All of these things may, however, be far oftener seen in the country and smaller towns than in Havana, for the capital is very modern and is yearly becoming more thoroughly up to date and pushing the old and obsolete to one side. The crude barrel watering-cart is being sup- planted by huge two horse sprinklers, the dray and donkey is giving place to Milburn wagons and auto-trucks, and the ancient hand fire-en- gines have been abandoned in favour of the latest steam and chemical machines, auto fire-patrols, aerial trucks, trained horses and up-to-the-minute electrical equipment. In every phase of life and business it is the same ; Havana is no longer an old-fashioned, conserva- tive town held down by Spanish oppression and misrule, but a pushing progressive city kept abreast of the times and forging rapidly to the front through the energy and ability of the Cubans under the rule of their own countrymen. Nowhere in Havana can a better idea of prog- ress and improvement be seen than in the great Central Station, — the terminus of the United 70 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Railways of Havana, the Cuba Central Railway and the Havana Central Railway. This enor- mous building, with its broad concrete approach, twin towers, attractive architecture and splen- didly equipped interior, would be a credit to any city in the world. Within are large, beautifully finished waiting-rooms, cafes, restaurants, barber shops, boot-blacking stands, news stands and every modern convenience, with the dozen or more terminal tracks completely covered by iron and glass roofs. On the tracks stand the waiting trains, — standard gauge, luxurious coaches, Pull- mans, sleepers, buffet cars and great, snorting, powerful Mogul locomotives, ready to whirl the waiting, pushing throngs to distant Santiago or other inland towns over a roadbed that is a mar- vel of engineering and through hundreds of miles of enchanting scenery. From this scene of busy, hurrying activity one turns to a striking contrast near at hand. At one end of the platform, within a polished brass rail- ing, stands a relic of Havana's railways of the past. An old-fashioned, diminutive locomotive, — • the first to operate on Cuban railways and one HAVANA LIFE AND CUSTOMS 71 of the oldest in America, for the United Railways of Havana were opened in 1837, years before many of our American cities had been weaned from post-chaise and wayside tavern. CHAPTER VI THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA Some of the pleasantest and most interesting spots about Havana are in the suburbs and neigh- bouring small towns. These are all easily reached by coach, railway, trolley, electric train or ferry, and each and every one affords a new and attrac- tive phase of Cuban life, customs, scenery and products. Of course every visitor to Cuba is interested in the Morro — the grim ancient fortress that guards the entrance to the harbour and has taken such a prominent part in Cuba's history and past. Almost as famous and of equal interest to the tourist is the Cabanas fortress that stretches along the bare hilltop behind the Morro. Both of these ancient fortifications are within easy reach of Ha- vana's centre; both are open to the public and every visitor to the Cuban capital should make it a point to cross the bay, climb the heights and wander over and through Cabanas and El Morro. n THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 73 From CeCballera Wharf bumboats or launches will carry the visitor across the harbour to Cabanas or Morro for ten cents (Spanish plata), the return trip costing the same. From the landing place a long, winding, covered way leads up the slope to the fortress and at the summit a pass to visit Morro should be procured. Although Cabanas was built for a fortress it has never been attacked and has never been actually used for any purpose other than a prison, and during the numerous Cuban revolts against Spain countless patriots were imprisoned, tortured and executed within the forbidding confines of the vast walls. The visitor will find the climb up the steep en- trance way very hot and fatiguing and hence it is advisable to make the trip either early in the morning or on a cool cloudy day. To the right of the entrance is the famous " Laurel Ditch " or " Laurel Moat," marked by a beautiful bronze tablet, where the unfortunate Cubans and others who assisted them were exe- cuted without pretence of trial. The condemned prisoners were compelled to kneel facing the wall 74 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT and were riddled by the rifle fire of a squad of Spanish soldiers. Even to-day one may trace the line of bullet marks along the wall for nearly one hundred feet and this grim memento of the cruelty and oppression of the Spanish is known by the significant name of " The Dead-line." Within the walls of Cabanas one realises the vastness of the fortification for it is fully a mile in length and nearly 1,000 feet in width and the visitor is not surprised to learn that its cost was over $14,000,000.00 and that eleven years were consumed in building it ; a fact made plain by an inscription above the landward gateway which states that the work was commenced in 1763 and completed in 1774. So great was the cost and so stupendous the labour that it is said that King Charles III — when told of the expense incurred — went to the window of his palace and peered intently west- ward, remarking that in his opinion the walls of such an enormous and expensive fortress should be visible from Spain. Within the fort are innumerable dungeons, cells and secret passages where prisoners were kept THE SUBURBS OF. HAVANA 75 incommunicado until executed, or condemned to the penal colonies or galleys of Africa, their fate being seldom known to families or friends. Upon the ramparts are many ancient cannon, while a monument stands as a memorial to the men who captured the Lopez expedition in 1851. From these lofty walls a magnificent view of the city and harbour is obtained with the green, palm- covered country stretching beyond, and star- shaped Atares castle on the heights behind the town, — a lasting monument to the murdered Crittenden and his fifty companions who were shot down within its walls. From Cabanas a short walk northward leads to Morro, which may be entered upon presentation of the permit obtained at the office of Cabanas. The Morro is far older than Cabanas, having been completed in 1597, and is a replica of the an- cient Moorish fortress at Lisbon, but through its many years' existence its original design has been considerably altered and to-day it does not appear as ancient or as mediaeval as the Morro at San- tiago or the Morro at San Juan, Porto Rico. In form it is irregular, with walls from one hun- 76 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT dred to one hundred and twenty feet above the sea and rising sheer from the bare, weather-worn rock which has been carved into weird forms and huge caverns by the ceaseless beating waves. The sea- ward side is inaccessible and the landward side is protected by great moats seventy feet in depth and thirty to forty feet in width hewn from solid rock and spanned by a drawbridge leading to the sally-port. Around the large, open, central space, or pa- rade, are numerous gloomy casemates and from here a sloping ramp leads towards the sea and the dungeons. Some of these prison cells are directly over the water and in one spot a steep chute, or slide, leads through the walls. From here it is said the bodies of prisoners, both living and dead, were slid into the sea to become the food of in- numerable waiting sharks in the nido de tiburones (sharks' nest) below. Although the Morro was built to protect Ha- vana from pirates, freebooters and other enemies, yet it has never been seriously attacked but once — when the British laid siege in 1762. At that time it proved more of a menace than a protection, for THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 77 it was mined and captured by the English who then trained the Morro's guns upon the city it was designed to guard, thus compelling the sur- render of Punta fortress and the town. A tablet is set in the eastern wall of the fortress in memory of Captain Velasco who gallantly re- sisted the British invaders and lost his life in the defence. Close to the water's edge is a battery of large guns known as the " Twelve Apostles " and on the seaward platform of the fort is a towering light-house built in 1844 with its attendant sig- nal station, semaphore, flags and wireless tower. From Morro the visitor may return to Caballera wharf or to the Punta at the foot of the Prado. Another interesting and pleasant suburban trip is to Marianao and its Playa or beach. The lit- tle town is on a hill some ten miles from Havana and has the reputation of being the cleanest town in Cuba, although it is difficult to see how any town could be much cleaner than Havana itself under its present conditions. Marianao is reached by electric trains from the Central station, the trains leaving hourly for the beach, or by electrics from the Concha station every 15 minutes or by 78 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the " Vedado-Muelle de Luz " or "Vedado-San Juan de Dios " trolleys, changing at the Vedado terminal for the Marianao or Playa cars. Marianao itself contains many handsome villas or summer homes of wealthy Havanese, while the beach is a favourite bathing place, and the home of the Havana Yacht Club and near by is the Country Club with its splendid golf-course, cro- quet-lawns, club-house and gardens. Near Marianao is Camp Columbia — the camp of the United States troops in former days and the barracks of the Cuban army to-day — while the country passed over on the trip to and from the village is very interesting and the route from the Central station affords the visitor a fairly good idea of the rural districts of western Cuba. After leaving the Central station the train passes through the extensive yards of the railway com- panies and here one obtains some conception of the size and commerce of Havana. A network of tracks covers hundreds of acres ; scores of loco- motives haul long freight trains back and forth; the great freight station, with its innumerable waiting drays, auto-trucks and express wagons, THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 79 attracts attention. Near at hand one passes mile after mile of docks packed close with ship- ping; huge coal yards, great lumber piles, im- mense dredges and steam shovels and finally the stupendous electrical power plant with its great chimneys towering hundreds of feet into the clear blue sky. Soon the outlying houses, the poorer sections and the vacant lots of the outskirts of Havana are passed and the train runs through a flat, level country diversified with clumps and rows of trees, silvery brooks and streams and groups of cattle and horses, while native, thatched-roof huts, little gaily-tinted villas and well-kept farms flash by the car windows. Many little villages are passed, with their tiny wayside stations, among them Puentes Grandes — a busy manufacturing ham- let with its two great breweries — and at last the little town of Hoyo Colorado, where the branch line to the beach joins the main railway line. From Marianao to Hoyo Colorado the track lies through a rich tobacco and pineapple district, which becomes even more interesting and luxuriant further westward to Guana jay. 80 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT The trip to Guana jay is well worth taking if the visitor has little time at his disposal or does not wish to incur the excessive expenses of a longer trip. The road passes through Arroyo Arenas, Punta Brava, Hoyo Colorado and Caimito, all centres of the pineapple industry, and at any sta- tion the traveller may remain over until the next car — the trains passing every hour — and this hour may be profitably spent in visiting the fruit- packing plants, or the large sugar mills or other local industrial centres* From Hoyo Colorado to Guana jay the country is exceedingly beautiful, its rolling green surface broken by innumerable clumps of magnificent royal palms which increase in numbers until on every hand one sees vast groves, long avenues and actual forests of these wonderful trees. Guana- jay itself is of little interest, save that it is a typical rural Cuban town with low, one- or two- story buildings with picturesque red-tiled roofs; an odd little plaza and trains of pack horses and mules laden with the produce of the surrounding country. An hour is quite enough time to spend in the town for the accommodations are of the THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 81 most primitive sort and the so-called " hotels " are dirty, unpleasant and lacking in all luxuries and many necessities. The patios are usually oc- cupied by oxen, mules or horses and the rooms and restaurants smell more like stables than human habitations. There are numerous coches and livery automo- biles in Guanajay and the other small towns and during the hour between trains a short drive may be taken through the surrounding country with its pineapple, tobacco, banana and sugar estates. Still another interesting suburban trip is to Regla and Guanabacoa, across the bay from Ha- vana. From Luz wharf the ferry carries one to Regla, a little village once famous as a resort of smugglers and pirates, but now of little interest. From Regla the electric train may be taken to Guanabacoa, at one time a very aristocratic sum- mer resort, and famous for its medicinal mineral springs. Guanabacoa has many old churches containing greatly adored shrines; the church of Potosi having an image to which many miracles are attributed and which is annually visited by thousands of devout pilgrims from many portions 82 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT of the Island. Moreover, Guanabacoa is famous for the liquid bitumen or pitch found in the hills behind the town and which was used by Ocampo in 1508 in pitching his ships which were careened in Havana harbour and from which fact the little bay received the name of " Puerto de Carenas." Upon entering Guanabacoa it is advisable to re- main in the car until the central plaza is reached as from here short strolls may be taken about the town. About the plaza are numerous caf6s and restaurants and within a few blocks are the most interesting churches and other sights. Near the plaza is the College of the Pious Schools of Guanabacoa, an enormous, walled edifice built like a fortress and with a statue in a lofty niche in one corner before which burns continuously — not an oil lamp or a candle, but a modern electric light! This school is one of the most famous in Cuba and the visitor will usually be admitted upon request. In style the school is very similar to the old California missions, but is in splendid re- pair and the stranger seems transported to days long past as he wanders through the pillared colonnades and about the flower-filled patios with < pq t> CJ oT > H o o 23 S < tq H THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 83 the noise and bustle of the outside world com- pletely shut off by the massive -walls. From Guanabacoa the tourist may return direct to Havana or better still may continue by bus to Cojimar, a seaside resort on the northern shore, with a splendid bathing beach beside which stands a quaint old fort known as the "Little Morro." Several days may be spent in Cojimar if desired, for the village has a good hotel known as the Campoamor. From Cojimar the bus may be taken to Guana- bacoa, but a better plan is to return by auto-bus to Casa Blanca, a little fishing village nestling on the hillside under Cabanas, and from this quaint, unspoiled town return by ferry to Luz wharf. Having taken these near-by trips, the visitor will be anxious to see more of rural Cuba and to do this he may take any one of the various railway lines or the coastal steamships and visit the prin- cipal towns of the interior or either Coast, or he may travel by automobile for a hundred miles or more in various directions. Cuba is not yet fully equipped with good highroads but where automo- bile roads have been made they have been made 84 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT well and for many miles the roads are unexcelled by any roads in the world. From Havana one may travel by auto to Pinar del Rio to the west; to Matanzas and Cardenas on the north, and as far east as Santa Clara; while numerous other roads lead to points nearer at hand, among them being the road to San Cris- tobal, seventy miles; to Guines, forty miles; and to Guanajay and intermediate points. Automo- bile hire is high in Cuba, however, and the scenery is monotonous as compared to that in Porto Rico or even in eastern Cuba and there is little to be gained by autoing over the roads when the splen- didly-equipped steam railways, the clean, cool and cheap electric railways and the coastwise steam- ers enable the traveller to visit any and every point of interest with comfort and despatch. Still other suburban trips of interest are those to Madruga, — a typical village of some two thou- sand inhabitants among the hills to the southeast of Havana and famous for its medicinal springs, as well as for its drinking water known through- out the Island as Copey. There are numerous bathing establishments in the town and excellent THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 85 hotel accommodations while numerous interesting drives may be taken in the vicinity of the town. Guines, not far from Madruga, is in a rich sugar-producing valley and much of the land in the vicinity of the town is devoted to garden truck raising by American settlers. Guines is interest- ing from the fact that the railway from Havana to the town was commenced in 1834 and trains were in actual operation over the road in 1837, thus making this line one of the pioneer railways of the world. The first locomotive to operate on the line is still preserved in the Central station at Havana and is a most interesting exhibit. On the, Guines route is the Providencia sugar mill where the tourist may see the entire process of grinding cane and making sugar in a modern mill and thousands of visitors annually make a trip to this mill to which special trains and ex- cursions have been arranged by the railway com- pany. Another pleasant trip may be made to Cotorro on the Guines line. Cotorro is about ten miles from Havana and is the station for the quaint town of Santa Maria del Rosario with which it is 86 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT connected by a bus line over a splendid highway. Santa Maria is famous for its sulphur springs and as eleven trains a day run from Havana to Cotorro and return it is very easy for the traveller to spend a few hours of the morning or afternoon in these delightfully situated rural towns. In addition to these regular routes it is possible for the tourist to arrange an almost endless variety of short suburban excursions by travelling to one of the outlying towns by one road and re- turning by another or by making the outward trip by auto and return by railway or vice versa. Space will not permit of a detailed description of the innumerable trips that may be made in this way but the bureau of information at the Central Station, the management of the various hotels or the agents of the automobile companies will gladly furnish suggestions, rates and itineraries to those interested. For the tourist who does not understand or speak Spanish or who does not wish to undertake trips or excursions on his own responsibility there are numerous special tours and sight-seeing excur- sions which leave Havana at specified hours ifl THE SUBURBS OF HAVANA 87 company with English speaking, competent guides. Some of the more important places which may be visited with couriers are Morro and Cabanas, Providencia Sugar Hill, Vento Springs, Matanzas, Goianajay, Guanabacoa, Artemesia, Paso Real, Herradura and Pinar del Rio. CHAPTER VII PLACES OF INTEREST AND HOW TO REACH THEM There are many points of interest in Havana and its environs and a cochero will drive the vis- itor to any desired spot if the name is spoken to him or a card shown. A great many people, however, prefer to visit the principal places of note by trolley car or by walking, and the latter method is in every way preferable, if one desires to see the streets, the buildings and the people. Central Park is the natural and accepted centre of Havana's life and thoroughfares, for in this neighbourhood are all the best hotels and restau- rants, the clubs and theatres, the largest stores and shops, the favourite promenades and, more- over, all trolley cars — with one or two excep- tions — pass through this central square at some period of their route. Many of Havana's streets and smaller parks appear much alike to a stran- ger, but Central Park, the Prado and Albear 88 PLACES OF INTEREST 89 Square are always easily recognised and the trav- eller who becomes confused or goes astray may readily find his way to the well-known and familiar park by stepping onto any trolley car that may pass — with the exception of those bearing blue signs and the words " Universidad " ; green and white signs labelled " Vedado-Cerro," or red and white signs labelled " Vedado-Jesus del Monte," and by merely retaining his seat he will sooner or later reach Central Park. Even should the wanderer board a car bound directly away from the park it is only necessary to retain his seat, while the car waits a few minutes at the end of its run, pay a second nickel when the car again sets forth and thus resume his journey to his destina- tion. Alameda. Formerly the favourite parade ground of Havana but now interesting for the tangle of shipping and forest of masts which may be seen here. Reached by the Aduana cars or by a walk through Officios Street. Albear Square. A small square or plaza at the junction of Obispo, O'Reilly and San Rafael Streets, one block from Central Park. It con- 90 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT tains a splendid statue of Seiior Albear, the engi- neer who planned and built Havana's present wa- ter supply system. Albisu Theatre. At the corner of Albear Square and San Rafael and occupying the entire block bounded by San Rafael, Montserrate and Zulueta Streets. This is a Spanish theatre and is devoted mainly to comedies of Spanish life presented by a Spanish stock company. It forms one of the large, massive buildings on the south side of Cen- tral Park. American Consulate. Situated on the fifth floor of the National Bank building on Obispo Street. American Club. Corner of Virtudes Street and the Prado, recognised by an eagle and the letters A.C. surmounting it. Angeles Church. A beautiful cream-coloured Gothic building two blocks from the Prado and Central Park on Montserrate Street. The church is easily recognised by its numerous, little, prickly spires. It was founded in 1679 but has been al- tered and repaired several times and after the hurricane of 1846 was practically rebuilt. The miniature square before its doors and the medley PLACES OF INTEREST 91 of small narrow streets radiating from it are very quaint and foreign looking and one of them, — known as " Loma del Angel," — is said to be' the narrowest street in Havana. Atares Castle. A large star-shaped fort on a hill near the town. Reached by " Jesus del Monte " cars and a short walk. This castle is noteworthy as being the only fort which held out against the British. Moreover, within this castle Crittenden and his fifty Kentucky companions were executed by the Spaniards. Base Ball Grounds. The Almendares field-— « formerly the bull ring — is the favourite and largest ball field in Havana. Here the largest and most important games are played on Sunday, Monday and Thursday afternoons. The grounds are situated on Carlos III Avenue in the Vedado district and may be reached by " Principe " cars. Another ball field is situated on the Paseo de Tacon and is known as the Tacon field. Belen Church. One of the best preserved and most picturesque of Havana's numerous churches. It is situated at the corner of Luz and Composteala Streets and is over 200 years old. The church 92 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT is enclosed by a high wall within which are nu- merous royal palms and a covered bridge or pas- sageway connects the church with the convent school wherein is a large natural history collec- tion, a rare old library and other interesting things; all of which are open to public examina- tion. A painting of the " Holy Family " by Ribera hangs above the high altar of this church. Beneficia Home for orphans and Maternity Home on San Lazaro Street fronting the Malecon drive. Botanical Gardens. Also situated on Carlos Tercero Avenue on the line of the " Principe " cars. Those extensive gardens are filled with palms, shrubs, fruit trees, orchids, cacti, flowers and tropical plants and are very interesting. There are numerous pools, brooks, grottoes and cascades within the grounds. Caballera Wharf. At the foot of Obispo and O'Reilly Streets and Plaza de Armas. This is the landing place for many small vessels and for the innumerable bumboats and launches which carry visitors to and from ships anchored in the harbor. PLACES OF INTEREST 93 Campo Marte. (Field of Mars.) The large, embowered square at the upper end of the Prado facing Colon Park and containing the statue of La India from which it has been given the name of India Park. Cathedral. On Emperado Street at the corner of San Ignacio Street. The foundations were laid by the Jesuits in 1656 but the building was not completed until 1724. Famous as having contained the supposed bones of Columbus. It now contains many elaborate, jewelled vestments and a silver altar valued at $10,000.00 which may be seen by applying to the sacristan. Central Station. The new immense station of the United and Central railways of Havana. On Egido Street which is really a continuation of Montserrate Street and easily reached by trolleys or a short walk from Central Park. The station contains the first locomotive operated in Cuba and which was one of the first to operate in Amer- ica. Christ CfiurcK. On Villegas and Amargura Streets. Reached by walking one block west on Montserrate Street after passing the Albisu thea- 94. CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT tre and turning down Lamparilla Street to Villegas. Catholic services are held here in Eng- lish on Sundays and hence it is much frequented by American Roman Catholics visiting Havana. The Augustinian College occupies a building in the rear of the church. City Wall. The old city walls of Havana are mostly demolished, the Neptuna Park and other parks having been laid out in their place, but small fragments remain here and there; notably near the Henry Clay cigar factory — 'between Zulueta and Montserrate Streets. Clerks' Club. On the corner of the Prado and Trocadero Street. A handsome three-story build- ing and the headquarters of a protective and benevolent society with a membership of over 35,000. A magnificent ballroom on the upper floor is well worth visiting. Colon Market. Montserrate Street between Trocadero and Animas and reaching through to Zulueta Street. A short walk of a block from the Hotel Plaza on Central Park. Colon Park. A large and beautiful park occu- pying twelve blocks and facing the upper end PLACES OF INTEREST 95 of the Prado or India Park. It is filled with flowers, shrubs, vines and innumerable royal palms with numerous handsome fountains, settees and bowers. The park contains a fairly good menag- erie of Cuban birds, animals and reptiles as well as many foreign species. A notable object in the park is a scale relief map of Cuba some thirty feet in length. Congress Building. See Senate Building, O'Reilly Street, fronting Plaza de Armas. Custom House. (Aduana.) On Officios Street at the foot of Teniente Rey. Reached by the " Aduana " cars or by walking two blocks south of Albisu Theatre on Montserrate Street to Teniente Rey and turning to the left to the water front. Customs Warehouse. The old Church of San Francisco is now occupied as a customs ware- house. This is close to the Machina Wharf near the Custom House. The church was desecrated by the English in 1762 and has never been used for religious purposes since. Dominican Convent. At the block bounded by O'Reilly, San Ignacio, Mercaderes and Obispo 96 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Streets. Founded in 1578 and opened as a school by Dominican Friars in 1728. Later this school developed into the University of Havana which has been removed to a large building on Principe Hill. The adjoining church of Santo Domingo faces both O'Reilly and Mercaderes Streets. Franciscan Convent. Now the Havana Customs House; was commenced in 1574. It was dese- crated by the English in 1762 and has been aban- doned as a religious edifice ever since. Its in- terior is very imposing with enormous corridors, huge courts and wonderful arches. Francisco de Paula Church. On Paula Street, facing the harbour. This is an ancient church with a facade of antique Spanish design and is very interesting. Fuerza. O'Reilly Street and Plaza de Armas. Reached by " Aduana " cars or by walking down O'Reilly Street or Obispo Street to Plaza de Armas. Henry Clay Cigar Factory. On Zulueta Street, three blocks north of Central Park. This is one of the largest cigar factories in Cuba and is open PLACES OF INTEREST 97 to visitors. It should be visited by all interested in this branch of Cuba's industries. Miramar Hotel. On the left hand side of the Prado facing the sea at the Malecon. Renowned for its restaurant and for its meals served at ta- bles in the open garden. House of Representatives. South side of Plaza* i de Armas. Open to the public when the Cuban congress is not in session. India Park. The upper end of the Prado, fac- ing Colon Park. Jail. The old jail is a great yellow building at the foot of the Prado on the right hand side. It contains many interesting relics of Spanish prison customs including the " Garrote " but is now oc- cupied by the Board of Education. Leper Hospital or San Lazaro. Oquendo Street and Malecon Drive, facing the Gulf of San Lazaro. In this hospital and the other San Lazaro hospital in Santa Clara all Cuban lepers are confined. Lepers are decreasing in numbers in Cuba and the disease is usually of a non-con- tagious, mild form. There are under 1,000 lepers in Cuba and the;? are well cared for and humanely 98 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT treated. The Havana hospital was founded in 1681 through the donations of a Mexican priest. Luz Wharf. Close to the Plaza de Armas. From this wharf the ferries leave for Casa Blanca, Regla and Guanabacoa across the bay. Malecon. Literally meaning a wall or embank- ment. A broad smooth boulevard leading to the west along the seawall from the foot of the Prado. The Malecon was commenced by Americans dur- ing the intervention — 1898-1902 — and has never been fully completed. It is intended to eventually carry it to the Vedado or beyond. Marti Theatre. Corner of Dragones and Zulueta Streets, one block from the Prado, to the east. Merced Church. Corner of Cuba and Merced Streets. Built in 1746 and the wealthiest and most aristocratic of Havana's churches. It con- tains a magnificent painting of the " Last Sup- per " and other paintings. Military Hospital. Situated on Principe Hill and reached by Principe trolley cars and bus from end of line. Morgue. A peculiar little building across Nep- tuno Park from the Punta. PLACES OF INTEREST 99 National Bank. On Obispo Street at corner of Cuba Street. This is Havana's " skyscraper " and from its roof a magnificent view of the city may be obtained. The American Consulate is on the fifth floor. It is an up-to-date fire-proof building with elevator service and built in Span- ish style around an open court or " patio." National Library. On Chacon Street at the cor- ner of Maestranza. Open week days from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Contains over 20,000 volumes, with many rare old books dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Among these are the works of Las Casas, printed in 1552, and a " His- tory of the New World " by Benzoni, published in 1565. National Theatre, formerly the " Tacon." This is Cuba's largest theatre with a seating capacity of 3,000 and the fifth largest theatre in the world. It was constructed seventy-five years ago at a cost of half a million dollars and nearly all the greatest opera singers and actors have appeared here at one time or another. The theatre is on the Prado, facing Central Park, and as usual the lower floor is devoted to restaurants, stores, etc. 100 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Pairet Theatre. Also facing Central Park on the southern side between the Prado and Zulueta Streets. Palace. Obispo and O'Reilly Streets and Plaza de Armas. Palace of Justice. To the left as one leaves the Cathedral. This building houses the Cuban De- partment of State and Justice. Paula Hospital for Women. On San Isidro Street between Cuba and Havana Streets. Pelota. This favourite Basque game is played in a court 175 feet long by 36 feet in width at the corner of Oquendo and Concordia Streets and known as the " Fronton." This game is ex- tremely popular and has unfortunately degene- rated into a gambling game. On the other hand it has to a large extent superseded cock-fighting and hence is a benefit. Plaza de Armas. The large square at the foot of Obispo and O'Reilly Streets around which are the Palace, the Post Office, the Fuerza and the Templete. Police Headquarters. Maestranza Building at No. 82 Cuba Street. Reached by trolley cars PLACES OF INTEREST 101 or by walking down Obispo or O'Reilly Streets. Prado. The finest boulevard of the city, leading from India Park to the Malecon at Punta. The Prado consists of a series of small connected parks with a broad drive on either side and with a con- crete promenade in the centre. Principe Castle, or Fort. An interesting old fort in a splendid state of preservation. Now used as a jail. A magnificent view of Havana may be had from this fort. Produce Exchange. A magnificent, domed building close to Sar Francisco Wharf on San Francisco Plaza. Reached by Muelle or Aduana cars or by a walk down O'Reilly or Obispo Streets. Provincial Government Building. On San tJuan de Dios Park. Reached by turning north on Aguiar Street one block from O'Reilly Street. Punta Fort. Properly the " Castle San Salva- dor de la Punta," is to the right of the lower end of the Prado. It was commenced in 1589 at the same time as Morro across the harbour. When Morro was captured by the British in the war of 176$ the guns of Morro were trained on the Punta and the surrender of the small fort gave 102 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the city to the English invaders. To-day the lit- tle fortress is mainly ornamental and with its bastions, moats and quaint sentry boxes adds a touch of romance and antiquity to the modern surroundings. The Summer Palace or Quinta de los Molinos. Situated on Carlos Tercera Avenue and may be reached by the " Principe " cars. San Juan de Dios Park. A neat little plaza con- taining a statue of Cervantes. Situated between Habana and Aguiar Streets on Emperado Street, one block north of O'Reilly. San Lazaro Watch Tower. An odd, round, watch-tower close to the shore on the Malecon near the Leper Hospital. Erected as a lookout for buccaneers. Santa Catalina Church and Convent. On O'Reilly Street. Built in 1698 and contains numerous relics of Christian martyrs brought from Rome. Santa Clara Church and Convent. The wealth- iest nunnery in Havana. Founded in 1644? and situated between Luz and Sol Streets. Santo Domingo Church. Close to the Domin- PLACES OF INTEREST 108 ican Convent on O'Reilly Street and occupying the block bounded by San Ignacio, Obispo, and Mercaderes. This old church has a most attrac- tive and picturesque tower which forms a notable landmark when walking on or near O'Reilly Street. Students' Memorial. A fragment of wall deco- rated with bisque flowers and bearing an inscrip- tion. In Neptuno Park near the Punta fort at the foot of Zulueta Street and the Prado. Erected in memory of eight students of the Uni- versity who were massacred near this spot in 1871. The class of students was accused of desecrating the tomb of a Spaniard who was killed in a duel with a Cuban at Key West. The students were tried and acquitted, but a mob of Spanish volun- teers rose, paraded the streets and threatened the governor if he did not pass a death sentence on the accused. Through fear of the mob the find- ings of the court were reversed and eight students were executed and their bodies hauled away in an open cart and buried criss-cross in an open grave outside the limits of consecrated ground. The other members of the class were sentenced to hard labour and compelled to break stone in the quar- 104 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT ries. Later on they were pardoned and spirited away to Europe while the bodies of those killed were reinterred in Colon Cemetery. Tacon Market. The largest market of Havana on La Reina Street, one block west of Colon Park. May be reached by trolley through Angeles or Reina Streets. Templete. The commemorative chapel known as El Templete is at the foot of O'Reilly Street on the Plaza de Armas fronting the palace. It was on this spot that the first settlers landed and at- tended mass under a Ceiba tree, a sprout from which (now a large tree) still stands within the enclosure surrounding the Templete. The build- ing is open 1 but once a year, on the night of November 15 — and on that evening and the fol- lowing day it is illuminated and decorated in com- memoration of the founding of Havana. Treasury Building. On a narrow street turning off to the right at the foot of Obispo Street. In this building Cuba's cash is stored and here also the lottery drawings take place. By walking straight through the interior patio one emerges PLACES OF INTEREST 105 on the Plaza of San Francisco with the beautiful Produce Exchange building on the left. University of Havana. On a high hill near the El Principe fdrt back of Havana. It occupies a structure known formerly as the " Pirotencia Militar," which was used by the Spaniards as a barracks. Reached by the " Universidad-San Juan de Dios " cars with red and yellow sign- board. Ursuline Convent. On Egido Street near Dra- gones, about two blocks south of Central Park. Vedado. The new residential district reached by bus or trolley from the centre of the city. There are many fine houses, some beautiful grounds and well-shaded, pleasant streets in the district, but many of the roads are mere mudholes or stone-filled ruts and the effect of the district is ruined by rubbish, vacant lots and an uncared- for, unkempt appearance. Churches. Roman Catholic: Cathedral; Emperado and San Xg- nacio Streets. Belen; Luz and Compostela Streets. La Merced; Cuba and Merced Streets. San Augustin; Cuba and Amargura Streets. Santa Catalina; O'Reilly Street. 106 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Santo Domingo; O'Reilly and Mercaderes Streets. Christo; Villegas and Amargura Streets. Episcopal: Holy Trinity, 107 Prado. Chubch op Christ: Arcade 9, Pasaje Hotel, Prado. Presbyterian: 90 Reina Street. 40 Salud Street. Methodist: 10 Virtudes Street. Baptist: Dragones and Zulueta Streets. Y. M. C. A.: 67 Prado. Theatres. Nacional: Prado facing Parque Central. Paibet: Prado near Central Park. Albisu: East of Central Park. Marti: Dragones and Zulueta Streets. Alambra: Consulado and Virtudes Streets. Actu alidades : Montserrate and Neptuno Streets. Pelota or Jai Alai: Concordia and Oquendo Streets. Cixes: or Moving Picture theatres, are everywhere. Trolley Car Signs. Cerro- San Juan de Dios Green and Bed Lights Cerro - Muelle de Luz Green Lights Cerro- Aduana ,. .Green and Purple Lights Cerro - Palatino Mixed Green and White Lights Jesus del Monte - San Juan de Dios Two Red Lights Jesus del Monte -Muelle de Luz ...Bed and Green Lights Jesus del Monte - Beneficencia Bed and White Lights Principe- San Juan de Dios Blue and Green Lights San Francisco - San Juan de Dios.. J3 foe and Green Lights San Francisco - Muelle de Luz... Ye How and Green Lights Universidad Two Blue Lights Universidad - Aduana Yellow and Blue Lights Vedado - San Juan de Dios White and Bed Lights Vedado - Muelle de Luz White and Green Lights Vedado- Cuatro Caminos White Lights PLACES OF INTEREST 107 Banks of Havana. Banco Espanol de la Isla de Cuba. The National Bank of Cuba. Royal Bank of Canada. The National City Bank of New York. Trust Co. of Cuba. H. Hupmann & Co. Gelats & Co. Alvarez Valdes & Co. G. Lawton Childs Co. Havana Parks and Drives. Colon Park. Amistad and Reina Streets. Central Park. Prado Avenue. San Juan de Dios Park. Aguiar and Empedrado Streets. Trillo Park. Hospital and San Rafael Streets. Juan Bruno Zayas Park. Fronting the Post Office. Cristo Park. Villegas and Teniente Rey Streets. Luz Caballero Park. Carcel Street. India Park. Prado and Dragones Streets. Almeda de Paula. San Pedro Streets. Prado Avenue Drive. On the Prado. Plaza de Monserrate Park. Obispo and Monserrate Streets. Carlos III Drie. Belascoain Avenue. Maceo Park. San Lazaro Avenue. Malecon. End of the Prado. Plaza de Armas Park. Obispo and O'Reilly Streets, Medina Park. At Vedado. Tulipan Park. At Cerro. Railroad Stations in Havana. Cuba Railroad. United Railways of Havana. Havana Central Railways. Western Railways of Havana. All trains depart from the new Central Station. Marianao Railway, trains for Country Club, Racetrack, Marianao and Beach, at corner of Galiano and Zanja Streets. 108 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Summary of Points of Interest in Havana and Suburbs. Alameda Albear Square Albisu Theatre American Consulate American Club Angeles Church Atares Castle Baseball Grounds Belen Church Beneflcia Home Botanical Gardens Caballera Wharf Campo Marte Cathedral Central Station Christ Church City Wall Clerks' Club Colon Market Colon Park Congress Building Custom House Customs Warehouse Dominican Convent Franciscan Convent Francisco de Paula Church Fuerza Henry Clay Cigar Factory Miramar Hotel House of Representatives India Park Jail Leper Hospital or San Lazaro Luz Wharf Malecon Marti Theatre Merced Church Military Hospital Morgue National Bank National Library National Theatre Pairet Theatre Palace Palace of Justice Paula Hospital for Women Pelota Plaza de Armas Police Headquarters Prado Principe Castle, or Fort Produce Exchange Provincial Government Building Punta Fort Summer Palace or Quinta de los Molinos San Juan de Diso Park San Lazaro Watch Tower Santa Catalina Church and Convent Santa Clara Church and Convent PLACES OF INTEREST 109 Santo Domingo Church Treasury Building Students' Memorial University of Havana Tacon Market Ursuline Convent Templete Vedado 110 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Havana's Cab System. Havana has an excellent cab service with a rea- sonable tariff fixed by law. Tourists who wish to avoid all difficulties with cabmen should never engage a public vehicle for a long drive ( for which there is no fixed tariff) without previously, through an interpreter, having agreed with the driver, as to the route, the stops to be made, and the amount to 'be paid at the end of the trip. Few, if any, of the cabmen speak English and not many tourists speak Spanish, hence the need of an in- terpreter. Havana's Police. Havana's police force numbers about 2,000 men, including officers who regulate street traffic. The city is adequately patrolled. Many of the police- men are veterans of the War of Independence. What the Tourist Can Take Home. Tourists leaving Cuba can carry with them into the United States articles up to the value of $100 without paying duty. These articles should be "in the nature of personal and household effects, PLACES OF INTEREST 111 curios, souvenirs, wearing apparel, made up or unmade, table linen and chinaware," according to a ruling of the United States Treasury Depart- ment. This exemption includes the following things which are in demand among tourists visiting Cuba : Hand-made laces, table linen and embroideries, bed linen, dresses, fans, antique furniture, bric-a- brac, chinaware, souvenirs and panama hats. Fifty cigars or 300 cigarettes may be taken into the United States by each passenger free of duty. This exemption is in addition to the $100 exemption. Although aigrettes or feathers from wild birds may be taken from the United States by tourists, they cannot be returned to the country. This prohibition does not apply to ostrich plumes or those of domestic fowls. CHAPTER VIII THE PROVINCES OF CUBA In the minds of many people Cuba is Havana and Havana is Cuba. While it is true that the fas- cinating metropolis of the Antilles is the centre of Cuban life, business and commerce, yet it is far from characteristic of Cuba or Cuban life as a whole, and its surroundings, resources and indus- tries, as well as the character of the surrounding country, are only typical of this one of Cuba's six provinces, and the smallest of the provinces at that. Each province is noted for some particular in- dustries, products or resources ; each is distinct in scenery, soil and formation ; and each must be vis- ited if one desires a true insight into Cuba as a whole. One might just as well judge the Empire State by New York City or form an opinion of New England by visiting Boston, as to judge Cuba by Havana; and to have a real knowledge of Cuba's resources, character, scenery and life one 112 THE PROVINCES OF CUBA 113 must travel over the Island from end to end or must visit the principal ports by a coasting steamer. Only in this way can one appreciate the vastness, fertility, wealth and possibilities of Cuba and the time and expense incurred is well repaid by the marvellously beautiful scenery, the quaint rural towns, the delicious climate and the varied indus- tries to be met in thus touring over the " Pearl of the Antilles." Travel in Cuba is easy and comfortable for the various railways cover the surface with a network of tracks and the traveller may speed here and there over the Island in the latest of Pullman cars and at a speed equal to that of our best American express trains. The six provinces of Cuba divide the Island into six sections of unequal size ; each province extend- ing across the Island from north to south and each with a good-sized city or town as its capital and each with one or more good harbours and deep-water ports. From west to east the provinces are, Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas, Santa Clara, Camaguey 114 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT and Oriente, and their principal characteristics, area, population and resources are as follows : Pinar del Rio. The province of this name extends from the west- ern extremity of Cuba to the boundary of Havana province and contains some 13,000 square kilo- metres or 5,000 square miles with 240,375 inhab- itants. It is pre-eminently an agricultural prov- ince and is noted for the tobacco known as " Vuelta Aba j o " which is considered the finest tobacco in the world. Considerable coffee, cane, pineapples, cattle and other products are also raised. There are asphalt mines at Mariel and Bahia Honda, iron and cop- per mines near Vinales and Mantua, and other unexploited mineral deposits in various parts of the district. The province is mainly level, rolling land but the Guaniguanico mountains extend along the northern coast and various isolated peaks and small ranges are located in the north- ern and western districts. The capital is Pinar del Rio which is connected with Havana by rail- way and automobile road. THE PROVINCES OF CUBA 115 Havana. This is a small province of 7,300 square kilo- metres, or 2,772 square miles, extending from the southern to . the northern coast and from Pinar del Rio on the west to Matanzas on the east. Al- though the smallest of the six Cuban provinces, yet it is the most densely inhabited, the population being about 538,000. The wealth of Havana lies mainly in its commerce and manufactures but con- siderable agriculture is carried on, there are twenty sugar plantations in the district, and cop- per mines are in operation at Bejucal and Jaruco. Havana province includes the Isle of Pines. Matanzas. This is the second smallest province with an area of 9,500 square kilometres, or 3,700 square miles, and a population of 239,820 inhabitants. It is situated east of Havana; bounded on the north by the sea and on the east by Santa Clara and has but a very small southern coast on the Gulf of Batabano, the province of Santa Clara extending along most of its southern side. Matanzas has five sugar plantations and many other agricultural 116 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT industries, besides asphalt mines in Cardenas and Marti. Matanzas is best known from the town of the same name which is situated in the beautiful Yumuri Valley and in its vicinity are the won- derful caves of Bellamar. Santa Clara. This large province extends from Matanzas to Camagiiey and from sea to sea and has an area of 24,700 square kilometres or 9,560 square miles, with a population of nearly half a million inhabi- tants. It is the most important province as far as sugar plantations are concerned and has sixty- eight sugar estates within its boundaries. There are also mines of gold, copper, iron and asphalt, while various agricultural products are raised. The surface is level or rolling with no high hills or mountains save in the northeast and southeast while the soil is rich, deep and well watered. The capital is Santa Clara, while the important towns of Cienfuegos, Sagua la Grande, Caibarien, Sancti Spiritus and other thriving cities are within the borders of the province. THE PROVINCES OF CUBA 117 Camagiiey. A large province extending from sea to sea and from Santa Clara on the west to Oriente on the east. Area £7,000 square kilometres or 10,500 square miles, population 118,209. This province is probably the richest of all in Cuba and is the best suited for agricultural industries, cattle and future development. Its deep, rich soil, level, well-watered surface, high altitude and magnifi- cent climate recommend it particularly to colon- ists and settlers and thousands of foreigners, and especially Americans, have settled in the province. There are also valuable forests of cedar, mahog- any and other woods and rich deposits of copper, iron, asphalt and other minerals in the province. The capital is Camagiiey, formerly known as Puerto Principe, while other important towns are Santa Cruz del Sur, Jucaro, Moron, La Gloria, Nuevitas, Minas, Florida, etc. Santiago or more properly " Oriente " is the most easterly of the six provinces of Cuba, as well as the largest. It is second in importance and the oldest province, having been founded in 1514 by Diego 118 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Velasquez and from 1515 to 1556 was the capital of the Island. Its area is 33,000 square kilometres or 12,468 square miles, and its population half a million. Santiago is famous as the scene of most of the actual fighting between the Americans and Spaniards, El Caney, San Juan Hill, Guantanamo and Siboney all being in this province, while the capital town of Santiago de Cuba was the scene of the destruction of the Spanish fleet. Much of Oriente Province is devoted to agriculture and there are twenty-six sugar plantations in the dis- trict, but the greatest wealth of the province is in its minerals, nine-tenths of all the Island's min- eral deposits being found in Santiago province. There are also immense forests of cabinet woods, many of which are untouched, while the highest mountains of Cuba and the second highest in the Antilles are in the Sierra Maestra along the southern shore of Oriente. Puerto Padre, Gibara, Nipe, Vita, Baracoa, and Manzanillo are impor- tant ports on the coast. From Havana to Santiago is a distance of some 550 miles which is covered by the train in 24 hours. This is an ideal trip for the visitor de- THE PROVINCES OF CUBA 119 siring to see the interior of Cuba and stop'-over tickets may be secured which will enable the trav- eller to spend any reasonable amount of time in any interesting towns along the line. Moreover, it is not necessary to cover the route twice, for the visitor may go to Cuba via Havana; travel through the interior and return to New York from Santiago or vice versa; or, better still, he may travel from Havana to Santiago by rail, re- turn to Havana by coastal steamer and thus see both the interior of the Island and the northern coast, while important places on the south coast may be reached by branch railways leading from the main line. While the coastal towns of Cuba are interesting for their life, customs and picturesque situations, yet they are never typical of Cuba's resources, and if but one long trip can be taken it should by all means be through the heart of the Island. CHAPTER IX THROUGH THE INTERIOR Feom Havana to Santa Clara the interior of Cuba is mostly flat, uninteresting country de- voted to pineapple, cane and grass raising and the numerous small towns along the line are very similar and have little of interest for the trav- eller. For this reason it is best to take the even- ing train from Havana, leaving at 10 p.m. and arriving in Santiago some twenty-four hours later, the entire trip being made without change of cars although the route is over two separate lines ; the United Railways of Havana as far as Santa Clara and the Cuba Railway from Santa Clara eastward. Sleeping cars and observation coaches are attached to the principal trains. By taking this train the most uninteresting scenery and towns are passed during the hours of darkness and the traveler has the entire follow- ing day to enjoy the most fascinating and varied THROUGH THE INTERIOR 121 scenery and the most interesting towns of Cuba's interior. Santa Clara, the junction of the Cuba Railway with the United Railway of Havana, is 184 miles from Havana and is reached about daylight. The city is the capital of its province and has a popu- lation of about 20,000. It is an important sugar- producing and cattle-raising centre, the district producing nearly one-third of the total sugar raised in the Island. Santa Clara is a compara- tively modern town with many fine buildings, ex- cellent streets and a famous theatre known as the " Teatro de la Caridad," the proceeds from which are wholly devoted to the city schools and which was presented to the municipality by a na- tive lady. The cathedral is also worthy of a visit as it contains a painting of the Madonna attributed to one of the Spanish masters and which has hung in this church for over 200 years. The town has electric lights, a good water sup*- ply and excellent restaurants and hotels. It has a healthy climate, is noted for its thrift and the beauty of its women, and in many ways is an ideal spot for a brief sojourn. 122 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT From Santa Clara the train runs through a country of charming scenery devoted to cane, to- bacco and cattle and broken by glistening streams, groves of palms and great masses of feathery bamboo. Placetas del Sur. Here the road connects with the branch line to Caibarien and other points on the north coast. To the south of this town is the beautiful Manicaragua Valley famed for its tobacco, while the fields on every hand are filled with sleek cattle grazing on the rich green grass of the broad pastures. Zaza del Medio, 237 miles from Havana, is reached about eight o'clock. This town has a most charming little railway station and the city itself is beautifully situated in a rich agricultural section on the banks of the broad and tranquil Zaza River — one of the important water courses of the Island. The Zaza Valley is wonderfully rich and entrancingly beautiful with the rolling green hills, wide tobacco and cane fields, grass- covered llanuras and innumerable groves of royal palms and flaming poinciana trees and with the THROUGH THE INTERIOR 123 shimmering river winding in great, silvery curves between its verdured banks. Sancti Spiritus. From Zaza a branch road leads to Sancti Spiritus, seven miles to the south; a most interesting town of 18,000 inhabitants which was founded in 1514. Sancti Spiritus soon be- came rich enough to attract the attention of pirates who invaded it in 1667, " much to the detriment of the persons and properties of its inhabitants," as the historian Pezuela quaintly remarks. Once more in 1719 the town was sacked by French and English pirates from the Bahamas and frequently thereafter the town suffered the vicissitudes of warfare, — notably during the War of Liberation and numerous bullet and shell holes may still be seen in the buildings and walls of the town. The town possesses an excellent water sys- tem and a trip to the pumping station on the Yayabo River is well worth while. The ancient church of Sancti Spiritus dates from the sixteenth century and is very interesting. Passing through the small but thriving towns of Siguaney, Taguasco, Jatibonico, Trilladeras, 124* CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Majagia, and Guayacanes the town of Cagusal is reached. This town is in the centre of a rich and beautiful country with numerous forests of val- uable hardwoods, such as mahogany, Majagua, Acana and Spanish cedar; trees of which may be seen growing side by side with the tobacco which their timber will eventually box. Ciego de Avila, 280 miles from Havana. Here the famous military barrier or trocha may be seen. This cleared, barb-wired road was con- structed by the Spaniards during the revolution and little forts were erected at intervals of a kilo- metre apart all the way across the country from San Fernando on the northern coast to Jucaro on the south. Many of these little fortresses still stand, — dilapidated and overgrown with orchids, vines and moss ; mute testimonials to the bloody struggle that at last freed Cuba from her thral- dom. Each of these tiny forts or blockhouses is twenty feet square, of heavy masonry in the lower story and topped by a square tower of corrugated iron. Originally there were 210 of these forts which were quite picturesque with their only entrance THROUGH THE INTERIOR 125 ten or twelve feet above the base and their sides pierced with loopholes for rifle fire. Each was equipped with a powerful searchlight and was in direct telephonic communication with its fellows. Although this triple line of defence, consisting of a railway, a barbed-wire fence and the row of forts with their armed guards was supposed to be a perfectly effective means of preventing the Cu- bans from passing from one end of the Island to the other, yet the revolutionists seemed to have little difficulty in wandering hither and thither and crossed the famous trocha wherever and whenever they willed. In a way, however, the trocha has proved of benefit to the Cubans, for the half-mile clearing across the Island is now being converted into gardens, orchards and fields by the agriculturally inclined Cubans who have laid aside their carbines in favour of the hoe. Ciego is a thriving town of about 5,000 inhabi- tants in a sugar and cattle country and two large sawmills are busily engaged in transforming the surrounding forests into mahogany boards and cedar cigar boxes. Ciego has a neat and satisfactory railway res- 126 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT taurant and all trains stop for half an hour or so for meals. In fact, throughout Cuba on the line of the railway the restaurants are splendid, the food abundant, the cooking excellent, the prices moderate and the service prompt. The town it- self has little to interest the traveller, but a few miles to the north and connected by a cross-coun- try railway line is the Ceballos colony where fruit growing on a large scale has been undertaken. Here orange, lemon, lime and grape-fruit trees are grown and the colony, composed mainly of Canadians and Americans, has done much to make the place prosperoiis and attractive. Beyond Ciego the train enters a country of heavy tropical forests, broad, smiling pastures and fertile valleys with here and there sawmills busily converting the timber into boards, cattle feeding by the rivers or banner-leaved banana trees stretching far into the distance. Every few miles tiny wayside stations are passed; Santa Rita, Colorado, Gaspar, Corojo Salvador, Ces- pedes, Florida, Algarrobo and Guarina; each with its clustered red-tiled or thatched-roof houses, its group of lounging, swarthy-skinned na- THROUGH THE INTERIOR 127 tives and its crowds of half- or wholly-naked chil- dren. Now and then the train roars across a culvert or bridge or shrieks at some cartroad crossing where huge-wheeled, lumbering bull teams wait apathetically for the train to pass. In many places neat wooden cottages and well- kept gardens apprise the traveller of the presence of foreign settlers and Americans, Germans, Scandinavians and others are seen in groups upon the station platforms or working, supervising and directing on the neat and thriving farms and fruit orchards. Gradually the forests grow fewer and more scattered, fruit trees and banana portreros give way to broad fields of waving Guinea grass, and herds of cattle are seen dotting the rolling, open country, while far ahead the tall church towers of ancient Camagiiey rise from the greenery into the shimmering blue. Camagiiey, once known as Puerto Prmcipe t is in a high interior plain 500 to 700 feet above the sea, with the purpling mountains adding a charm- ing background to the level land. It is an ex- tremely healthy spot with the trade-winds ever 128 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT sweeping across from the northeast during the day and the cool night winds blowing from the mountains at night. The name of " Puerto Principe " or Prince's Port seems an anomaly for this mid-island town. Originally, however, the city was located on the coast near the present-day port of Nuevitas. So frequently was it attacked by pirates, however, that within a year from its founding, in 1515, the harassed settlers were obliged to remove inland. Even this did not save the town from pillage and in 1665 the inland city was plundered by Morgan, who made a forced march from the coast and secured a vast treas- ure, which the people had accumulated through raising cattle. In Esquemeling's " Historie of the Bucaniers " printed in 1668 there is a quaint and interesting recital of this bloody raid, a portion of which is quoted as follows : " As soon as the Pyrates had possessed themselves of the Town, they closed all the Spaniards, Men, Women and Children and Slaves in the severall churches and pillaged all the Goods they could set their hands on. Then they searched through the Country round about daily THROUGH THE INTERIOR 129 bringing in many Goods and Prisoners with much Provision. With this in hand they set to making great Cheer after their custom without remember- ing their poor Prisoners whom they left to starve in the Churches; though they tormented them daily and inhumanely, to cause them to confess wherein they had hid their Treasure; though of a fact little or nothing was left to them, not sparing the Women and little Children, giving them no food to eat and whereby the greater part miser- ably perished." At last having thoroughly exhausted the re- sources of the city and obtained all available goods and money they killed many of the inhabitants and left for the coast and their ships, driving with them over 500 head of cattle and many prisoners, who were compelled to slaughter and dress the beeves for provisioning the ships. Several of the old churches, wherein these poor captives were starved, are still to be seen in the city which now is more often known by the Indian name of Camagiiey than by its original name of Puerto Principe. Camagiiey's streets are often narrow and crooked, many rough or unpaved and 130 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT lined with buildings of the quaintest and most ancient type to be seen in Cuba. In many places one sees the immense water jars or tinajones, often six feet in diameter and holding 500 gallons, which in former times were the only reservoirs of the town. In the old days the tinajones stood in the patios beneath the roofs to catch the rain water but now they are seldom used save as curiosities or to hold growing palms or plants ; but in the dis- trict a heavy drinker is still called a tinajon, — a fitting nickname for a human " tank." Camaguey looks its age, for even with its mod- ern improvements and its twentieth-century pros- perity it is filled with picturesque nooks and cor- ners, while the projecting windows and grills of antique iron, the heavy stone cornices and red-tiled roofs give it a Moorish, Oriental aspect to be found in but few cities in Cuba. Camaguey is noted for its numerous ancient churches, among them La Merced, built in 1628, and one of the churches within which Morgan starved and tortured his prisoners. The church is now the property of the Barefooted Carmelites from Spain and the daily singing by their choir is an attractive fea- O < < THROUGH THE INTERIOR 131 ture of the services. The immense walls of this church seem built to withstand a siege and in many places are from four to eight feet thick. The high altar is of solid silver constructed from 40,000 Spanish dollars while a sepulchre contain- ing an image of Christ is made of beaten silver and weighs over 500 pounds. On Good Friday this silver sepulchre is carried through the streets on the shoulders of men who feel highly honoured by the privilege. Besides La Merced there are seven other note- worthy churches in the town, prominent among which is La Soledad, dating back to 1697 and with interior frescoes which are unique although they were made in 1852. In the suburbs is another fine church, Nuestra Senora de la Caridad, or " Our Lady of Charity," on the drive to Santa Cruz bridge over the Hatibonico River. On this road also is the Casino, while near the Caridad Church is a re- markable well thirty feet in depth and twenty feet in diameter and hewn from the solid rock with a winding stairway leading from the surface to the water. The town has a very attractive plaza, 132 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT known as the " Agramonte " and on one side is the ancient picturesque cathedral. Since the intervention by the United States and the liberation of the Cubans, ancient Camagiiey has forged rapidly ahead and has made wonderful progress. Here the Cuban Railway has its head- quarters and here the railway company has es- tablished one of the finest hotels in Spanish Amer- ica. This building was constructed many years ago as a cavalry and infantry barracks and cov- ers nearly five acres and was designed to accommo- date 2,000 troops. This massive building, with its great corridors, has been renovated, remodelled and transformed to a modern hotel with sanitary plumbing, artesian wells, electric lights and every improvement, while the immense patios are filled with palms, shade trees, vines and glorious tropical plants and flow- ers. With this modern hotel, the clean streets, beautiful parks, electric street cars and lights, artesian well-water and its wonderful winter cli- mate, Camagiiey is the ideal Cuban resort for American tourists, while the odd byways, ancient buildings and historical interest add greatly to its THROUGH THE INTERIOR 133 charm. Many of the residents of Camagiiey and numbers of settlers in the neighbourhood are Americans, and English is spoken generally in the town. From Camagiiey numerous excursions may be taken by coach, bus, auto or horseback, while a railway connects the city with its port of Nuevitas forty-five miles distant. All about Camagiiey is a rich garden and graz- ing district with ranches covering thousands of acres, immense herds of cattle, great fruit and truck gardens and many acres of valuable timber. It is the most promising district on the Island, with resources almost untouched and is a perfect para- dise for Northern farmers who desire to settle in a Southern land. Marti, at the junction of the main line and the branches to Bayamo, San Luis and Manzanillo, is named in honour of the Cuban patriot, while Palo Seco, just south of the railway, was the scene of one of the most important battles be- tween the Spaniards and Cubans during the fa- mous Ten Years' War (1868-78) and in which General Maximo Gomez defeated the Spaniards. Just beyond Palo Seco the boundary of Camagiiey 134 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT is passed and a little later the train reaches Bartle, a new town, where a prosperous Canadian colony- is engaged in growing citrus fruits. Las Tunas. Fifteen miles further east Las Tunas is reached, a thriving town of £,500 inhab- itants and famous as the scene of a most remark- able victory over the Spanish won by the Cubans in 1896. At that time the town was defended by 600 Spanish regulars and two Krupp twelve-pound guns, but after two days of hard fighting it was captured by Calixto Garcia's force of 600 men and the entire Spanish garrison was captured. In this battle General Frederick Funston was an officer in command of the Cuban artillery and much of the success of the battle was due to the splendid artillery fire directed by him. At the end of the war not a house remained standing in Las Tunas, but from the wreckage a new and bet- ter town has arisen and to-day Las Tunas is on the highroad to prosperity and wealth. Within a radius of a dozen miles of the town American and Canadian colonists have set out over a thou- sand acres of citrus fruit trees and so rich is the soil that no fertilizer whatever is required. THROUGH THE INTERIOR 135 Beyond Las Tunas the character of the country rapidly changes and the open plains are soon left behind and the train rolls through a forest region with wonderful trees crowding close to the tracks and with each and every station piled high with sweet-scented cedar, rich mahogany, logwood and lignum vitae. For mile after mile the train passes through forests with here and there glimpses of logging camps or great naked gaps in the wilderness where energetic lumbermen have felled the huge trees and are rapidly clearing the land for grazing and agricultural uses. Alto Cedro, 491 miles from Havana, is reached at 7:05 p.m. and here a stop of twenty-five min- utes is made for meals which are served at the restaurant on the station platform. Although it is still broad daylight at the station and the clear- ings about it, yet the surrounding forests are dark with shadows and here and there the great Ceiba trees loom weird and gigantic with their huge, buttressed trunks, hanging, twisting lianas and numerous clinging air plants. From Alto Cedro eastward darkness comes on rapidly and the traveller grudges each fleeting mo- 136 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT ment of daylight for the scenery becomes won- derfully wild, picturesque and diversified, while here and there one catches brief glimpses of the broad Cauto, the largest of the Cuban rivers. Paso, Estancia, Bayate, Palmarito, San Nicolas, Azua, are passed rapidly in the twilight; then San Luis with its great sugar mill, followed by Dos Caminos, Moron and Cristo, the so-called " Garden of Santiago," with its villas of wealthy families embowered in riotous tropical foliage. Then, dropping downward through a narrow defile in the towering Maestra Mountains, the train rumbles through a winding pass, circles the edges of dizzy, velvet-black ravines, crawls around pre- cipitous cliffs, roars across bridges and flashing past the twinkling lights of the suburbs halts, panting, in the station of Santiago de Cuba. Santiago, always interesting, ever quaint and picturesque, ancient, hot, and like no other city in the New World, has become doubly attractive to Americans since the thrilling events which took place in its neighbourhood during our brief con- flict with Spain. Aside from its hilly, breath-exhausting streets THROUGH THE INTERIOR 137 and its torrid, midday temperature, Santiago is a charming city. The dirt and filth and odours of its olden days have disappeared, its rough and cobbled streets have been replaced with asphalt and Macadam, trolley cars have been installed, a splendid water supply is in operation, electric lights and telephones are everywhere, the sanitary and health conditions are beyond criticism and the hotel accommodations are excellent. Built on several hills, surrounded by rugged, verdure-clad mountains, in the midst of wild trop- ical scenery and with its peerless harbour hidden among the surrounding hills and its radiant soft- toned houses, red-tiled roofs, and stair-like streets, Santiago has a character and atmosphere all its own and many days may be spent in rambling over it and visiting the numerous interesting spots in its vicinity. CHAPTER X SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS Santiago, to be seen at its best, should be ap- proached from the sea. As the ship draws near the harbour the historic Morro takes form, its age-grey walls fitting so closely to the lofty cliff whereon it stands that it seems indeed a very por- tion of the rocky promontory that rises a sheer 200 feet above the sea. At the base of the cliff the ceaseless waves beat in a mass of milky foam and roar in great dark caverns worn deep into the rock through countless ages. Impregnable it seems ; a frowning, mediaeval fortress with quaint, stone sentry-boxes overhanging the abyss beneath ; rock-ribbed and vast, with turrets, walls, towers and armed battlements tinted in pink and grey and scarce altered since first the Spanish Dons laid its foundations four centuries ago. Through countless storms and floods, through hurricane and battle, has old Morro stood upon 138 SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS 139 its lofty perch and though taken by the reckless, savage hordes of buccaneers and by the indom- itable British troops, it still looks down upon the passing ships, — hoary with age, battle-scarred but intact, — a wonderful monument to mark the entrance to the still more wonderful harbour that it guards. Slowly the steamer glides beneath the Morro and a moment later the narrow entrance to the bay appears ahead, — a strait scarce 500 feet in width, leading between two wooded points; — to the right the Morro, to the left La Socapa, and ahead a winding waterway bordered by palm-fringed shores, verdured hills and silver beaches. Within the entrance Estrella Point and its old- time battery is passed, then Punta Gorda with its embrasured ramparts and presently Cayo Smith, — picturesque, hilly islet with red-tiled houses crowned by a tiny chapel. Through the winding, narrow, land-locked channel the ship sails and presently the last turn is made and before us lies Santiago at the head of its great pouch-shaped harbour ; — a smooth, mountain-girt bay six miles in length by three miles wide, — =the finest 140 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT harbour of Cuba and one of the best in the world. Above the waterside the quaint Oriental city stretches up a hillside; at its foot, palm-embow- ered Marine Park; at its head the cathedral, and everywhere a sea of red-tiled roofs ; of pink, blue, yellow and lilac houses set off by waving palm- fronds and over all a glorious azure sky, broken only by black specks of vultures that soar on motionless wings in great sweeping circles through the heavens. Not only is Santiago unique, quaint and Orien- tal. Here Velasquez, the founder of Cuba, set- tled in 1515 ; here he died and was buried in 1522; here in Santiago lived Hernando Cortes in a house still standing near the top of the hill, a quaint one-story dwelling with tiled roof and wooden- grilled windows from which a glorious view is had of mountains, harbour and town. Here too dwelt Bartholomew Las Casas and here also dwelt Doc- tor Antomarchi, the physician who was at Napo- leon's bedside when the ill-fated conqueror died in St. Helena. Afterwards the doctor toured the world and chancing in Santiago he met a long-lost brother and settled down in this new land to live SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS 141 in peace until stricken with the dread yellow fever, as set forth on his monument in Santiago's ceme- tery. In Santiago the first school in Cuba was estab- lished in 1522 and near the site of this old school a new and model American school now stands, — a school erected at a cost of $50,000.00, nearly half of which was contributed by a single American citizen — Mr. H. LL Higginson of Boston. Near Santiago's Plaza stands the Filarmonia Theatre and in this out-of-the-world and ancient town the far-famed Patti made her debut when fourteen years of age. Well indeed may the Santiagoans be proud of their city and its history, but there is a darker side as well. 'Twas here that the Spaniards shot down the captain and crew of the American steamer Virginms in 1873, adding insult to their butchery by shooting them in the public slaughter house and to-day a monument marks the spot with the inscription " You who pass here uncover your head. It is consecrated earth. For thirty years it has been blessed by the blood of patriots sacri- ficed to tyranny.'* 142 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Despicable and atrocious as was this bloody deed committed by the Spanish officials yet we can say but little, for our own government overlooked it, whitewashed it with diplomacy and forgot it. Before the Spanish war Santiago was a dirty, odorous, pestilential town, palpitating with heat, alive with cur dogs and vermin and the home of Yellow Jack. To-day the streets are clean and well kept, the odours are hardly noticeable, away from the docks; disease has been practically stamped out and while the heat still remains one can be quite comfortable and can find much of interest and attraction in Santiago. The Alameda or park drive extends along the water-front and is a favourite resort of the fash- ionable people in the late afternoon and on Sun- days, but the upper portion of the town is the most attractive to the visitor and is the coolest district. The central feature of Santiago, as in all Spanish American towns, is the plaza. On one side is the old cathedral, the largest in Cuba, with an immense dome and twin towers, its huge nave, rare marbles, mahogany choir-stalls and side chapels. On another side of the plaza is the San SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS 14r3 Carlos Club ; near by is the Casa Grande Hotel ; on the north is the Municipal Building and on the west is the famous Venus Restaurant. Although the days are hot in Santiago the nights are cool and beautiful, and one may sit at ease in the plaza, listen to the band and watch "All the world" pass in review, — a gay, colourful, spectacular parade of Santiago's populace. Around and about Santiago are many pleasant drives and carriages or automobiles may be hired by the trip or hour at reasonable rates which are regulated by law. In Santiago American cur- rency is the basis of all transactions and nearly everywhere English is spoken, while the stores and shops are well-stocked, prices are reasonable and the people are polite, courteous and anxious to please. Attractive and interesting as is Santiago itself, the majority of American visitors are more in- terested in the surrounding country and the scenes of the most notable events in the Spanish war. San Juan battlefield, the Peace Tree, El Caney and Morro, are all within easy reach. An electric 144 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT car line carries the traveller from the city to within easy walking distance of San Juan Hill and the Peace Tree, or a carriage or auto may be taken if desired. San Juan Hill is about three miles from the town and from the hill beyond the Peace Tree a splendid view may be had of the sur- rounding country and the route followed by the American troops in their march on San Juan. El Caney is a quaint Indian village which was almost unknown to the outside world until the attack by the Americans in 1898 and since the war it has lapsed into its wonted oblivion, only disturbed by the frequent visits of tourists who travel to the isolated spot to view the crumbling remains of the little fort which after the assault and capture was literally " floored with dead sol- diers." At El Caney one sees natives of almost pure In- dian blood, — descendants of the Cuban aborig- ines, — who still live in a primitive manner in huts of palm and thatch, cultivating tiny farms and gardens, ploughing the earth with crooked sticks and surrounded by a bounteous nature. Another pleasant trip is to Morro by land. SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS 145 The ronte to Morro lies through a wild region and each turn and twist of the road develops new and beautiful vistas of enchanting scenery. A pass must be obtained before entering the fortress and armed with this the visitor may ram- ble through the old castle and will be shown every point of interest by a member of the small garri- son kept in the fort. Morro from the sea appears in good condition, strong and enduring, but in reality it is deserted, dismantled and crumbling through neglect. From its walls, however, one may obtain a splendid view of the winding har- bour and the city, the place where Hobson sank the Merrimac, and the guide will also point out Siboney and Daiquiri and the spots where Cer- vera's ships were sunk. Still another trip may be made to Boniato Sum- mit over the road known as the " Calzada San- tiago-San Luis," a splendid piece of engineering work carried out under General Wood's ad- ministration. From Santiago the road leads through San Vicente and Cuabitas, winding in' wonderful curves and grades up the mountain sides and crossing the Sierra Maestra range to 146 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Dos Caminos and San Luis. From the lofty heights of the first mountain one looks down from an elevation of 1526 feet upon the city and bay of Santiago with its multicoloured houses, green palms, and sparkling blue waters, while beyond the grey Morro stands sharply out against the cerulean Caribbean sea. No visit to Santiago would be complete without a trip to Cobre and its copper mines. To reach Cobre, cross the harbour in the company's steamer — permission for the visit having been secured at the office in the town — and at the landing board a car for the mines. Cobre is some ten miles from Santiago and the track leads through wonderful scenery, across spider-web bridges and ever ascending until the mines are reached. The mines are very old and have been worked for centuries and are still very rich. Al- though the mines are interesting yet the greatest attraction at Cobre is the famous image of the Virgin known as " Nuestra Senora de la Caridad," which has been at Cobre for nearly three cen- turies. The history of this image is wonderfully fascinating and thousands of pilgrims annually SANTIAGO AND ITS ENVIRONS 147 flock to Cobre on the festival of the Virgin on September 8. The image was originally carried by Alonzo de Ojeda who was wrecked on the southern coast of Cuba early in the sixteenth century. Ojeda was rescued by a local Indian chief or Cazique and in return for his life he presented the holy image to his saviour. The chief constructed a shrine for the image and he and his people worshipped before her with deep veneration, but one day she disap- peared and for a hundred years was lost to all the world. Early in the seventeenth century Indians at Nipe Bay found the image floating on a piece of board and carried it to the Indian village of Hato near Cobre. Three times the image left this place and was found upon the summit of the mountain and the Indians — convinced that it was her wish to remain on the mountain — built a shrine in 1631 and within this shrine the image stands to-day. The miraculous image is of wood about 16 inches high and is robed in gold and jewels valued at $10,000.00 and is mounted within tortoise-shell inlaid with gold and ivory. At one time the value of the Virgin's ornaments 148 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT were much greater than now, but on a night in May, 1899, some sacrilegious thief broke into the sanctuary and robbed the shrine of all its votive offerings valued at over $25,000.00. ►4 < 1-1 < in H < H !zi o CHAPTER XI THE SOUTHERN COAST AND THE ISLE OF PINES The voyager sailing along the southern coast of Cuba westward from Cape Maysr sees but little that would hint of the wondrous vegetation and richness of the interior. Along the coast there are few forests, the shore rises from the waves in rocky terraces and the aspect is altogether barren and forbidding and lacking in harbours until Guantanamo is reached. This town is about forty miles east of Santiago and has a magnificent harbour about five miles wide by ten miles in length, large enough and deep enough to accom- modate our entire navy and well sheltered from all winds by the surrounding hills. Guantanamo. Guantanamo was first discovered by Spanish voyagers from Santo Domingo in 1511, but it was not used and soon became the resort of pirates 149 150 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT and buccaneers who laid in wait for the plate- ships and galleons sailing to and from Spain and the Indies. In 1741 Admiral Vernon made Guan- tanamo the base of operations of the British against Santiago; but his attempt to take that city in this manner was a failure owing to the distance to be travelled overland. This incident is, however, of interest to Americans, as the Mt. Vernon home of George Washington was named in honour of Admiral Vernon. With the British admiral was Lawrence Washington, brother of George, and who named the Potomac property in memory of his beloved Admiral Vernon. From the time of its occupation by the British, Guantanamo remained lonely and almost forgotten until in 1898 some six hundred American marines landed on the sand dunes at the harbour's mouth and put to flight the handful of Spanish troops who held the harbour. From that time on Guan- tanamo was used as a naval base by the Ameri- cans and to-day its only claim to distinction or interest lies in the fact that the bay is the United States naval station in Cuba. The city of Guan- tanamo is at some distance from the harbour, the THE SOUTHERN COAST 151 port being Caimanera which is connected with Guantanamo by railway. From the town of Guantanamo another railway connects with the main line at San Luis, the route passing through a rich coffee- and spice-growing district with most picturesque scenery. Between Guantanamo and Santiago is the little town of Daiquiri, which became quite famous as the landing place of General Shafter's troops during the Spanish war but which otherwise has no interest or attractions and has now sunk into its former insignificance. t Passing the wonderful harbour of Santiago and continuing westward, the coast becomes bold and mountainous with the towering Sierra Maestra rising far into the sky and the mighty peak of Turquino with its cloud-draped summit 8,000 feet above the sea, while on every hand lesser peaks, serrated ridges and bold cliffs stretch as far as eye can see. It was on this wild and mountain- ous coast that Cervera's ill-fated ships were driven ashore or sunk by the American fleet and all the way to Surgidero, forty-five miles from Santiago, the scarred and battered hulks were long to be 152 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT seen, — mute evidences of the end of Spanish do- minion in Cuba. Manzanillo. Rounding the bold promontory of Cape Cruz and sailing along the shore northward, Manzanillo is reached. Manzanillo is hot and far from healthy, but as it is the port through which the products of a vast and rich region are exported it is of great importance. It is connected directly with the town of Bayamo by railway and the lat- ter town is on the railway from Marti to San Luis so that the port is within easy access of a large extent of interior country. Manzanillo has a population of about 20,000 and ranks eighth in importance as regards imports and ninth in exports of all Cuban ports. The town has a charming little plaza embowered in royal palms; electric lights on its streets, and is in many ways up to date and modern. Among other things Manzanillo enjoys the distinction of having been the spot at which the last shot of the Spanish- American War was fired and, moreover, the town was saved from bombardment by the Americans THE SOUTHERN COAST 153 only by news that the peace protocol was signed. Bayamo, some twenty-five miles inland from Manzanillo, was founded in 1514 and occupies a prominent place in the history of Cuba, for here is the birthplace of Tomas Estrada Palma, Cuba's first president, while near by, at the towns of Yara and Baire, the Cuban flag was first raised in the memorable insurrections of 1868 and 1895. Bayamo was taken by the Cubans in 1868 and recaptured the following year but not before it had been burned by its own inhabitants. In the last revolution numerous exciting battles took place near the town and here on one occasion Martinez Campos, the Spanish Captain General, narrowly escaped capture at the hands of Antonio Maceo. Bayamo has a population of about 5,000 inhab- itants, many of whom are very wealthy for the town is beautifully situated in a bend of the Bayamo River at the foot of the Sierra Maestra and in the heart of one of the richest agricultural districts of Cuba. Aside from the agricultural resources of the district there are valuable min- 154 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT eral deposits in the neighbouring mountains; manganese, copper, iron and gold being found in many places. A few miles north of Manzanillo the great Cauto River empties into the Gulf of Guacanaybo. The Cauto is the largest and most important of Cuban rivers, its headwaters being crossed by the Cuban railway between Santiago and Alto Cedro, one hundred miles from its mouth. For nearly fifty miles the river is navigable by steamboats and the scenery along its shores is wonderfully beautiful and typically tropical with the heavy forests, tan- gled lianas, giant ferns, air-plants and orchids, while bright-plumaged birds, snowy egrets and myriads of tropical butterflies are seen at every turn. Beyond the Gulf of Guacanaybo the sea is dotted with innumerable tiny cays, — little mangrove- covered islets infested with mosquitoes and inhab- ited by spongers and fishermen; but wonderfully pretty from a distance and so attractive in ap- pearance that Columbus named them " Las Jar- dines de la Reina " (" The Gardens of the Queen"). Along the shore opposite these tiny THE SOUTHERN COAST 155 isles there are few settlements and none of impor- tance, until Jucaro is reached. This is the southern terminal of the trocha, which the trav- eller saw at Ciego de Avila, and is also the south- ern terminus of the railway from San Fernando on the northern coast. The town is of little im- portance or interest and may well be passed by, as well as Tunas de Zaza, the port of Sancti Spiritus already described in a preceding chap- ter. Some twenty miles west of Tunas is Casilda, the port of Trinidad, which is the second oldest town in Cuba and which was founded in 1513. Trini- dad was settled by Caballeros from Spain, many of whom accompanied Don Hernando Cortes on his conquest of Mexico, among their number being Puertocarrero who made the first voyage from New to Old Spain. Trinidad is wonderfully healthy and marvel- lously rich and is strikingly situated on the side of a mountain known as " La Vigia " or " The Look- out." The country is mainly devoted to sugar and fruit culture and before the ravages of the war many millionaire planters had their homes 156 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT here. A small American colony is engaged in fruit cultivation in the neighbourhood. Cienfuegos. Leaving Casilda astern and still sailing westward the beautiful bay of Jagua is reached with Cien- fuegos, the " City of a Hundred Fires," at its head. Should the traveller reach Cienfuegos at night he will no longer wonder how it ob- tained its name for everywhere, above the mead- ows and the fields, flash myriads of brilliant fireflies, a sight which caused Columbus to exclaim "Mira los Cienfuegos!" ("Behold the Hundred Fires!"). Passing between Point Sabanilla and its ancient Castillo de Jagua, one enters the magnificent bay — considered by mariners one of the finest in the world — with the town six miles from the entrance and clear-cut as a cameo against its background of vivid green. Across the entrance from the fort is Colorado Point, the cable landing, and made historic as the spot where the first American blood was shed in the Spanish war when the Americans cut the cables under a heavy rifle fire from the fort. T*"< ' ~~~ THE SOUTHERN COAST 157 Cienfuegos is one of the best of Cuba's towns, although one of the youngest, as it was not founded until 1819. It was soon after destroyed by a hurricane but was rebuilt in 1825 and is to-day a healthy, pleasant and most attractive town with broad, straight streets, electric lights, and every convenience, and is second only to Ha- vana from a commercial standpoint and leads all other ports in the amount of sugar shipped. Cienfuegos has a magnificent plaza ornamented with flowers, shaded by laurel trees, embowered in palms and guarded by two marble lions, — a gift from Queen Isabella of Spain. In Cien- fuegos one may still see many of the true Cuban customs and on Sunday and Thursday evenings many senoras and seiioritas wearing graceful mantillas and rebosas and with their hair decked with brilliant flowers parade about the plaza while the band plays dreamy Spanish music be- neath the rustling palms. Facing the plaza on one side are the various municipal buildings, on another side is the great Terry Theatre, built by the heirs of Don Tomas Terry ? — one of the rich- est sugar planters in Cuba. This theatre cost 158 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT over $150,000.00 and the receipts from it are donated to the schools. Also facing on the plaza is the grand cathedral, a splendid edifice contain- ing a Madonna robed in cloth of gold and royal purple and, like the plaza's lions, a gift from Queen Isabella. The city is built on a gentle slope and although the climate is rather hot the city's health is excellent, while the numerous villas on the borders of the bay are cool and attractive. Here live the wealthy residents in a setting of royal palms and tropic foliage with the wonder- ful, transparent, turquoise bay before them and the opalescent mountains bordering the rich green fields in the far distance. Many charming excursions may be taken about this fascinating city, such as the trip to Haban- illa Falls in its setting of tropical verdure; the trip to Damiju River and its bamboo-shaded shores ; or, nearer at hand, a visit to the old Cas- tillo de Jagua at the harbour's mouth, an ancient castle dating from the days of Philip the Fifth and surpassing all other Cuban forts in its quaint, angled walls, antique cannon, deep moat and draw- bridge. THE SOUTHERN COAST 159 From Cienfuegos westward to the Gulf of Batabano there are no important towns while the shores are guarded by a network of reefs and keys. Batabano. On the north shore of this gulf lies the little town of Batabano, a village on stilts and the " Lit- tle Venice " of Cuba with canals in lieu of streets and mainly inhabited by spongers and fishermen and famous for its turtles and as the port from which steamers sail for the Isle of Pines across the gulf to the south. Batabano has about 7,000 inhabitants and is pretty and peculiar, but it is chiefly of interest as being the site of the original " Havana " settled in 1515 but which was later removed to its present location in 1519. The Isle of Pines is but fifty miles from Bata- bano and separated by the broad gulf dotted with cays, its waters as clear as crystal and so shallow that the multicoloured bottom, the living coral, the bright-hued fish and the countless forms of marine life may be plainly seen. From Batabano to the Isle of Pines is a charming sail over a won- derful sea and it can be made so easily, so cheaply 160 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT and so quickly that every visitor to Cuba should make the trip. The steamer sails three times weekly and passengers leaving Havana at 6:10 p.m. arrive at Nueva Gerona the following morn- ing. It is rather unfortunate that this trip is made after dark but even at night it is delightful, especially if moonlight. The Isle of Pines was discovered by Columbus and named " Evangelista," the present name hav- ing been bestowed later on account of the exten- sive pine forests that cover a large part of the island. It was considered practically worthless by the Spaniards, who realised the superior ad- vantages and resources of Cuba, and the little isle soon became the resort of pirates, buccaneers and smugglers who haunted its bays, swamps and lagoons, while convicts sent to the island by the Spaniards added to this choice assortment of in- habitants. At the close of the Spanish-American War much of the land was purchased by Americans who as- sumed that the island would become an American possession. Although disappointed in this, they continued to colonize and cultivate the island and THE SOUTHERN COAST 161 to-day large areas have been reclaimed, cultivated and made to " blossom like the rose " with fruit orchards, vegetable farms and flower gardens. In the towns and settlements many social and other clubs have been formed, fairs and exposi- tions are held at frequent intervals, a cannery has been built, canoes and launches dot the rivers and bays, there are ice plants, furniture factories, banks, schools, churches, newspapers and lumber mills and in its own small way the island is up-to- date, prosperous and a credit to its inhabitants. For the sportsman the Isle of Pines has many at- tractions for the waters of the coast and rivers abound in fish, including tarpon, red-snappers, parrot-fish, kingfish, barracua, bonito, Spanish mackerel, pompano, groupers, etc. Quail, pig- eons and doves are common in the forests and brush, shore birds and ducks are found in the swamps, rivers and lagoons, while alligators are abundant in the swamps and bayous. The Isle of Pines is small, with an area of some 500,000 acres, over one-fourth of which is low, worthless swamp, the rest being divided between high mountains, valleys and plains. The soil is 162 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT thin and only in local, comparatively small areas is the earth fertile. Aside from its agricultural possibilities there are numerous mineral springs, chiefly of magnesia, and much of this water is bottled and sold in large quantities in Cuba. There are also quarries of marble in the hills and forests of mahogany, pine, cedar and other woods, much of which is unavailably situated in the moun- tain districts. The principal town is Nueva Gerona at the mouth of a river, while Columbia on the northeast coast, Las Nuevas on the northwest, Santa Fe seventeen miles inland and McKinley are the other important settlements. Excellent highways con- nect the various towns and colonies, the automo- bile roads totalling nearly 200 miles, with as many more miles of by-roads, many of which are adapted to auto traffic. The island has a population of between 5,000 and 6,000 inhabitants, nearly half of whom are Americans. The Isle of Pines has been widely advertised and immoderately praised and if one were to believe all that is said of it it would indeed be a Paradise THE SOUTHERN COAST 163 on earth, a veritable mine of wealth for all who journeyed there and a Garden of Eden wherein the settler could live in comfort, luxury and ease forever with scarce an effort on his own part. In reality, the island is beautiful in its way, with a splendid, healthy climate, wonderfully fine sea bathing, marvellously good roads, enchanting scenery and splendid fishing. There are large and modern hotels, numerous automobiles and many charming American homes on the island and many tourists and others find it an ideal winter resort. A great deal has been done in agriculture and extensive groves of citrus-fruits, acres of pine- apples and large truck farms may be seen and in many ways the island has prospered and pro- gressed with wonderful rapidity. On the other hand, the island has been grossly overestimated and overadvertised and its possibilities, resources and fertility have been greatly exaggerated by unscrupulous land-sharks and promoters. Nearly one-third of the island is worthless, im- penetrable swamp and useless, flinty, rocky, moun- tainous land; much of the remainder is barren, sandy, pine land with thin soil while other portions 164 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT are dry and parched during portions of the year and are flooded during the rainy season. There is no question that some land in the Isle of Pines is good ; that fruits, vegetables and other products can be raised profitably and that many settlers have made, and are making, money, but such land and such conditions are not typical of the whole island. Even the most optimistic and enthusiastic set- tlers and colonists admit that the land must be fertilised, that the shipping facilities are poor and that labour is scarce and expensive. Fruit shipped from the island must be handled repeatedly before it is at last placed aboard the ships for the States and as yet there has not been enough produced to warrant a steady market or a line of ships to the island. It is indeed difficult to see wherein the island has any advantages or attractions over Cuba or Porto Rico, other than the fact that it is practically an American colony and has a pleasant social life. In Cuba the good lands require no fertiliser whatever; the fruit grower can place his products in New York within four days with but one or two THE SOUTHERN COAST 165 handlings; steamers sail two or three times a week and labour is abundant, cheap and efficient. Deep, rich, Cuban land, with every transportation facility can be purchased for what it costs to fer- tilise the thin, sandy soil of the Isle of Pines and in many of the rural Cuban districts there are large colonies of American families. Even in Porto Rico, where land is high in price, there are numerous advantages unknown in the Isle of Pines and in that island the colonist has the great ad- vantage of being under the American flag and free from all duties or import taxes on his goods brought from the United States. Many Americans have gone to the Isle of Pines filled with rosy hopes ; have sold their all to invest in this new El Dorado ; have spent their last cent to purchase lots by correspondence or through agents, only to find the " lots " worthless, the land mere sand barrens or flooded swamps and to learn too late that they have been duped, swindled and ruined. Scores of these unfortunates may be found in Cuba, Porto Rico and the neighbouring islands where many are working at a mere pit- tance to save enough to enable them to return to 166 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the States. Others, more fortunate or more thrifty — with enough cash remaining to pay their passage home — may be met on nearly every north-bound steamer; while still others — * taking a cue from the promoters and land-sharks — have disposed of their worthless holdings to other gulli- ble investors and have settled in more promising lands. On the other hand, many Americans have secured good land, have prospered and have done well and it would be manifestly unfair and untrue to paint all the land companies as sharpers, all the coloni- sation schemes as swindles, all the land as worth- less, or all the enterprises as bubbles. There is much good in the Isle of Pines and much to be said in its favour, but it is no " get-rich-quick " proposition and foolish indeed is he who buys land he has not seen or who burns his bridges behind him and emigrates to a new land until he knows the truth of its resources, conditions and future at first hand. CHAPTER XII MATANZAS AND OTHER NORTHERN PORTS Or all the northern ports of Cuba, Matanzas is probably the best known. Lying but sixty-three miles from Havana and readily accessible by train, it has become a favourite place for excursions and a Mecca for all travellers to the Island. With its beautiful situation, its wonderful caves, its tropical verdure, its Hermitage and its quaint, foreign aspect, Matanzas possesses much that is fascinating and interesting to the traveller to Cuba's shores. Matanzas is served by four trains daily to and from Havana and the trip leads through extensive sugar-cane fields which are among the most productive in Cuba, and near Aguacate the great Rosario Mill is passed. Be- yond Aguacate the country becomes more hilly and attractive and near Ceiba Mocha the road runs through a deep cutting clothed with dense tropical foliage, air plants, orchids $nd maiden- 163 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT hair ferns, from which it emerges upon a fertile valley covered with extensive orange orchards. From here the railway passes through the San 'Juan valley with smooth green hills on either hand and with the lofty, solitary peak of '* Pan " tow- ering for a thousand feet above Matanzas in the distance. If the tourist approaches Matanzas from the sea the effect will be even more attrac- tive. Beyond the turquoise water of the shore- line, hills stretch inland to the mighty "Pan de Matanzas," and as the vessel draws near forts, lighthouses and castles are seen ; each item of the scenery unfolding, each detail becoming more dis- tinct, as the visitor approaches, until at last the ship comes to anchor before the pretty town nestling among its surrounding hills. Matanzas is low-lying, its highest point being scarce 100 feet above the sea, and is divided into three dis- tinct portions, each part being known by a dif- ferent name and separated by the San Juan and Yumuri Rivers. The part between the two streams is called the " Old Town," that on the northern bank of the Yumuri is " Versailles " and that on the south bank of the San Juan is known MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 169 as " Pueblo Nuevo " or " New Town." Matanzas has a charming central park or "Plaza de Libertad," embowered in palms, flowers and foli- age and about this plaza are many of the most important and noteworthy buildings, while the residences are mainly in the Versailles section. On the southern side of the plaza is the Governor's Palace, while the Cuban Club, the Spanish Club and the Gran Hotel are on other sides of the square. Versailles is also interesting, with its beautiful marble houses and by crossing the Concordia Bridge over the Yumuri and driving to the Paseo Marti a good idea of the town may be obtained. The Paseo is a wide street or avenue with little parks in the centre — much like the Prado of Havana — and at either end there is a noteworthy monument. At the eastern end is a statue of Ferdinand II and at the western end a monument to sixty-three Cuban patriots who were executed by the Spaniards near the spot. The Paseo af- fords a splendid view of the bay and harbour and leads to the military road to Fort San Severino, a spot made famous as the scene of the death of 170 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the " immortal mule," the only casualty resulting from the bombardment of Matanzas by Sampson's guns in 1898. To reach the New Town one must cross the San Juan River over Belen Bridge and here the visitor will find magnificent private residences of the wealthy inhabitants of Matanzas — veritable pal- aces tinted in all the colours of the rainbow and with broad porticoes, marble pillars, spacious patios and beautiful gardens. Although Matanzas itself is quaint, attractive and beautiful, it is chiefly notable as being close to the Yumuri Valley and the Caves of Bellamar. The Yumuri Valley has been called the " Vale of Paradise " and its praises have been sung and its beauties described more often than any other spot in Cuba. As a matter of fact, the valley is beau- tiful — wonderfully beautiful — but there are many other vales as lovely, much other scenery as grand and many valleys far larger, more fer- tile and more verdant elsewhere in the glorious tropics. The Vega Real in San Domingo is larger, fairer and more luxurious ; the Cayey and Caguas Va 5 lr MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 171 leys and various other valleys in Porto Rico are grander and girt with loftier mountains; while the Zaza Valley in Cuba is in many ways the equal, if not the superior, of the Yumuri. The famous valley is seen at its best from the crest of Cumbre Hill immediately above Matanzas and which is crowned by the chapel of Montserrate,— although an almost equally fine view may be had from the hill opposite which is reached through the Ver- sailles quarter. The Yumuri is a deep basin-like vale enclosed within steep, verdure-clad hills and with a silvery stream meandering among the greenery in the centre, while on every hand — on slopes and levels — grow countless, graceful, royal palms — mystic symbols of the Tropics — their white, ivory-smooth stems standing boldly out against the background of green, their plumed tops waving gently in the breeze, stately, dignified and beautiful. The Hermitage of Montserrate upon its lofty peak is in itself of interest and although of recent date (built in 1870), it is venerated as a sacred shrine, many miracles having been credited to " Our Lady of Montserrate." Within the chapel 172 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT are many votive offerings and from far and near pilgrims journey to the shrine, some hobbling on crutches or painfully climbing the heights with the aid of canes and help of friends, to return sound in limb and walking unaided and alone, their canes and crutches cast aside or left as testi- monials to the miraculous powers of the Lady of Montserrate. No less famous than the Yumuri Valley are the Caves of Bellamar in a hill two miles southeast of Matanzas. These wonderful caverns were first discovered by accident ; a Chinese labourer having lost his crowbar through a hidden crevice as he was loosening the earth. The caves are covered by a plateau as level as a floor and with no external sign of the caverns underneath. The caves are entered through a small building, the visitor passing down a broad stairway cut in the solid rock and leading directly down to an enormous subterranean gallery. The caverns are illuminated by electric lights and the effect of these, glimmering and glinting upon the innumerable stalactites, is most beautiful and wonderful. The caverns are known to extend for MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 173 four miles and are in places one hundred feet or more in depth. They are not as large nor as grand as the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky or the well-known Luray Cavern, yet they are far more beautiful in their formation and the domed roofs, hung with stalactites, the huge columnar forma- tions reaching from floor to ceiling and the sparkling crystalline character of the " drip- stone " excel anything to be found in our Ameri- can caves. There are numerous chambers, halls, passages and galleries with underground streams, deep chasms and bridges, while the finest and larg- est chamber of all is the so-called Gothic Temple nearly 250 feet in length by 75 feet in width. Cardenas. Travelling eastward from Matanzas the next important port is Cardenas, some thirty miles from Matanzas and connected with Havana, 100 miles distant, by the United Railways. Cardenas is a modern, thriving city and is curiously sup- plied with water by two underground rivers. The city lies on a broad, shallow bay and large vessels are obliged to anchor several miles from shore. The town boasts of a fine cathedral, broad, well- 174 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT kept streets and the usual plaza with a statue of Columbus which was a gift to Cardenas from Queen Isabella II. To American visitors Cardenas will Be of in- terest as having been the scene of a brief but fatal engagement during the war with Spain when on May 11, 1898, Ensign Bagley and four seamen lost their lives — the first Americans to be killed during the war. A few miles north of the town is one of the most attractive seaside resorts in Cuba and known as the Varadero, with lovely beaches extending for several miles. This is the favourite summer resort for the leading families of Cardenas and the vicinity and there are many modern and at- tractive villas and summer homes built along the shore. Sagua la Grande. Some seventy miles east of Cardenas is the town of Sagua la Grande, a place of little interest to the tourist but of great commercial value. Sagua la Grande is, however, one of the most ad- vanced towns in Cuba and is on a river of the same name, navigable for nearly twenty miles, and is MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 175 also on the line of the Cuban Central Railways. The port of Sagua is known as Concha and is an extremely picturesque town partially built on piles like Batabano and is the " farthest north " town in Cuba. The little port is a favourite summer resort for people from Sagua and the interior and is famous for its crabs, lobsters, oysters and the excellent fishing in the surrounding waters. Off the shore are numerous little cays or islets, — each lovely as a jewel set in turquoise, — and on one of these, known as Cayo Christ o\ are the summer homes of the Cuban President and members of his cabinet. Caibarien. Still travelling eastward along Cuba's northern shores one comes to Caibarien, an important port and the shipping point for vast quantities of sugar and tobacco. From Caibarien both a nar- row and a broad gauge railway run to Placetas through beautiful scenery and amid tobacco fields, banana groves, sugar-cane fields and with glimpses of great sugar mills at frequent intervals. Placetas enjoys the distinction of being the high- est city above sea-level in Cuba and from this 176 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT town a trip of three miles carries the traveller to Placetas del Sur where the branch road joins the main line of the Cuba Railway. Beyond Caibarien numerous snug little har- bours are passed while seaward are hundreds of cays and reefs, formerly the haunt of pirates and freebooters, but now the dwelling-place of fisher- men and spongers. Along this well-protected coast are several small ports, among them San Fernando, the northern end of the railway that crosses the Island from Jucaro on the south and also the northern terminal of the once-famous trocha. Nuevitas is the next important port ; a very old town situated on a long, irregular, shallow bay, — a veritable sea river, — and so shoal that ships an- chor in the lower bay while the passengers are transferred to the shore in tenders or tugs. Nuevitas is the terminal of the Puerto Principe & Nuevitas Railroad, which was one of the first railroads built in Cuba and which connects Camagiiey with Nuevitas, its shipping port. Nuevitas is notably hot, it is pre-eminently a MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 177 shipping port and nothing but a shipping port, and it is dirty and smells abominably of fish, sponges and raw sugar, — a nauseating combina- tion that is hard to beat. La Gloria. To Americans, Nuevitas is mainly of interest as being the nearest port to La Gloria, the pioneer American colony in Cuba, and one of the largest and most prosperous to-day. La Gloria was laid out in 1899 and many of the other colonies in Cuba are offshoots from this beautifully situated parent colony. Many visitors have described La Gloria as " a bit of the United States transplanted on Cuban Soil," and in reality the plan of the town is distinctly American while over ninety per cent, of the inhabitants are English-speaking people. There are wide streets intersecting at right angles, a large park in the centre of the city, an ample school and churches of the Methodist Episcopal and Episcopal denominations. There is an excellent macadam boulevard leading from the settlement to Port Viaro, a distance of about five miles, and from the port a regular service is 178 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT maintained by the La Gloria Transportation Com- pany, with sailings to and from Nuevitas three times a week. La Gloria is situated in the Cubitas Valley, one of the most beautiful and fertile sections of Cuba, and grape fruits, oranges, pineapples, garden vegetables and various other products are raised. La Gloria is really the centre of eight or ten colonisation enterprises in the Cubitas district of Camagiiey Province, the population of the town being about 1,000, with some 400 more inhabit- ants in the near-by colonies. A few years ago many of the excellent pouch- shaped harbours on Cuba's northern coast were all but unknown and the little ports or towns were desolate, forsaken places. To-day, with the influx of capital, increasing number of colonists and ranches and the shipping of fruit, sugar and other products from the interior, many of these small sea-coast towns have grown rapidly into important ports. Among these may be mentioned Vita, Manati, Banes and Puerto Padre, the latter being the MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 179 shipping port of the largest sugar mill in the world, — the Chaparra mill, — whose immense docks are on the left of the harbour, the bay being too shallow to allow steamships to reach the town of Puerto Padre. Vita is the shipping port of the sugar estate of Santa Lucia, which has a private railway of its own leading to a pier where the ships are loaded. Vita's harbour is completely landlocked and has a peculiar winding entrance with deep water, and the ship, when entering, makes numerous abrupt turns and twists and when at last it is moored to the dock no one would imagine that there was any entrance whatever to the harbour, the steamer seeming to float on a lake or inland lagoon. Gibara, the terminal of a branch line from Caco- cum on the Cuba Central Railway, is an interest- ing, quaint and very ancient Spanish town,— one of the few towns that have not kept up with the march of modern progress and almost as dreamy, old-fashioned and oriental as before the Spanish war. The town lies against a steep hill stretching crescent-shaped along the bay and is surrounded 180 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT by a wall fortified with odd block-houses which were designed to protect the town from insur- gents. Seen from the sea, Gibara appears like a scene from a comic opera or a bright-hued pastel with its charming villas painted in pink, blue, green, lavender, and yellow, with red-tiled roofs and behind them all the great cream-coloured cathedral with its domes and towers set off by nodding palms and clumps of verdure. Although Gibara is charming in its quaintness and old-world appearance, it is of greatest interest as being the first point in Cuba visited by Colum- bus who entered the harbour in 1492. In his journal the Admiral mentions the three striking landfalls known as the Silla (saddle), the Pan (sugar loaf), and the Tabla (table), and these three hills may be seen by the traveller approach- ing Gibara to-day, — their lower slopes covered with verdure but their summits steep, bare, and reflecting the dazzling sunset light until they seem like mountains of blazing, molten metal. Holguin. From Gibara the railway leads to Holguin, a town of about 9,000 inhabitants, in a dry but f er- o ■$ o MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 181 tile district wherein many American and Canadian fruit growers have settled. Near Holguin is the most important gold mine in Cuba and from the town the visitor may easily make a trip to the vast estates of the Chaparra Sugar Company. Holguin has taken a noteworthy part in Cuba's wars for independence and General Calixto Gar- cia was born in the town. During the Spanish occupancy of the Island the Spanish troops were quartered for acclimatisation at this place and from here General Prado marched forth with 5,000 troops for the relief of Santiago. After the Spaniards had been driven from Holguin there were over 3,000 cases of smallpox in the city and months were required to cleanse the houses and streets of the accumulated filth left by the thousands of troops who had occupied the town. Holguin is as brightly coloured as an oriental city and its variously tinted, old-fashioned houses, narrow streets, charming, ancient church of San Jose and three plazas are all interesting spots and well worth a visit. Nipe Bay, nearly due north from Santiago, is one of the largest and finest harbours in Cuba and 182 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT compares favourably with the best harbours of the world. The harbour proper is about fifteen miles in length by eight miles in width, with a depth in mid-channel of 800 feet and is large enough to float the navies of the world. At the entrance to the harbour, on the left, is Saetia where there are large fruit and pineapple plantations. Farther up the bay is Preston, owned by the United Fruit Company and the site of an immense sugar mill, while to the east is Felton, the shipping port for the iron mines back in the hills. Antilla. The most important town of all, however, is Antilla, at the western side of the bay; a great busy shipping port, the terminal of the Antilla branch of the Cuba Central Railway and the fourth seaport of Cuba in exports and imports. Here there are extensive wharves, commodious docks and huge warehouses with molasses tanks with a capacity of over a million and a half gal- lons. At Antilla and around Nipe Bay is a land- locked expanse of water with an area of 150 square miles and here is being carried on the greatest and most rapid development work in all MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 183 Cuba. At Antilla the Cuba Railway Company is building up a great port. At Saetia the Dumois Nipe Company is establishing the largest fruit plantations on the Island. At Preston across the bay the United Fruit Company is operating one of the largest of Cuban sugar mills, and at Felton the Spanish-American Iron Company has built extensive works for the shipment of ore from the stupendous deposits in the vicinity, which are es- timated to contain more than three billion tons ! A few short years ago Nipe Bay was known only to the smuggler, the fisherman and the fili- buster; to-day it is rapidly becoming the great- est harbour and the most prosperous town on the Island with the exception of Havana. Here, like mushrooms, have sprung up flourishing towns; here come great steamships from every port of America and here, in a modern, sanitary, up-to- date town is a great modern hotel; while inland, and tapped by the railway, are vast forests of cabinet woods, rich fruit and cane lands, moun- tains of valuable ores and untold natural re- sources. 184 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Baracoa. Eastward from this busy, growing settlement the country is thinly settled — scarcely touched by the hand of man and abounding in great forests with wonderful scenery and vast resources and extending from Antilla to Cape Maysi. In this district, far from other important cities, lies Baracoa, the most easterly of Cuba's ports, with its circular, landlocked harbour and the great Yunque Mountain towering for 2000 feet above the little town. Baracoa was discovered by Co- lumbus in 1492 and he was so entranced with its natural beauty that he wrote " A thousand tongues would not suffice to describe the things I saw here of novelty and beauty, for it was all like a scene of enchantment." Here, attracted by the descriptions of the dis- coverer, came Diego Velasquez and here he founded the first settlement in Cuba in 1511. The fort built in those far-off times still stands above the town which is now quite modern and busy, de- spite its isolated situation. The stores are well stocked, the streets are clean, the people are pros- perous and many ships come and go and carry MATANZAS AND OTHER PORTS 185 away the tons of cocoanuts and countless thou- sands of bunches of bananas which are grown on the great plantations in the neighbourhood. Back from the shore deep valleys run far into the hills and from shore to hilltops, along the beaches and everywhere in the town are groves of feathery cocoa palms. Back in the hills and valleys are the banana plantations and as much of the coun- try is far too rough and precipitous for roads, great steel cables have been stretched from the hilltops to the shore and down these are slid the bananas cut for shipment. Baracoa is an interesting town, a fascinating locality for the explorer, hunter or naturalist, and a town well worth visiting, even though the ac- commodations are not of the best and railroad connections do not exist. It was the first town founded in Cuba, the oldest on the Island and the most isolated and least-visited to-day. CHAPTER XIII THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA In the past one of the greatest obstacles in the way of commercial, agricultural and industrial progress in Cuba was the lack of good roads. Even very old maps of the Island are covered with a maze of lines which were supposed to represent roads, but in reality most of these were merely trails or rights of way, many of which were abso- lutely impassable for wheeled vehicles at any sea- son and which were so deep with mud and water during the rainy season that even a pack -mule or a riding-bull would find difficulty in traversing them. This absence of good roads is typical of many of the West Indies and especially of Spanish possessions and in San Domingo much of the lack of development is due to the incomparably bad condition of the so-called highways. Porto Rico was a notable exception and the splendid roads, and particularly the great military road, across 186 THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 187 the island, have done much towards making that little island a perfect garden spot. For many years the Cubans have felt the need of highways and at every opportunity petitions were made for better roads. Each time plans were drawn and approved and appropriations made and each time the plans were promptly pigeonholed and the appropriations pocketed by the Spanish officials. Even when the Cuban Congress came into being the proposition for a system of improved roads was met with the same reception and as late as October, 1906, there were less than 500 miles of macadamized road in the entire island, with but 90 miles of the whole in the western province of Pinar del Rio, while the best roads of all were those con- structed by the Americans in Santiago Province — a district that probably required roads less than any other part of the entire Island. Pinar del Rio was particularly unfortunate, for with its limited railway facilities and the absence of good ports nearly all the products of the prov- ince had to be hauled or packed to market over the most abominable trails imaginable. In a great 188 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT many localities it was impossible to use wheeled vehicles at any time and where carts could be used it was frequently necessary to use four to ten oxen to haul the load which on a good road could easily be drawn by a pair of horses or mules. Meanwhile the Island's finances were improving and in the National Treasury a large surplus was constantly being increased by the many Cuban sources of revenue and at last the country awoke to the fact that this surplus could not be used to better advantage than in the construction of good and sufficient highroads. The department of public works in 1906 drew up a general plan for a system of roads under the adviser, Col. W. M. Black, and the plans were at once approved and ordered put into execution by Governor Magoon. Once started, the work was continued with little interruption through the vari- ous administrations and yearly the mileage of good highroads is being increased. Unfortunately a great deal of money has been wasted under some of Cuba's administrations and time and again the road work has been curtailed; but surely, even if THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 189 slowly, it is going on and in time the Island will be as well equipped with good roads as neighbour- ing Porto Rico or any other country. In the construction of roads in the Tropics many difficulties must be met and overcome which do not exist in the North and if roads are to be built to last they must be constructed of the best possible materials and with the most painstaking care upon a foundation of solid Telford macadam, with am- ple drainage, high crowns and numerous culverts, bridges, etc. The new Cuban roads are uniformly sixteen feet in width, with a right of way of fifty feet, with concrete culverts, retaining walls and substantial bridges. Wherever there is danger of flooding, ditches have been dug to drain the surrounding land and at intervals of six to eight kilometres neat little houses have been constructed for the use of employes whose duty it is to keep a certain section of the road under constant supervision and care. In the yards of these houses trees are grown, to be transplanted later along the road- side, a Spanish custom which makes travel over the 190 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT roads a pleasure and delight when the leafy can- opy of laurels and poincianas spreads overhead from side to side of the highway. The plan of roads adopted includes a main high- way running from east to west from Santiago to Los Arroyos de Mantua, a route being followed as nearly through the centre of the Island as pos- sible and connecting the various larger and more important cities and towns, and with branch roads extending north and south to at least one harbour or port on each coast in every one of the six prov- inces — a plan which has been followed out abso- lutely in Pinar del Rio. Although it was planned to distribute the road work proportionately among the various provinces and to begin work in each at the same time, yet numerous obstacles arising made it incumbent to concentrate the work on some one province first. As Pinar del Rio seemed the most in need of high- ways and was in some ways the most important, the good road work was commenced in this west- ern province in May, 1907. Theoretically there was a road westward from San Cristobal and, likewise theoretically, it passed THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 191 through the principal towns on the southern side, following the natural route of travel among the towns at the foot of the Organos Mountains. As a matter of fact this road was a series of bog-holes interrupted by streams which in the rainy season became roaring torrents and were absolutely im- passable. Moreover, it ran north instead of south of several towns, but in this respect the towns and not the road were to blame, for when the towns were rebuilt — after being burnt by Maceo during the insurrection — they moved to new sites alongside the western railway line. The new road, following the survey of the old, misses these moved towns and crosses the old sites, but in order to connect them with the highway, branch roads extend out like feelers in search of the elusive towns. As an example of the manner in which these Cuban towns have flitted hither and thither and have changed places with one another and altered in importance, Santa Cruz may be mentioned. Before the war Santa Cruz was a town, while Taco Taco was its railway station. To-day, on the other hand, Taco Taco is the town and Santa Cruz is merely a crossroads, littered 192 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT with the debris of its destruction. Here the new highroad passes through what was formerly the main street of the town — and in order to reach the new town of Taco Taco a branch road two kilo- metres in length runs down to the railway. Other branches run to Palacios and San Diego while a longer offshoot connects the American settlement of Herradura on the railway with the main high- way. In one or two instances the towns clung to their original locations, despite the rigours of war, and in such cases, as at Consolacion, the main road passes through the towns and branches are con- structed to the railway station some distance away. From Consolacion to Pinar del Rio the new road follows partly along the old track and partly through new country, but passes through no towns of importance. At Pinar del Rio the highway swerves northwest, continuing through the Ca- bezas, Sumidero, San Carlos and Luis Lazo dis- tricts and hence back to Guane, where it turns north and continues to Montezuelo and eventually to Mantua and Los Arroyos, a shipping port on the western coast. THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 193 To the traveller accustomed to the magnificent scenery of South America, Central America, Mex- ico or Porto Rico, the main road from Havana to Pinar del Rio is disappointing. The country is interesting, .but is decidedly lacking in the varied scenery and picturesqueness which one expects in the Tropics and which may be seen in many other portions of Cuba. The tourist over this road is impressed with the fertility of the land, the thor- ough cultivation, the pineapple, orange, cane and tobacco fields and the utility of the highroad rather than with the beauty of the landscape, but beyond Pinar del Rio there are many very attractive se- tions of country. From Pinar del Rio towards Luis Lasso the road leads to the hills which extend between Pinar del Rio, Cerro and Isabel Maria and at kilometre 10 there is a grade of 6 per cent., which is the maximum permitted on the Cuban roads, and which carries the road to an elevation of 800 feet above the sea. At this point the trav- eller may enjoy a broad view of the great undu- lating plain to the south, sweeping onward to the shimmering blue of the Caribbean, with the city of Pinar del Rio in the foreground and to the north- 194 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT west the purple ridges of the Organo Mountains. Between kilometre posts 10 and 18 is the heavi- est work attempted on any Cuban highway and in building these eight kilometres of road over half a million cubic feet of earth and rock was removed, cut and filled. Here hills have been levelled, gul- lies built up, summits torn away and on every hand the countryside is rent, scarred, and torn with the struggle between man and nature, while over all the luxuriant vegetation of the Tropics is weaving its coat of green and with riotous profusion is striving to hide the mute testimonials of man's tri- umph over the eternal hills. Beyond this spot the road traverses the beauti- ful valleys of Isabel Maria, Cabezas, Sumidero, Luis Lazo and San Carlos with the little towns nestling in the midst of the fertile, flat-bottomed, basin-like depressions surrounded by limestone walls covered with vines, trees, shrubbery and tow- ering palms. Upon the little plains are groves and clumps of stately royal palms and here and there the odd mogotes, monoliths of limestone, stand upright like gigantic monuments from the level surface of the lowlands. In every available THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 195 spot are patches of tobacco ; in the valleys, on the hillsides and even on the mountain-tops the pre- cious weed may be seen, and in many places the crop is raised in situations so inaccessible and so rugged that the owners are obliged to ascend and descend by means of ropes. It is from this wild region, from these little isolated valleys, from these weird, uncanny surroundings, that the cream of the far-famed Vuelta Aba jo tobacco is obtained, and having seen the country, the methods used in its production, and the difficulties to be overcome, one no longer marvels at the high cost of this justly-celebrated tobacco. From Guane the highroad turns to the north and then west toward Arroyo, passing through the Montesuelo Valley, where the yellow wrapper-to- bacco is grown to perfection. Over this new road these isolated tobacco-growers can get their crops to market at a wonderful decrease in cost as com- pared with former times, and as the price for these superior grades of leaf will not go down, the plant- ers will reap increased profits, while in the end they will discover that with the roads near at hand they may grow other crops at a profit. 196 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT The foregoing description of the conditions pre- vailing in the Vuelta Aba jo district and of the road work carried on there are equally true, in a meas- ure, of other districts of Cuba. From Havana the beautiful new highways stretch forth in various directions. To Matanzas, to Cardenas, southward to Batabano on the Caribbean shore, to Gunies, Colon, and eastward for over one hundred miles, to Santa Clara, stretch splendid macadam high- ways ; inviting the automobilist, bringing innumer- able tiny hamlets and isolated plantations within reach of the markets of the Island and opening up great areas of wonderfully rich land. From Cam- aguey roads lead north, south, east and west; yearly extending farther afield, while about Santi- ago wonderful roads extend over mountain and valley, amid magnificent scenery and through vast forests. Between each system there are gaps — wide areas with the old impassable trails the only means of transportation — but Cuba is a vast country, it is young, it is practically new, and it is but a question of time, and a short time at that, when from Cape Maysi to Cap« San Antonio the Island will be traversed by a system of roads over u c P-c c a < H < THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 197 which the traveller may speed by auto through a veritable wonderland of scenery, of marvellous fer- tility, of enormous, almost unbelievable resources and of tremendous possibilities. CHAPTER XIV COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL CUSTOMS From an American point of view the commercial and financial conditions in Cuba are strange and interesting. Oddly enough, in both Cuba and Porto Rico the bulk of business is in the hands of Spaniards and while the Spaniards as a race are prone to old-fashioned ideas and look upon modern progress, sanitation and education with disfavour, yet in the business world they are progressive, sharp, shrewd and a bulwark of strength and hon- esty without which these countries would fare ill indeed. Credit with the Spaniard is a mania and is jealously guarded at any cost, and failures of Spanish business houses are of the rarest occur- rence. Failures must of necessity occur in all countries and at all times, but in Cuba, when a business man or a business firm is embarrassed, a helping hand is extended by others in the same, or 198 COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL 199 even in other lines of business, and the prospective bankrupt is saved by the simple expedient of a loan to tide over the difficulties or by securing a buyer for his stock or business. This would seem a remarkable practice in our own country, but is it not far better and more charitable than leaving each man to shift for him- self or, as is more often the case, " hitting the man who is down " and piling attachments, suits and claims on an already overburdened and struggling competitor ? The merchant of standing in Cuba takes no com- fort or pleasure in the misfortunes of his fellow business man and each and every one strives to comfort, aid and help his fellows; Castilian dig- nity and courtesy forbid them from making capital from the misfortunes of others and nine times out of ten the local press never hears of the embarrass- ment of business houses in Spanish- American coun- tries. Credit is the basis of all trade in Cuba as else- where in Spanish America and the West Indies generally, and the American who wishes to sell goods in these countries must learn to extend the 200 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT long credits expected in order to compete with for- eign firms. The credit is not asked for lack of ready money, for there is abundant cash in hand ; but the credit system is a " custom of the country " and long es- tablished and it is as unalterable as the everlasting hills. It is partly for this reason that the Germans and other Europeans obtain the bulk of Spanish-Amer- ican trade, for the European business houses and manufacturers give abundant credit of from six months to a year or more and the wholesalers al- low the retailers continuous running accounts and indefinite credit in return. In order to secure this credit the word of the buyer must be as good as gold and the word of a merchant in Cuba is as good as his bond. In fact, one leading American business man in Ha- vana said, " I'd rather have the nod of the head of a Havana merchant than a note-of-hand of a mer- chant in the States." The promise of a business man in Cuba is su- premely sacred and little or no risk is run by the man who extends credit to a Cuban house. More- COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL 201 over, Havana is practically fireproof and a disas- trous fire has never occurred ; fire sales are unknown and no one has ever been known to burn his store for the sake of insurance or defrauding creditors. From these remarks, however, it must not be as- sumed that the Spanish business man is lacking in shrewdness or ability. One seldom sees Jews in business in Cuba and the reason is simple ; although the Hebrew is the shrewdest of business men in the North, yet he cannot succeed in Cuba, for the Cu- ban-Spaniard will beat him at his own game. There is a saying that " it takes two Jews to beat a Greek and two Greeks to beat a Gallego," and he who attempts to give the Spanish business man other than a square deal will find this saying true ; the Spaniard will smile and shake hands and you may never know he suspects you or is other than a friend and on the surface he will be as courteous and obliging as ever, but sooner or later his turn will come and he will return your trickery ten- fold. Cuba's commercial interest naturally centres in Havana, for the spirit of Havana is the spirit of Cuba, and in the capital city one may obtain a 202 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT very good idea of the business status and business methods of the whole Island. Although the prin- cipal business is in the hands of Spaniards, yet there are many Cubans, Americans, Englishmen and Germans in business ; but Spanish methods prevail and resources are guarded, credit is pro- tected and honesty is a law, which although un- written is rigorously enforced. The Spanish or Cuban merchant may drive a hard bargain; he may be shrewd, clever and cunning; but the deal will be honest and square and need not be in writ- ing to be secure, as far as he is concerned. He will keep his promises to the letter and he will ex- pect you to do likewise, for until he has proven you otherwise he considers you as honest as him- self and takes you at your word. Money in the form of actual cash is wonderfully abundant in Cuba ; in fact, there is probably more real money in the Island than in any other country of the same population in the world. The banks are full of it, every store has plenty, there are quantities safely stored in old safes, drawers and other hiding places and one can cash a large check or change a bill of large denomination at many a COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL 203 " hole in the wall " that, judging by appearances, would not have enough cash on hand to buy a lot- tery ticket. Up to within a few years ago such a thing as using a check to pay a bill was unknown in Cuba. When a man wished to pay a bill he went to his old desk, or rickety safe, or money-box; counted out the sum in gold or silver and carted it to his creditor who, finding the amount correct, cancelled the debt and either tucked away the receipts in another chest or carried it to one or more of his own creditors. Banks there were in abundance and cambios were on every corner, but they were used merely for the sake of buying bills of ex- change on other countries, for changing foreign money, or for obtaining loans and no one ever dreamed of placing their ready cash in a bank merely for the sake of having a checking account for convenience. This custom of hoarding money is as old as Spain itself and ever since Cuba became a republic the government has made constant efforts to wean the people from the habit and to induce the mer- chants and others to put their money in the banks 204 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT and hence in circulation. Much progress has been made in this direction, but still one may see millions in gold and silver coins, not to speak of American eagles stacked in the open safes or chests of merchants. The money exchanges or cambios are everywhere and at any one of these you may exchange any money issued for any other money you desire and in nearly every one of these cambios you will see an ancient sheet-iron safe that anybody could break open with a hammer or a monkey-wrench. Within these rickety affairs you will glimpse stacks upon stacks of gold and silver and rolls of greenbacks exposed freely to the pub- lic gaze every time the money changer opens his safe to change a bill or gold piece. Safe-cracking seems an unknown art in Cuba, and why no energetic and ambitious American cracksman has never made a trip to Havana and reaped a harvest is a puzzle — possibly such an event might be the best possible means of proving the value of banks to the conservative Cuban-Span- iard. Formerly, owing to the free circulation of French, Spanish and American money in Cuba and especially in Havana, many depositors COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL 205 carried three separate accounts against which they drew in different moneys and one may readily im- agine the difficulties encountered by the bankers in having to bear in mind the proper reserve at the close of each day — not in the total sum, but in each separate money according to the demands of the time and the rate of exchange. As regards credits and collections in Cuba, as considered from our own point of view, there is not the least trouble, for Dun's Commercial Agency covers the island as well as the other West Indies and Bradstreet's has an agency in Havana, and definite information is as easily obtained and as reliable as in any American city. Another factor which tends to secure the credit of the leading Cuban mercantile houses is the fact that they have gone through the various Cuban insurrections and their stability, being sufficient to carry them through such trying times, is ample proof of their commercial strength and integrity. The leading bank of Cuba is the Banco Nacional on Obispo Street, one of the recognised interna- tional banks with an organisation which covers the entire world and provides Cuba with banking 206 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT facilities equal to those of any other nation. In Cuba alone this bank has upwards of 20,000 depositors and at its Havana office more than $3,- 000,000 in cash passes through the tellers' win- dows every day. The bank has about fifteen branches in Cuba, one in each of the leading cities, and two in Ha- vana, besides the main office. The bank's system is a combination of American and European methods, and in addition the bank conducts an information department where data and information regarding individuals, firms and corporations in Cuba and facts relative to Cuba's securities, products, exports and imports, planta- tions and general information are filed. There is also an exchange department in daily communication, with every money centre of the world, while the collection department is one of the largest branches of the business. A savings department is also conducted and in addition the bank acts as trustee for persons, companies or gov- ernments and is prepared to buy stocks, bonds, mortgages or other securities on instructions from customers. COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL 207 In every way the bank is modern, up-to-date and equipped with every safeguard and conveni- ence, while its magnificent white building, towering above the low edifices of Obispo Street, its beauti- ful marble-finished interior and airy offices on the upper floors make the Cuban National Bank Build- ing one of the sights of Havana. CHAPTER XV cuba's model club In all Spanish-American countries clubs are an important feature and there is scarcely a town in South or Central America or the Spanish West Indies that cannot boast of clubs which would put to shame many of those in our largest cities. In Cuba, and especially in Havana, the club-life is carried to extremes, and the visitor, asking the name of some of the magnificent and enormous buildings of Havana is invariably surprised to learn that they are this or that club. There is the Asturias Club, composed of Astu- rian Spaniards; the Cuban Club of Cubans, the American Club, the Spanish Club, the Gallegos Club, with its million-dollar home and with a mem- bership of some 37,000 Galician workingmen, and last but by no means least the Commercial Clerks' Club. To describe in detail each and every one of these 208 CUBA'S MODEL CLUB 209 clubs, or even a few of them, would be impossible, and as the Commercial Clerks' Club is typical and one of the greatest clubs in the world a descrip- tion of the organisation, home and achievements of this one association will be sufficient for the whole. This famous club, known in Spanish as. " Asso- ciacion de Dependientes del Comercio de la Ha- bana," is a marvellous organisation, and its his- tory is a splendid demonstration of what united effort and enthusiastic energy can accomplish for the welfare of its members. For many years the problem of bringing the employe and employer close together was uppermost in the minds of many leading business men in Havana and in 1880 the idea was taken up with vigour and after many troubles and difficulties a meeting was held in the Pairet Theatre for the purpose of organising a permanent association. Enthusiasm was soon aroused and the club at once began to assume definite shape and form and on August 1, 1880, the first election of officers was held and success was assured. Committees were then appointed, rules and reg- 210 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT ulations drafted and the propaganda of the asso- ciation was spread throughout Cuba. The mission of the club was to benefit and to ben- efit in every way possible. A commercial depart- ment was organised and at its head were placed men of wide experience and recognised ability. A course in bookkeeping, stenography and typewrit- ing was provided, with hours of attendance ar- ranged to suit the convenience of members who were employed during the day, and this department has grown to tremendous size, and its graduates may be counted by hundreds. In fact, this one branch of the club's activities has well repaid the founders of the club for all their labour and sacrifices. It was soon found necessary to add new depart- ments to the educational side of the club and at the present time there is a full collegiate course in mathematics, natural science, belles lettres, Span- ish and English ; a veritable academy for the bene- fit of the club's members. Physical culture has not been neglected and a well-equipped gymnasium under capable instructors is a feature of the club, while games, music, concerts and dances provide entertainment for club members and guests. Aside CUBA'S MODEL CLUB 211 from these features, provisions were made for the benefit of sick, disabled, or otherwise unfortunate members. Many of the wealthy, influential Hava- nese were members or patrons of the club and these men resolved to establish a retreat for the care and treatment of the sick and injured. One en- dowment after another was made in rapid succes- sion until now the club owns and operates one of the finest sanitariums to be found anywhere in the world. This is known as the " Quinta " and is situated in Jesus del Monte Street and is sur- rounded with beautiful gardens, large attractive grounds and is equipped with every known con- venience and device of modern medicine and sur- gery. The Quinta comprises seven large buildings and the medical staff in attendance consists of nineteen of the very best practitioners to be found in Ha- vana. Here, surrounded by every comfort and convenience, are the various departments, each named from some generous benefactor, and here every known disease and ailment from toothache to the most fatal and pernicious diseases are treated in the latest and most scientific manner. Here 212 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT members worn out, or in need of rest, can find se- clusion and relaxation and in fact the entire scheme may be considered as the dream of the Good Sa- maritan brought to concrete, practical form un- der the auspices of the Commercial Clerks' Club of Havana. From place to place the club has drifted for sev- eral years, — always in search of a suitable spot for its home, — until at last it found the desired haven and in the very heart of the city stands the present clubhouse, — a magnificent building of art and beauty that invariably excites admiration. The club is situated at the intersection of the Prado and Trocadero Streets and covers an acre of ground, extending the entire distance along Trocadero Street from the Prado to Zulueta Street, the main entrance being on the Prado. The building is three stories in height with a dormitory of six large rooms for porters and other employes and the architecture is of Spanish-Moor- ish type, the construction being of brick cased with cement and finished in imitation of marble. The cornerstone was laid with impressive ceremonies CUBA'S MODEL CLUB 213 on September 28, 1902, and the building was com- pleted in 1907 at a cost of $700,000. Upon entering the main doorway the first ob- ject to attract attention is the grand staircase, built of solid Parian marble at a cost of $30,000, and said to rival any stairway in the world, either ancient or modern. The first floor contains nu- merous Ionic columns supporting the floor above. On this first floor is the gymnasium and in its rear the dental parlors where members may receive treatment free of charge, while at the sides are baths of all kinds with wardrobes and lockers. On the second story is the recreation hall and amusement rooms. Here all classes of legitimate games are enjoyed, such as checkers, chess, pool, billiards, etc., while gambling in any form is strictly debarred. On this same floor there is a luxuriously fitted cafe and restaurant, and in the rear the administration offices with the offices of the secretary and corps of assistants who are kept busy transacting the vast and multitudinous busi- ness incidental to an organisation of such tremen- dous size and scope. Across from these offices is 214 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the library, filled with standard works in de luxe bindings, all the leading magazines and papers of the United States and Europe, and writing tables and desks for the use of members. A second grand stairway leads to the third floor and the grand salon, banquet-hall and ballroom. The visitor is almost bewildered by the splendour and richness of this room with its avenue of a hun- dred great fluted columns, the exquisite frescoes on the ceilings, the stained-glass windows, the em- blazoned heraldry and shields upon the walls,—* the crystal candelabra and the luxurious upholstery around the base of each column. On this floor, just behind the banquet hall, is the office of the President and Board of Directors, and here, in sumptuous chambers, are held the reg- ular and special sessions of the governing board. The club is noted for its hospitality and cordially welcomes visitors, to whom it shows every possible courtesy and attention. It has repeatedly enter- tained Havana's most distinguished guests, such as the Pan-American Congress in 1901, the late President Palma in 1902, the members of the First National Medical Congress in 1905 and the fare- CUBA'S MODEL CLUB 215 well reception to Governor Magoon in 1908. The membership of the club is about 30,000, the property is valued at over one million dollars, there are branches in all the leading cities and towns of Cuba and the Isle of Pines and, most marvellous of all, no entrance fee is charged, the cost of member- ship being merely a monthly payment of a nominal sum. Moreover, there are no difficulties in the way of joining the club, the only requirements being that the applicant must be a white man of good moral character and a bona-fide resident of Havana or any of the towns where branches of the club are established. In short, this club is a marvel ; its aims and ob- jects are of the most admirable character, its quar- ters are unexcelled, its scope of the broadest, its benevolence unequalled, its hospitality famous, and it is worthily and justly the glory and pride of the Havanese. CHAPTER XVI HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND OTHER ITEMS There are numerous hotels in Cuba and in all the large towns they are quite satisfactory. It is a hard matter to say which is the " best " hotel in any town and in Cuba this is particularly the case, for each hotel has its advantages and disadvan- tages. In a general way, however, all the really first-class hotels are good, but one must not expect to find the same comforts, luxuries and surround- ings that would be found in a New York hotel. The hotels in Cuba, and particularly in Havana, are large, bare, stone or concrete structures with tiled floors, pillared corridors, open interior courts and furnished with the simplest and barest neces- sities of life. In many, the rooms are so high, so bare, and so devoid of ornamentation or furnish- ings that one has the impression of sleeping in a tomb or a jail, but coolness, sanitary conditions and safety from fire are the prime requisites and 216 HOTELS AND OTHER ITEMS 217 little effort is made to have the hotels or their rooms homelike or attractive. In the best hotels the bedrooms open either on the street or the patio and in most cases each room has a little iron-railed balcony of its own on which the occupants may lounge and watch the ever-shifting crowds beneath. The service in the hotels is not of course equal to New York hostelries, but no one is in a hurry in Cuba and sooner or later one's every want will be attended to. Many of the hotels have a restau- rant in connection with them, while a few quote both American and European rates. The rates in the best hotels in Havana vary from $1.50 per day (European) for a single room during the sum- mer, to $10.00 a day for a room and bath during the winter season and in many of the smaller, but none the less excellent hotels, a good suite of rooms for two persons may be had for $2.00 a day in the summer or for $4.00 a day in winter. Nearly all the best hotels in Havana are on or near the Central Park and runners and interpreters meet every ship. Some of these hotels are kept by Cubans or Spaniards, and others by Americans or Englishmen. 218 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT The Plaza is a typically American hotel and is much frequented by Americans who feel more at home here than in most of the other hotels. It is an immense structure, occupying an entire square, is strictly fireproof, is equipped with elevators and electric lights and has an excellent restaurant. The immense ballroom and cabaret on the fourth floor is noteworthy. This immense room will ac- commodate 1,000 people and in the palm-adorned cabaret restaurant nightly concerts are held dur- ing the winter season. The Sevilla, situated on Trocadero Street be- tween the Prado and Zulueta Street, is another splendid hostelry. The Sevilla has every modern improvement, and the service and cuisine is of the highest standard. In its architectural features the Sevilla is unexcelled by any Havana hotel and its situation has the advantage of being off the main thoroughfare and consequently less noisy than the hotels situated on Central Park. The Pasaje, situated on the Prado near Central Park, is another first-class hotel with a private bath in every room and every modern improvement. Among the other leading hotels are the Nadin, HOTELS AND OTHER ITEMS 819 the Brooklyn, the Miramar, the Inglaterra and the Telegrafo. The dining-rooms in the hotels are usually a la carte and the meals are excellent, well served and not particularly high in price. In many of these hotel restaurants the visitor may have either American or native dishes and at the smaller cafes and restaurants almost any dish desired will be furnished. Any of the larger cafes or restaurants are reliable, especially those about the Prado and Central Park, and in every one there is at least one waiter who can speak English. In many of the restaurants the menu is printed both in English and Spanish and a great many of the native Cuban dishes are well worth trying and are often su- perior to the more conventional and customary American dishes. The native Cuban fish are in- variably fresh and well cooked, as are the oysters, clams, crabs, crawfish and lobsters, the latter be- ing particularly fine especially when served cold with salad. Steaks, chops, eggs and poultry are always good and well cooked and the vegetables and fruits are a revelation. 320 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Among the typical dishes served in these restau- rants are: Rueda de Pargo, Red snapper steaks. Parguitas fritos, Fried squirrel fish. Pescado mmuta, A very delicate fried whitebait. Ostras del pais, Native oysters. Calamwes, Cuttle fish. Cangreos, Crabs. Camarrones, Crawfish. Lcmgosta con salada, Lobster with salad. Platanos fritos, Fried plantains. Arroz con polio, Chicken with rice. Huevos fritos, Fried eggs. Huevos pasado por agua, Soft boiled eggs (lit- erally "passed through water"). Huevos melcochados, Medium boiled eggs, Huevos duros, Hard boiled eggs. Tortillas, Omelettes. Ropa vieja, (literally " old clothes," a sort of dried or jerked beef). Chalchichas fritos, Fried Spanish sausage. Among the excellent soft drinks which are fa- vourite beverages in Cuba are: HOTELS AND OTHER ITEMS 221 Lwnonada, Limeade. Naranjada, Orangeade. Pina colado, Strained pineapple juice. Pma sin color, Pineapple juice with pulp. Ensalada, A mixture of pines, orange, cherry, etc. Guayaba, Guava flavour. Grenada, Pomegranate. Zapote, Sapodillo. Anon, Custard apple. Garapma, From fermented pineapple. Orchata, Milk of almonds. Guanabama, Made from sour-sop. Azucarillo, or Panal, A drink made by dissolv- ing a roll made from sugar and white of egg in iced water. Coco de Agua, The milk of green cocoanuts. Outside of Havana the hotels in the larger towns are usually good and in some of the cities they are equal to or even better than those of the capital. At Matanzas the " Hotel Gran Paris " is probably the best and is equipped with electric lights, tele- phones and rooms with baths, and in fact has all 222 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT the conveniences and improvements of any modern hotel. A guide and interpreter from the hotel meets all trains and boats. At Santiago there are several good hotels, among them the " Casa Grande," European plan, at $1.50 to $6.00 per day and with accommodations for 75 guests; the " Venus " with European rates of $1.00 to $3.00 and American-plan rates of $3.00 to $4.00 and rooms for 60 guests ; and the " Luz," American, at $3.50 to $4.00. At Antilla is the " New An- tilla Hotel " owned and operated by the Cuba Rail- road Company, and which is a thoroughly modern, up-to-date, fireproof hostelry fitted with both fresh and salt-water baths and with accommoda- tions for 75 guests. At Camaguey is the most beautiful and probably the best hotel in the Island, the " Hotel Camaguey," owned by the Cuba Railroad Company. This unique hotel occupies the immense building formerly used as a barracks by the Spaniards. The enormous building cov- ers nearly five acres of ground and was designed to quarter 2,000 troops. The building is quaintly Spanish in architecture, with large open patios, great arched corridors and red-tiled roofs, while HOTELS AND OTHER ITEMS palms, flowers and tropical vegetation make the patios veritable bowers of colour and perfume. The plumbing, sanitation and drainage are of the latest and most approved type while the furnish- ings are simple, airy and well adapted to the cli- mate. The water is obtained from artesian wells on the premises and the cuisine is excellent and the service perfect. The rooms are light, airy and well ventilated and the upper rooms all have pri- vate balconies. At Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio, Cardenas, Santa Clara and in fact every large or important town in Cuba, and especially those reached by the main railway or steamship lines, the traveller will find one or more hotels with satisfactory service and food and no one need fear lack of accommodations when travelling through the interior or around the coasts of the Island. In most of the outlying Cuban towns the car- riage fares, car fares and cost of the various com- modities are very nearly the same as in Havana, for while the cost of importing goods may be higher yet the merchants and others have not as yet raised their prices to " bleed " the tourist and 224 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT are contented with a fair profit, and in these outly- ing districts the traveller will find far more in the way of native curios, native-made goods and typ- ical products than in Havana, where a large por- tion of the articles for sale are imported from Europe and the United States. CHAPTER XVII A FEW FACTS AND FIGUBJES The climate, exports and imports, population, health and various other matters pertaining to Cuba have been mentioned in a general way in the preceding chapters, but the following data, com- piled from the reports of the United State9 Weather Bureau, Department of Agriculture, and the Consular and Cuban Government reports, will perhaps be of interest for ready reference and will prove more concrete and convenient than when scattered through the text. Area and Population (Census of 1907). Province Area sq. miles Population Orjente 12,468 455,086 Camagtxey 10,500 116,269 Santa Claea 9,560 457,431 Pinar Del Rio 5,000 240,372 Matanzas 3,700 239,812 Havana 2,773 538,010 Total 44,000 2,048,980 225 226 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Cities Population Havana 296,159 Santiago de Cuba 45,470 Matanzas 36,009 ClENFUEGOS 30,100 Camaguey 29,616 Cardenas 24,280 Sancti Spibitus 17,440 Santa Clara 16,702 Manzanillo 15,819 GuANTANAMO 14,559 Guanabacoa 14,368 Sagua La Gbande 12,393 Tbinidad 11,197 Pinab Del Rio 10,634 Mabianao 9,332 Jovellanos 9,246 San Antonio de los Banos 9,125 Caibabten 8,333 Guines 8,053 Holguin 7,592 Placetas 6,184 Climate and Rainfall of the Interior. The following figures are from the report of the United States Weather Bureau at Camaguey and compiled during nine years of observation. In Havana and the coast towns the average tem- perature is higher, there is less rainfall and the winds are more severe during the hurricane months. A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES 227 Extreme maximum temperature recorded, 98° on August 24, 1899. Extreme minimum record, 47° on January 27, 1901. The temperature has been above 95 degrees during six years only on the following dates for each month: June 1, 1901 96° September 1, 1900 96° July 30, 1899 97° August 24, 1899 98° The mean temperature for the four hottest months of the year is as follows: June, average temperature for three years 80° July, average temperature for six years 80° August, average temperature for six years 81° September, average temperature for six years.. 80° The average for January is 70.3°. WIND VELOCITIES There is no record of a severe storm or hurricane ever having occurred at this station. The following are the only five dates recorded on which the wind reached a velocity of more than 35 miles an hour during each month: July 20, 1900 36 miles from the east September 13, 1901 36 miles from the east August 2, 1902 44 miles from southwest July 30, 1903 36 miles from the east August 4, 1904 39 miles from the east HAIKFALL The heaviest precipitation during twenty-four hours was on August 22, 1902, when 4.47 inches of rain fell. The average rainfall is 54 inches a year. The following table of extreme temperatures at 228 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT various United States weather stations will be of interest as compared with the above: Station Maximum Minimum Los Angeles, Cal 109. 28. Mobile, Ala 102. — 1. Jacksonville, Fla 104. 10. Pensacola, Fla. 103. 7. New Orleans, La 102. 7. Chicago, 111 103. —23. San Francisco, Cal 100. 29. St. Louis, Mo 107. —22. Minneapolis, Minn 104. — 41. Seattle, Wash 93. 3. Tacoma, Wash 92. — 0. New York City 100. —3, Boston, Mass 102. —13. Health and Sanitation. Since the American intervention Cuba's sanitary condition has been so perfected and improved that to-day the Island stands second in health among the countries of the world, the death rate being but 12 per thousand, while the death rate in the United States is about 16. Yellow fever and pernicious malaria are prac- tically stamped out and there is no more danger from disease in Cuba than in New York or any A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES £29 American city, provided proper care and precau- tions are taken and the visitor does not overeat, over-drink, over-exercise or over-indulge himself in any way and follows native customs of business, recreation, dress, and life. Minor stomach and bowel troubles are liable to affect the Northern visitor at first, as in any coun- try where the water, food and climate are rad- ically different from those he is accustomed to; but such attacks are usually of short duration and are beneficial rather than otherwise. Bu- bonic plague has occurred from time to time in Havana as well as in Porto Rico, San Francisco, New Orleans and even in New York, but this dis- ease is so well understood, is so easily recognised and so quickly taken in hand by the health officers that it seldom spreads beyond restricted districts and is usually under control within a short time and with little loss of life. Trade and Finances. Cuba is one of the few countries whose exports are more valuable than her imports and the trade, 230 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT or to be more explicit, the foreign commerce, has shown an increase of 500 per cent in seventeen years, that is, between 1902, when the republic's history began, and 1919. Some idea of the value of Cuba's products may be obtained from the fol- lowing figures: In 1918-19, an extraordinary year, the value of the sugar crop was $370,101,837.35. Citrus fruits, pineapples, vegetables, cacao and honey yielded $4,000,000; hardwoods and dye woods $1,000,000; cattle, hides, etc., $3,000,000; iron, copper, manganese and asphalt, $12,000,000. Aside from manufactured products, Cuba im- ports large quantities of foodstuffs, among the articles being beans, butter, lard, eggs, coffee, condensed milk, potatoes and salt pork. There is little doubt that all of these animal and vegetable products could be raised at home, for large areas of arable land still await the coming of the settler. Few people realize the opportunities in Cuba for colonists with a reasonable amount of capital, brains and the will to work diligently. Fruits, vegetables, cattle, hogs, chickens, eggs and other farm products are in great demand. Two crops A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES 231 of corn and even three may be raised in some dis- tricts ; beans and potatoes give two crops a year ; alfalfa, clover, rape and other fodder grow rapidly, while guinea grass reaches a height often of twelve feet. Strawberries, blackberries and other North- ern small fruits may be grown at all seasons and fetch good prices, wtiile Cuban hogs and cattle are the equal of those bred in the United States. Poultry is always profitable and fowl grown for the table invariably finds a ready market because the Cuban butcher cuts the birds into sections and will sell you, for instance, two wings or two legs, or the 'breast, neck or back. It may be asked: "Why has general farming been neglected?" The answer is simple, For many years under Spanish rule, Cubans were compelled to confine themselves to sugar and tobacco, and as these two crops brought enormous profits, both land and labor were devoted almost exclusively to them, other necessary products being imported. Indeed, not until the intervention of the United States in Cuban affairs was general farming encouraged. To-day large numbers of Cubans and hundreds 232 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT of Americans, Scandinavians, Englishmen, Cana- dians, Italians, to name 'but a few nationalities, are engaged in farming, poultry-raising, fruit growing, cattle and hog raising, bee-keeping and other industries, both individually and in colonies, and it will be but a comparatively short time be- fore Cuba's good lands are all taken up and the opportunities for investment and profitable agri- cultural occupations will be gone. Among the numerous colonies in Cuba, the fol- lowing may be mentioned, and any American con- templating settling in the island will do well to visit one or more of these settlements : La Gloria. In Camaguey province, about 30 miles from Nuevitas Bay. Ceballos. In Camaguey Province, on Jucaro and San Fernando Railroad. May also be reached by steamer to Nuevitas, Antilla, or Nipe Bay and thence by rail through Ciego de Avilla. Baetle. In Oriente Province, on the main line of Cuba Railway, 120 miles from Antilla. Reached by rail from Havana or Santiago or by ship to Antilla and thence by rail. Las Tunas. In Oriente Province, about 105 A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES 233 miles from Antilla on the main line of Cuba Rail- way. Bayate. In Oriente Province, on main railway line, 43 miles from Antilla. Omaja. In Oriente, on main railway line, about 40 miles from Antilla. Paso Estancia. In Oriente, on Cuba Railway, about 45 miles from Antilla. Cupey. In Oriente, 75 miles from Antilla, on main railway line. Sartia. In Oriente, on Nipe Bay. La Atalaya. In Camagiiey Province, on Nuevitas Bay. Canet. In Camagiiey Province, on line of Puerto Principe and Nuevitas Railroad, 25 miles from Nuevitas. Lebanon. In Oriente, near Bartle. Mayabe. In Oriente, near Holguin. Galbis. In Camagiiey, on main line of Cuba Railroad, 54 miles from Camagiiey. Manati. In Oriente, on Manati Bay, 40 miles from Nuevitas. Reached by steamer to Nuevitas and by sail boat to Manati or by rail to Nuevitas and thence by boat. 234 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT Cubitas. In Camagiiey Province, near La Gloria. The prospective purchaser of land in Cuba should proceed just as cautiously and carefully as in any other country. There is just as much poor, worthless land and just as many unscrupulous, dishonest land companies and promoters in Cuba as elsewhere. Titles are also an important matter and many a man has bought land only to find that the title was questionable. Don't buy land in Cuba without personally see- ing it. Much hardship and trouble have been caused by buying land through circulars, adver- tisements, correspondence or agents. If you do not speak or read Spanish, employ a reliable and competent interpreter to make sure that your land is the same described in the title papers. Do not buy land that is not within easy reach of cities, towns, railways or ports. Employ a competent and reputable lawyer in Cuba to look into titles, deeds and other papers and to carry on all legal and real estate business. There are plenty of good lawyers in Cuba, andl A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES 235 while it may cost a little more to employ them, you will feel sure that the legal matters are prop- erly arranged. Naturally, the prospective settler will want to know what educational opportunities Cuba offers to his children. For his information it may be said that there are 5,000 primary schools in the republic and a high school or institute in each Province. Havana also has a university with an excellent staff of instructors. Transportation is a simple problem. There are 2,600 miles of railroad in the republic and 250 miles of electric railway. All of the more im- portant towns have direct connection with the ports either by railroad or highways; thus the shipment of produce is carried on with facility. CHAPTER XVIII Cuba's share in the great war Cuba's share in the Great War was not insignifi- cant. The island republic was first among the Latin-American nations to follow the lead of the United States in declaring war upon Germany. On April 6, 1917, President Menocal sent a mes- sage to the Cuban Congress asking for a declara- tion of war as a protest against the inhuman sub- marine campaign and to preserve the ideals of American solidarity, honor and justice. It was a popular move and on the following day the reso- lution declaring a state of war was unanimously adopted. Almost immediately the German and Austrian merchant steamers which remained war- bound in various Cuban ports were seized and handed over to the United States government for the transportation of troops, munitions and food to Europe. The tonnage amounted to 200,000 tons — a valuable acquisition in view of the critical shortage of ships. 236 CUBA IN THE GREAT WAR 237 The Cuban Congress proceeded to pass several laws concerning espionage, aliens and their prop- erty, and other important matters relating to the national defence. Compulsory military service was also adopted, and Cuba offered to send an army corps to France, fully trained and equipped, pro- vided the United States would allocate the ships necessary to transport it. This generous offer could not be accepted because of the difficulties involved in sending the American troops overseas, nevertheless Cuba went ahead with the drafting of men for army service and was engaged with this task when the armistice was granted to Ger- many. A number of Cubans, however, entered the service of the Allies as volunteers, and several of them achieved distinction in the French air force. Cuba also organized a small fleet to patrol the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in co- operation with the American warships, while counter-espionage operations were conducted at Havana, which was a way station for travellers bound to Mexico, where Germany expected to stir up trouble against the United States with the hope of forcing the American government to keep 238 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT a large detachment of troops on the Mexican border. The Cuban people subscribed heavily to the American war loans, their banks took a share in the French loans, and the Cuban Congress voted $2,500,000 in aid of the victims of war in France, Italy, Serbia and other countries. Moreover, the Cubans gave generous support to the Red Cross and other relief agencies. If one should be asked to cite Cuba's principal contribution to the Allied cause, the reply would naturally be framed in one short word — Sugar. It was her "fighting weapon," to use the apt phrase of a member of the Cuban Government. There was a shortage of this indispensable foodstuff all over the world and particularly in the Allied coun- tries — a shortage aggravated by the decrease of shipping and general dislocation of trade. Cuba stepped into the breach, placing her crop at the disposal of the Allies and encouraging increased production. Her sugar was sold at a price fixed by the United States and associated governments — a price far lower than that which an open mar- ket would have returned — while a vast sum of CUBA IN THE GREAT WAR 239 money was invested in new plantations and mills. The result of this energetic effort is best expressed in figures. In 1914, at the beginning of the Great War, the sugar crop of the island of Cuba was 2,616,346 tons ; in the season of 1918-19 the crop amounted to approximately 4,000,000 tons. Thus the republic marshalled its marvellous agricultural resources for the benefit of its Allies and the cause of freedom, writing a chapter of history of which the Cubans have reason to be proud. Like every other nation Cuba suffered economic disturbance by reason of the war. Before the con- flict the republic carried on a large trade with Germany and Austria, which purchased quantities of Cuban tobacco and were at the same time strong Competitors in the sugar market. The Cubans also found themselves handicapped by the with- drawal of ships for war purposes, while their tourist trade suffered a decline similar to that ex- perienced by the other West Indian winter re- sorts. Before the war Cuba was wonderfully well supplied with steamship service between the island and American and European ports, and there is little doubt that in future years the republic's 240 CUBA, PAST AND PRESENT maritime communications will far exceed those existing prior to the world conflict. The prosperity of the country and its manifold attractions will assuredly bring about this result. Politically and socially Cuba experienced the same conflicts of policies and ideals which touched other nations as they surged through the world. The republic met its troublesome problems suc- cessfully, and faced the period of reconstruction with a firm resolve to profit by the lessons acquired during the period of the Great War. iiili iilfininiHlTi ii 0F C0NGRESS 015 819 275 5 '"'-.■.""■...:,.■'■•■ 9H- ffial ■'.'•.•.•■■' ■ . : ' - • • ■