Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-03-04
Town Of Santa Barbara de Samana.

Samana is a poor little dirty place enough,
for all its romantic and picturesque appear
ance. 1t is built in a random hnp-hazard sort
of way along halEa-milc Of curving shore nj
the foot OF ridge of high wooded hills, and
what with its rambling lanes and grotcsque
huts | think 1t Is one OF the most absurd
places ever saw. There are so or 90 build.
ings, oil told. consisting for the most part of Il
light frame work of scantlings brought from
the States, and clap boarded with bamboos
split in half and pressed fiat by pilng stones
upon them while wet. The rude planking
made in this primitive manner Is from four to
six inches wild. End half quarter of an inch
thick. Paint Is altuost unknown, but most OF
the hats are whiteWashed. The roofing Is of
cocoa leaves bound together with vines. The
ilDoriug, when there is any, which Is not often,
consists Of rough-hewn wood, or bark, or
boughs, or tho same leaves that are used for
thatch. Mono Of the housee-or, perhaps, l
should say cabins--have more Than one story
few have more than one, or, perhaps, two
rooms. Doors and windows are luxures
which the majority OF the people have learned
TO do without but there are two or three
houses Ia the village rooted with shingles and
supplied with all such modern conveniencel
as plank floors partitions, and doors and win
dows. In the center Of the settlemept is the
Plaza. OF square, without whieh no Spanish
built town Is thought to be complete. We
landed from the ships boats on wrecked
wharf which runs out about 100 feet into the
shallow water aud II the village looked
coniical from the frlgate, what shall | say of
the ncarer yiewy The plattoym swarmed
with men, women and children of all shades
Of color, gazinr opcn-eyed and open-mouthed
upon the strange arrival. At least half the
children under elgh. years OF age were
as naked NJ when they came into this
wicked'world The offspring o. this innocent
population usually begin TO loddle RbouI the
streets when they aSe about the size Of q
large sweet potato, and II N not customary 20
clothe them in 30 much as Bg.leaf until they
are at least Eve years old Clothing. even at
that age, Is oflen looked upsn as superiluous,
and LhAye seen some pretty we'll advanced
children with nothing en worth mentioning.
II seems TO be 0ae ef' tlis UNIV plse,s laws of
tashien thatths young shall never wear more
than one garment nj n time. IL a mother has
given her child shTt that is enough ifa
coat Is more handy, let u coat suffice and,
indeed, n Is not uncommon for all the pur-
poses Of eouvenlencs and Adornment to be
answered by n hat or pair Of shoes. Among
the lower classesA-if lmay be parJSoAed the
xpresslenLoconony In costume Is not cen
fined 10 the childfen Phere are men whose
whole wardrobe consists of spalr of panta.
losns, and women who boast'cn no garment
whichever but a torn calico gown-not'soIhueh
as ragged handkerchief One Of the mers-
ber OF the Commission assures me that, In
the interior. the full dress Of a gentleman
sometimes consist Of broad-brlmmed hat
and rusty swsrd. tied about the loins with
belt Of bark. Evidently we shall have great
deal " get used 10 in Sanio Domingo.
We pushed oar way through the lazy. grin
ming, goodrnaRired crowd, and made an in.
spectIon Of the public buildings al samans.