National Republican., 1881-10-29
CUBAN SCENES.
WONDERFUL AND HORRIBLE SIGHTS.
The Valley or the Yumury aud the Caves OF Bella
mar-Tho Town OF Matanzas-The vo-
lante-The Virgins Bath and
Other Places Of Interest.


in the vicinity Of Matansas, with the news that
peace was assured between the two countries
took the first opportunity Of gratifying an eager
curiosity, and In company with the agent Of an
American Sewing Machine Company, who handled
Spanish with considerable case and freedom, l
started off one fine morning in November for
Matanzas. The distance by railroad from Ha-
vana is n little less than seventy miles. To us
the temperature of the air was that of Indian
summer at home, but It appeared to be downright
winter to the natives. At one station where we
stopped We noticed man with n heavy suit of
clothes on hopping about the platform as II his
feet were frozen, while he squeezed his right hand
under his lefl armpit with desperate energy. l
have seen people act like thnt in New York only
in the very depth Of winter, and fancod 10 my
self what untold torture that poor miserable Cuban
would bring upon himselff he venturcd TO pass
the cold season in our latitude. Ice and snow arc
unknown in Cuba, and the worst of winter ever
experienced is mildcr than our spring. but the
natives are extremely sensitive TO the smallest
changes of temperature and take refuge In over
overcoats with the thermometer at 100. rolling,
picturesque country lies between Havana and
Matanzas. Patches Of sugnr-cane and groves of
palm trees dot the landscape at frequent intervals.
HORRIBLY FASCINATING SIGHT.
Coming near to Matanzas we caught sight Of the
cemetery. great oblong area surrounded withlow,
white washed wall, and filed with serried lines Of
headstones | felt horribly fascinated with the
sight of this cemetery, knowing what bravennd
promising young mcn-Amercan. English. Irish,
aud Gcrman--slept beneath its soil. Lured by the
igRus JdtIus of fortune 10 the FL Dorado of the
tropic seas, they came and struggled, and as the
guerdon Of their hope and toll was within their
grasp, the mcrciess foe of foreign blood the ruth
less yellow fever, swiftly laid them low and here,
far from friends and home, the tall guinea grass
waves above their lonely graves. ICRRds UdnHd-
Mml
BRIGHT CHEERFUL TOWN.
| We found MntanzaS II bright, cheerful town
much cleaner and better paved than Havana, and
with much more picturesque surroundings. From
eighty to n hundred vessels were anchored in the
spacious harbor, waiting, no doubt, for cargoes of
| sugar and tobacco. The town Is planted on u
| gentle cmincnco between two rivers, rising,
on an average, about fifty feet above the
| level of the sea, and with such an inclination
on either side MS to facilitate the flow Of the rain
water and prevent 1t stagnating Oh the ground.
Amer late breakfast and u stroll about the town
we hunted up means of conveyance to the caves
of Belamar, q distance of nine miles from Matan-
zls, and succeeded in securing good specimen of
n volantc and an extraordinary specimen of
driver
AN EXTRAORDINARY JEIGu.
The latter wore n green JACKET, terminating be-
hind IN sort of fnn- tail about twelve inches long
The jacket was covered all over with silver braid
and bell buttons, and bell buttons depended from
the rim Of his vast sombrero hat But It was
his legs that appeared most fearfuly and
wonderfully cnCaScd. AS he Snt nostilliOn-
like on the forward of the two horses, driving tan.
dem, the top of his boots came within nine inches
of his chin. Yet they were not boots as they had
| no feet To them, but huge gallgasins made of
thick sii leather so as to fit the leg exactly, and
| silver plated nails. Down the sides were metal
IastenlgS, ana at the bottom pair of huge spurs.
There was n certain burbaric splendOr about the
whole rig that had its effect.
SKETCH OF THE vOLANTE.
The vOantc is a style OF vehicle peculiar 10 Cuba
and is worth describing, MS few Of your readers,
Pr9,SSa6y have thS, eyer seen one II Is made to
middle scat which affords accommodation TO
third. There are two very large wheels, rourh,
strong, high, thick, and Of considerable weight
Supported on the axlctrcc and swinging forward
from II on springs is the body Of what resembles
cOhriolet, with the seat, however, much lower,
of this is open and curtain hangs down over the
| open spnCc. polished metal bar runs across
body, bod 1T, il Shout should be understood swings forward
| from these high wheels, so that the whole of the
weight instead of being supported, hangs from
counting from the back Of the carriage to the
front where they touch the horse ut the saddle,
are about fourteen feet in length. From this i'm
mcnse length II came TO pass that there Is n wide
interval, exceeding six feet, between the carriage
and the horses tail, and It follows also from the
| construction OF the mnchlne that large portion
of the weight must rest on the horses back I'M
couth as may appear to foreign eyes, the volantc
is the most comfortable vehicle for travelling in
over rough roads of any in the world.
A VERY ROCKY ROAD.
Perhaps there is no such road anywhere as that
from MnanZas to Be0mar. Certainly no carriage
now In existence in America could travel over 1t
without Injury to ltself and discomfort to its pas
sengcrs. To give an idea of the road imagine the
very largest of cobblestones planted twelve and
twenty inches apart and rooted like rocks in tho
| Ornuu1. but I'm nnpp of pObblngiOup tho In
BellamRr was planted with coral harder than flint,
and yet the journey was, agreeable and the mo-
No matter how big a rock the wheels struck. the
body of the vehicle was undlsturbed, and the
wheels were SO immense that an upset was alto
gether impossible give me the vOlnnte for u
coral road, or even the rocky road to Dublin"
ATTRACTIONS OF THE CAVE.
The caves were discovered some thirty years
ago by the simple accident Of the proprietor of the
land, digging for water, md his worEmen falling
through distance of finy feet. A wooden
structure covers the entrance to the caves
and here, after paying the Indispensable
der to depth of about eighty feet and, looking
up from the floor of the cave, saw the most impos.
lug snGctite III the place, called " the Mantle OF
Columbus" In shape II exactly resembled huge
white MANTLE and one paused In wonder at the
ages of time that must have elapsed since the
enormous congealations formed by the slow perco'
lations of tiny drops of moisture from the roof be-
gun its existence aud went along through the vos
lapse of years IN the silent womb of the earth, in
} the floor Of the cave where 1t spread around IL
multiplied folds just like voluminous velvet rob,
hung from the shoulders of II queen The day
was cool, the thermometer outside in the open ali
standing at about 7Oo, while inside the cave 1t wa
800 SingularphenOmenon when the thcrmomcte
stands Nt 9J9 outside il Is at 700 within the cave
Two miles and half have been explored under
ground, and the variety Of formation consisting o
stalacties and stnlagmiles Is perfectly endless
The most beautiful of all Is the Mantle of Mary
When the torchlight falls upon IL, counties
dlamond-ike particles fash in binding brillianc!
| from ifs surflpp.
THE VIRGINS BATH.
We passed through chamber afler chamber eacl
unlike the other IN the design of its formations
until finally we reached "thG Virgins Bath" II
the extreme end of the cave, so far MS IL has beol
explored. Asheet of stal0ctte, resembling a door
descends from the ceiling IN front Of the Virgin
between II and the floor. A stream of water issue
beneath, the taste Of which Is extremely pungen
G and peculiaI Tradition has 1t that any one VII,
\ ever succeeded In crawling under the door o
stnlectite and dipping himself or herself In tn,
;, pool within had his or her youth restored
and the story goes that the wife OF a ship captain
fair fat, and forty, once contriyed to struggle in
Il and came forth II 1.-THE and blooming maiden o
. seventeen, My sewing machine friend stripped
himself and tried to struggle through, and On
. succeeded IN having his CutiClc badly abIadej
d from his head to his waist, and then had to re
q OF Imagination could lind in the various staiaGtica
/, formations a thousand fanciful resemblance
4 Here warrior clad in armor, there bouquet q
Is flowers, yonder an altar of prayer, petrihed oun
!. tains Of water, crowns OF jewels, necklaces {
/. pearls, and lnnumerable counteriets of famia
,f shapes aud forms.
ri THE YUMuRY VALLEY.
o Next day we took our volante again, and starte
i for the Yumury Valley. 1t was continuously uu
y hill for several miles until we reached an eloyu
e tion on which stood small Catholic church. an
% on alghtlng and proceeding about II hundre
1i yards from where our conveyance stood the slgl
lc Of the valley burst upon our view and charmed |
0, beyond expression We looked as II were from
&c balloon for there was Il sharp descent from III
s elevation on which we stood, and we seemed
at oyerhang the valley which lay away below us lii
le the bottom Of u huge basin, on the rim
Is, which we were perched, II appeared
T. he abOut ten miles wide nv thirty MIL,