The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-06
Views IN CUBA.

Cuba j bigger than Naiuc OF Nir-
.inis. and : said II be more valuable
than asy twelve States in the Union,
/ bat two-thrd> ~ II IL uncultivated, aud
| ularc than halt 81 Il tho eastern half
j unidlIhited. Wild. aud without roads
! la tie forests that one sees from the
ships &c, are mahogany. rosewood.
ebony. aud even more valuable woods,
and IN The rocks lie gold, silver, iron,
and copper Ia plenty Cuba j. 100
4 miles hong, aud l25 miles of Its southern
coast Is passed before Santiago Is reach
ed. just To the east Of the lovely sea-
/ port OF Guantanamo some cleariugr are
seen, and the tropic shal tie, OF henicrs,
small farmers. and fishermen appear
A little further on on. sees locomotives
rafting TO and fro. and hears the sounds
of hammer, adZe. and saw, be- ides dis
tinguisLilg huLs. sheds, and many hu-
man forms. All tins. so unlike any
thing else in Cuba in the extent OF the
hustle aud evident enterprise there, is
at The railroad and works of the Juragtm
Iron Company, IA Pennsy lyauia corpora
ton which has wrung or coaNed such
guarantees from Spain as 10 make it
sale for the stockholders to invest mil
iIariy excellent ore. capable of BEN.
worked into Bcsscncr steel. 1t i, SAID
that il they do their utmost in mining
their property the supply of ore viii last
800 years.
The old original MORO Castle, COM
pared to which that at Havana is an in
iant i'll years, gustrds the harbor Of san
tago The entrance to the harbor :
about half as wide again as the Morris
Canal where II passes through Newark.
1t looks like river that has eaten its
way through mountain range. aud
thus burst forth into the sea. The old
Moro Castle stands, or Iather ciings,
TO the steep eastern side of the gorge.
Ii is the color Of sun baked clay, and is
dcckcd with numerous little towers bel
fries, winding stairs. battlemcnts. ravel-
lus, and other ccccutriclties OF military
architecture peculiar to the time when
\ Uncle Toby fought in Flanders Little
bronze popguns, such as Santa Anna
relied on TO whip Scott with. still orna-
mcnt The walls At the foot Of the
blufi' and on ncighborng points of land
are detached bits of this ancient scheme
of defence, so slender and nonscnsical
that il is difficult To believe they could
ever have been OF any use. Old sailors
say these works guard the most bcautI-
'ul harhor IN the world. The narrow
waterway winds between hl"il hills Il
cracked emerald sheet rcile ting I'll,
waving palms. hu"rletved bananas
low. white onc-storv summer res 'ouces
cagc-lIke bathing enclosures, trouical
woods. and giant blue mountains on
either side. tu'.a IS every where beauti-
iul. but this Is Tx prctticst portion
Pelicans float on the smooth aurla, Q and
lianIingoes hang in the air overhead
Masses of gorgeous flowers perfume the
air and startle the eye with their color>
Men in suit. of white duck look upon
this beauty spot from under straw hats
and find it midsummer scene though
in New York only a few days before
the streets were blocked with snow
Here Nelasqucz came to found the city
in lJl4. and down this tortuOus channel
Cortez sailed to conquer Mexico. taking
with him the first horses ever seen in
our sister republic.
Suddenly the strait widens into "a
channel. Straight ahead lies the city. a
broad. low mass OF blue, yellow red.
and white houses of limestone or plas-
| l..
flowers. the water. and the sky The
twin domcs of tie old cathedral rise
/ above the low level of the roofs On
| the one hand, the shore rises toward
, the mountains; opposite. the bank is
! low and level. \ 10" or two sticking
| out are all that remain in sight OF the
great war ship st. Paul, the one mem
Fiber Of the IDvnclblc Armada which cot
away from Nelson's guns. and after
ward Sas wrecked in this ha.bor. When
YOU see Santiago you Will not wonder
that nothing has been done with tlis
, interesting relc. 1t will seem that
nothing is done with any thing. and that
what cannot take care Of itself is not
. dcc'ned worth taxing care OF. Near the
sunkcn hull on the shore is the shed
where the victims oil the Virglnue affair
We're shot.
! The city is so full of curious things
1 that it seems to a New Yorker like one
: great curiosity. It is the oldest place
: OF considerable sizr in the New W orid
and it has changed so little a. the cen
f turtles have rnl!cd by that it is laid that
I Cortcs or VI ia>queZ would feel more al
i home there. aud would find less To sur.
I prise thcn. than anywhere cl,c in tins
4 hemisphere.