Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-05-29
CENTURY HUMAN BEINGS.

CENTURY HUMAN BEINGS.
on horseback, resting under the hang
ing roofs of the few decent buildings
near the depot, some ancient>looklng
barracks for Spanish soldiers. Some
of the fences are made of our West
ern barbed wire; but the majority
are hedges of prickly pear, or fences
constructed of live saplipgs.
But the principal thing that the
traveller notices on the way FROM the
Cuban metropolis to this, the second
sugar exporting city of the island,
whether he come by one route or the
other is the series of mammoth sugar
plantations extending almost the en-
tire distance The air is heavy with
the sickish sugar smell which ema-
mates from the mill-house and is
seldom out of the travellers nostril.
Every few miles the huge open build.
ings of some large estate loom into
view, the tall smoking chimney visi-
BILE for miles in this fiat country.
Branch railroads belonging to the es-
tate lead from the main line all over
the plantation. But I shall hope to
give some more minute description Of
these sugar plantations in a future
letter.
AS THE TRAIN NEARS MATANzAS
the ground grows less regular, and is
characterize ed by large curiously shap-
ed knobs, which in default of loftier
elevations might be called small
mountains.
Whenever the train is ready to start
out of station where it has made a
stop a wizzled up, weazen-faced China
man rings a handbell vigorously and
the engineer opens his throttle.
If you enter Matanzls by the Bahia
Line you are discharged at the most
ornate depot or building of any sort
that 1 have seen in Cuba. Ii raight
appear to have been transplanted
here from the north but for the one
fact that it is-stucco. And all Mat
anzas is stucco. gaudily tinted after
the Cuban fashion. Indeed, MAINTAIN
zas is much more distinctively Cuban
than Havana. That is to say, the
streets are worse kept, the houses as a
rule are one-storied, its plaza is small
and choked with Iuxuriantf
ton, and the other parks, as they are
inaccurately called, look seedy and
undressing.
BUT THE CITY LIES HIGH AND DRY
and is recommended for obstinate
pulmonary or rheumatic troubles. l
believe I'd prefer the pulmonary or
rheumatic difficulty to the affection
of residence here.
OF course ther9 are the convention
al sights" which must be dutifully
done" by the well-regulated tour t
At the head of this list are the Caves
of Bellamar, four or five miles distant.
over road as ''hard to travel as
provcrbial Jordon The orthodox
way of going is to hire a volante for
81 in gold (about half of which sum
doubtless drifts into the hotel pro
prietor's pocket) The volaute is the
one Cub1n invention, and even this
is not patented, for there is no patent
office on the islan! 1t is a vehic. e
CONSISTING of two mammoth wheels,
two shafts Is or 30 feet long, and one
or two horses, with the drivers seat
on the foren ost horse.
On the way to the caves GU pass
along a bays avenue, which is the
one glory of Matanzas to nsy mind.
IT is LINED WITH PALACES
having broad porches in front, sup
ported by huge columns, and fioored
and faced in front with exquisitely
beautiful thing. | can only voice my
impressions of this boulevard of one
story palaces" uncovered in tropic
vegetation, by saying that it appeals
to my fancy as latter~day photo
graph of what Pompeii must have
been like in the height of It's glory
save that marble took the place oil
stucco
There are two united caves leading
800 feet below the surface of the
grouad, with the customary wealth OF
stalac.ites. vast fHnereal amphitheat-
ers, narrow openings, yawning preci
pices. and jewele.' chambers. There
is a single sheet of white crystal forty
eight feet long by FIVE broad. which
they call Columbus Cloak. They call
everything after Columbus or Cervan
ties here in Cuba. Unlike any other
cave which ever visited the temper
allure is exceedingly high as you pro.
gress, SO that it is necessary to go as
thinly clad as possible.