Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-21


 slowest possible manner, interspersed with an unaccountable vociferousness on the part of these thousands of happy-go-lucky and pretentiously energetic lightermen. From one end of the splendid bay to the other, from day until dark, the creaking of pull leys, the ofdcious commands of mates, the weird sshantying," or singing of crews at the ''wenches" in hoisting goods: the excited and supercilious tallying of the Spanish custom house officer in charge of every ves- sel; the universal barking of dogs with which every lighter is provided; the garru- lous chattering and yelling of the Cuban workmen of all classes; the snorting and putting of the fussy tugs as they bring to an- chor newly arrived vessel, or take out to sea one ready for another struggle with the storms, with the greetings and hallooings of departure; the gaily painted and be-hagged government boats plying in every direction on their service of never-ending taxation upon commerce; the ferries speeding from shore to shore with their crowds of motley people-for Cuba houses all nationalities- the three thousand guadanos or little hooded harbor bo.ts for all purposes of dickering or passenger service; the countless bum-boats peddling fruit and vile cigars among the ships crews; the continual interchange of military and social courtesies between the forts and men-of-war, with it's accompanying pageantry and salvos of artillery; and in day as we'll as at night the ever chiming bells of cQQrcQ, convent ana monastery, In1uS1Su with strains from unseen fandangoes and rev elries on shore-form commingling of sight and sound pleasant in color and variety, and often fascinating in bewildering confusion.
 THE EXPORTS OF CUBA.
 As is well known, the chief exports of Cuba, in fact the sources of her wonderful wealth, are sugar and molasses. The average crop reaches nearly seven hundred thousand tons of sugar and one hundred thousand hnr 6o nf ooJo ha ka1 CNoka receives fve.sixths of this enormous pro- duct; and it is almost worth 8 trip to Cuba to see vessels load with molasses for foreign ports. It is brought to Havana from all parts of the island by rail and team to little seacoast coves, and thence by the rakish coasters have already mentioned It is warehoused in Santa Catalina and in Regla in immense butts. many holding from five hundred to one thousand hogsheads each. From these butts it is conveyed in cloth hose to empty hogsheads in the lighters, lighter load usually consisting of from thirty to forty hogsheads. In these lighters the hogs heads are brought to the vessels side, eleya- ted from the lighter to large stationary trough built on the vessels deck directly above the hatchway to the hold, lowered un- til it rests upon this huge trough, the cane- husk bung removed, and a constant stream of molasses kept pouring into the receptacle, which will hold five hundred gallons of the
 
 large canvas hose conducts the molasses to any portion of the vessels hold, where emp ty hogsheads are laid in tiers, bung upward. Three or four men are required in the filling and packing process below. They are prac- tically naked, and there was never more re- volting and loathesome den in which human beings are kept at labor. The men of the fo'castle do this work, and it rather takes the poetry out of sailors yarns of rare hours in foreign ports to see them at it. On the ves- sells deck are crew of coopers, consisting usually of a Spaniard, creole and ne- gro. The coopers "trim" or repair the empty hogsheads as they are from time to time needed in the hold below They are fed at the vessels expense at the cabin table; will only work from nine to five; insist on five meals day; and bring with them gallons of cheap Catalan wine, of which they partake sparingly every few minutes from botellas, quaint Spanish ves- sels having long, delicate crystal shouts, from which as they are held aloft the wine is shot into their throats; their lips never touching the nozzles, and the entire draught being taken without the lips once closing. From eighty to one hundred hogsheads of molasses will be thus "stored" daily; and from cook to captain everything on board these sailing craft is smeared and permeated with the vile and valuable fluid.
 INTERESTING SIGHTS AND SOUNDS.
 Harbor scenes and sounds by day and night have in all countries a rare fascination. But doubt if there can be found another harbor like this where diversity and charm so com bine to interest and hold. From dawn to dark Havana bay is alive with movement, sound and color. The arrival and departure of vessels are constant The picturesque launches with their lazy crews are everywhere. Thousands of guadaneros with hooded boats speed hither and thither with passengers, dart like birds of prey Ia oJoIr HT1n1 0fr 5a nero hawksters ply from vessel to vessel singing their wares in a ridiculous, almost pathetic way. Scores of government boats are never idle in their pillage upon foreign commerce. Repairs upon vessels, setting new sails, taking on supplies, receiving and delivering frelghts, painting and "tarring down" decks, are never done Then there is tremendous amount of visiting by off, cers and crews between ships. The old dogs of captains who have never been Seen in anything more comedy than oil-clothes and sou'westers on entire cruises, don wonderful suits of damp and wrinkly black, order their gigs and tcalP' on this vessel and that for days together. ''Open house" is kept on deck about the cabin, under the great tar paulins spread above the spanker booms for shade by day and for protection from dews at night Great numbers of these harbor receptions can be constantly seen. They can be heard, too, for your sea folk have voices, and know how to let them out in greeting, laughter and song. Not the least interesting about these vessel receptions are the brave and rosy American women-wives, mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, sweethearts, from Pembroke, Eastport, Bath, Portland, Glou- cester, Marblehead, New Bedford and other coastwise places-who here in this far-away port, when the great tide of Cuba's products sets northward, enjoy their reunions with friends and relatives, just as our American farm folk do their years "visiting'' in winter
 At sundown cannon boom from all the forts and the men of-war. Instantly every flag in the harbor is lowered. At eight o'clock again the cannon below. Instantly again from hundreds of vessels come the changing sound Of Height bellsi" With these mingle the chiming of bells from an hun dred churches Far and near sound the notes of the trumpeters in the forts upon the mountains Then for little it seems as if deep silence came upon mountain and city and bay; and then-here a song; there the notes of 8 guitar; over yonder the merry click of the castanet; beyond sailors singing roysteringly or we'll; here again an old Amer iean accordeon full of sentiment and sweet ness; out there in some Scotch craft bag pipe softer sounding than upon shore; beyond that clump of vessels the crew of a German man-of- war singing as only Germans can sing some soulful bundeslied; upon the shore near and far and all about all manner of half heard tones of laughter and melody, hidden and intensified in mystery and sweetness by distance and night; while from the 1ookouts on Moro tower, around to Jesu del Monte, and on again circling to the sea, are heard, as in medieval days of old Spain, the chanted calls of challenging sentinels, travestying our later time with owl-like hootings from monar- ehy's meld and gloom.
 EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.
 ENOFTGH