The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-05-29
CUBAN RAILWAYS.
y Mounted Courier Always Precedes a Train
to Herald Its Approach.


Havana Correspondence of the Philadelphia Times
Railway travelling in Cuba has some curious
aspects. For Instance, when trains arrive at and
Depart from cities or villages it is rather queer
thing to see, between the depots and limits of all
municipalities, man on horseback preceding the
engine No train may arrive or depart more rap
IDLY than the speed of this courier, who announces
his own and the trains coming by trencn-
dous bellowings and hallooings, Sometimes
ne Is provided with a sort of trumpet, which he
sounds lusubriousy. The railways are nearly all
OF narrow gauge, and freight and passenger cars
are little and low. Not long ago Cuban engineers
were nearly all Americans and received fabulous
wages This was also true of the engineers on the
sugar plantations. But Cubans are bright and
INITIATIVE, and they are alone now in charge. The
machinery attess that. 1t is dingy, rusty, half
ruined
The Cuban engineer handles his engine in a hest
tant hysterical sort of way. He is no mechanic. If
breakdown occurs he calls upon everybody within
reach and, In complete desperation, talks it al
over" runs away altogether or commits suicide
from sheer fright
The railway stations are all walled about as high
as fortress and freight handled in the yards and
transferred much as lower Mississippi river steam
boat is wooded" by negro roustabouts who shan
ty' with dismal songs, or by the unwieldy bull
carts, with their picturesque carretoneros, SO com
mon to the streets of Havana.
There are also some odd regulations about Cuban
runway travel IlcKet-0llceS are closed nVe mill
utes before departure of trains; and if one thus fails
of securing ticket one-third additional to regular
fare is eXacted for the first division over which your
route may lay. You are allowed to carry free onya
hat-boX or medium size vase but if your train
does not make schedule time you can stop anywhere
along the route ana get your entire fare refunded.
No persons of color allowed in irst-cass cars
though gamecocks in baskets are; and if you at
tempted to ride upon the platform or to occupy
more thon one seat, you would Immediately be
turned over to the guardia civil, whose members
ride on trains between stations to firt with fair
senortas, and 10 constantly enforce the fact that
Spain owns Cuba.
As in most European countries there are three
grades OF passenger coaches, and all are modelled
on the American plan. The third grade cars have
only solid wood seats; the second are very plain
but the seats are of cane;' the first are very pleas
enough decorated the woven cane seats taking the
place of our plush cushions account of the differ
ence in climate. The conductor is uniformed as
with US, and is the busiest man on earth for the
amount of business he transacts. He is at every
body every five minutes for denomination CT
tickets, and pompous guardia civil, soldier of
one CT the three classes of military in the island is
forever at his heels, glaring impudently into faces
demanding with maddening frequency your pass
port, ii you happen to be foreigner, and especially
o If an American, whom the Spaniard loathes, and
searching your person, or even ady's reticule if
the Nhim SQi7aS m