The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-06-07
CUBAN RAILWAYS.
Mounted Courier Always Precedes
Train to Herald Its Approach.
CORRESPONDENCE Of the Philadelphia
Times

Correspondence OF inc InllalelPl!d
Times.
Railway travelling in Cuba has some
curious aspects. For instance, when
trains arrive at and depart from cities
or villages it is rather 4 queer thing to
sec, between the dcpots and limits OF
all municipalities, Il man Oh horreback
preceding the engine. No train may
arrive or depart more rapiply than the
speed of this courier, who announces
his own and the trains coming by
tremendous bellowings. Sometimes he
is provided with sort OF trumpet,
which he sounds lugubriously. 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 OH the sugar
plantations. But Cubans are bright
and initiative, and they are alone now
in charge The machinery atteSts that.
1t is dingv, rusty, half-ruined.
The Cuban engineer handles his en-
CINE in hesitant, hysterical sort of
way. He is no mechanic. II break
down occurs he calls upon everybody
within reach and, in complete despera-
ton, talks it all over,n runs away al
together or commits suicide from sheer
fright.
The railway stations are al walled
about as high as fortress, and freigh'
is handled in the yards and transferred
much as lower Mississippi river
steamboat is 'wooded' by a negro
roustabouts who "shanty' with dismal
songs, or by the unwieIdy bull-carts,
with their picturesque carretopros, so
common to the streets of Havana.
There are also some odd regulations
about Culan railway travel. Ticket
offices are closed five minutes before
departure of trains and if one thus
fails Of securing a ticket, one-third adj
ditional to regular fare Is eNacted for
the first division over which your route
may lay. You are allowed to carry
free only hat-boN or medium size
valise but if your train does not make
schedule time you can stop anywhere
along the route and get your entire
fare refunded. No persons Of color'
are allowed in tirst-class cars, though
gamecocks in baskets are and you at
tempted to ride upon the platform or
to occupy more than one seat, you
would Immediately be turned over to
the guardia civil, whose members ride
on trains between stations to t1lrt WltE
fair senoritas, and to 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 pleasant and
convenient, and in most cases prettily
enough decorated, the woven cane
seats taking the place of our plush
cushions on account of the difference IN
climate. The conductor Is uniformed
as with Us, and is the busiest man o.,
earth for the amount of business he
transact. He is at everybody every
five minutes for re-examination OF
tickets, and pompous guardia civil, a
soldier of one of the three classes OF
military in the island, is forever at his
heels, glaring impuGently into faces,
demanding with naddemng frequency
your passport, if you happen to be a
foreigner, and especially so if an Amer,
lean, whom the Spaniard loathes, and
searching Your person, or even 4 lady'S
reticule, if the whim seiZes him.