Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-05-05

1 ~.@~~>AAE0
Special Correspondence Of TEE EVENING s1AA
Copyrighted, 18Ss)
TRINIDAD. CuBA. April 50, 1854.
me city OF Cienfuegos, on the southern coast of
| Cuoa, while possessing many OF those quaint
features In scene and architecture which renders
Havana 50 fascinating TO the stranger is so bright
ana pleasing withal, and 50 sunny and warm In its
opulent social and business activities, that one
almost feels after knowing Il, that there Il some
nope Tor Cuba, even with its curse OF spanish
misrule fastened like monstrous devi-nsh upon
1t To the north, east and west, for Q great
distance behind Il, the country gradually and
| almost impercepuply rises toward the central
mountain range Of the island, and upon this fair
slope are hundreds Of the richest plantations Ia
CUBA Forest, vale, ranch, plantation, succeed
each other in every direction; the luxuriance
\ OF nature Is indescrbable; and with American
methods OF cultivation and American thrift 70
| mouse the galns, the whole vast region would a.
| storehouse Of tncalculable wealth. The common.
Large e. srs made q sugar
Dacco. cattle tallow, hides beeswax, and enormous
lean capital are invested here Many OF the largest
| sugar plantations are owned and operated BY
and it is not unusual to md the handsomest struc
| lures OF the really beautiful city owned by Ameri-
cans, while q large number OF the most important
money and the association OF American business
men.
| TO RIVAL HAVANA
Cienfuegos cannot but soon rival Havana in
business importance, and should there be o sue
cessful completion OF a canal across the Isthmus
venture the prediction that here will be found In
i quarter OF century the largest richest and
most brilliant city OF America south OF New Or
| leans. The cathedral and plaza at Cienfuegos are
| building
| It's leading club, the "Circul0 de Instruction re-
creo ell Liceo, on the Gale de santa Cruz, for
design, appointments and embellishments The
harDor Is one OF the finest In the world. 1t Is
named Bahia lbayl Jagua, from the lagua tree
The 1agua resembles our American locust,
though its leaves are more nearly like those
like the sweet zapota in appearance, but
| Is only edible by swine, which fatten upon
II as rapidly as upon corn. The bay Is rve
it en- route for Trinidad, some so miles by sea
10 the east the picture OF the splendid city enclr-
cling the white shore, and brilliant in its odd col
| orings OF pink, blue, and yellow, backed by far
| reaching waves Of luXuriant foliage, was one
which the Mediterraneans shores cannot surpass
The harbor entrance is most Interesting. II fol-
lows the sea in sinuous winding, hugging bold
ocean blum, upon which looms grim fort OF Moor
1sh design; and just within, along the deDouching
hued bathing boxes and numberless quaint
| fishers cabins, above which are endless flowers
anu TROPICAL Verdure.
ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST.
Our trip along the southern coast Of Cuba was q
| lazy and dreamful one. Underneath great avn
ings perhaps half hundred passengers, the larger
number Of pure Castillian, or the darker-hued
mixed Cuban types, lOlled the whole day long in
languid siesta- But to me and my companion,
were discovered, or suffused with tears as Olden
memories OF the brave and bitter struggle for the
| liberty of his loved land were awakened, the pas
rpnlafa
distance we were never a league, and often within
hailing distance, from these witching shores
the coraiine sea bed ID formation a gives won.
milk. There, it has the glowing nush Of
rivalling the palest shades Of the emerald. Now
our course where the blue OF the sea deepens TO
crimson-tinted purple. And more than once we
ward and shorewari there swept over hidden coral
reefs mie-long surIs high and stately like massed
plumes. Myriads OF sea-gulls circled about US
iazlly uttertng their -whistled meanings; and
at midday even the sleepy Cubans were reused
into activity by the lowering OF one OF those NAM
moth birds OF the sea, the albatross, or "man-of-
war as the sailors have 1t, which followed Tor fully
half nour In majestic circlings, apparently with
out single movement OF its tremendous wings.
SOON THE SAN JUAN RIVER WAS SEEN.
At its mouth great breakers were tossed back and
forth over coral reefs, which, here and there rose
in black, white, or notified Lodges and pinnacles
to the height of an hundred feet. at the peaceful
shore-edge beyond, on either side OF the river
themselves upon rppie-w ashed rocks, occasionally
moving in awkward iethargy, or, as II determined
depths below. Here and there. in barren tide.
washed spaces OF shore, there suddenly emerged
| from the Jungles behind. herds OF wild hogs,
excited gyratons and cavortings. expressed their
establishment in snortings and sharp bark
| ings not unlike those or the American coyote.
a nd wi rVnd mi nfya
into the air on all-fours, prectpitateiy d1sap-
| peared. Some fishers huts Of palmetto and
palm were set here and there beneaeh lofty trees:
and glimpses were caught far up the stream
| among weird cragS and cAns OF monteroS Vine
powered homes. picturesque as ever peeped from
heights In the Tyrol Behind all this tier on tier,
stood almost impenetrable forests now forever
haunted by the wraithS OF uncounted thousands
Spanish and Cuban foes. who fell In the awful con-
f1ict which must come again and again until
spanish barbarsm Is swept from cuba: while
| beyond, looming vast and high in this strge
Potrelio 5000 feet high, the lortest elevation in
Cuba save Mount Turqmno.
CAsILD0.
Toward evening we steamed up the canal from
the sea to Casildo, the little outer port OF
Trinidad one OF the oldest cities Of Cuba, and in
former times even surprising in riches and splen-
dor Havana in her most famous decades OF opu.
lence. Casildo was never but an entrepOt for
Trinidad the latter being built upon a splendid
| inland narbor; but here are some OF the greatest
warehouses and wharves In Cupa- Before the rev.
OlutiOn OF '6S which almost destroyed the wealth
and even resources OF this tnconcetvably rich
southern coast country and left Its splendid cities
eortesS and silent, these vast wharveS and alma
Gems must have presented most stirring scenes,
stored as they constantly were with millions upon
millions Of dollars worth OF sugar, mOlasses to-
baccO and especially coffee, as Trinidad at that
time was the greatest single co1ee metropolis OF
the world. Deserted as they are to-day no one
can pass them without interest and even amaze
menI at their area and ponderOus strength.
They are built OF the famous Cuban wood much
resembling ngnum vitse called gu1brahaca, liter
ally "axe-breaker," on account OF the difficulty
found In working upon 1t with any edged tools
The labor required In fashioning these gubrahaca
piers is simply incalculable, and they could only
have been constructed under system OF slavery
that counted superhuman Toll as nothing. The
bulkheads and capptngs are OF mahogany, and
there are enough solid mahogany umbers In these
able value to alone purchase the land and properties
or the most valuable block on Broadway, while
bolts OF solid copper from to 10 feet long, as
thick as your wrist, with huge brass heads, as
frequent as rusty iron spikes in any American sea-
mort pier Here at CasildO are also q few quaint
fiower-embOwered villas along the sea, and huge
bafios or bathing places, where sharks and other
huge palmetto piling, and light, dainty roofs are
made OF the brown and puce palmetto leaves.
But three miles distant finland over q queer
little railway, we came to Trinidad. The almost
landlocked bay at its edge is called Masio. 1t is
noble harbor requiring but slight engineering and
expenditure to cut u ship channel TO the sea
through the soft and level intervening coral That
lie securely at anchor In Bahia MasiO, for It Is
LARGER and finer than any other OF the SDendfd