The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-19
QUAKER MONEY In CUBA.
THE CITY PEL PHIANS ARE
BUILDING THERE.

! Queen or the lll6S-N early 3, 600
| People at Work on the New Town
OF Sigus, and the Breakwatsr Under
Construction By Green, Gsyaor &
Goa Great Iron Port.
Capt. W. d. Olivera, who lives at n
Broughton street, has just returned from
Santiago de Cuba, where he has been since
September with Green, Gaynor & Co., who
have the contract for building an immense
breakwater at Sigua, about thirty-six miles
down the coast from Santiago.
The work is being done for the Sigua Iron
Company of Philadelphia, s.. 900 900 con-
Germ, composed of a number Of the wealth.
lest iron capitalists Of Philadelphia.
The company has bough. up immense
tracts of iron and copper lands in the
neighborhood of Sigua, aud proposes to
mine the ores and ship them TO Philadel-
phia to be manufactured. The deposits of
iron ore at Sigua are of tee finest known, it
10 said. by experts who have examined
them, and the iron produced from it is SAID
to be equal. il not superior, to the finest
Swedish aud Norwegian iron. Capt. Oil
yeira has some samples Of the ore. 1t is very
black and heavy and looks almost like pure
tity of sbis ore exposed on the surface Of
the ground.
BUILDING CITY OF ITS OWN.
The Philadelphia company is building a
town at Sigua where it will make its head
quarters. Sigua is an open seaport unpro-
tected from the surf, and the breakwater Is
being built TO protect ships while loading.
Ii is all immense enterprise, about 2, 800
men being already employed upon the break
water and other improvements. About
seventy-tve people. mostly negroes, left
Savannah with Capt. Oliveira to work for
Green, Gaynor & Co. On account of the
terrible heat operations have been partially
suspended until fall and many OF the en-
ployes have returned home.
Capt. Ohveira gave very interesting
account Of the country, where ne has spent
the last nine months, to MORNING News
reporter yesterday, with some description
Of Santiago and the neighboriug country.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
Santiago is an important seaport on the
south side Of the island of Cuba. IL Is seven
miles from the Caribbean sea. The entrance
to the harbor is about quarter Of a mile
wide, with mountains on each side of the
entrance over 2 800 feet high. 1t Is de-
Tended by four forts and is exceedingly
difficult TO enter, owing TO narrownesS Of
the passage.
Upon entering the harbor it spreads out
into beautiful lake. The sights are won
derful o. witness. The mountains seem to
rise gradually from the depths of the water
TO untold nights. The city Of Santiago is
built at the upper end OF the bay. Three
quarters of the city are entirely hidden from
the bay being built in very low valley.
The population is little over IS, 900, COM
posed Of mixed races The people have lit
tie or no energy.
During my long sojourn there" said
Capt. Oliveira, 81 had the privilege of visit
ing many places of note, including the
dungeon In which Gen. Lopez and his men
were imprisoned, and the spot where those
heroic Americans were shot. | visited the
cell and saw the wooden bunk on which
Capt. Fry spent his last dreary days, and
stood on the spot where his no ole and fear
less followers washed the ground with their
blood"
QUAKER ITY TOWN.
A little over thirty-six miles east Of
Santiago de Cuba Is the town OF Sigua.
| This, Mr.. Onveira said, was our head
quarters in Cuba. From this place will be
shipped TO the United States the best iron
ore known. In about two years everything
will te In good working order. At the pres
ent time the company is building a break
water for the protection Of the shipping. 1t
is slso laying tracks from Sigua to the
mountains. six to eight miles distant. From
Santiago de Cuba what communication there
is, is by water, by way of Cienfuegos,
and from there to Bejucal,
hence to Havana by rail, and then to
Tampa. Fla. by the Plant Steamship Line.
From Santiago en- route to New York we
were compelled to stop at Nassau for the
United States mail, and while there we met
the American steamship named after the
place, Santiago de Cuba. A a general
| thing two steamships meet at Nassau about
the same time, which is at daybreak.
Under a contract with the governments
these ships are compelled 10 remain
| twenty-four hours at Nassau in
! order to give ample time for the arrange
ment Of the IN ails. etc. for each place One
of the steamships is bound for New York
and the other for Santiago de Cuba. They
! both leave Nassau at the same time, which
is about o'clock in the evening. While
waiting there the passengers have a full day
to enjoy themselves"
| RELICS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
On the beach at Nassau, Mr.. Oiveira
says, there can be seen many hulls Of con-
federate blockade runners. When they
were chased by United States cruisers they
| put in for the harbor, and if they saw that