New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-16
SOME CUBAN TRAITS.
DpIvJX,; AND sHOPPING-THE KIM VI
rrnES-A TOPSY-TCRVY PLACE

a.. , ,.y,, breakfast 81 fruit and oon"e' uo So"'
,orn,,o ard see.ng Immediately afterwafu' anu
.e..rr 20 yosr noiei ~ secoLd ana hear''e "e'"
"a, a, 10 o.,ock a. room every on" retres some
o..~o.v ~ 10 bed ard stay there all the after
, -, ,-, n 4 rule Americans simply shut themselves
M with q book ard Tan. toth' themselves ~ u"
ugh,ot and easiest Of dressing gowns. ana ide '"',
10, honrs that intervene between almuerzo ana dinner
Nearly all tourists IN Havana drive aionh' the ''N
ard ~ on,skrts at about O'Clock and II sightseeing
= rho object in view. this Is the best time Bn' 'ho'
who drive for drlvlnes sake walt mill or 10
o,c,o,k i'm the evening whcn the air i cool ana
nl,a,ant The charges for carriage hire vary VIII"
the customers nationality. Americans pay more VIZ"
any one else. They Invariably charged al ." p'
The tour other foreigners pay ~ D. and natives
never give over 80 cents for The same lens'" VI
time You Can drive to any given point IN Tie '"S
limits for 90 cents, unless you cross '.'.'
called Beascoln.av... when the rates are donbl"d
Th. haokmen take advantage Of strangers by drN,"s
across this avenue and then they are legally tii'h"
TO the extra fare.
Two young ladies in this party engaged carriage
by the hour 10 take them out to the 'uii ''"'"' wv
most beautiful drive IN Havana. They agree" ~ pay
the usual rate Of II 30 When they had D'c" UNIV"
but part OF the distance the driver demanded - "
no any further They refused to pay The add'ooha'
price whcreup0n the man turned MS "orseH "o"'s
ward. one Of the young LADIES tod hn' 'n'' u"
less he took them 10 the place originally ae'e'"
moon Size would give Inn ~ and no more NcN''
thelrss, he Insisted upon returning 10 Inc "'''' '''
as they had no escOIt to enforce their e'"'' ''e'
lost the best part OF the dive oh "ir'i"s at -"
hotel they found they had been absent ou' "'''
over half an hour. and therefore thcy "'""'" W"
man ST. lie sw0re at them. but they w''N'u "'"
the hotel. meaning to pay no further attention |"
him. Tlmre were "A dozen more opaniarnS sa'he'yu
In front Of the hotel but they were too hnguid 10
interfere even wien the irntc hachihn threw inc
dollar at the yt,.mg women. AS Inc >hNc' ~" "'
the pavement Il hotel emplDyc hin''N u pic" 10 '"r
driver but by This Time he had worked m"'Ne" 'h'"
a Tremendous rage. lie Jumped nom tue '"'r'''''
ran into the ho;el followed the ladies haii WHY "p
the stairs and threw the money at them Il second
fine II then dawncd upon another emploVc 'ha'
i, was timn 10 interfere so put TIE driver ont ana
returned the money to the ladies' telling th'h ''''e
they had better take II. as no one c'S" "ou'' anu
that If there further trouble about '' "'""'
their word would be- better than lh" h1cN""n''
There was no further trouble; except that In TIA"
evening when the ladies were dining IN the ho'i
restaurant which Is open the street front. The
driver stationed himself near their tab" ana hhS''
himself by cur,lng and making erlnmceN ut 'neih'
Later IN the evening he entered the hotel In ,earch
Of vengeance. and again offered his dollar Oy 'he
Motel cl,ik and again he refused 4. "h'irnpon ho
was summarly elected. A. he left, he mn'ter'n
thrat, against all Americans and his two enemies In
particular.
An unpleasant fcaure of one Of the mos popular
drives Is The nau,cating odor which mpr"cnacs the
nr near the hospital OF san Lnzaro. As the streets
Of Havana are narrow. one often comes willlh
i've feet Of the hospital In driving by II. u l.
huge gloomy looking building devoted 10 lcpcrS on
the ground floor there Is larg" courtyard opening
the street In front ana divided from il by an iron
grating. Dozens OF lcpcrS IN III" fist stages Of III"
disease wander around this courtyard gather near
lac, pratn nd shaking hand, with
friends outside.
II Brooklyn T. a city Of churches, Havana Is city
Of hospitals These are nearly all devoted To yellow
fever PATIENTS and the disease I, not prevalent
during the winter they closed until warm weather
In. The Military Hospital Is the largest. and 1t Is
said BY those who have been quartered there that
II IS also one OF the drtlest. Every cub-mllitary
political Soclal-has It's own private hospital. t.
which members are sent VIXEN poverty necessity
Tor Isolation renders II impracticable for them TO be
cared for at home.
The spanish Club has several thousand members.
II occuplc~ magnificent palace. formerly the
residence OF spanish duke. This building Is three
stories high The second floor /, given up 70
bilari.playing en- the third floor there Is read
Ing room and long lallkc apartment filled with
card tables Every evening finds these tables
rounded by players and the same /, true of the
billiard rooms. lees and drinks served 10 mem
brrs, but there Is restaurant. The most remark
able thing about the club /, the absence OF noisy con
vcrsation loud laughter. There may b. couple
OF hundred men In the card room. drinking and play
ing yet the place Is almost quiet a church.
strangers are always welcomed AT The club. and
ladies. n escorted by member. can Inspect the
building at any time. Oddly enough 1t l. about the
only place In Cuba where the do not stare
women out OF countcnancc.
The city palace of the Captain General Is under
going repairs at present. In anticipation OF the visit
Of the lnfanta. The Capain-General receives a
large annual salary. and he Is supposed TO keep
hi, palaces In Order but he has not done His
summer residence at the Botanical Gardens Is sadly
in need OF repair and the plants outdoors are
scarcely worth visit. owing to negligence. But.
that III" Infanta l. expected n tremendous
amount OF work has TO be- done. and the Captain
General Is the busiest man In Cuba for OF course
everything must b. I'm the best OF order when the
iniana arrives or-sOmething unpleasant might hap.
pen to trc Governor
Havana has Its dudes and also Its King OF the
Dudes lie Is about twenty three years old. and he
has Il fond and anxious mamma lie also hi, a
mia Tor balloon aSccnsionS. An acronaut planned
TO give nm exhibition OF his skin In Havana and
the Young Cuban made arrangements To 90 up In one
81 the balloons and to come down with parachute.
lie was the hero OF the hour with his admirers but
h, mamma did not view the matter In the SAME
nghl She reasoned with her son In vain: threats
and cntrca,ics OF no avail. Finally. In despair.
she went t0 the Captain General with her tai" OF
woe and hc. taking pity on her. issued decree
forbddlng any balloon ascenslOns TO be made In
Cuba.
But this DID not end the matter for the young
man felt deeply mortified ard Informed his mamma
that unless b" was allowed to go up In the balloon
he would commit suicide. She WAS obliged 10 return
to the Captan-General ana persuade him - revoke
the Decree which II" did. Thcrcupon the young man
went up In one OF his lcoved balloons. but not being
very expert, his trip down with the parachute was
not exactly =, success. lie fell and broke his head,
and for some time his glory was under the eclipse
OF n most unbecoming bandagc.
Flowers comparatively expensive In Havana.
small bouQet OF short -semmed costs dollar.
The bouquets are decidedly inaristlc; one central
flower towers above the rest. which arranged In
pyramid shape around II. They are tied tightly to-
gcthrr with bit Of ribbon grass.
me different hotels arrange excursions for their
guests TO points OF interest outside II the city, one
place, which nearly every one visits. Is large pine