The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-07-16
WASTED BY WAR.
Devastation of Cuba by the Con-
tending Armies
Ruin of the Tobacco Trade and
Destruction of Houses and
Property of All
Kinds

\ special dispatch from Havana to
the Evening World gives a detailed ac-
count of the devastation which has been
wrought throughout the island of Cuba.
1t contains statement made to- the
correspondent by Adolph W. Waldmann,
of Chicago, a very observing and CON
scientious German-American, who has
just completed a trip through the prov
ince of Santa Clara.
Il came to Cuba on January l." said
MIR. Naldmann, Ito buy tobacco. |
found only 80 bales in Havana, all poor
stun, and decided to go to Santiago de
Cuba direct by boat and return slowly
by travelling through the country where
l could, SO as to pick up tobacco
If there was any. Let me say there is
none.
The trade in the states is utterly
misInformed on this point. | have been
two weeks getting - bales and have
searched the island from one end to the
other The crop coming up has been de-
stroyed. here is a little patch here
and there around town, but the fields
are laid waste. / can safely say that
east OF Havana there Is not enough to-
bacco gathered or in sight to keep a
small factory in the United States go
ing for It month. The reports of planters
10 the west of Havana are such that il
would be useless for me to go there.
There Is three times as much Havana
tobacco ia the states to-day as there Is
cut or growing in Cuba.
AS To the revolution the situation
looks to me after studying il with my
eyes To be this: The Spanlards seem to
be satisfied if they can hold the towns.
All the country belongs to the rebels.
And the rebels are slowly DESTROYING,
the towns. If they had few I2-pourd
cannon only the big cities would b,.
standing in a month. Nothing could
stop that.
AS it is neither side can win. Tn
less a change comes Cuba Is certain to
be made a waste. II il pretty clos. to
that now / did not see Il farmhouse.
except there were soldiers in it for a
fort. standing in my whole trip. l saw
hundreds upon hundreds that had been
burned down as l passed throl gh the
country. often with half-charred sew
ing machines. cradles. furniture and i'm
Plcments strewn about. Th.r. l. not
a home with the family in peaceable
possession in the country 50 far as /
could see.
WI hen | was in the city of Santiago
de Cuba l got acquainted with some of
the Spanish officers there. They were
very polite and nice u me. They took
me up in tower and with a glass
showed me the carthworks and fortiti-
cations of the rebel strongholds When
asked them why they did not attack
these places IN plain sight they sai,l the
troops could not leave the small forts.
If the soldiers go out they are shot down.
This was the reason they did not go out
"One of the officers who seemed to
be an Inspector examined the guns while
there and told me that the whol. war
was on a rotten basis and WAS an out
rage upon Spain. Another officer. a
general, afterward expressed the same
views. lie said he was Disguised and was
going To resign and go home They arr.
angry because the other officers sit
around cafes in Santiago and did not
lead the troops to the field. 1t was Just
the same in Trinidad, Cienfuegos and in
every large city.
Between Colon and Matanzas the
whole country is burned up. All the
villages on the line are DESTROYED eN-
cept two, and they have double stone
walls around them and are well pro
tected by troops. Every farmhouse was
ruin. There is not a thing growing
nor PLANTED. On the ride from Matan-
zas to Havana il was just as bad. There
Was only one town, Jaruco, standing
and portion Of that is gone.
around the ruins of every town were
lots of soldiers and a crowd of poverty
stricken country people. Some of them
were absolutely naked, all were nearly
So l saw any quantity of men wearing
only breech-cloths. / wondered why
these men did not go and join the rebels.
l would rather die fighting than starve
to death as they are doing.
Il can give you no adequate idea of
the wretchedness of these people. Weak
and naked. they are living. or. rather
dying, under pieces of bark placed
leaning against trees. They crawl un-
der this and lay in the mud and dirt
men, women and children Huts in
Africa are palaces to these holes 1t
was the most horrible sight / ever saw
and there were miles upon miles of it"
" Y. World