The times., 1898-04-16
THE SIEGE OF HAVANA.
MIR. Laine Thinks 1t would Not Last
a Week.


Honore Francois Laine. formerly corre-
spondent of The Times in Cuba, writes
as follows of the impending Havana siege:
when the American army lands III
Cuba it will be on the northeastern
coast. The first object of the American
commander will be to place his military
trains on the few passable roads that lead
to Havana. Landed at any other point
than where these roads approach the
coast, the invading army would be para
lyZed. 1t could not travel.
There are trails on other routes where
in dry weather mule trains might pass
along, but especially during the wet sea-
son an army, with its heavy supply We
hicles and artillery would be able to
make no progress along them.
''The principal road leading into Ha-
vana has for IFS terminus Candelaria.
This road runs from east to west There
is tributary road running from Guam
ajoy to Mariel, also on the northern
coast.
1T will, in my opinion be along this
road that the American troops will ap-
proach Havana. The landing will surely
be between Mariei AMI Havana. On the
other side of Havana there are no roads
Guanajoy is thirty-six mile from the capi-
tai and Mariel is twenty-four miles from
Guanajoy. I
The American soldiers will be in lit
tie danger of being ambushed along this
road. l think the surrounding country will
have been deserted by the Spanish SOL
bn n bo
first news of the landing of the Amer
leans, to get behind the walls of the forti-
fication.
There is where the real battle of the
war will be fought-in the capture of Ha-
vana. The siege of the city, after the
Americans approach it's walls, can last at
most fifteen days
My reason for placing this short limit
upon the siege. which will comprise the
one land campaign of the war are sew
eral. Havana has provisions within its
walls to last all of the inhabitants not
longer than fifteen days The provision
merchants are all Spaniards, and no mat
ter how patriotic they are, patriotism Is
IN every instance outweighed by the
greedy money interests
Gen. Blanco, without counting the 3d.
600 volunteers, will be able to muster in
SIuS IhS CITY dUOul Z0,UUO regular troops
that he will bring from the interior
While these troops will constitute the
hghting strength of the cIty's defense
so far as men are concerned, they will
add to the rapidity with which
| the strength of the city will be sapped.
| for they will greatly increase the rate
| OF food consumption and greatly decrease
| the ratio of supplies.
The only way Of getting food into
| Havana ha
| possesses absolutely nothing 1t is devas-
| tated.
| When the walls of the city echo with
! the cannonading of the American batter
les, 1t is to be presumed that the port
VIII nave been blocked by the war yes
sells of the United States for one or two
| days. The sea supply will be cut off.
| Even sea food will be denied the people of
J Havana
The first food supply that will be ex-
| hausted in the city will be meat. Then
| the beleagured citizens will begin to eat
| horsefiesh. The consumption of beef
| at present requires the daily slaughter
OF $50 cattle For the past four months
this supply has been drawn from Centra
America and the United States
The very first day of the siege nc
meat will enter the city. There are nc
| stock yards of consequence near Havana
the cattle being consumed as fast as they
| arrive.
There Is no alternative but to turn tc
the horses of the street. Excluding The
| cavalry horses there are TODAY in Ha,
Vana about 2.5O0 horses. They are all II
pitiable condition-aImost as badly
emaciated as the. reaoneentrados
Chambers, in its chFonice form Is very
prevalent in Cuba, and many of the cal
horses in Havana, which the people will
be forced to eat or starve have the
disease. Chambers prevail to such an ex
tent that every year eight or ten person.
die of it In the city, When the city be
gins it's diet of horse meat drawn from
the cab horses. the cart horses and tn,
beasts of even meaner burden, there Il
no doubt that there will be an epidemic
| of the terrible disorder
The water supply will go almost a!
soon as the meat. It comes from tw,
sources-by the old aQueduce of Carlo
Ill. and by the aqueduct of Vento. Th
former is small ditch that can be easfl,
destroyed. 1t conveys water from tn
River Almendates into Havana. tn
source of the supply being about 81,
miles out 1t would be short work t
cut it off.
1.-The vento aqueduct, which was bull
only four years ago, draws its supply o
water from the Spring Of Vento, fifteel
miles out of Havana. One small cartridg
| OF dynamite, exploded near the reSerYoi
or the springs, Will make Havana as dr.,
as a bone in thirty minutes, the othe
supply having been stopped quite a
readily.
ITO wash down its horse-meat diet. tn
besieged city will have to depend on tn
water of cisterns and wells, which ar
breeders of yellow fever and reek wit
the germs of other diseases
THE decentralization that will prevail +
the city when its inhabitants find them
selves not only without pure water I
quench thirst, but without any waite
supply with which to fight the many fire
that occur during a siege. can well b
, imagined. The explosion of a singl
American shell in Havana at this stag
might lead to a confiagration which woul
turn the town into a furnace.
'The Spanish merchants own a larg
portion Of the real estate, especially i
| the business part Of the city. Most c
these merchants are commanders or off
GERS of the Volunteer Corps. Their voice
| will be first raised to compel the militar
authorities of Hayan to surrender whe
| they see their property being destroyed
| Most of them are annexatonists. HaN
. | ing lived and prospered in Cuba the
are not inclined to return to Spain
"Provender for the cavalry in Cuba
| very meager The larger portion of r.