The times., 1898-08-14
ONE OF OUR NEW CITIES.
Ponce as Described in the War De-
partment ..NOtes"

Porto Rico is now attracting some of
the attention formerly the exclusive prop
erty of Cuba In Military Notes on Por
to Rico prepared by the War Depart
ment for the information of the army. the
following description of Ponce occurs:
a city of 1900 inhabitants. with jur-
isdiction numbering 47oo0. II is situated
on the south coast of the island on a
plain. about two miles from the seaboard.
1t is the chief town of the judicial district
of its name. and Is seventy miles from
San Juan. 1t is regularly built, the cen
trail part almost exclusively of brick
houses and the suburbs of wood 1t is the
residence of the military commander, and
the seat of an official chamber of COM
merce.
There is an appellate criminal court.
besides other courts; two churches, one
Protestant. said to be the only one in the
Spanish West Indies; two hospitals, be-
sides the military hospitals, home of
refuge for old and poor, two cemeteries,
three asylums, several casinos. three the
aters. a market, a municipal public Ii
brary three first-elass hotels, three bar
u
equipped fire department, bank, ther-
mai and natural baths. etc.
Commercially. Ponce is the second city
of Importance on the island. A fine road
leads TO the port playa. where all the
import and export trade is transacted.
PLAYA has about 5000 inhabitants. and
here are situated the custom house. the
office of the captain of the port, and all
the consular offices. The port is spa
IL. - So
feet draft.
Tie climate. on account of the sea
breezes during the day and land breezes
at night, is not oppressive. but hot and
dry; and. as water for all purposes. in
cluding the fire department is amply
supplied by an aqueduct 4,a42 yards long,
it is said that the city of Ponce is per-
haps the heaIthiest place in the whole ISL
and There is a stagecoach 10 San Juan,
Mayaguez. Guayama, etc. There is d
railroad to Yauco, a postoffice and a tele-
graph station.
1t is believed that Ponce was founded
In 1900; il was given the title of villa il
lSiS and in 1877 that of city. OF its thirty
four streets the best are Mayor. Salud.
Villa Wives. Marina and Comercio. The
best squares are Principal and Las Deli
ciaS, which are separated by the church
of Neuestra Sonora de Guadalupe. The
church, as old as the town itself, began
to be reconstructed in 1888 and was fin
Ished in lS4I. 1t is eighty-six yards long
by forty-three broad and has two stee-
pies. rich affairs and fine ornaments. The
Protestant church is of gothic architect
ure of galvanized iron outside and wood
within; it was built in 1874.
The town hall, which also serves as a
Jail is a good two-story building of ma
sonry. and was finished in 1877. There
are two barracks one for infantry with
capacity for 700 men and another for
cavalry. The former was constructed in
1S49 and is two stories high, while the lat
ter is one-story structure belonging to
the municipal council
The military hospital, of masonry. is
situated on Castillo Street, and has a ca
paeity for seventy patients The small
pox and pestilential hospitals are more
simple and are situated outside the city
limits. The albergue de Tricoche (hos.
pitaD was built with money left by VAL
entin Trieoche for this purpose in 1863.
1t Is In the northern part of the town. is
built of masonry on the doric order. with
porch supported by doric columns. II
has capacity for sixty persons.
The Damas Asylum Is built of masonry.
with an elegant porch, iron gate and
garden at its entrance. 1t is maintained
by money iert by various persons and by
other charitable means, and will accnm-
modate twelve men and twelve women.
having besides four beds designed for sick
Seamen.
The theater IS called the Pearl. and II
deserves this name, for it is the finest on
the island. It has sculptured porch, on
the Byzantine order, with graceful col
umns. 1t Is mostly built of iron and mar
BILE and cost over 70, 900 pesos. It is fifty
two yards deep by twenty-nine wide The
inside Is beautiful, the boxes and seats
roomy and nicely decorated. 1t may be,
by mechanical arrangement, convert
ed into dancing hail.
About one and one-eghth miles north
east of the town are the Quintana ther-
NAL baths, in building surrounded by
pretty gardens They are visited by suf-
ferers from rheumatism and various 9TH
er diseases.
The city of Ponce proper has no militia
ry defenses, but in the hills to the north
Of the town series of earth intrench-
ments have lately been constructed. West
of Ponce, where the railroad and military
road touch the shore. earthworks have
been constructed to guard this strategic
point. There are about thirty mountain
howitzers in Ponce available for defense
of the city and the railroad.