The times., 1898-06-04
THE n, r. ROOTH CO.,
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.

Features of the City and the Prov
ince-Productions of the Country.
The town OF Santiago de Cuba is situ
ated at one side of the harbOr and about
six miles from its entrance and overlooks
II at the widest part. The entrance to
the harbor is very narrow, not more than
about $50 feet wide. and the channel is
winding until ii reaches PUnta Gorda.
after which it widens into a beautiful
harbor. AT one side Of the entrance is
Morro Castle. a very old foEt. MORO
is a typical name given TO alE these coast
| fortresses. On the oppositea side OF the
harbor is Socapa
The town of Santiago is low, but rises
| as the ground slopes up from the coast
| towards some ranges Of hills. 1t was
| quite a business town before the war
and there are three COMPANIES there that
have handled great deal OF ore. one of
! them as much as a thousand tons day.
The houses are mostlya one story high
on account of the liability 10 earthquakes
but there are some of two stories. The
| dwelling houses are surrounded by spa
| cious yerandas. which look on beautiful
| gardens filled with a wealth of gorgeous
| flowers The pOinsettia, with its heads OF
| brilliant scarlet leaves. which the people
| in the North cherish in little flower pots
| and in greenhouses, is there a large tree,
| and other trees with their clusters of
| gaudy fragrant flowers make these gar
| dens fairy scene.
There are various insects among the
| flowers and mosquitoes innumerable. but
| none of the insects are poisonous. There
| is a large spider about the size of ones
| fiSf W mr. linz nd
| a slight fever, and a scorpion whose bite
| causes some irritation. but is not deadly.
| There are no venomOus reptiles in the
| island. There is one enormous variety of
boa, called the Maja, of immense strength.
| II is perfectly black as thick as ones
| arm and capable of swelling itself out to
| nearly five times its natural size, and has
| a blood-red mouth, all Of which sounds
very alarming until you find out that he IS
| a lazy fellow and does not trouble himself
about human beings, being satisfied with
pigs and goats and even small game.
There is a small snake called the jubo,
| and some other varieties, but they are
| not venomous.
The repose of the streets is not dis
turbed by the rush of cable or trolley
cars. The usual conveyance. the volante,
is long-bodied vehicle on two wheels.
The town of Santiago is the see of the
archbishop. and contains the largest ca
4
Nuestra Sonora de la Carload del Cobre.
Here is also the Theological Seminary of
San Basilio.
In this region is the highest land in
Cuba A mountain range called the Mon
tanos de Maestro or Cobre extends from
the Punta de Maisi on the eastern ex-
trernity to Cape Cruz, on the opposite
side. Pico de Turquino the highest eie-
| vation rises 7,6T0 feet above the ocean.
| These mountains are very rich in ore
! and the Cobre copper mines. some twelve
miles distant from the city. have yielded
| fifty tons day, the higher grades being
| shipped to Europe and the inferior grades
smelted at the mines. All this work has
| stopped since the war became serious.
These mines were worked as early as
the seventeenth century, and were then
abandoned for more than hundred
| wears Iron Is also found there, and gold
and silver have been taken out. but not
in sufficient quantities to make it profit
| able. However, none Of these mines
has yet been fully developed. Btumin-
Gus coal is found which gives out high
degree of heat and leaves scarcely any
| ashes or cinders. Near the coast 1t is
often found in semi-liquid masses re-
; sembling petroleum or naphtha. There arf
| some very extensive caves in these noun
tains which have never been thoroughly
explored.
There are forests of mahogany, Cuban
ebony, cedar. and other hard woods ir
this province, among them ofe called the
quebra hacha or aK-breaker. and the
, jucero. which does not even decay after
! long submersion. The marqueterie worl
, in the room occupied by Philip II Of
SPAIN in the Escurial was made from
) these woods. of which the Spaniard:
t know the value. and they are exported
from the island in large quantities.
IL
speaking. except wild dogs which play
: havoc in the poultry yards A small an
I | irnal called juita, that resembles a, coor
. | and probably belongs to the same family
, is found in great numbers and has fur
| nished many good meal to the hungry
: Cuban soldiers, who trap 1t by the dozen
When eaten with a relish OF garlic anC
onion 1t is delicious-to those who like
| garlic. A
5 The city of Bayamo. in the western par
I | of the province, was very important CEN
tury or more ago, and a great stronghold
of the insurgents-for there have always
5 been insurgents In Cuba But of late
S years business has moved to Santiago and
: other coast cities, and Santiago now ha:
n about 1000 inhabitants, while Bayamo ha:
only 10000. 1t was a lawyer of Bayamo
! Charles M. de Cespedes, who, in 1868, a
the head Of 12S wretchedly armed men
rose in rebellion at Yara, and in a few
= weeks was at the head of Is 900 resolut,
though badly armed fighters. The HymnC
: de Bayemo, the revolutionary hymn of tn,
z Cuban patriots, originated in Bayamo
This was the Marseillaise to whose music
g Maceo marched. Santiago de Cuba was
: the birthplace of the brothers Maceo.
r On the opposite side of the province
e from the town of Santiago is the Bay o1
S Nipe. The Bay of Cienfuegos is said tc
be one of the most magnificent harbors ir
!. the world, both for area and depth oi
: water: but 1t Is surpassed by the harbol
j cf Nipe. which embraces sixty-five square
miles of deep water,