The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-24

" ii1e ~ ~ liz .SlI1 - THESE fsASiS
THE RESULT OF, AN INQUIRY OF.
THE OFFICERS OF THE UNITED
STATES CRUISER MoNTGoat-
ERY,
Correspondence OF the Associated Press,
I, SANTIAGO. DE CUBA Feb. S.
While the United States cruiser Mont
gcrnery was at Matanzas recently a
board ot'ofIleers was appointed to in
quire into the condition OF the peopis
of that province, Although the exact
terms OF the report are not known, Il
J may be said, that in substance. II sets
forth that there ore 1000 people abso-
lntelv without food or clothing within
: the city limits. About 5000 Of these live
4 in small huts Of palm branches, These
Y huts form three separate villages be-
yond the built.up portions OF the city,
The other LOCO uaiortunates 1--we inthe
& streets OF the city and are absolutely
4 without homes or shelter.
These 1900 people are OF the iaboflng
+. class who have been driven into the
cities from their country homes. which
have been destroyed In the war opera
+ lions. Most OF them are women aud chill
4 dren and they are all emac!ated, sick
I and almost beyond relief unless they
can have the benefit of regular treat
1 ment In the hospitals. As It Is, they arc
dying In the streets for want of food.
According 10 statistics gathered from
the best official sources. the number OF
deaths In The province OF Matanzas
from starvation. Is $1,000. out OF a total
population OF 253,sl6 In December. 1897,
tand the number of starving people Is
4 rapidly increasing.
~ In the city of Matanzas alone there
have been about 1000 deaths during
the past year. and the number IS In
creasing daily. The death rate at pres
lent averages forty-slx per day, as
4 shown by the reports from the ceme-
terry. The increase In the death rate
IDS due to the fact that the distress is 40
lonGer! confined to the laboriug class.
mostfof whom have already persisted.
IN Il<iS buV eAleIueu " tliOSc ptOptt
) who before the war were In moderately
4 comfortable circumstances. Those who
. are BOW begging in the streets were
in large part, weli-to-do people, or
the children OF the well-to-do. And In
addition, the citizens OF the city o.
MatanZas Themselves are beginning to
n suffer for the actual necessaries OF lie.
u having drained their resources IN order
Z to supply the needs OF the labor!ag
class who have been CHARTERED upon
them.
The citizens Of MatnnZas have an or
Il gained system OF relief for The starv-
4 Ing people, but It Is entirely inadequate
and lis daily becoming more glaringly
80. for the resources OF those who were
4 well-to-do are rapidly diminishing,
while the demand for food Is constant
" increasing
AT one the relief stations the board
4 Of officers found one hundred starving
people. this being the actual number OF
persons for whom the citizens had been
Z. able to provide rations there. In o
{ room across the court yard of the build
ing were one hundred tin pans and as
many spoons. These pans were filed
with a cooked mess OF rice and i fish
and were arranged in rows. ready for
distribution among the Vanishing peo-
pie. who were In waiting in another
part OF the house.
But as, already said. the three relief
Z places In the city OF Aiatanzas do, not
!. begin to adequately supply food to 1900
Z people who are there starving in the
streets for the citizens are only able to
: issue food three tiules q day at each
Z place and then to only about one hun.
bred at time. Consequently only q bout
1 nine hundred Of the destitute people re-
ceIve food once q day.
It should be added that q large num-
! Der Of the citizens OF MatanZas have
v led the Starving in the streets in front
OF their own homes, but the citizens
themselves are feeling the pinch OF
( privation and unless assistance soon
{ comes to them they will be compelled
Z in self-protectlon, to cease the work Of
q charity in which they are now engaged
and which Is seemingly the only saliva
X ton for the starving thousands.
The only other public relief at Mat
anzas as that given to the poor sick
Is children by the management OF the
emergency hospital which is under the
direction of the volunteer fire depart
& ment OF Matanzas There are about
ninety children treated daily and are
furnished with nourishment under the
& direction OF the city physicians.
" These statements are the conclusions,
II facts and figures arrived at by board
z of United States naval officers. When
the United States naval officers landed
they were constantly followed by clam
yoring crowds of starving men. women
and children. who i.nportuned them In
!; the most heartrcnding manner for q lit
tie food, for the want OF which they
= were slowly dying.
aSs The United States consul at Matanzas
has done everything possible under the
circumstances, but when the Montgom-
< cry left there in the first days Of Feb.
4 ruary, the consul had only enough ra-
fstlons remaining to last about two
weeks, after which the fund approprla-
yFted by Congress would have been ex-
hausted and then the sufferers OF Mat
nnzas would include the American cit
fzens at that place who have hitherto
q received relief through the United
States consulate. At TINT time the
81 consul had received petition signed
by the American citizens OF Matanzas
5000 An:1 ry - lttrsaa