The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-09
SUGAR ESTATES IN CUBA.
A Picture of Their Conditions Half a
Century Ago.
(From the Century,


Coffee plantations, though so beauti-
full, have not increased in numbers of
late years; in fact, many of them have
been changed into sugar estates, which
are more profitable, and render the
owner socially more important The
owner usually resides in Havana,
where his family may enjoy the pleas
ures Of cultivated society and have the
luxuries of city; he therefore employs
a sort of middlenlan, called a major
domo, to manage his estate. The own
er wants all the money ne can get to
maintain his establishment in Havana,
and the major-domo seeks to increase
his percentage, and thus the poor
slaves are ground to the dust, and at
time the cruelties practiced are bar
barous. The mayorals are usually Ca
nary islanders, a, hot-tempered and
cruel race, and, being without the re-
straint Of the presence Of the owner.
are vindictively oppressive. and in their
human punishments often take life.
The horrors which have been perpe-
trated in Cuba by the lash would dis
grace barbarians.
One striking fact attesting the hard
Ships of slave life on sugar estate is
that children are very rarely seen there.
Slave men in their vigor are more prof
table, and hence in a large force Of
several hundred men only a few wom-
en- are allowed. The labors and hard
ships which these women endure tend
to prevent increase, and the few chill
dren born usually die in infancy from
neglect. There is no care taken to pre-
vent this result, as they say it is cheap
er to supply the losses on the planta-
tons by new importations than by the
rearing Of children. The climate for
tunately, is so mild that the slaves
need but little clothing, and a wide
palm hat and cloth about the Ioins
are their costume IN the fields, the sun
seeming to have but little effect upon
| their black skins.
Every week there is a ration day, on
Which they are drawn up in long lines.
and a few pounds of black-looking beer
| brought from Buenos Ayres are thrown
at the feet of each which at night each
cooks to suit himself In addition. a
coarse meal or small hominy Cbran and
alb is boiled, and put in a trough. from
Which they eat it every morning with
q spoon, paddle, or their hands, as
| they choose.
The Africans brought into Cuba are
| generally from the coast Of Mozan-
bique, and are called Locoomees and
| Caravalees. They are large, stout men,
of logged wilA and at times are very
obstinate.
All these creatures believe implicitly
in the TRANSPORTATION of souls, and that
If they commit suicide they go immedi-
ately back to Africa. To check this
| evil, when a suicide occurs, the NAV
oral makes each of the slaves bring a
bundle of wood and build a funeral
pyre, on which the body is burned
The ashes are then scattered in the
air by the survivors, in whose opinion
the dead negroes soul is thus prevented
from returning to Africa. In scatter
ing the ashes they sigh audibly, Aha.
aha!' as if expressing grief that the
soul of their companion can no longer
go home.
The appearance of the sugar estates
is the very opposite of the beautiful
coffee plantations. Wide fields of mo-
notonous green stretch themselves to
the horizon on every side, while here
| head above the verdant level. The
mayoraPs house, the sugar works and
the dingy barracoons for the slaves are
! the only objects to break the monotony
of the desolate scene. When first
planted, the cane is laid lengthwise in
trenches or burrows about five or six
feet apart, and then covered From
! each eye (there is an eye to each souno
joint shoot springs up and sends Out
others, forming a bunch of canes; an6
| thus the fields are covered with the
most luxuriant green.
Every year the crop is cut at the
ground, and the next season another
crop springs up from the roots, which
are called Vatons These Vatons will
yield crops in this way for severa
years, the length of time depending
on the mildness of the climate. Ii
Louisiana only three or four crops ar,
gathered from one planting. while il
the tropics IS or 20 are thus obtained
The grinding of the cane begins abou
the last of October and continues unit
the beginning of the rainy season, Z
period Of nearly six months. This il
the time of greatest labor on the estate
and without intermission of Sunday
or holidays, with but a few exceptions
the slaves work necessarily, and mel
and teams are worn out before work il
over. The slaves are given a few
trihing presents and are allowed SOM
extra privileges, to encourage them il
undergoing the increased labor.