The herald., 1898-02-24
SUFFERING OF CUBANS
PASSES THE POWER OF PEN TO
DESCRIBE
THOUSANDS ARE STARVING
The Streets Of All the Larger Cities
Filled With Dying Women
and Children
Associated Press Special wire

0ANIlA1O LIZ CObA, FeD. lS.-
While the United States cruiser Mont
gomery was at Matanzas recently a
board of officers was appointed to in
quire into the condition Of the people
Of that province. Although the exact
terms of the report are not known. 1t
may be said that in substance, 1t sets
forth that there are $4,000 people abb
solutely without food and clothing with
In the city limits. About 5000 of these
live In small huts Of palm branches.
These huts form three square villages
outside the built-up portions of the city.
Many are absolutely without homes or
shelter.
These $4,000 people are of the laboring
class, who have been driven into the
cities from their country homes which
nave been destroyed in the war opera
tions. Most Of them are women and
children and they are all emaciated,
sick. and almost beyond relief until
they can have the benefit of regular
treatment in the hospitals. AS 1t is. they
are dying in the streets for the want of
food.
According to statistics gathered from
the best official sources, the numbeE of
deaths in the province Of Matanzas from
starvation is $4,000. and the number of
starving people at present in the prov
ince is estimated at $4,000, out of
total population Of 253,616 in December.
1897, and the number of starving peo-
pie is rapidly increasing
In the city of Matanzas alone there
nave been about II, 900 deaths during the
past year and the number is increasing
daily. The death rate at present aver
ages 46 per day, as shown by the re-
ports from the cemetery. The increase
In the death rate is due to the fact that
the distress is no longer confined to the
iaporing class, most of whom have al
READY perished. 1t is now extended to
the people who before the war were in
moderately comfortable circumstances.
Those now begging in the streets were
IN large part well-to-do people or chill
oren OF the well-to-do. In addition, the
citizens of the city of Matanzas them
selves are beginning to suffer for the
actual necessaries Of life, having ex-
hausted their resources in order to sup
yy the neeos or the laboring class who
nave peen quartered upon them.
Inc citizens of Matanzas have organ
iZeu system of relief for the starving
people put 1t is entirely inadequate and
is daily becoming more glaringly so, for
the resources of those who were well-to-
90 are rapidly diminishing, while the
uemanu Tor food is constantly increas-
ing. At one or the stations the board
OF onlcers found one hundred starving.
this peing the actual number of people
Tor winch the citizens had been able to
provide rellef there. Pans of rice and
hsh are arranged in rows ready for dis
trlnution among the people who were
waiting In another part of the house but
TINS does not begin to supply relief for
the i4ooo people who are starving in the
streets, Tor the citizens are only able to
issue 1000 three times a day at each
pace and then to only abou. pne hun
ored at time. Consequently only about
SUI OF the destitute people receive food
in day.
1t should be added that large number
OF the citizens of Matanzas have fed the
starving IN the streets in front of their
own homes. but the citizens themselves
are 1eeilng the pinch and privation and
unless assistance soon comes to them
they will be compelled in self nrotection
to cease the work of charity in which
seemingly the only salvation for the
starving thousands.
The only other public relief at Matan.
zas is that given to the sick children hv
the management of the Emergency Hos
pital, which is under the direction of ~
volunteer Fire Department of Matan-
Zas. There about eighty children orc
treated daily and are furnished with
n0lIriShmnnf nndor tha
city physicians. These statements are
the conclusions, facts and figures ar
rived at by board of United States
naval officers. When the United states
naval officers landed they were CON- |
stantly followed by clamoring crowds of
starving men, women and children. who
importuned them in the most heartrend- |
ing manner for little food for the want |
of which they were slowly dying.
The United States Consul at Matanzas
has done everything possible under the
but when the Montgomery
left there, in the first days of February.
the Consul had only enough rations re-
naming to last about two weeks, after
which the fund appropriated by Congress
would be exhausted and then the suf- |
ferers of Matanzas would include the
American citizens at that place who have
hitherto received relief through the
United States.
At that time the Consul had received |
a petition signed by the American citi-
zens of Matanzas, setting forth in de-
tail the need in which they stood of
immediate relief from the dangers of
starvation.
So far as the board Of officers of the
Montgomery could ascertain Matanzas,
at that time. needed supply Of food for
$4,000 people for at least one month. in
addition to supplies of condensed milk
for invalids and medicines of all kinds.
The people of Matanzas are also in ur-
gent need Of clothing, most of them
being in filthy rags.
The Spanish authorities, 1t NAV be
said In conclusion, have rendered all
the assistance which it seems possible
Tor them to provide. On one or two occas-
ions they have given $1O0, 900 to the fund
for the destitute, but so far as the hoard
can learn. this was all the government
was in a position to contribute to the
relief of the $4,000 starving, dying neo-
pie in the streets of Matanzas
RELIEF MEASURES
NEW YORK, Feb. 23.-A letter bos
Just been received by the Central Cuba n
relief committee from the chairman os
the committee selected by ConsuI-C Csan.
eral Lee at Havana for the turnoaa- IA
assisting in the disposition OF relief sun-
plies sent by the United Stota.