The record-union., 1898-08-07
SANTIAGO CITY.
Extreme Measures Must be Taken
to Effect Sanitary Conditions.

| of foul refuse that cucumber the streets
the malodorous alleys and byways, the
! lack of sanitary arrangements and
drainage of any description, are all mat
| terS that Will require remedying, if this
| is to become an American city. 1t
| should be remembered that the weeks
| of blockade, the fear Of bombardment,
| the scarcity of food and the general de-
| moralization existing in a besieged town
have done much to add to the conditions
| of filth and poor sanitation that nor
maly prevail.
For generations the people have lived
| regardless of the first rules OF hygiene.
| The lower classes are ignorant of all
| precautionary measures, and it is not
| surprising when our American officers
| issue an order through the Civil Gov
ernor of Santiago stating that all houses
must be thoroughly cleaned, inside and
out, that the order is disregarded.
Orders are constantly issued to the
people to report at once the death of
| any one in their household and threats
Of fine and enforced labor as punish
ment carry little weight. Extreme
| measures will have to be taken to bring
| about a proper condition of affairs in
this respect and it will take many
months of example and straight en-
forcement of regulations to bring the
people to an observance of what is
clearly best for their health
| In the military hospital of the city
there were on July Goth, 562 cases of
the prevalent malarial fever, 121 cases
of dysentery, 56 cases of diarrhea, -
cases of yellow fever. The yellow fever
| cases are all among the Spanish SOL
diers. A week ago there were six
cases of this fever, and among the total
| Of nineteen cases there have been six
| deaths since the American occupation.
Sixteen of the 4SS wounded Spanish SOL
diers in the hospital have died since
the United States troops took possession
of the town.
| To the city of Santiago there is this
| advantage from the rains of the wet
season, in that the water washes down
the streets and sweeps away all manner
of refuse and rubbish. Flushing the
streets like the rains do, is like flush
ing the sewers in an American city.
Since July 1st until July Odd this
city was without daily paper. On
July 23d the "Espectador" made it's
/ first appearance, and printed the full
| Spanish text of President Mckinley $
proclamation to the people of Cuba.
| This paper is running a series of arti-
cles on New York City, this subject be-
! ing supposedly of prime interest to its
readers at this time. A three column
article on the Inscriptions on the Egyp-
| tan obelisk in Central Park appears in
the last issue, and the publisher prom
Uses the Declaration of independence
of the United States in the near flu
tinctior of being the only Spanish pa
per published in this island free of
Spanish censorship.
A newspaper printed in Spanish is
promised soon, and Company F of the
Thirty-third Michigan has brought out
a paper called Company F Enter
prise" which is the first American pa
per published in the city of Santiago
de Cuba.
Already the enterprising American is
present. There is around town a rag
ged man with smattering of Spanish
who has turned several dollars by buy
ing up swords and machetes from Span
iards and the city pawnshops, to sell
them again to American relic hunters.
There is the man with the capital to
invest, who awaits but a sure and re-
munerative opportunity, and there is
the man who buys up bargains in
American horseflesh from sick or
wounded officers going home, hoping 10
sell the animals at a profit The first
steamer from the United States has
brought many men to look over this
new field for business opportunities.
and there will be American sharpness
and enterprise pitted against the Gu
ban and Spaniard.
If Santiago proSpers and money is
easy there will be good field here for
the gambler and his outfit if the laws
will allow him to operate. With pros
perity and a good hotel, theer is prom
ise in Santiago of a wide-open town
that will be sure attraction to men
of certain stamp.
The arrival of so many strangers in
Santiago during the last two weeks has
taxed the towns accommodations,
which We're never ample, to the utmost
The lack of anything like hotels and
restaurants will continue to be detri-
ment to the city until some one with
knowledge of what Americans want
steps in and opens hotel. The Anglo
American Club of Santiago, an inStitu-
ton founded over three years ago by
the Englsh-speaking residents of this
place, has been the salvation of many
Americans since the occupation. The
club affords a limited number of cool
and clean rooms to American officers
and correspondents Many Of Santi-
ago's American residents will remem-
Der most gratefully the clubs cool gar
den and the stone-paved shower bath.
Since three days after the occupation
the club has served meals, and while
what is eaten comes mostly in cans,
the long white table set twice day
with china plates and bottles of wine
has been most welcome sight to many
an officer who has ridden in from the
front to experience the novel sensation
Of a civilized meal. Old friends meet
at this common center, and the fighting
Of the 1st, Cd and Sd of July is told
and told again by men who were on the
right or the left or who came up late.
Naval officers from the ships have
come to the club dinner, and then their
brother officers from the field hear tales
Of what the ships have done.
Many of the refugees from Santiago
and the eastern end of Cuba who
slipped over to Jamaica during the
troublous times are coming back OPP
purtunities to do SO are scarce, how
ever, as steamers are not frequent frcm
jamaica; but slowly the town is fill
ing up, and the country people are conf
ing in to buy certain necessities. But
their money is not plentiful as yet.
Continued on Seventh Page.)