Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-09-22
Queer Old San Juan,

San Juan is perfect specimen Of
walled town, with portoullis, moat,
gates and battlements. Built over
25O years ago, it is still in good con-
dition and repair. The walls are
picturesque and represent o stupendl
GUS work and cost in themselves.
Inside the walls the city is laid off in
regular squares, six parallel streets
running in the direction of tthhS
length of the island and seven at
right angles. The houses are closely
and compactly built of brick, usually
of two stories, stucooed on the out.
side and painted variety of colors.
The upper floors are occupied by the
more respectable people, while tho
ground floors, almost without oxcep-
ton, are given up to negroes and the
poorer classes, who crowd one, upon
another iii the most appalling man
ner. Tho population within the
walls is estimated at 10000, and
most of it lives on the ground floors.
In one small room with a himsy par,
tition a whole family will reside. +
The ground floors of the whole
town reek with filth, and conditions
are most nnsanitary. In tropical
country, where disease readily pre-
walls, the consequences of such herd
ing may be easily inferred. There
is no running water in tho town.:
The entire population depends, on
rain water caught on the flat roofs
of the buildings and conducted to
the sistern, which occupies the
greater part of the courtyard that; is
an essential part of Spanish houses
the world over, but that here, on ac-
count of tho crowded conditions, is
small. There is no sewerage, except
the surface water and sinks, while
vaults arc in every house and oconpy
whatever remaining space there may
be in the patios not taken up by the
cisterns. The risk of communicating
the water is great, and in dry sea-
sons tho supply is entirely exhausted.
Epidemics are frequent, and tho town
Is alive with vermin, mosquitoes, and
dogs. .......
The streets arc wider than in the
older part of Havana, and will admit
two carriages abreast. The side
walks are narrow, and i'll places will
accommodate only one person. The
pavements are of composition manu-.
factured in England from Stag, pleas
ant and even and durable when no
heavy strain is brought to bear upon
them, but easily broken and unfit for
heavy traffic. The streets are swept
once day by hand, and, strange to
say, arc kept very clean. From ite
Typographical situation the town
should be healthy, but it is not. The
soil under the city is clay mixed with
lime, so hard as to be almost like
rock. 1t is consequently impervious
to water, and furnishes a good nata,-
raj drainage. The trade wind blows
strong and fresh, and through the
harbor runs stream of sea water at
a speed Of not less than three miles
an hour. With these conditions no
contagious diseases, if properly taken
care of, could exist !; without them
them the place would be veritable
plague spot.
Besides the town within the walls
there are small portions just outside,
called the Marina and Puerta dc
TERRA, containing 1000 or 5000
inhabitants each. There arc also
two suburbs, one, San Turce, ap-
preached by the only road leading
out of the "ity, and the othor,
Catano, across t.N bay, reached by
ferry. The Marina and the two
suburbs arc situated on sandy points
or pits, and the latter are surrounded
by mangrove swamps. The entire
population Of the city and suburbs,
according 60 the census Of 1897, was
$4,000. 1t is now estimated at
10000. One-half of the population
consists of negroes and mixed races.
Boston Transcript. . S.