The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-19
CONDITION IN HAVANA.

CONDITION IN HAVANA.
Horse Meat is Selling at One Dol
lar q Pound.
New York Special: Accounts of the
condition of affairs in Havana, Mat
anzas and Cardenas have been given
by passengers of the steamer Fridtjot
hansen, which has arrived from Sagua.
It brought twenty-nine refugees, most
of whom were Spaniards, who had made
all sorts of sacrifices to escape from
the island in anticipation of it's being
controlled by the insurgents. Many of
them were we'll supplied with funds,
having turned all their available prop
erty into cash. They paid 5000 each
for passage. Almost all those aboard
being Spanish sympathizers, a meeting
was held in the saloon while the ship
was off Barnegat, N. j., at which a
majority pladged themselves to refuse
to give any information to Americans
regarding the conditions of things in
Cuba. A few, however, consented to
talk after they got ashore, but even
they were unwilling to permit their
names to be used.
One woman, who had reached Sagua
by rail from Hanava, said that the
condition of affairs in the capital was
deplorable and was daily growing
worse. '"There is plenty of money! she
said, "but of what use is it when it
will hardly purchase anything? 1t is
impossible to get beef at any price and
even horse flesh costs 81 a pound. Bread
costs % cents a pound n is very bad
at that. Eggs, which are brought in
from the country in small quantities,
cost IS cents EACH. The supply Of con-
densed milk is practically exhausted
and the little left is sold at 81 a can
such as you buy here for 10 cents. On
IN average ten to twelve persons are
found dead of starvation in the streets
every day and this takes no account
of the scores who daily die of hunger
in the houses. No words can describe
the horrors Of Las Fesos, the place at
the foot of the Prado, where the recon-
c%entrados are herded together. I was
told that there were no less than 1900
of these miserable people in the place
when I came away and they are dying
by hundreds, for, Of couse, nothing is
being don fort their relief, even the
government has not enough food for its
own soldiers. Worse than this, the Of
ficials beat and abuse them shame
fully.
COAL ABOUT GONE.
"a few gas lamps are still burning in
the streets, but the electric lights are
only lighted on Thursday nights, when
there is music in the Parque C%entrale.
What a chastity mockery those band
concerts are with so many people starv-
ing to death within sound of the mu-
sic. All the theaters are closed, and
their Hobbies are nightly crowded with
the homeless poor. Wine is the only
thing in the city that is plentiful and
cheap, so hat even the poor can get
a little at times. Almost all the stores
in Weyler and O'Rielly streets are
closed, as are the principal hotels. The
stock of coal is almost completely ex-
hausted, and for a few days the local
ira as that run to Vedado, past the
Santa Clara battery, were stopped for
want of fuel. They are now burning
wood, but even h a will soon be gone
Juan Zarraga Zarte said: II do not
know anything Of the condition OF
things in Havana, but I do know that
there is much misery at Cardenas and
Matanzas. Things, however, might be
worse, considering the stringency of the
blockade. Much starvation has been
avoided by the foresight of the mer-
chants, who, in anticipation of the out
break of the war, laid in large stores OF
provisions. OF course they have sold
at high prices, and I heard of one
man who made $780, 900 in a specula-
ton in flour in sagua. All the stores
which have provisions are kept under
guard by, soldiers to prevent starving
people from looting them. Every n il
tired of the war and on all hands one
hears prayers that peace will soon
come"
The Nansen brought up a cargo OF
sugar, which it discharged at Williams.
curry. It also brought 1868 bales of to-
bacco and 1922 cases of cigars. This was
the first cargo of sugar reaching the
United States since the surrender OF
Santiago.
pJTC