The times., 1898-08-17
IN PICTURESQUE PONCE.
How the Old Town struck the Roys
From Santiago


How the Old Town struck the Boys
From Santiago.
The regular dispatches have told how
warmly the Americans are welcomed by
the people of Porto Rico. but the follow
ing is an interesting description of the
place The cry shat went up from one
and all of the American soldiers OF that
most charming and picturesque of Span
ish towns was: ITS too easyr' Says
the writer:
Regulars and volunteers alike are bit
terly disappointed. With the s.ories of
the horrors and perils of the Cuban cam
paign fresh in their minds. these men
on the transports had braced themselves
for the worst but these Porso Ricans-or
more properly, the citizens of Ponce
with an enthusiasm and hospitality be-
yond all precedent. have decided that the
best is not nearly good enough for their
conquerors. and they have literally strewn
our paths with roses. Instead of having
to hack ones way through chaparral
to the front. one travels IeisJrely 10 the
oeiposts in a cab with springs through
country which. apparently. for peace
and domesticity could put a New York
county to the blush. and the officers. in
stead OF feasting in the Cuban fashion
on bacon and hardtack three times day,
are able to sip ;heir coffee Ieisurely a;
the Hotel Francais and partake of spring
chicken. with clsan tableclOths, real bread
ard bona tide butter. For the new ar
rivals. of course. this is simply monOton-
Gus; but for the other fellows those
who have come here via FL Caney and
Siboney, Ponce makes for 5hem very
excellent understudy for heaven. But as
regards the soldiers as a body. one OF the
Wisconsin privates summed up the senti-
ments of the army very effectively yes
terday. He was on guard in front of the
Fire Department. a building which looks
for all he world like an immense Chinese
pagoda, and besides being one of the most
conspicuous buildings in the town seems
by all odds to be the most infiammable.
] Well. as this soldiers stood there on
guard. about ten young women, with their
| arms full of flowers. and half a dozen
youths waving red. white and blue ban
| danas. marched up. The bunch of more
or less beauties threw the flowers at him.
and the men. as they waved their ban
danas shouted: ''Viva los AmericanOsi''
| The first words which issued from that
soldiers lips were not fit for publication
/ but after a moment he turned 10 the
/ young women and remarked: Say, look
here. l amt Sarah Bernhardt,
THAT remark sums up the whole situa-
ton from the soldiers point OF view. It
I was a fight that they expected. not bOu-
I quets and Ponee's sweetness tires them.
But AS a town Ponce is far ahead OF
/ any other place which we have visited in
/ the West Indies. ii is far more advanced
and up TO date even than Kings-on. ia
maica, white the natives are SO far ahead
Of both the Jamaicans and the Haitians
that you can scarcely regard them in the
/ same class. The wcmt for the most part
are sweet-faced and gentle, but while you
( can find them in all shades. from the
lightest brown 70 black. the strain OF the
( Old Carib stock is apparent IN them all.
The three principal hotels here stand
I side By side. The Hotel Francois is sup
+ posed to be the best of the three. and
I here most of the officers and all the cor
t respondents make their headquarters.
The Hotel Inglaeerra is also doing
thriving trade. for the Hotel EspanOI is
/ locked as tight as an oyster The entire
/ menage. from the chef 10 the star board
/ ers. decamPed toward the interior the
/ moment the first American ship appe ared
/ in the harbor IL is pity that some en-
/ terprising citizen Of Ponce cannot find the
| American plan, for the extra bedrooms
are needed serely. AT present the landia-
| dy of the French hotel has the most
| charmingly original methods OF doing
/ business. She thinks nothing of renting
\ your room over your head from three TO
! four times day and when all breathing
: space in the two beds has given out she
/ oblisingly accommodates from three 10
/ four more. either on cots or on the floor
Z
/ rental from each of the eight or nine oc-
1 cupar;s of each room, il can be seen not
/ only that the hotel business in Ponce is
| looking up. but that madam is quite a bit
/ OF George Boldt in her way
] There is a very pretty courtyard to the
| hotel where coffee is served in the morn
! in, and where a large and varied coIlec-
/ ton of Porto Rican youths diSpOTt them
/ selves at all hours of the day. II you
1 only get up early enough you can see the
| entir> table d'hote for that evening ap-
/ proach. The chickens usually arrive first
| They are brought in dozen at a time
and are dumped on the floor of the court
/ yard, where they are supposed to form
in line for execution. In fact, the early
morning massacre of these Spanish fowl
is the nearest approach to bloodshed
which any of us has yet seen down here.
There is a first rate band here which
now that it has successfully mastered the
intricacies of The Star Spangled Banner
is practicing the strains of a Hot Time
BY far the most imposing looking citizens
of Ponce are the bombaros-the firemen
/ There seems to be hundreds of them. and
in their brilliant shirts they have made a
special appeal to the Massachusetts reg
iment. These bOmbaros have such re-
markable resemblance in both dress
| thirst and department to the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery that they make the
Boston men particularly feel quite at
| home"