The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
Features of the City and the Prov.
ince-PrOductiOns of the Country.
New York Evenine Post

Features of the City and the Prov
ince-PrOductions of the Country.
New York Evening Post.
The town of Santiago de Cuba is situated
at one side of the harbor and about six miles
from its entrance and overlooks it at the
widest part. The entrance to the harbor is
very narrow, not more than about $50 feet
wide, and the channel is winding until it
reaches Punta Gorda, after which il widens
into beautiful harbor. At one side of the
entrance is MORO Castle, a very old fort.
MORO" is a typical name given to all these
coast fortresses. On the opposite side of
the harbor is Socapa.
The town of Santiago is low, but rises as
ward some ranges Of hills. 1t was quite
a business town before the war, and there
are three companies. there that have ham
much as thousand tons day.
The houses are mostly one story high on
account of the liability TO earthquakes, but
there are some of two stories. The dwell
ing houses are surrounded by spacious
verandas, which look on beautiful gardens
filled with a wealth of gorgeous tropical
brilliant scarlet leaves which people in the
North cherish in little flower pots and in
greenhouses, is there a large tree, and other
trees with their clusters of gaudy, fragrant
flowers make these gardens fairy scene.
There are various insects among the flow
ers and mosquitoes innumerable, but none
of the insects are poisonous. There is a
large spider about the size of ones fist,
whose bite produces swelling and slight
irritation, but is not deadly There are no
venomous reptiles in the island. There is
one enormous variety of boa, called the
maja, of immense strength. 1t Is perfectly
black. as thick as ones arm, and capable
of swelling itself out to nearly five times its
natural size, and has blood-red mouth-alI
of which sounds very alarming until you
find out that he is lazy fellow and does
not trouble himself about. human beings.
being satisfied with pigs and goats and even
small game. There is a small snake called
the JUDO and some other varieties, but they
are not venomous.
by the rush of cable or trolley cars. The
usual conveyance, the volante, is a long
bodied vehicle on two wheels.
The town of Santiago is the see of the
archbishop, and contains the largest cathe-
dral in the island--the Cathedral of Nuestra
Sonora de la Carload del Cobre. Here is
also the Theological Seminary of San
Basilio.
In this region is the highest land in Cuba.
A mountain range called the Montanos de
Maestro or Cobre extends from the Punta de
Maisi on the eastern extremity to Cape Cruz
on the opposite side. Pico de Turquine the
highest elevation, rises 1910 feet above the
ocean. These mountains are very rich in
ore, and the Cobre copper mines, some
twelve miles distant from the city, have
yielded fifty tons day, the highest grades
being shipped to Europe, and the inferior
gratses smelted at the mines. All this worI,
These mines were worked as early as the
seventeenth century, and We're then aban-
doned for more than hundred years. Iron
| is also found there, and gold and silver have
been taken out, but not in sufficient Quanti-
ties to make it profitable. However, none
of these mines have yet been fully devel-
oped. Bituminous coal is found which gives
out a high degree of heat and leaves scarce
often found In semi-liquid masses resem-
bling petroleum or uauhkha- yhHRo are nonN