Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-07-23
RUIN AND WANT PREVAIL.

Il
Conditions that Exist In the City OF SAM
tlAgo.
santiago de Cuba, July 20.-The Red
Cross society's steamer State of Texas
arrived here Sunday evening and Mon
day morning DIR. Elwell, who was in
charge of the work of unloading, Sc
cured eight stores in the heart of the
city and one large shed on the dock,
engaged so stevedores and began to
unload the steamer She had 1,4CO
tons of provisions on board. The dis
tribution began at 3 o'clock, allowing
pound and a half of rations to each
citizen. When the unloading began
crowds of half-starved citizens rushed
to the dock, fighting, trampling one
another under foot, breaking open the
cases and stealing the supplies. Fin
ally picket of troops was placed on
the wharf to protect supplies.
The entire cargo had been landed
before the distribution began. Each
| applicant was furnished with ration
ticket supplied by the local commits
| sioners, with Gen. McKibbin's indorse-
ment. The water supply of the city,
which was cut off on July 3 above
| FL Caney by Gen. Garcia's troops, leav-
ing the town without water, was
| turned on again Monday. The ice fac
| tory resumed work. All the liquor
stores are closed under Gen. Skaters
orders, but the Spanish soldiers have
large stock of rum on hand, which
they are exchanging for our hard
| tack and corned beef.
Before the refugees left for El
Caney flour was selling at $3.50 per
barrel, beans at 500 per hundred
| pounds, condensed milk at SIS tin
and hard tack at 81 per piece. At FL
Caney the prices were still higher, $25
| for tin of condensed milk and SIS
| for piece of hard tack. The ruin and
want in the city are almost inconceiv-
able.
Gen. Shafter has had thorough ex-
animation made of the sanitary condi-
| ton of Santiago. The work was done
| by DIR. Goodfellow, of the generals
staff, and by civilian physician, DIR.
Dwiker. They find that although
there are at present but six cases of
yellow fever in the city in addition
to two suspects, the town is ripe for
an epidemic. Santiago and Rio janet
ro are the greatest fever breeding
centers in the world. This town lacks
every sanitary feature at its best and
now, after two months siege, leav-
ing it dirty and repellant, it is n veri-
table pesthole. The awful stenches
that arise from the streets stagger
and choke one.
The city of Santiago is a typical
tropical place with narrow, crooked
streets and low, one-storied dwellings
and stores. Many of the houses are
succeed and painted with startling
| colors, sky blue and vivid shades of
| green predominating. These with the
red tiles of the roofs and the quaint
verandas, show evidences of past pic
| turesqueness, but everything is now
in state of dilapidation and decay
and the city is but a shadow of its
former self. The majority of the
houses are absolute ruins and public
squares, once green with fountains
playing in their center, are now ut
terly neglected. The iron fences are
broken and rusted, while the foun-
| tains, on account of the dearth of the
water supply, have long been dry.
There are four hospitals in the city
the civil hospital, presided over by
sisters of charity, and the military,
Mercedes and Conchas hospitals. In
these hospitals are 1,747 patients,
which is a small number considering
the lack of food and long siege, but it
must be remembered that the recon-
centrados were never admitted to the
hospitals and when the notifications
of the proposed bombardment by our
| batteries were received, every patient
who could stagger out was driven
into the streets. Twenty lepers who
were in the hospitals were turned into
the streets.
The largest number of patients is
in the military hospital, where are 81
wounded Spanish officers and 431
wounded soldiers and sailors. In adj
dition there are hundreds of cases of
malaria and dysentery and six cases
of yellow fever.
The sailors were wounded in the
battles of July l and 2. They were
disembarked from the ships of Ger
vera's fleet in order to assist in resist
| ing the attack of the American troops
by land. These sailors say that when
| the Spanish fleet sailed out of the
| harbor half of the sailors and marines
on board had been fighting and work.
ing in the trenches ashore for So hours
| previously. Admiral Cervera, they
also assert, sacrificed his fleet in
obedience to the popular clamor, both
in Spain and Cuba, that he should