The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-07-01
QUEER OLD SAN JUAN.
4 Fine Specimen of Walled Town with
Meat, Gates and Battlemsnts.


San Juan is a perfect speciman Of
q walled town, with .portcullis, moat,
gates aud battlements Built over
$50 years ago, it is still in good con.
dition and repair. The walls are pic.
turesque, and represent a stupendous
work and cost in themselves. Inside
the walls the city is laid off in regular
squares, six parallel streets running
In the direction of the length of the
island and seven at right angles. The
houses are closely and compactiy built
of brick, usually of two stories, stuc-
coed on the outside. and painted in a
variety of colors. The upper floors
are occupied by the more respectable
people, while the ground floors, al
most without exception. are given up
to negroes and the poorer classes, who
crowd one upon another in the most
appalling manner. The populations
within the walls is estimated at 90.
GOO, and most of it lives on the ground
floors. In one small room with film
sy partition whole family will re.
side.
The ground floors of the whole town
reek with filth. and conditions are
most unsanitary In a tropical conn
try, where disease readily prevails
the consequences of such herding may
be easily inferred. There is no run.
ming water in the town. The entire
population depends ON rain water
caught on the fiat roofs of the build
ings and conducted to the eistern,
which occupies the greater part Of the
courtyard that is an essential part
of Spanish houses the world over, but
that here, on account of the crowded
conditions, is small There is no sew
erage, except for surface water and
sinks, while vaults are in every house
and occupy whatever remaining space
there may be in the patios not taken
up by the eisterns. The risk of con.
terminating the water is great, and in
dry seasons the supply is entirely ex.
hausted. Epidenics are frequent, and
the town is alive with vermin, mos.
quitos and dogs.
The streets are wider than in the
older part of Havana. and win admit
two carriages abreast. The sidewalks
are narrow, and in places will &C
comodate only one person. The pave
ments are of a composition manufac-
tured in England from Stag, pleasant
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 a
day by hand, and, strange to say, are
Kept very clean. From its Topographic
cal situation Tia town should be
healthy, but it is not The soil under
the city is clay mixed with lime, Sd
hard as to be almost like rock. 1t is
consequently impervious to water and
furnishes a good natural drainage.
The trade wind blows strong and
fresh, and through the harbor runs a
stream of sea water at a speed of not
less than three miles an hour. With
these conditions no contagious dis.
eases, if properly taken care of, could
exist. Without them the place would
be a yeritable plague spot
Besides the town within the walls.
there are small portions just outside,
called the Marina and Puerta de Tier.
"a, containing 1000 or 5000 inhabl.
tants each. There are also two su.
burbs, one, San Turce, approached by
the only road leading out of the city,
and the other, Catano, across the bay.
reached by ferry. The Marina aud
the two suburbs are situated on sandy
points or spits, and the latter are sur.
rounded by nangrove swamps The
entire population of the city and SUI.
burbs, according to the census of 1851,
was 27,000. 1t is now 1890 estimated
at 10000. One-half of the population
consists Of negroes and mixed races