Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-01
PURIFYING SANTIAGO.
General Wood Rapidly Making a New
Place Of that City.


No Yellow Fever Customs Receipts Good
Best Of Order Prevails.
Washington, Sept. 80 -Secretary Al
ger has received along. letter from Gen.
Leonard Wood, military governor Of
Santiago. 1t Is personal to a great ex-
tent but deals with many questions Of
interest to tine public and Secretary
Alger has allowed some extracts to be
published.
Gen. Wood says in part:
Il have had very difficult position
from sanitary standpoint OF view and
not altogether easy one from a mih-
tary and civil standpoint. When We
came into the city, THE sanitary situa-
ticn was something frightful. There
we're a great manyunburied dead in tne
houses between 1000 and 5000 Spanish
wounded and sick, and great horde
Of half -famfsa1ed and sick people, near
ly 10000 in number, who had just re-
turned from FL Caney, unhealthy and
unclean, where they had gone during
the siege.
and about 20 cases in the Spanish mill
tary hospital. The civil hospital was
full of dying people and public build
ings We're being used as hospitals. On
the whole 1t was an extremely difficult
task. requiring a great deal of hard
work. have been working systemati-
cally with every means at hand to i'm
prove the sanitary condition Of the
city.
1T is in this department that a vast
amount of work has been done. / nave
a force OF about 40 men employed and
at many times have had nearly double
this force working day and night to re-
move the vast Accommodations of filth
which has accumulated in the out
houses and yards as well as in the
streets of the city, which is reputed to
be one of the most unhealthy and dirty
In the world.
"T'he death rate has dropped steadily
since we came in and is now about one
fourth of what it was in July The
water system has beenput in order and
great many repairs made to it and
the supply. although insufficient. is
utilized to the greatest advantage"
Il am issuing, at present, about Is, 900
rations per day. The physicians prob
ably are prescribing for about 600 or 700
people and on some days many more.
These physicians are native Cubans ed
ucated in the United States and are
employed by our government as con-
tract surgeons.
The garbage and material which I
collect in the streets l have dumped
outside of the town and burned. / have
also had the lower and most unhealthy
portion Of the city ditched and drained
The police force has been re-estab-
Hshed and it's uniforms changed to one
similar to that worn by the Cubans
and they will soon be entirely rid of all
suggestion of Epanish rule.
The lighthouse system in the harbor
l have re-established and arranged
pilots. harbormasters, etc.
AS the courts are not yet running,
have the delightful experience each
day of acting as police judge and clear
ing the docket of all sorts of odd cases.
OF course the most serious cases, such
as criminal, are being held for for trial,
either by military commission or by
the courts when they are established
and in operation.
The receipts Of the city from GUS
toms. since We occupied it, 1 under
stand from Gems. Shafter and LawtOn,
who have charge of this matter, have
been about 100000. The expenses Of
the city per week, are at present $500
to $4,000.
I do not know of an authentic case
of genuine yellow fever in Santiago
proper. and every day increases our
chances of escape"
Gen. Wood communicates the graft
flying intelligence that all Indications
now point to the speedy disbanding CT
the Cuban army. He says the feeling
of the better class of Cubans toward
the Americans is very friendly and
they appreciate what the United States
is trying to do. The general Is very
hopeful that everything will come out
all right. No one can tell. he says,
how long it will take to establish a
stable government, but he thinks it
will be quite a period of time.
Gen. Wood wrote again. Sept. 10, and
said: Since my last letter everything
has been going on smoothly and the
improvement is continued People
have all they want to eat and do not
think there is hunger to any extent in
Santiago. I have increased the num-
Der of doctors and the relief stations of
FOOD