The herald., 1898-07-31

for a man on mule, but could be rebuilt
so as to carry an army. The road connects
Santiago with Moro and the Notifications
at Estrella point, and is of the highest
strategic Importance. The maps show a
big coral road running direct from Siboney
to Santiago. but it is not there, and doubt
If any road could be built through those
mountains. The troops will have to follow
the military road or use the railway of the
Juragua company. About half way be-
tween Santiago and Juragua lies Sevilla,
which Is the highest point in all that coun-
try. The town doesn't amount to any
thing; all there is Of 1t are a few little
buildings and all one can see in the way of
life there will probably be saddle horse or
two a train of mules htched in the main
street. But that is about all any of those
towns amount to- The agricultural devel-
opment of that part of Cuba Is very trif1ing.
1.-THE rainy season is on there now. but
it is different from the rainy season of our
western country. 1t will shower every day
little and perhaps rain at night and then
clear up and be pleasant. The climate is
splendid and there's no place in all Florida
that's so suitable for the occupation of
troops as these hills about Sevilla and
Juragua I never saw any country in the
world where one can sleep at night so rest
fully as there. The nights are cool, with a
breeze from the ocean. For year there
at Firmeza, the mining headquarters of
the Juragua company, we took daily tenn
peratures and we never saw the thermom-
eter above 81 nor below 80 Fair. Santiago
is a hot place-one of the hottest in the
tropics-because it is surrounded by
ranges of mountains and lies ten miles in
land, with bay in front of it. When we
were there Santiago had no defenses on
the land side, and there are probably not
many of Importance there now. The gov
eminent probably has considerable pow
der. because they have always been in the
habit of Selling all the blasting powder re-
celved for the mining companies and stor-
ing it in the arsenal at Santiago. If we
wanted any We had to send around by
water for it, using either a small coaster
or the tug the Juragua company finally
bought for that purpose. Operations were
stopped there quite suddenly when the
Spanish became unable to protect the min
ing property. and there was considerable
powder on hand in all proba biity.
THE Spaniards steal everything At
Santiago there Is little plaza about
block square, and it is all laid out in walks
and trees, Is set out with settees and has
a fountain In each corner. One year while
we were there the government appropri-
ated 900 for the improvement Of this
plaza, and all that was done was to fill up
some little holes in the walks with crushed
stone, and that work was all done by the
convicts at no cost. Every cent of the
money went into the pockets of the officials
Every man has to pay Accent tax on the
meat he eats, for the government puts that
tax on all dealers. The officials get all
that, everybody says. There was an i'm
port duty of cents pound on -four when
We were there, though no flour Is ground In
the island. The government used to send
out arsenal supplies, powder, etc, and it
frequently happened that we used govern
ment powder, steel and other supplies, for
which we had to pay the officials. Our sup
plies were in the arsenal and they shipped
US what we needed impartially from our
own stores or from those of the Spanish
government, but they made us pay well
for the privilege of using stolen goods. We
were not able to complain. If we had there
would have been action that would have
ruined our business.
II recollect one time when man was
killed on the tracks of the Juragua road
by some accident not connected with the
operation of the railroad. His body lay
partly on the rails. The deputy coroner
refused to let the company remove the
man. and sent up to Santiago for the
coroner and his staff, and the road was
blockaded until that official arrived and
made an inquest. BY the time they were
through there were seventeen trains wait
ing on either side of the body and opera
lions at the mines, on the road and at the
docks, where an ocean ship was loading
were all brought to an absolute silence
When we first went there we had assur-
ances from s. p. Ely of Cleveland who
was at the head of the enterprise that
every possible contingency had been
looked put for, and the government had
agreed TO permit the import and export of
| all articles intended for the mines without