The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-23

ranks Of our soldiers. Now. with time
and opportunity not given in the stress
Of lighting. the war department or
national government has begun In Cuba
its campaign OF sanitation.
Already a good beginning has been
made In Cuba when Secretary Aiger.
i'm the closing days OF September. sum
moned for counsel In the matter the
eminent sanitary engineer, George r..
waring. In Santiago de Cuba the
American military governor. Gen.
Leonard Wood. had taken prompt and
energetic measures to abate the NTH
and sickness Of that most unhealthful
OF all Cuban cities. What he found
there on assuming control of the city
let these extracts from the letters
written by him to Secretary Alger. on
Sept. 3 and 10 last, tell: s.
when we came to the city the sani-
tary condition there was something
frightful. There was a great many
unburied dead In the houses, etwee
1000 and 5000 Spanish wounded and
sick to care for. and a great horde Of
half famished and sick people. nearly
20, 900 In number. who had just re-
turned from FL caney. where they had
been during the siege. The water supply
had been cut on. there was no water To
be obtained except from cisterns and a
few wells, and the streets were full OF
dead animals and all sorts OF hlthy
materials. We had yell
low fever all around us. and about 20
cases in the Spanish military hos
pital. The civil hospital was full OF
dying people. and the public buildings
were being used as hospitals. .
I at many times have had accumula-
lions of indescribable filth removed
which had accumulated In the outhouses
and yards. as well as the streets OF the
city. 1t has long been
the custom In this town to depend on
heavy rains and the rushing Hood
through the streets to sweep away the
accumulated Nth OF the dry season.
All this this has been swept down to the
water front, where IL has been collect
ing for years. choking the drains and
filling the the shallow waters near the
shore. so that when the tide goes ou
masses Of accomplishing material are
exposed TO the intense rays of the sun
and furnish frightful causes OF dis
eases"
To remedy this evil state OF things
General Wood set to work with a rough
riders energy and a clear idea Of what
should be done. First. the city's water
works were repaired and set TO going
Tnen the dead were removed. The ma
jority of these were burned. after the
Spanish practice OF disposing OF ths
dead a. SANTIAGO CURING tnc tpiuchh
season. Nearly 200 men were kept con-
stantly at work on the streets and tht
garbage and other material which they
removed were dumped outside the tow
and burned. BY order OF General Wood
the lower and most unhealthy part OF
the town was ditched and drained; tbs
bitches running into the hsrbor wers
cleaned out. and the water front sys
tenn of sewerage. which he found com
pletely obstructed. Disinfectants wer'
freely used. and food clothing and
medical supplies were distributed
among the people where needed DIR
Guiteras. the great expert on yellow
fever. had assured General Wood II
July that an epidemic OF yellow fevel
OF great severity in Santiago was abso
lutely unavoidable. and that IL woulC
sweep away a great proportion Of tbs
people. Thanks TO his prompt meas
ures OF p~recaution General Wood haC
the satisfaction Of writing to Secretar,
Alger in September:
The death rate has dropped steadil,
since We came in, n Is now abou