Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-01
WOOD HAS BIG TASK ON HAND
Good Results Already Apparent in Decrease
of Sickness and Death Rate.
ONLY oNE-FouRTH AS GREAT AS FORMERLY
Water supply, Even with Improve
ments Made by General wood,
Insufficient for the city
Aid for the Suffering.

WASHINGTON, Sept. SO.-secretary Alger
has received a long letter from General
Leonard Wood, military governor of San
tiago. 1t is personal to great extent, but
deals with many questions of interest to the
public and Secretary Alger has allowed some
extracts to be published General Wood says
in part:
l have had a very difficult position from
o sanitary point of view, and not altogether
an easy one from military and civil stand
point. When we came into the city the
sanitary situation was something frightful.
There were a great many unburied dead in
the houses, between 1000 and 5000 Spanish
wounded and sick. and a great horde of
half-famished and sick people, nearly 20, 900
In number who had Just returned from El
Caney where they had gone during the
siege. The water supply of the city had
been cut on: there was no water to be OBJ
tained except from cisterns and few wells
and the streets were full of dead animals
and all sorts of filthy materials / had to
start in from the bottom and repair the
water works Then came the removal of
the dead. Some of these were burned. be-
cause the number was so great and decompo-
sition had advanced to such an extent they
could not be buried. Burning is not un-
commonly practiced here during the epi-
demic season.
Wo have yellow fever all around us, and
about twenty cases in the Spanish mill
of dying people. and public buildings were
being used as hospitals. On the whole II
was an extremely difficult task, requiring
hard work. / have been working syste-
matically with every means at hand to
Improve the sanitary condition of the city
IT is in this department that vast amount
OF work has been done. l have a force Of
40 men constantly employed, and at many
times have had nearly double this force
working day and night to remove the vast
accumulations OF indescribable filth which
has accumulated in the outhouses and yards
as well as the streets of the city. which is
reputed to be one of the most unhealthy and
dirty In the world. The death-rate has
dropped steadily since we came in and is
now about one-fourth of what 1t was in
July. The water system has been put in
order and great many repairs made to it
and the supply, although insufficient, is
utilized to the greatest advantage.
1t has long been the custom in this town
20 depend upon heavy rains and the rushing
floods through the streets to sweep away
the accumulated filth of the dry season. All
this has been swept down to the water front,
where II has been collected for years, chok-
ing the drain so that when the tide goes
out masses OF dumping material are exposed
TO the intense rays Of the sun and furnish
frightful cause OF disease. Later this year,
when the epidemic season shall have passed.
IL is my intention, II l am granted funds
and authority, to have the shallow places
dredged out, so that at least thin layer
OF water will cover them at low tide and
prevent the present condition Of affairs.
The great expert on yellow fever, Dr,
Guiteras. assured me in July that an epi-
demic OF yellow fever Of great severity was
absolutely unavoidable and that we were
destined TO lose a large proportion OF our
people here. Thus far it has been avoided,
and not only avoided, but today | don't
know of an authentic case Of genuine yellow
fever In Santiago de Cuba proper and every
day increases our chances of escape.
General Wood communicates the crafty
ing intelligence that all indications now
point to the speedy disbardlng OF the Cuban
army He says the feeling Of the better
class Of Cubans toward the Americans is