Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-18
PICTURESQUE SANTIAGO
The Venerable City on Which All Eyes
Have Been Fixed.
Natives Are Not a Hard Working Lot
Everybody Smokes In and
Out Of Season.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
The bottling up of Cervera's feet in the
harbor of Santiago de Cuba is not the only
claim to distinction possessed by that curl
GUS old city; for, the inhabitants never
fail to remind the traveller, it has long
been a disputed fact whether Columbus
landed first at San Salvador or Santiago de
Cuba. However, that may be, ST. Jago as
the Spanish call it, is far older than any
other city in North America.
The peculiar narrow streets and the IA
cades Of the houses remind one of some of
| the old towns in Italy. but there the re-
semblance ceases, for the houses of Sant-
ago are nearly all built around a court, or
patio, as they in most Spanish towns.
With their high barred windows and glar-
ing plastered walls, on the outside they
look more like prisons than like the Ameri-
can idea of dwelling houses. But go inside
the patio and everything is different. There
are palms and shrubs and flowers, and in
some of the richer houses even fountains.
Meals are often served in the patio in pleas
ant weather.
cities, the proprietors of most of the shops
and warehouses live in the same building
in which their business is conducted. The
shops open about O'Clock in the morning
and remain open till about nc on, when they
close up and everybody goes to the mid
day meal. After that everybody takes a
nap in the heat of the day. The shops open
up again about o'clock in the afternoon
and remain open till half-past ) or g. Go to
an office in Santiago a. half-past in the
morning and nobody will be up; go again
at half-rast Il and everybody will be eat
ing; go again at half-past l and everybody
will be asleep.
In the evening the people sit around and
take life easy, and smoke. of course, for in
Santiago everybody smokes, men, women
and children. Even the walters in the hotels
"a a ri rat nd nla
between the courses. The porters and cab
men smoke at ali times and seasons. The
stevedoreS on the wharveS smoke at their
work, and even the clerks in the dry goods
stores roll a cigarette and take puff be-
tween two customers The Senorita blows
cloud of smoke from under the lace of
her fascinating, mysterious maEtiia, while
negreSSeS walk along the streets putting
away at huge cigars. Children of eight and
ten may often be seen with cigarettes in
their mouths, and 1t is no uncommon sight
to see men and women smoking in church.
The country houses around Santiago are
infested with mice and lizards. The lat
ter are very alert and active, and quite I'M
like the sluggish lizards seen in northern
climates. There is curious kind of
mouSer whose presence Is rather encour-
aged about Cuban country houses. These
mouSerS are not cats, one might sup
pose, but large, black snakes. AS they are
quite harmless, nobody thinks of being
afraid of them, and they come and go as
they please unmoeSted.
All the young bloodS in Santiago wear
white duck suits and straw hats, and they
may be seen lounging around the city and
the Club de San Carlos. looking cool and
comfortable, and smoking, of course, for
that goes without saying in Santiago. At
the Club de San Carlos. which is the Union
League of Santiago, the Spanish officers
from MORO Castle and the gilded youths of
the city make their idling headquarters. 1t
is pleasant place in which to loaf, drink
cooling beverages, smoke and gossip The
club house is only one story high, like most
of the buildings in the city. and in front Is
a little garden with fountain and flowers.
Opposite the Club de San Carlos is the
Cafe Venus, where, an enthusiastic travel
er declares, good a meal can be had
at Delmonco's. There is less wine drunk
in Cuba than in most Latin countries but
there is native rum, called bacardi, which
Is made from molasses, and which, well
mixed with water and cooled with ice,
makes very smooth sort of beverage and
a somewhat fnsidious one. A quart bottle
of this rum costs only 80 cents. and as
good deal of it is usually drunk at the
midday meal 1t is not to be wondered at
that a nap immedia tely follows it.
At all places in Santiago where drinks
are sold, as well in the telegraph offices
and post office, one always finds lottery
tickets on sale, and rem and boys peddle
them about the streets. These tickets vary
In price from 10 cents to SO, and even
more.
OF all the cities in Cuba, Santiago, with
its 10000 inhabitants, is by far the most
picturesque and interesting. 1t is many
years older than St. Augustine, and after
walking for hour or two through its
medieval looking streets the most matter
of-fact American Is ready to believe any
romantic story about the place which may
be told to him, except, perhaps the story
of the immense chain stretching from Nor
70 Castle to huge staple in the wall of
rock on the opposite shore, fifty yards
away, which can be hove up by a capstan
till 1t is level with the water, so as to form
an insurmountable obstacle to any attempt
to force an entrance in time of war
If he Is familiar with the language the
Spanish proverb "Hablo ell buey di 10
bu'' Gle speaks and say. too'), used in
referring to people who talk very big"
may occur to him, and he will be inclined
to doubt the story of the chain till Schley
and Sampson settle the matter once for
ALL