Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-07-22
QUEER OLD SAN JUAN.
a Fine Specimen of Walled Town with
Moat, Gates and Battletnents.

n walled town, with pOrtcuiis. moat,
gates aud battlcmcnts. Built over
300 years ago, it is still in good con-
dition and repair. The walls are pic
turesquc, and represent a stupendous
work and cost in themselves. Inside
the walls the city is laid off in regular
squares, six parallel streets running
in the direction of the length of the
island and seven at right angles. The
houses are closely and compactly built
of brick, usually of two stories, stuc-
coed on the outside, and painted in
variety of cOlors. The upper floors
are occupied by the more respectable
people, while the ground floors, al
most without exception, are given up
to negroes and the poorer classes, who
crowd one upon another in the most
appalling manner. The population
within the walls is estimated at 20
600, and most of it lives on the ground
floors. In one small room with a film
sy partition a whole family will re-
side.
The ground floors of the whole town
rcck with filth, and conditions are
most unsanitary In a tropical coun-
try, where disease readily prevails.
the consequences of such herdng may
lac easily inferred. There is no run
ming wafer in the town. The entire
| population depends on rain water
caught on the fat roofs of the build
ings and conducted TO the cistcrn,
which occupies the greater part of the
courtyard that is an essential part
that here on account of the crowded
conditions. is small There is no sew
eragc, except for surface water and
sinks. while vaults are in every house
and occupy whatever remaining space
there may be in the patios not taken
UP by the cistcrns The risk of con-
Eliminating the water is great, and in
dry seasons the supply is entirely eX-
hausted. Epidemics are frequent. and
the town is alive with vermin, mos
Quitos and dogs.
The streets are wider than in the
older part of Havana. and will admit
two carriages abreast. The sidewalks
are narrow and in places will ac-
comodate only one person. The pave
ments are of a composition manufac-
turod in England from Stag. pleasant
and even and durable when no heavy
strain is brought to bear upon them,
but easily broken and unfit for heavy
traffic TIE streets are swept once n
day by hand, and, strange to say. are
Kept very clean. From its Topographic
cal situation the town should he
healthy, but it is not The soil under
the city is clay mixed with lime, 80
hard as to be almost like rock It is
consequently imperyious to water and
furnishes good natural drainage
The trade wind blows strong and
fresh, and through the harbor runs Il
stream of sea water at a speed of not
less than three miles an hour. With
these conditions no contagious dis
eases, if properly taken care of. could
exist Without them the place would
be veritabe plague spot.
Besides the town within the walls,
there are small portions Just outside,
called the Marina and Pucrta de Tier
ra, containing 1000 or 5000 inhabl-
tants each. There are also two ST.
burbs, one, San Turce approached by
the only road leading out of the city,
and the other, Catano, across the bay,
reached by ferry. The Marina aud
the two suburbs are situated on sandy
points or splits, and the latter are sur
rounded by mangrove swamps. The
entire population of the city and SUI
burbs, according to the census of 1857,
was 21,000 1t is now 1896 estimated
at 10000. One-half of the population
consists of negroes and mixed races.