Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-29
HAvANA's UNHAPPY PLIGHT.
han Capital Ii Probably
Pesthole.

KEY WEST. FLA, May N.-The rainy
season in Cuba began more than week
ago, and It is not unlikely that Havana Is
4 perfect pesthole. but Admiral sampson's
quarantine 10 80 effective that not . sim
gle disease germ can live. An old resident
OF Havana said to the Associated Press
representative to-day:
Havana has maiarial fever and small
pox the year around. but they are not epi-
deEnic except In the rainy season. Within
week after the rains begin. the death rate
shows q large increase and the situation
grows worse az the season advances. but q
few days are enough to scatter disease.
TT Is no wonder the people believe the
rain itself contains deadly poison.
For several months the weather has
been unusually dry and. following prece-
dent. the rains should be heavier than il
customary.
when the war broke out there were $50, :
900 persons In Havana who had sufficient
means Of support for one week. What
must be their condition now, after five
weeks Of blockade? As rule Cubans are
not provident, while Spaniards are not
open-handed. Hence the Spaniards had
something when the war began. the Cubans
nothing. Weeks before the blockade was
established. large cigar firm commenced
to feed its workmen in an immense kitchen.
| The tobacco supply had run out, the fac
tories were closed and the workmen were
almost starved. do not believe the Span
| iards refused to sell food to the Cubans
I with the idea OF starving them. In a time
| like this the instinct Of self-preservation
predominates. The man with most lives
longest. The latter win starve to death
| unless disease hastens the end.
"Among the reconcentrados smallpox has
killed more than any other disease. The
people were unable to keep clean, unable
| to be vaccinated. even II willing. and they
died by tens of thousands. In their debil
ttated condition. disease operated rapidly
Smallpox ought not to be dangerous II
Cuba. One large manufacturer induced hi.
5000 employees to be vaccinated and onl,
| one-taH died from smallpox. Malaria
fever Is now feared by the Cubans NOR,
\ than the yellow fever is. Yellow fever at
| tacks q person only once, and the Cuban,
| generally have the disease in q mild form
during childhood and are sthenceforth i'm
mune, but malarial fever has no antitoxin
and is very contagious.
'.The Cuban insurgents camped in tn,
swamps suffer severely from malarial fever
It is estimated IS per cent Of the Spanish
troops have yellow fever and are immune
L HS au tuc NoluuLCcEbs 6IudIpOX Cdu "
excluded from the armies by vaccination
but malarial fever will kill or incapacitat
many thousands Of General Blanco's men
when death from yellow fever occurs Fl
Havana. the victim Is buried with the usua
public serveces. and the house in which h
died is occupied az before without disin
lection. Smallpox victims. however, ar
hurried away to the graveyard and burie
as soon as possible. During the rainy sea
sons have known hundreds Of deaths pc
day to occur from contagious diseases; an
with the present conditions the daily dealt
list may run into the thousands befor
summer
TN Havana province there are numerou
bands of from twenty to fifty insurgent
each. They are NO longer able to raid th
suburbs as before. the defenses havin
beer strengthened, but they do hang abou
to cut on straggiers. A small body q
; Spanish soldiers who would wander ava
: from the town would be pretty sure
: be chopped to pieces by Cuban machete,
: With the feet in front and the Cuba