The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-25
BALMY PORTO RICO.
4 NATIVE OF THE ISLAND TELLS OF
ITs BEAUTIES AND ITS PEOPLE.
Is Healthy ana FcrtiIe-PrIncipa
Drawback the DfmcuIty OF Making
LoVe-Thc Town of san Juan and
Its Qualifications

lie are turned 10 the Island of Porto Rico.
destined TO he the scene of further opera
lions OF the American army and navy The
fact that the Fifth Maryland Regiment
viii probably be sent TO those shores
makes affairs there of peculiar interest to
people of this city.
Living in Baltimore is native of rorto
Rico, who has spent the best part of his
life on the island and is heart and soul IN
sympathy with the American arms. His
name is Augusta Oriiz. and ne is a student
at the Baltimore College OF Dental Sur
gerry, Eutaw and Franklin streets. He
has the soft, meiodious voice. the coal
black eyes and hair and the dark skin of
his people. Young ortiz has been in Balu-
more since last September. pursuing his
studies.
I'VE have heard down there" he said,
FOR long time Of freedom and liberty,
hut The idea of becoming a part of the
United States never occurred 10 US,
and yet don't think the people would oh
ject 1t would be best, because they
and would fight each other if free, simply
because so many people would want to be
governors and generals. Our towns are
pretty and clean and we havS soldiers
galore. They can fight and WIZ fight. The
city of San Juan. which L hear is to be
attacked by the Americans l think viii
give them trouble. San Juan is on a
small island about a mile long and half a
mile wide, and Is separated from the big
island by a stretch of water about one
hundred yards wide This wafer Is
spanned by three big iron bridges. The
largest bridge is in the center, and is used
by carriages and pedestrians, while the
Others, about thirty yards on each side OF
the big bridge, are for railroad trains and
omnbuses.
''The big bridge is strongly fortified
with guns placed so as to command both
the others, and any body of troops that
tried 10 pass over would have hard time
on each side of the carriage bridge, on
the San Juan shore, solid brick walls jut
out, upon which are placed guns manned
by Spanish soldiers. Then about thirty
yards down from the eastern bridge Is
big fort-San Foronimo-of great strength
Nearer the northeastern end of the island
is the barber, and at its entrance is sta
toned the MORO Castle. rearing its head
high in the air and built strongly and
solidly into the masse of big rocks and
boulders that line the shore there. Moro
Castle Is connected with another fort-San
Cristobal-sOme distance below, and to the
left of MORO there are several small sand
batteries, So you see the little island Is
Us strongly fortified as many a larger
place. with those big American battle
ships to batter away at the forts and the
land batteries until they are crumbled 10
the ground, there is a good chance, but the
army could not reach San Juan unless this
was done. The soldiers there are well
drilled and can shoot. Their guns are 50
placed as to command almost every part
of the island, and the forts, particularly
Moro Castle and San Cristobal, are for
midable
After you cross the carriage bridge or
go over In the ferryboat from the main
shore, you are siil some little distance
from the city. When you land you find
yourself in the beautiful hilly suburbs,
and an omnibus takes you into the town
All around the city is a high stone wall
built, l believe, in the time of Philip H.
There are four big gates In the wall,
which, when I used to go there, were never
closed, and people passed in and out when
they pleased. / suppose an time Of war
they would close the gates, but am not
certain that it would be necessary. In
side, the first thing that would strike a
man from Baltimore would be the cleanll-
ness of the place. There is no water rum
ming I'M the streets like they have here.
The san Juan drainage system Is thorough.
The houses are all connected with sewers,
which go under ground and all empty into
the sea- so that there are even no cutters.
The streets are paved like Mulberry street
here In most parts, but in some places
we have smoother. They are kept clean
and pure, and that Is the reason why IL
IS so healthy there. Going the length Of
the island all the streets running that way
are hiky as can be, while the cross streets
are level. All the streets are much mar
rover than here the broadest only allow
ing two carriages to pass. The sidewalks
are about a yard and a half wide, and are
neater than those here.
"Our houses and stores are all of brick,
and there is not a wooden building In the
city The tallest buildings in town is four
stories high, and there is only one Of that
kind. The rest are three and two-storied
affairs generally two. But, two stories
OF house in San Juan make about what
three stories mean here, the ceilings are
so high and the rooms so big. The town
Is compact and with the exception of the
plazas there Is hardly a grass pot to be
seen. Trees we have In plenty, and beau
tful ones, too. All our public buildings
are in the neighborhood of the Alfonso XII
Plaza. Here Is the governors palace Of
white marble, the court house, custom
house, public treasury and public library
the 'Caniso Espanol the 'Elateneo or
law school and some of the big stores
music by a big band and there is a thea
ter across the way, where there are many
kinds of entertainment.
Social clubs are scattered about the
town generally the most prominent being
the Casino Espano' Out at Moro Camp
the grounds about MORO Castle, we have
a large place for soldiers, where they
drill and in town there is a big solder
house, 'Ballaja,' on the San Francisco
plaza, where the artillerymen are sta
toned our stores sell about the same
things that you do here, and the town
does a big business, considering its 10000
inhabita II Is pretty town, with
lots Of colors and a gay people They
dress nearly like you here, except con-
corning the trousers The men wear
coat and vest collar and shirt like Ameri-
cans but the trousers are hplf-Spanlsh
and half-French, very wide TO the knee |
and very tight below
THE girls have d hard time, not nearly |
as nice as the Baltimore girls. and the |
young men have lots Of trouble in making !
love. The girls wear gowns Ike those
here, but arrange their hair with q sWOop |