The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-24
CUBA SD|RE DISTRESS
Starvation is DepopuIating
City and Country.
| HEAR TRENDING SCENES
MATANZAS PROVINCE ALONE
HAS 100000 STARVING.
STORY TOLD BY THE MONTGOMERY
The Death Rate is Something FeafuI---Sreets
are Packed With Ragged, Emaciated
Men, Women and ChiIdren---Re-
lief Societies InadeQuate.

| the United States cruiser Montgomery
was at Matanzas recently a board of Of
fcers was appointed to inquire intro the
condition of the people of THAT province.
Although the exact terms of the report
are not known. it may be said, that IN
substance it sets forth that there are
| $4,000 people absolutely without foo0
| and clothing within the city limits.
About 5000 of these live in small hllts of
RAIN branches. These hurts form three
separate villages beyond the built-up
portions of the city. The other II 600
unfortunates live in the streets of the
city and are absolutely without homes
| or shelter.
These 14,000 people are Of the laboring
class who have been driven into the
cities from their country homes. which
have been destroyed i'll the war opera
tions. Most of them are women and
children and they are all emaciated,
sick and almost beyond relief unless
they can have the benefit of regular
treatment in the hospitals. As it Is,
they are dying in the streets for want of
food According to statistics gathered
from the best official sources. the Num-
Der of deaths in the province of Matan-
zas from starvation is $4,000 and the
number of starving people at present
in the province is estimated at $4,000
ont of a total population of 233,616 i'll
December. 1897, and the number of star
wing people is rapidly increasing.
In the city of Matanzas alone there
have been about 1000 deaths during
the past year, and the number is in
creasing daily. me death rate at pres
ent averages fortysix per day, as shown
by the reports from the cemetery. The
increase in the death rate is due to the
fact that the distress is no longer con-
fined TO the laboring class. most of whom
have already persisted. lit has now ex-
tended to those people who before the
war were in moderately comfortable
circumstances. Those who are now beg
ging in the streets were. in n large part.
well-to-do people, or the children of the
wsll-to-do And in addition, the citi-
zens of the city of Matanzas themselves
are beginning to suffer for the actual
necessaries of life. having drained their
resources in order to supply the needs
of the lab0ring class who have been
quartered upon them.
The citizens of Matanzas have an or
ganized system of relief for the starry
ing people. but it is entirely inadequate,
and is daily becoming more glaringly so,
for the resources of those who were
well-to-do are RAPIDLY diminishing, while
the demand for food Is constantly in
creasing, in spite of the enormous and
constantly increasing death rate.
At the city of Matanzas the citizens
have three places from which they issue
rations.
One of these places was visited by the
officers of the Montgomery and while
they were there the street in front of
the house was packed with a clamoring
mass of ragged, emaciated men, wo-
men and children. and the Board of Off
GERS with difficulty managed to reach the
door through which they were admitted
to the relief station. There they found
100 starving people, this being the ac-
tual numer of persons for whom the
citizens had been able to provide ratiOns
there In Il room across the court yard
of the building We're 100 tin pans and
as many spoons. These pans were filled
with Il cooked mess of rice and fish.
and were arranged in rows ready for
distribution among the furnishing people
who were in waiting in another part of
the house.
But. as already said, the three relief
places in the city of Matanzas do not
begin to adequately supply food to the
1900 people who are there starving in
the streets, for the citizens are only able
to issue food three times a day at each
place, and then to only about 100 at
time.
1T should be added that a large num-
Der of the citizens of Matanzas have fed
the starving i'll the streets in front of
their own homes, but the citizens them
selves are feeling the pinch of privation,
and unless assistancd soon comes to
them they will be compelled in self pro-
lection to cease the work of charity in
which they are now engaged, and which
is seemingly the only salvation for the
starving thousands.
The only other public relief at Ma
tanzas is that given to the poor sick
children by the management of the
Emergency Hospital, which is under the
direction of the volunteer fire department
Of Matanzas. There are about 80 chill
dren who are treated daily and are
furnished with nourishment under the
direction of the city physician.
These statements are the conclusions
facts and figures arrived at by Board
of United States Officers. Therefore, it
will be readily seen that there is ur-
gent necessity for the immediate relief
Of the starving thousands of Matanzas,
TO saw nothing Of those who are SINH
larly suffering in other cities.
When the United States Naval officers
landed they were constantly followed
by ,clamoring crowds of starving men
women and children, who importuned
them in the most heartrending manner
for food
The United States Consul at Matanzas
has done everything possible under the
circumstances. but when the Mont
gomery left there, in the first days of
February, the Consul had only enough ra-
tons remaining to last about two weeks,
after which the funds appropriated by
Congress would have been exhausted.
and then sufferers of Matanzas would
include the American citizens at that
place, who have hitherto received relief