The evening times., 1899-11-05
LIFE IN SANTIAGO.
American Capital Beins Invested In
Enstern Cuba.

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American Capital Being Invested I'm
Eastern Cubs.
NEW YORK, Nov. 6.-Among the young
officers who fought at Santiago was Cap
tain Myers, OF the Sixth Cavalry. United
States Army. AS a surgeon he was very
active ON the firing. lines at El Caney and
San Juan Hill. He has returned to this
country after an interesting career, and
has just resigned his commission with the
intention of practicing medicine. probably
al his home In Washington, D. G.
: Captain Myers has brought from Santiago
an ugly rifle wound and a severe attack OF
fever and ague, from the effects OF which
he is now convalescent at his rooms in the
Westminster Hotel, in this city.
Speaking OF the condition OF affairs In
Santiago province he said:
Our men are gradually clearing the fe-
mote mountain districts OF outlaws. who.
when found are made to feel the severity
Of American authority. was out with the
guard one day lately. 1t was about night
fall, when got my last wound. OF course.
l received few scratches at Ell Caney, but
they have healed up. This last one came
from a Mauser bullet fred at long range
by bandit. II entered my side and fol-
lowed the rib around for good distance.
Our men are often fired at from the chap
arral In this way.
I'VE brought up some logs OF the finest
mahogany On the transport this trip. Tney
were three or four feet in diameter. There
are magnificent forests of this and other
valuablezwoods within fifteen miles Of San
tiago. Owing to the absence Of anything
like roads, 1t is impossible to get out this
timber at present. The native way Is to
bring up a huge two-wheeled cart and
place one end OF the big stick on the axle.
Six oxen then drag the load slowly and
painfully along.
These forests are of immense extent and
OF great value. The proposed railroad will
facilitate numbering operations, and look
for the time when we shall have much ma
hogany furniture made from Cuban tim
ber.
Game OF many kinds abounds, and in
the last three months / shot as many as
twenty deer. These are like our Virginia
variety, only little smaller. The soldiers
killed a good many. and venison was
regular article in our camp bill Of fare.
I used an ordinary cavalry carbine On ac-
count Of its light weight, and shot the
regulation metal jacketed .30-calibre am
munition. One day / shot three deer
THE plantations generally are geing put
into a good state OF cultivation. In fact.
many are producing this season the first
good crops in fifteen or twenty years. In
the old days a planter would often have
his crop confiscated by the Spaniards on
the flimsy plea that among his 100 negro
workmeu there was a suspected follower OF
Maceo. The Spaniards would come and
kill about the whole outfit to make sure
that the obnoxious man should not escape.
There is at present great demand for
breeding cattle, and it would pay dealers
in the United States to send large guam
tity Of stock Of this kind to the island. A
number Of Americans are coming money in
Santiago. They send over to some of the
neighboring islands and buy up the cattle
for about $40 each. These they sell in
Santiago for about $75 each for beef The
harbor tax is only 81 a head. There is a
great demand for beef on the hoof there,
and American cattle are preferred to the
thin, scraggy specimens from Porto Rico.
The native guinea grass furnishes splendid
food for COWS and oxen the year around.
"A good deal of American capital is in
vested in Santiago. and most of the Cuban
and Spanish merchants are already AfnerI-
can citizens, having taken out their pa
pers during the stirring times of the re-
bellion and the Spanish war. The streets
were much torn up last summer. but
asphalt and concrete now take the place of
the old stone payements, ard il is possible
to roll around in your automobile as COM
fortably as in New York.