Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-11
Another Interesting Letter From
the Former Marshalltown
Pastor.
Says the Native Cubans Outside
Of Havana Are Willing and
Anxious to Work.
Peculiarities of the Famous Capital
Of the Island The Country's
Future.

ship Seneca" which had carried us
safely more than 1900 miles from New
York, slowly steamed past grim old
MORO Castle that has stood sentinel
decade after decade guarding the en-
trance to the harbor and city of Ha-
vana. The castle or fort stands on
foundation of natural rock that rises
thirty or forty feet above the sea
Above the frowning old fort flying
remnants announced to the city the
ships arrival and above the pennants
waved the stars and stripes, never
looking more beautiful to us than they
did that Sunday evening illumined by
the brilliant rays of the setting sun.
The native pilot who had come on
board carefully guided our boat
through the basn-shapsa harbor until
anchorage was made near the tangled
ruins OF the Inflated Maine, still reach
ing a part of it's bent side and fighting
top above the water, as If unwilling
even now to give UP the struggle and
sink to its grave. If the bottom of
the harbor is half as filthy as ii is said
to be the Names figting top may have
other good and sufficient reasons for
wanting to keep above water
Before giving ourselves over to the
swarm of boatmen who gather about
the steamer. waiting to gobble US up
the moment we descend to their level.
we stand and take in the picturesque
scene the city presents. The buildings,
as in most tropical countries. are low.
nd i,,fr m, fn,,.a
lar with the high massive structures
seen in the large cities of the states.
But what these buildings lack in height
they make up in color, roofs and sides
Iinterchanging with blue. yellow, drab
and intermediate shades. ~ friendly
fellow passenger who knows the city
and speaks English points out some
of the places of greatest interest. and
afterwards when we have sufficiently
recovered from following the sea as to
be able to walk perpendicular with
care. we inspect these places of inter-
/ est for ourselves. Some of them exceed
our expectations, while others greatly
disappoint. The palace, the seat of
| Spanish rule in Cuba for nearly four
centuries. Will bear repeated Inspection.
mot so much for its architectural beau
/ ty as for what 1T has stood for and for
| those who have lived in it. Here lived
lcaptain general after captain general
/ connecting schemes to make heavier
/ and still heavier the burdens of the
i Cubans while lining his own pockets
i with his ill-gotten gains. OF courss
i there have been exceptions to this sys-
ttematic wholesale piundsf of pubic
4 funds in Cuba. but the exceptions have
i been few and far between. Here the
/ notorious Weyler hatchei out his in
/ famous starvation scheme, the dire eff
fleets of which are Still visible in near
dly all sections of the island. on the
third floor of this same palace our Gen.
/ Brooke has his private rooms, and just
! above his rooms, from the staff where
the emblem of Spanish authority waved
for nearly 400 Years, now waves the
flag that means the dawn. and high
noon, too. of a new day for this un-
fortunate land. a place of unusual in
iIterest also is Uncle Sans postotiice
4 The building, under Spanish rule, was
one of the old custom houses, foul with
the filth of centuries. But Uncle sam
had it washed and fumigated then he
had it fumigated and washed. and ther
washed and fumigated until finally il
was ready for American occupancy
Now it presents a clean appearance
with modern conveniences for the pub
tlc that would do credit to'a city post
Z office in the states.
Havana has a dozen roomy. airy res
ident suburbs. and a few of the thor
oughfares of the city itself are delight
fully wide and open, notceabiy TIN
Prado, but most of the streets ar
lwretchedly narrow-s so narrow arr
some of the principal business street
that Gen. Ludlow had posted notices
! that on these streets vehicles must al
go in the same direction, going on
street and back another The side
walks. in comparison with the streets
are even more narrow. so marrow tina
two persons cannot pass with comfor
without slowing UP and turning edge
wise or one stepping down into TIL
: ditch. Usually pedestrians keep TO tn
4 right of the street. In this way ON
: gets along fairly We'll. On the sidewall
! lin most parts of the city one is clos
up to the houses, for they come GU
plumb with the walks, with doors an,
windows reaching 10 the floors an,
protected by heavy Moorish bolts an,
i >,
lecture The yards or courts are at tn
rear of the house, or rather the rear Q
the house is built around an open court
These courtyards in the crowded part
: of the city are small giving poor Ven
tilation and breeding an unhealthy con
Iditon of things. Passing along man
of these streets the untutored nostril
of fresh American will be greete
with sufficient unsavory odors as t
wean him forever II he is not alread
weaned, of ever wanting to stick hi
nose in other peoples business. n
doubt. as reported much has been don
I to clean up the city. At 10 o'clock eac
night every householder, restauran
i and hotel keeper is obliged to put a
garbage where it can easily be reache
and carried off before morning. A sys
: TEN of sewerage is now being planne
for the city. work on which will com
mence, it is said, by the last of tn
present year. OF course it is just wha
the city needs. But while it is bein
put in and these streets are being du
Iup and the germs and odors of the cen
turtles are being unearthed, let me b
! among the men that will have bee
transported far beyond the norther
seas.
Reaching Havana as we did on
Sunday evening, the greatest socis
49, R..Yf