The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-05
NOTES ON PORTO RICO


Correspondence of the Associated Press.
San Juan, Porto Rico, Dec. 1S.-In the
matter OF cleanliness this city is de-
ceptive. If one comes from other island
towns to San Juan, or, better yet, If one
comes from the average West Indian port
to San Juan, San Juan will at first seem
clean in comparison. This because the
streets of Porto Rico's capital are for
the most part very well paved and are
kept actually fairly clean. A compari-
son can be made to shiny, steel fire
on a very muddy wagon wheel. The
city streets are for the most part clean,
but the houses and the numberless in
terror courts and connecting alleyways
are indescribably dirty. If you ask what
should be done for the sanitation of the
city you will very likely be answered
everything There is 10 doubt but
that the question needs very thorough
handling and one can well say that ev-
erything must be done. for nothing to
speak of has been done in the past ana
of their own will the people will do
nothing today.
San Juan city is built on the western
end OF a long and narrow island that
runs almost due east and west across
the northern side of San Juan harbor.
The no-tucrn side of this island is the
highest, being sixty or seventy feet above
sea level, and from this ridge the land
slopes evenly to the south or harbor side
of the island. The harbor is large and
has an eastern and western entrance; the
western entrance only can be used by
ships, the eastern entrance is shallow.
But there is a fair current of water
through the harbor with each slight raise
and fall of the tide The prevailing winds
are from the north.
o
A noticeable feature of the city streets
is that the first floors. in cases where
the houses have two stories, are either
given over to offices and warehouses; or
are inhabited by the poorer classes. Ev-
cry one knows that it is healthier to live
above the ground floor, consequently all
those who can afford to, do live there.
A doctor of this city, a man who has
| studied the question of the city's health,
| has declared that in order to make the
city stay clean and healthy, these poorer
classes, mostly composed of negroes,
should be driven away to the country.
| This action he considers imperative for
| the lasting success of any measures to-
ward city sanitation. AS one walks
| through the streets one catches glimpseS
| of interior courts that seem alive
| with people; enter these courts and
| you are impressed with the great
number of people who live in small
spaces and are deprived of air and light.
| Americans have wondered how this city
could house the 10000 inhabitants attrib-
uted to it; a visit to the interiors of the
| houses would quickly inform them.
| In these tenementS the sanitary ar
| rangements are practically nil. There
| are no public lavatories in town and the
| vast amount of clothes that is weekly
| washed in this, as in all Central Ameri-
can cities. is done in these houses. AL
| leywayS, halls and crowded rooms are
| forever hung with damp clothing; dirty
water stands In foul tubs and is emptied
into drains that probably do not drain.
| The houses are crowded with naked chill
| dren, food is cooked over charcoal fires
| in any corner and all water comes from
underground reservoirs in the yards that
| catch the rain from the roofs. All the
| water that the city has today is cistern
water. The NAL odors from these many
| tenements blow out into the streets and
rise to the people who live above. 1t is
| almost impossible to find today in San
| Juan a second story for living purposes
| under which there do not reside several
families with habits such as are here
| described.
Whether these people can be driven to
the country is question. The negro
would prefer to live on eight square feet
| of dirt in the capital than in the fresh
air Of the country, and such tenement
| property Is highly profitable TO the
| owner here as elsewhere. You cannot
drive the negro TO the open fields unless
you there provide shelter for him, and
even II you told him he must move with
in three or six months he would make
no effort to find himself quarters else
| where. II would be necessary to build
houses for him In the country and there
make him remain, Any such movement
would be strongly opposed by the prop
erty owner While theoretically this ac-
tion would bring the best lasting results
its practical application will be found
| difficult. In case IL cannot be DONE the
cleansing OF the city must be considered
| with these people still in their homes
The natural conditions of the town make
d good drainage system possible. There
! Is ample fall from all points into the
harbor, Whether there is sufficient
| harbor flow TO carry away the matter
| thus drained has never been determined
IL there is not. the eastern entrance
might be sufficiently enlarged TO bring
| this about
| Tho Spaniards long ago started work
On a system of water supply to be
| brought from the country through auue-
| ducts and this system was very nearly
| completed when the war camo on. In
| fortunately the Spaniards obtained for
| their aqueduct condemned pipes from
Demerara, and to supply the amount OF
| water needed for San Juan these pipes
| should stand a pressure of $50 pounds
They have never been tested for more
than seventy-five pounds and Il Is proba-
ble that the higher pressure would prove
the pipes 20 be valueless and necessitate