The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-19

| tant events as the ceSSion of Florida To
/ the United States, and a mighty agita-
ton for the suppression Of slavery, which
| led to the speedy end of that albomninable
! institution in all the Spanish colonies
| Cienfuegos was created by the exigencies
/ of a growing sugar trade. The finest
plantations of the island are connected
with it, either by rail or waterway; and
what it will become in the radiant future,
under shrewd American fostering, with
plenty of money to develop the incom-
parable resources Of the surrounding
country, requires neither prophet nor
the son of a prophet to foresee.
Today there are three toleraIble hotels
in the place, besides a dozen tiendas,
cafes and casinos. The last-named popu-
| lar resorts Spanish for club-houses),
which are such prominent features of all
| Spanish-American cities, are practically
numerous in Cienfuegos, to the detrimenr
of domestic institutions. The finest club
house Cuba is found here, and, strange,
to say, is owned and frequented by up
wards of five hundred Cinnamon. Its
president is an Acknowledged Celestial was
educated at Harvard, and speaks a good
deal better English than many English
men, with their ''cawnts' and 'doncher
knows The place is worth visiting, be-
ing fully up to its kind in San Francisco.
A broad hallway, paved with white mar
BILE, seads to a magnificent nlarble-tiled
and pillared room which opens into an ex-
tensive courtyard, where palms and pome-
granates furnish around q central foun-
tain. Upstairs in a big reception room
eit f7e.5 INV fh III nd
occa sionally the smoke of heather wor-
Catholic city. Close by this swell OH
entail casino is the Roman Catholic ca
thedral double-towered and extensive, but
too new to possess much of 1.-The order of
sanctity." 1t has a broad esplanade in
front, and one of its towers is much
taller than the other, filled with little
bells perpetually jingled out of tune.
On another side OF the same plaza is
the Government "palacio,"
It is not much of a palace, according to
American ideas, and will need rebuilding
to make it a fit abode for Prince Charm
ing Dusenbury and his aides-de-camp. 1t
is fianked by a long line of barracks, now
filed with Spanish soldiers making ready
for departure-every mothers son of them
sius, with a lean and hungry look" Not
far away is the opera house, a quaint,
open-air theatre; the market place, town
hall, military and public hospitals Cloth
of the latter filed to overfiowing) and the
famous palace of the Segundo Cabo, or
military commander. The letter is more
of prison than palace" with its
enormously thick walls, double doors al
ways shut and with sentinels pacing be-
fore them, and little barred windows high
up under the caves, which, like closed
eyes, disclose no secrets. There are dun
geons below it, and secret passages con-
Meeting with the forts and prisons; and
gruesome tales are whispered of deeds
committed therein which would shame the
darkest days of the Spanish inquisition-
of political prisoners whose only crime
is love of Cuba libre, compelled by name
less fortunes to implicate their friends and
confess of sins they never committed.
The central plaza is a fine, large square,
lighted by electricity, with erroneous
ornamental gas lamps set at intervals. It's
broad pavement of marble tiles is guarded
by lion-surmounted pillars, and pedestals
here and there support whitewashed
statues. There is also a fine alameda
(grove of elms) at the edge Of the town,
wherein it is the fashion to drive or
promenade on certain afternoons of the
week to the music of military bands. To
get a general idea of the surroundings you
should climb to the top of Reservoir Hill,
the only commanding point in the vi
cinity, from which the city stretches west
a couple of miles, while countryward are
the plantations, with their neat villas and
white-walled sugar mills, fields of yellow
ing cane and scattered groups of palms.
A large portion of the inhabitants Of
Cienfuegos speak English, and for years
past fully nine-tenths Of its commerce has
been with the United States. Yet, until
lately bull-fighting was the favorite
amusement. and, as everywhere else in
Spanish America, Sunday was, and still
is, the gala day of the week, distinguished
from the other days OF native dole far
niente by the universal DOMINIC of best
clothes increased activity Of billiard and
drinking saloons, boisterous masquerade
professions, open air daylight dancing,
noisy persistency Of lottery vendors, cock
fighting, bull-bating and theatre. Every
body to the manor born begins the festive
day religiously, with maths, CA fessional
and mass: but that IS over by 10 a. m
leaving plenty of time for advertisements
Three considerable rivers-the Canudo,
Saludo and Danaji-empty into the Glen
fuegos' spacious bay. where the navies OF
the world might rendezvous in safety:
and each of the rivers IS navigable some
distance inland-a matter of great i'm
portance in a country so destitute of good