The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-27
A SECOND INVASION OF CUBA
THO USANDS OF AMERICANS HUNT
ING FOR FORTUNES.
Most of Them Are Doomed to Disap-
pOfntment-Feculiar Conditions That
Confront the Foreigner lin the Pearl of
the Antilles.

Confront the Foreigner In the Pearl OF
the Antilles.
Especial Correspondence of the Journal
and Courier)
Havana, March 12.-Wallking the
streets of any Cuban city to-day one is
reminded of the cid war-song,
we are coming, Father Abraham;
Three hundred thousand more"
In Havana alone there are upwards Of
ten thousand civilian Americans, of both
sexes and all classes and conditions; and
still they come by every boat OF the
few of this peaceful army of invasion
can 1t truthfully be said, Thou hast no
speculation in those eyes that thou dost
glare WITH" for, after the manner of
Americans, each has some special
scheme in view The hotels are crowd
ed with would-be investors, and the
millions that are every day represented
in the dining rooms of the Pasaje and
Ingleterra would buy the island three
times over. Some of them contemplate
building railroads and tramway lines,
factories and big hotels, buying planta-
tions, opening emporiums and estab-
fishing business of various sorts on gi-
gantic scale; while the impecunious are
pursuing the same old occupation, as at
home of looking for job, or waiting,
Macawber- for something to turn
up. Most of the heavy capltalists--who
rushed in as soon as the blockade was
removed, in order to get ahead of every
body else in the field and thus secure
the best investments-are yet undeci-
ded where to put their money. To this
dog-in-the-manger policy may be traced
the false reports of unusual sickness in
Havana, which occasionally appear in
the northern newspapers, the object of
the disseminators being to discourage
people from coming to Cuba until their
own schemes here are perfected. AS
matter of fact, there is never day in
the year when some cases Of yellow fe-
yer may not be found in Havana. but
the disease is not greatly to be feared
before the end of August, and from, that
time on to the middle Of November.
With proper living and the observance
OF d few simple hygenic rules one may
stay here the year around with compar-
alive impunity. He must be temperate
In food and drink, eat sparingly of fruit,
avoid undue exercise in the midday
sun, and above all, be careful Of the
might dews and miasmas. Lord Byron
may have had this climate in mind when
he wrote, 1.-THE devils in the moon for
mischief" No sleeping on house-tops
here, as in dewless Mexico, or love-mak-
ing on Juliet balconies, or lettering in
the hallowed benediction of the moon!
One must hurry home from ball or the
alter, keep moving If listening to the
music on the fashionable promenade, or
better still-hie himself to bed with
the birds and rise with them at the first
peep of dawning. Fresh-air cranks, too
would better remain away from Cuba.
The windows of these thick-walled
sasas, extending from floor to ceiling,
are mostly without glass, but provided
with doors of solid woor in each of
which is small latticed square. The
natives keep their bedroom windows
wide open to run and air all day long,
and the great, lofty interpreted, uncur-
tained apartments contain enough cool,
sweet air to supply theA sleeper till
morning, with far less danger to health
than to admit "the pestilence that walk
eth In darkness" When a northern
man gets sick here it is almost impossi-
bic for him to recover his health in |
Cuba. 1t takes more than one visit to |
the island to become thoroughly accli- |
mated, and foreigners who purpose |
making a home here should arrange to |
spend part of the time elsewhere during
the first fey years. By going north
ward for August and September, or get
ting a taste of their native climate now
and then, they may manage to retain
fairly good health But it should be re-
that at its best Cuba is by no
means sanitarium, and notwithstand
Ing its balmy airs and beautiful Skies it
is no place for the weakly.
There Is no doubt that the great ma
jority Of Americans who came here to
seek soft berths, or expecting to reap
rich harvests from small investments,
are doomed to disappointment 1t Is not
20 much the survival of the fittest as a
question of who can command most
money. Only the man who can COM
mand thousands of Uncle Samuels dol
ars has any chance in the fight for for
.unes One who has not money enough
20 live on at least half year without
income from his new business venture
lere would better turn back without de-
ay; and to come to Cuba penniless Is
little short of suicide. Somebody has
expressed the situation exactly in the
Zone cannot get sustenance
nut Of an orange that has been squeezed
" a mailed hand" .r
Substantial business men from the
United States, who thought they knew
yerything to be learned about the ms
md outs of trade. find here much that .
O them is new and surprising; and the
wise ones, instead of trying to make ,
hiugs over to match their preconceived .
IDEAS, endeavor to adapt themselves to !
he conditions that exist. The rner-
hants of Cuba know well how to keep ,
he trade, which they conduct on GER ,
ain peculiar lines established centuries i,
go. Their method may be far behind ,
he times, but that it works well Is 1,
royed by the fact that within the :,
lemory of man there has hardly been a !
allure among the steady going mer- !
hants of Havana. To have withstood =
he long war and the extremely hard ;
mes of the last few years is more than 4,
he average up-to-date American mer- o
hant could have done. +
No greater contrast can be imagined :,
nan between the bright. spacious we'll a
ahtad "stores of Our northern cities {
nd the dark little shops of Havana p
or example there is the fan shop of 6