The record-union., 1899-08-19
Weather Forecast.
Northern California;. Fair Saturday;
armer; light northwest wind.
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT IN
HAVANA.


Havana are truly remarkable and de-
serve far more of public attention than
they have received thus far Under
the Ludlow administration at Havana
there has been accomplished sanitary
reform that not even the most sanguine
Americans believed possible in so short
a space of time. It indicates what may
be beneicently done for the whole ISL
and, and it is equally suggestive of the
thought that under Spanish or Cuban
rule no such good would ever have been
worked for the people of Cuba.
To go into some little detail, we find
that in Havana alone the Generals
medical and sanitation officers have
compelled the people to clean out and
disinfect nearly 1000 cesspools, which
had not been claansed for many years.
Every hotel, restaurant and house of
entertainment in the city has been
cleaned and disinfected from top to
bottom and made neat and as nearly
healthful as is possible under present
construction of the houses. Whenever
the proprietor of one of these places
manifests a disposition to allow them
to become dirty, an inspector is atop
Of him with the sharpest kind of a
military warning, which he knows bet
ter than disregard.
During the American administration
more modern water closets have been
put in in the city of Havana than dur
ing the preceding one hundred years.
There are 81 900 houses in the city and
every one of these has been inspected
and proper sanitary changes required
Not harshly and to the ruin of the
owners, but gradually and steadily
these houses have been cleansed, disin-
feeted and sanitary improvements
made. Havana has fairly good water
for domestic purposes, but the people
die not all use it, taking water instead
from shallow wells, open for most part
and unfit for use. The Generals medi-
cal staff has compelled the filling of
most of these surface wells and the
making of water connections with the
city supply.
Formerly all refuse from shops, ho-
tells, slaughter houses and markets, was
cast into the small shallow harbor. The
character Of that harbor is we'll known.
1t was the world over notorious as the
hlthiest pool on the face of the globe
lt viii be remembered that it's waters
We're so dark with foul matter and its
bottom so rank with the muck of de-
posted filth that divers in the case of
the Maine went down into the pool with
greatest reluctance, and when down
were able to do very little because of
the abominable condition Of the water
and OF the bottom. General Ludlow has
put an effectual and complete stop TO
the depositing of filth or rubbish in the
harbor waters. Now all refuse is burn
ed or disinfected, and more chloride of
lime has been used in Havana in the
last four months than was used in the
city for a century before.
The Army Engineers have set up an
electrozone plant to manufacture elec-
trozone from sea water for disinfecting
streets and sewers and all places that
might possibly be the seat Of pesti-
lence; the streets and drains are now
washed out as frequently as it is possi-
BILE to have done under present condi-
tons All the city garbage must now
be cremated or otherwise rendered
harmless. A new cremation plant has
been erected with 50-ton daily capac-
ity. Such as cannot be taken care OF
by cremation is loaded upon barges.
towed three miles out to sea and dump
ed where the wash of the Gulf Stream
is}constant.
There We're four Houses of Assist
anee" in Havana. These hospitals and
dispensaries We're dirty and devoid Of
proper appliances. Under American
control they have been cleansed, re-
paired and fitted out with medicines
and other equipment for the treatment
Of the poor and the dispensing of med
icine to those unable to buy. In each
of these houses there is now establibed
a good laboratory. Vaccine matter
has been cultivated near Havana and
now the medical officers are engaged in
vaccinating the entire population.
Expectoration upon the floors of pub
lie halls and resorts. and the walks of
public places is forbidden and swift
punishment visits offenders against the
rule. General Ludlow's sanitarians
could be usefully employed in enforcing
similar regulation in most American
cities. The old custom of carrying
soiled clothing in the street cars has
been forbidden and thus two known
means of communicating disease have
come to an end
A large amount of street and walk
pavement beneath which filth rotted
and the soil was foul from neglect, has
been torn up, the ground disinfected
and new pavement put down; where
the old paving was fit for use after
treatment, it has been relaid. This is
held to have been a most important
act, for all pavements in Havana are
laid directly upon the soil. no grouting
being used. In the rainy season the old
payements were rank with ooze from
the foul soil. as it steamed or crowded
up through the interstices.
This is by no means all that the au-
thorities under the Ludlow administra-
ton have accomp1ished in the short