The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-04
CLEAN THE CITY.
Letter From Porto Rico Shows
a Filthy Condition
OF Cities, In the New American
Territory Acquired.
OVERCROWDED
City of San Juan Perhaps in the
Best Condition
But the Sanitation Measures
Are Poor Indeed.

San Juan, Porto Rico, Dec. 1S.-ln
the matter OF cleanliness this city Is de-
ceptive. If one comes from other is
land 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 Ricos cap
ital are for the most part very well
paved and are kept actually fairly
clean. A comparison can be made to a
shiny, steel tire on a very muddy wa
gon wheel. The city streets then are
for the most part clean, but the houses
and the nunberless interior 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 no doubt but that the question
needs very thorough handling and one
can well say that everything must be
Done, for nothing to speak of has been
done in the past and OF their own will
the people will do nothing today,
San Juan City is built on the western
end of long and narrow island that
runs almost due east and west across
the northern side of San Juan harbor
The northern side of this island is the
highest, being 90 or 20 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 a western en-
trance; 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.
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, consequent
ly all those who can afford to, do live
there. A doctor of this city, 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 toward 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 deprived of air and
light. Americans have wondered how
/ this city could house the 10000 inhabi-
tants attributed to it; a visit to the in
teriors, of the houses would quickly in
form them. In these tenementS the
sanitary arrangements 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 American cities, is done in these
houses. Alleyways, halls and crowded
rooms are forever hung with damp
clothing; dirty water stands in foul tubs
and is emptied into drains that proba-
bly, do not drain. The houses are crowd
ed with naked children, food is cooked
over charcoal fires in any corner and
all water comes from underground res
ervoirs in the yards that catch the rain
from the roofs. All the water that the
city has today is cistern water. The
low ont inf a ar ia nd VsC to hA
people who live above. 1t is almost i'm
possible to find today in San Juan a
second story for living purposes under
which there do not reside several fami-
lies with habits such as is here de-
scribed.
Whether these people can be driven to
the country is a 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 ten
ement property is highly profitable to
the owner here as elsewhere. You can
not drive the negro to the open fields
unless you there provide shelter for
him and even if you told him he must
move within three or six months he
would make no effort to find himself
quarters elsewhere. 1t would be neces-
sary to build houses for him In the
country and there make him remain.
Any such movement would be strongly
opposed by the property owner.
While theoretically this action would
bring the best lasting results, its prac-
teal application will be found difficult.
In case it 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
good drainage system possible. There
is ample fall from all points into the
harbor. Whether there is sufficient
thus drained has never been determin-
ed If there is not, the eastern entrance
might be sufficiently enlarged to bring
this about.
The Standards Ione- ago started work
on a system of water supply to be
brought from the country through aque-
ducts and this system was very nearly
completed when the war came on. I'm
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 IS pounds and 1T Is probable that
the higher pressure would prove the
pipes to be Valueless and neceSsitate
new ones. However this may be, much
has already been done toward getting
ample and good water to this city and
this matter Is Of first Importance to the
city's health.
If the undesirable first floor negro is
to stay in town he must be taught how
to live properly and then made to do SO.
It is not sufficient to post instructions
or tenement house doors, sewers must
be built, and until that time all wash
ing of clothes should be done in proper
public lavatories; there must be ample
and good water; proper and hygienic
living must be made possible and then
the people must be severely punished
for each infraction of the rules; only
thus can they be handled and effective
iy taught 1t will be useless and farcical
to attempt to force them to live prop
erly without giving them the means so
to do.
The situation can be summed up thus
shortly: The city today is overcrowd-
ed, there Is not sufficient water, and
what there is Is had. the soil is impfeg-