The times., 1899-09-24
IN THE isle OF Pines
A Comparatively Unknown Bit of
Cuban Territory.

tuUdH ItTGitUTI-
Its UndeyeIoped Riches in Pine,
Mahogany, Iron, and quicksilver
Mineral Springs and Beautiful
MarbIcs-Nueva Corona, the Birth
place of EvnngeIina Cisneros.
NUEvA CORONA, Isle of Pines Aug. is.
This big island, with an area of more
than 600 square miles, has only two small
towns-Nueva Corona its capital, and
Santa Fe, fifteen miles farther inland. To
reach them, you must sail around to the
northern coast, winding in ana out the
channels between hundred Gays and islets,
all green with mangruve thickets. Nueva
Corona lies three miles from the sea- up
the river Casas, and to it's wharf comes
once a week the small steamer Protec
tora, from Batabanao the southern port
of Havana province. Santa Fe has port
OF its own, seven miles distant, called
Jucaro, on the Santa Fe river. several miles
above the Caribbean. Vessels drawing more
than five feet of water cannot approach
either port, because of shallow water over
the bars at the mouths of the rivers.
Disseminating al Juearo you see few
idle darkeys l0unsing on lis tumble-down
pier, beside quantity of railway ties,
roofing beams and tobacco poles, piled up
for expectation, and beyond find two or
three antiquated volantes and as many OK
carts, waiting TO convey passengers and
their IN En TbOuuh itc
resident population is less than 200, the
town is famous one on account of the
wonderful thermal springs, which Cubans
believe will almost resuscitate the dead.
The drive thereto from Jucaro is an expe-
rience to linger in the memory. Each de-
crepit volante is drawn by three mules har-
messed tandem, and over their heads the
driver fourishes his whip with prolonged
''Mulas- ah -h-h-h." that make the welkin
ring, as you are ratified along the stony
road at a pace which threatens TO disjoint
your own frame together with that of the
vehicle After the sand-dunes and man
grove vegetation of the coast, comes
desolate region of cacti and dwarf palmet
toes, so like the Arizona desert that you
involuntarily look around for rattlesnakes
and Gila monsters; gradually displaced, as
the hills are neared. by scanty grass cei--
bas, and yellow pines. Presently steep
and quilted byways make rapid transit no
longer possible and you find yourself in
fern draped canyons arched with living
green, which by contrast to the coast
scenery have the effect of coming into dim
cathedral aisles from a commonplace city
street, and the impressiveness of a fine
quotation from the Bible in a yellow
journal"
The Hamlet of Holy Faith.
The wretched little hamlet is well named
Holy Faith for it requires a great deal
of that intangible commodity to make bear
able its many discomforts. A wide, bare
space in the centre of the village called
by courtesy q plaza is given over to heaps
of garbage and discarded cans hungry
dogs, and wandering donkeys. Around this
general dumping ground the low, thatehed
cottages are built struggling off into ir-
regular, unpaved streets There is no inn
or other public accommodation for man or
beast, and the sooner you get out of the
wretched place the better; so you re-enter
the dilapidated yolante and proceed at once
TO the springs.
Hidden in the heart of low, green hills
is the celebrated spa, with nothing TO in
dicate its existence until you are fairly
upon il but a brook or two, from which
ascending steam gives warning of waters
unusually heated. A sudden turn in the
road reveals a surprising transformation
scene from Santa Fe-several stately struc-
lures built of stone, surrounded by beauti-
! fully-kept grounds, with many well-dressed
| people lettering under the trees and loIIing
! in hammocks swung in wide Yerandas
These stone and marble casas are the spa
| hotels, to which, for many years, the
/ C1tL md lad
! eral from Spain and inyalids from all parts
| of the West Indies, have come for health
| and recreation. In their large cool rooms
| you may find some Of the comforts of life:
but of course, a great deal is lacking
4 which, under present circumstances cannot
| be supplied. By and by, when prosperity is
restored to Iong-suffering Cuba, some
| Northern bonifaces will come down here
with sufficient capital and make an ideal
| resort. And with them will come other
much-needed improvement, such as dredging
! the mouth of the river and constructing a
tram line between Jucaro and Santa Fe.
The climate of the whole island is as
near absolute perfection as can be found
| this side of heaven-the dry pure air
cooled by ocean breezes and odorous of the
| health giving breath of pine forests Be-
sides the many medicinal springs, are sew
| eTal deep bathing pools, of about blood
| temperature. At present only one of the
latter is used-that named Templada
| (temperate), near the Santa Rita Hotel.
A house has been erected over it, divided
/ into compartments for ladies and gentle
men, each bath being twelve feet by six,
with four feet of water on a stone floor
| The temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit
and the water is very strongly impregnated
| with iron, magnesia, silex, oxygen, car
bonic acid gases, chloride OF sodium,
chloride of calcium, suiphate of lime nj
trate Of lime, and nobody knows what
other constituents. The combination
makes the nastiest drink imaginable, be-
side which the SAVIOR of added eggs com
mon TO many mineral springs is as am
| brosia; and even the odor of it generally
acts on newcomers as a lively emetic
The regulation cure as prescribed by Gu
ban doctors for almost every disease known
| TO materia medica is two baths day and
four glasses OF the water. Formerly the
| Spanish Government kept an official sur
geon here and nobody was allowed to bathe
| without first paying TO him a consultation
fee of $3.75 in gold, and afterward 20 cents
for each bath. AS the baths were invaria-
bly, prescribed for all comers the inference
is that the consultation was only another
pretext for putting gold into Spanish pock-
cts.
Surprising Cures Effected.
great many surprising cures have been
effected here of persons far gone in con-