Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-03-01

farm houses, driving the Cnbans back
to the villages and confiScating their
horses and oxen. am Informed that
they can raise from two to three crops
each year. 1t is now a desolatc look
ipg country. Mantanzss is q city of
sixty thousand inhabitants; half
Cubans aud half negroes Business
there Is at standstill on account of
the farmers not being able to buy
horses and build houses. We went
back into the suburban villages; build
ings were built with hay matched
roofs and abo',t one story high; no
floor but the ground. 1t was a wretch
ed looking sight. The chief occupa-
ton was making splint hats. In
many places were to be seen bare,
naked children running about out
doors. But all seemed to be happy
now that the war is over. In this
climate there can be no great suffering
so long as the people get enough to
eat, as 1t is now as warm as our July
weather. At this place are camped
about six thousand of our soldiers.
North of here is the most beautiful
valley ever saw. There can be seen
plantations of oranges, limas, pine
apples, cocOanuts and fig trees. AS to
farming utensils, they are so years be-
hind the times; they use wooden
thing, not pillow, as it only stirs the
earth up and is drawn by oxen that
move at the rate of one mile an hour.
intended to have gone out hunting
quail from this place, but, after seeing
so many block houses, and breast
works where Weyler's army camped,
also groups Of armed cubans, weak
ened and returned to Havana.
The country as far as / have seen it,
is beautiful rolling land, well watered
with large springs and there is very
little waste land. 1t sells at from $40
to $50 per acre, according to location.
/ hear of n good many purchases being
made, mostly by our soldiers who are
looking to take advantage of good bar
gains. l believe there is a good open
ing here for our people with their i'm
proved machinery to do we'll.
Havana is supplied with pure water,
which comes from one spring about IL
miles south Of the city and is about 800
feet higher. The water runs to a large
basin near the spring, and is conduct
ed to the city through two pipes about
s feet in diameter. No machinery is
required and the water supply is
abundant. The sanitary condition of
the city has been greatly improved in
the past few months, and when the
work in this line is completed, 1 can.
not see why the city should not be
healthy; they have the best of drain
age To see the way the people have
lived for hundreds of years. it is a
wonder that all of them did not die
of. ~
Their way of cooking is not to my
taste.f They use garlic aud red-pepper
on almost everything. There lis: no
use in PERSONS kicking. for, you sell
dom come across anyone who speaks
English.
Their beds are made of woven wire
with only thin cotton quilt over the
wire. You get on that and pull over
the sheet and one thin, cotton. quilt
and you are ready for rest. All hotels
have the same so there Is no choice.
All beds are covered with frame Of
mosquito cloth. / don't think there
was night that we did not hear the
cry of the mosquitoes, and at the same
time you had it 20 to 40 degrees below
zero in Iowa.
With the many little Inconvenience
to which was exposed to during my
three weeks spent there, 1 enjoyed my
trip very much. There are so many
interesting things to be seen. The
thermometer registered about 70 de-
grees above zero, Two days, the l4th
and 18th 1t was 500 above. This was
the tail end of your cold wave. The
climate Is just perfect; the saltwater
breezes from the ocean seem to, give
one new life and sharp appetite. If
my good wife aud family had been
with me should have been glad to
have remained in Cuba one month
longer.
At 2 p. IN. the 18th, with our grips
In hand. bidding farewell lin Spanish)
toour landlord, we boarded the Olivet-
to and sailed tor Tampa. L will never
forget that voyage, 80 per cent of the
passengers, also including the ships
crew, were seasiek. was yone of the
lucky ones to pass muster, but was
half scared to death for fear we would
all 90 to the bottom. But we arrived
at Key West, q distance of IS miles, at
100 p. m. and the balance of the way
was q pleasant voyage. We stopped
over night at Tampa, and the next
morning, the 10th took the s. f. and
=. train for Washington. Here have
now been for the past four days taking
in the sights of the city. Through the
kind attention of our Decorah boy,
Mr.. N. III. Nelson, / was able to see
much more OF the city and its sur
roundings than / otherwise. should
have done had I been alone. visited
the Arlington National Cemetery,
Mount Vernon, Alexandria, the 70.
illogical Park, the Smithsonian and
the New National Museum, the Navy
Yard and the Fisheries, the Capitol