New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-09
COLONEL WARNINGS REPORT.
TERRIBLE SANITARY CONDITIONS PRE-
VAILING IN HAVANA.
Ir ADVISES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
CLEANING. SEwERA IE AND OTHER
IMPROVEMENTS


CLEANING. SEWERAGE AND OTHER
IMPROVEMENTS
psr. 20 the War Department by the late Colonel
George A. Warning regarding his inspection Of
he city Of Havana under special instructions
from the War Department given him early last
autumn shows how thoroughly he executed the
Investigation in that filthy municipality which
resulted in his death. In this exhaustive report
which contains invaluable recommendations for
the Improvement of the Cuban capital Colonel
waring after referring in general terms TO the
extent Of his researches. says he found the
street-ceaning without adequate organization
or funds: the markets offensive and dangerously
filthy with the distribution of human food. with
the exception of two the Tacon and Colon Mar
kets. He also found the machinery used for
sweeping the streets ineffective. the garbage
thrown into the streets and in entire disregard
Of the ordinance requiring garbage TO be put
into proper receptacles. The work OF the con-
tractor was all done in the latter part o: the
night and absolutely in the dark. end no at
tempt seems to have been made to cover or re-
move the rubbish left otherwise
Foul pools were found In tho streets in
which rubbish and filth had been deposited.
which the contractor not required to clean.
and this filth turned over to the buzzards.
Some Of the streets In the compact part or the
city are paved with large stone blocks others
with Belgian blocks. and the remainder are
unpaved. These streets are filled with dirty
holes which in turn are filled up with house gar
bage. There is practically no sewerage. In
many cases households connect their private
vaults with loose brick or stone drains Just
under the pavement along their frontage These
serve to allow the liquid filth to leach out into
the ground close TO the surface. enabling the
householder TO get out with much less hiring OF
night scavengers to bale out and carry away its
Accommodations than would otherwise be neces-
sary
Slaughter1ng pens. while specifically clean.
are hrutally disgusting while the work Is going
on Blood and offal are washed by copious
foodings from the water supply into ad
joining creek and harbor. reeking with putrid
filth There is systematic disposal OF gar
bage and sweepings. It is deposited on the sur
face in and the town. where the buzzards
feast upon u to their full satisfaction. Dead
dogs cats and chickens left in the streets
until the buzzards pick them TO the skeleton.
And all this is done under intense Bad
as these conditions they are not comparable
with the disgusting conditions of the domestic
Mfe. There are fewer than twenty thousand
houses in the city. Sixteen thousand are OF one
story two hundred are Of three stories, and
few are OF four stories and none higher.
At least twelve out of every thirteen of the
inhabitants live in one-story houses the total
population being over two hundred thousand
The average population Of the houses is over
ten.
PEsTHoLEs IN PRIVATE HOUSES.
In all the compacty built parts of the city
the entire lot Is covered with the house. there
being one or two courts included in the build
ing In the better class OF houses the entrance
hall is commonly the standing room OF the car
rage. 1t opens into the parlor at its sides and
into the recepton-room at its rear. Beyond
this s a court. then the dningroom then
smaller court, the kitchen. stable and private
vault practically all In one. Sleeping-rooms
are in the rear Of the parlor and at the side OF
the court dning-room The conspicuous feature
OF every house Is the private vault and some
times second vault for kitchen wastes. These
vaults occupy a space practically under and al
most In the kitchen 1t is rare indeed that these
vaults have a ventilatng pipe. 80 that they
belch forth nauseatng doors throughout the
house which pervade the streets. Lest the con-
dtions set forth should fail 70 do their appoint
ed work of destruction. the broad marshes at
the southerly edge Of the harbor are at hand to
furnish their quota of malaria. Into these
bear upon their surface the offscourinGs of
poor quarter OF the town. the efluent OF the
slaughterng pens and OF other foul establish
ments while a large portion Of the fiat Is used
as a dumping ground for garbage
The water supply Of Havana. says Colonel
Waring Is of the purest and most excellent
character This. with the winds OF the Gulf,
saves the city from being absolutely and un-
oualfedly bad The city is veritable plague
spot. It's own people. largely immune though
they are TO yellow fever. which has prevailed in
Havana without interruption for 163 years fall
constant victims under the pernicious malaria
and depressing influences to which they are al
WAYS subjected 1t needs only the immigration
Of fresh material which the enterprise OF an
American population is sure to bring in TO Gre
ate a sacrifice such as has not yet been known.
Commerce. he says will carry the terror and
the terrible scourge Of yellow fever TO the shores
~ tho United States until the Americans rise
again in a war Of humanity and at all costs
wine out an enemy with which no military valor
can cope.
A DANGER TO BE NET AT ONCE
IN conclusion Colonel warins says: Would
II not be wise to accept at once the fact that
we are confronted with danger compared with
which war is Insignificant and proceed to meet
u and conouer II while we may? We cannot
afford TO wait until we have fed and strength
ened II with the lives Of our people The neces-
sarv reforms will call for costly works even
now. But every months delay will make them
more costly and more imperative. We can set
about these reforms now calmly and judic'ousiy.
Later. under the impulse of panic. We should
work at far greater disadvantage
Colonel waring suggests the following I'M
provemsnts as absolutely essential TO make Ha-
vana a healthy city: