The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-09
HAVANA IS APEST HOLE
syavpsls 4 tle Rspsft Msdc ~ tk lsle
CslsaeI wsrIns.
rp,DExAc d FEVER NAY BE EXPECTED.
0nly way II Can ne Avoided II ia
Pash the work OF sanitation
nsfore next june.

washington, Jeuuary s.--The war depart
ment. division officers and insular officers.
made public today a synopsis OF the fte
colonel George A.. Warnings report OF bis
visit to Havana under the special instruc-
tlcps Of the war department given him
e6rly last autumn to thoroughly inspect the
sanitary condition Of tho city and to make
such recommendations for the future inn
provements as might be suggested by said
inspectsM Colonel waring says he found
the street cleaning without adequate or
SANITATION or funds and the markets of
fensivc and dangerously filthy for the dis
tribution OF human food. He also found the
machinery used for sweeping the streets
ineffective; the garbage thrown into the
STREETS in utter disregard for the ordinance
requiring 1t to be sent out In proper recep-
tscles. The work OF the contractor was all
done in the latter part OF the night and
absolutely In the dirk.
Foul pools were M ti.e streets filled with
rubbish and filth. which the contractor was
not required to clean. There Ia practically
no sewage. In many cases househol Ii con-
meet their private vaults with loose brick
or stone drains lust under tbs pavement
along their frontage. These allow the
LIQUID filth to leak into the ground close
to the surface. enabling the householder to
get out Of much hiring az IA ght scavengsrs
to bail oft and carry away accumulapions.
Siaughtertng, while specifically clean, ia
brutally disgusting while the work Is GO
lug on. Blood and offal are washed by co..
pious flood ngs f1lcm the water supply into
al adjoining creek and barbor retktng With
putrid filth There is no systematic dis
peal OK garbage and sweepiDgs. IL is de-
pcsiied en- the surface In and near the Town,
where the buzzaris feast upon Il 10 their
tut satisfaction Dead dogs. cats aud
chickens s-s, left In the street until The
huxzards pick them To the skeleton. And
al This " dcne under al, intense sun
4 Bad rs these conditions are they arc not
cnsnpsrsb,a with the disgusting condition
Of the domestic life. There are fewer than
2e.o1" houses IN the city. sixteen thousand
are cf one story, 200 are Of dhree stories
and very few are OF four stories and none
higher, At least twelve out OF every thir-
teen of the inhabitants live in story
ho,isss. the total population being over 2O0,-
0o0. The average population OF the houses
Is over ten
The conspicuous feature Of tvcry house
Ia the private vault and sometimes SEC
ond vault for the kitchen. The vaults oc-
cupy space under almost in the kitchen.
IL is rare, indeed, that these vaults have
ventiaating pipe so that they belch forth
nauseating odors throughout sne hcl e.
which pervade the streets Lest the condi-
lions above set forth should fal! to TO the I
appointed work Of destruction. marches Mt
the toutherly end OF the harbor are at
hand to furnish their quota OF malaria.
{ INTO thesa marshes flow q Number of water
courses which bear upon their surface the
on -scourings of a very poor quarter OF the
{ town. the effluvla. OF the slaughter pens
and Of other foul establishments. while q
large portscn OF the fiat is used as a dump.
Ing ground fer garbage. The city Is
NeTtiable plague spot. Its own people
largely anima'no though they nre to yellow
feyer. which has prevailed In Havana
without interruption for 1863 years, Esll con.
slant victims 10 the pernicloua malaria
AMI depresstrg Influences to which they are
nlways subjected 1t needs only tho I'm
migration OF fresh material which the
enterprise Of an American population ia
rure 10 bring In, to create sacrifice such
a. has not yet been known
Commerce. says Colonel Warning, will
carry the terrible acourge Of yellow fever 10
our shores Unless We rise again In a war
OF humanity and at all costs wipe out an
enemy with which no military valor can
cope.
In conclusion, Colonel Warning sugges. q
numerous improvements as absolutely es
ssniiai 10 make Havana healthy city,
which ha estimates Will cost ten millions
81 dollars. 1t hns been estimated, continue
Colorel Warlng, that single epldamics In
troduced into the United States from Ha-
vana have cost In the Mississippi valley
alone one hundred millions OF dollars Ia
loss TO industries and to- commerce. aside
from the loss ct life, amounting In 1878 10
1911, IN addition to the enormous cost OF
the sicknees Of those who recovered.
Colonel Waring further etates That in
bis judgment the complete execution Of the
work he has mapped out would completely
eradicate ydllow fever from Havana for MI
time: would relieve It from the malaria
which Is now 70 fatal. and would reIucc
IL normal death rate from its present hi st
nEurc mot far from 90 per 10000 to abo,i,
70 per 1000. He says n theee improve
ments are to be made there must be nc
delay ailh no half way measures. All that
y Indicated must be done in the best and
most complete manner, and II must ali
20 done before Juns i, 1892. II IL is no,
all done. there ~ every reason 70 fear that
yellow fever Will be rife In Havana mex,
reancp, because Of ths large number Of
rnprotected personw who would 40 the 4
trusting to the efficiency OF the partial
carrying out OF the work. The mortality 81
the city OF Havana for the week ending
Ocoober 8. 1898, was $50. an annual rate
o. 1896 per 1000.