The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-06

have expressed great qualification, too.
at the prospect of the erection of large
docks, which will dispense with the pres
cnt expensive system of unloading every
thing upon lighters-a system which had
no other reason for existing than the
payment to Spain of a large bonus by
the monopoly which owned the lighters.
%
II Is not necessary, however to antici-
pate benefits. General Ludlow has al
ready expended $7j0O0O In cleaning the
city of Havana This is a fact of which
few people, probably, have any knowl-
edge. Its significance does not need TO
be emphasized. Havana, once remarka-
BILE for its filth. Is being transformed. It's
streets are as clean as those of any city
In the United States which are paved with
Belgian blocks. There Is no accumula-
ticH of dirt in the cutters, no litter of
paper, no refuse of any character kid-
Ing over many miles of every section OF
the city, / was surprised at this cleanh-
ness, so different from what | had eN-
pected. As the stones are laid upon the
| soft dirt without solid foundation, some
| dust is daily forced up between the creV-
| ices of the Belgian blocks, but even this
| is constantly swept away by the street
| cleaners. The provcrblal dirty thorough
| fares no longer exist When l asked Cen
istration this work Is being done, whether
| the outward cleanliness WAS a token that
| the reformation of the city had been Sc
| cured, | really anticipated his reply. Il
| Is within the houses, as he told me, that
| the real work of regeneration must be
| done. These houses are fac-similes of
| Madrid houses, with an inner court upon
| which the apartments open, and they
| have no sewer connection whatever. In
| addition to this, ii is the common custom
| to use this courtyard as a stable. The
| entrance to the house is also the drive
| way, and 1t is easy to toss a stone from
| a sleeping apartment to the horses stall
! In the lack of sewerage and the proNimi-
| ty of the stable there is much discour-
agement, but the army officers have met
| the difficulties with wonderful patience
| and energy. A house-to-hous inspection
! is being made. md the citizens are being
| told that It is necessary to observe all
| sanitary regulations possible under the
| existing conditions. In the residences of
the rich there is little or no remedy need
/ ed. The tiled floors are clean, and intel
lisent care for the preservation of health
is exercised In the homes of the poor
! vigorous measures have to be and are
being taken. The result is that tons and
tons of accumulated dirt have been re-
moved from the city and dumped into the
sea, far beyond the harbor's mouth.
d
Speaking of the harbor, by the way,
| 1t is worth while to remark that the
| stories of its filth have been greatly eX-
| aggerated. New York harbor today is no
less dirty than Havana harbor. General
! Ludlow told me, as we Travelled over the
water of the bay. that the general belief
! of a great depth of filth upon the harbors
bottom is not founded on fact, the falsity
! being proved by actual examination. He
pointed to the water which was Churned
| up by the propeller of the launch 1t was
| not as clear as midoCoan, of course. but
| 1t was free, so far as appearances went,
from filth. 1t is even transparent to
| dergee, for | saw on more than one occa-
| sion fish swimming a foot or more be-
low the surface. The stories that fish will
not live in Havana harbor is disproved
by my own observation. Some of these
days when a great and comprehensive
system of sewers is devised and construct
| ed in Havana, the contents of the sew
ers must largely flow into the harbor.
Even then no serious conditions will exist.
| There is only a difference of about four
teen inches in the rise and fall of the tide
| but even this is sufficient to create cur
| rent through the narrow entrance of suf-
| ficient strength to swing the largest ships
| at their moorings. Besides this, as Gen
| eral Ludlow pointed cut, the salt of the
sea is great disinfectant. The sewer
| system, Dy lne way, is lne STeateSl pIoD-
| lem yet to be solved for Havana. The
engineer officers are now working upon it,
another instance of the devotion of Amer
caa time and money to the benefit of
Cuba.
How long before the sewer system can
| be put into operationY' | asked Colonel
Black, who will be remembered as once
the engineer commissioner in Washing
! and General Iu1lpNN'S able a &
sistant. "The work will require two
| years" was his reply. Some estimates
name a briefcr time, but what is done
ought to he done well. Temporary eNpe-
diCnts will be worse than useless. When
we build, we must build for all time.
with nothing to undo" "Are any great
difficulties presented?" None as to
grades because the city is not on level
ground. Our greatest trouble will be oe-
cause of the narrow streets. 1t will be
necessary to dig up one square and then
so to the next parallel street, because
even the digging of a narrow trench means
the stoppage Of all traffic. There will be
difficulties, of course, but none that can
not be surmounted." Having thus en-
deavored to show in some degree wha (
the United States is doing for Havana it
should be added that the same efforts at
improvements are being made all over
the island of Cuba. General Woods work
| at Santiago is well known. but all the
other army commanders are laboring with
equal zeal. The question will naturally
be asked to whose good will all this
work inure? The answer is that both
Cuba and the United States will be
equally benefited The climate of Ha-
vana is naturally healthy and delightful,
and the whole of Cuba is habitable for
Americans, even in the rainy season, ii
proper sanitary precautions are observed,
| lr,t.- t1ly.
! perhaps, to complete. During that time
the flag of the United States will not
come down. When IT is finished no one,
in my judgment will want the United
States to withdraw its beneficial hand.