Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-21
DISTRESS IN PORTO RICO
Charity May Cause Greater Injury Than the
Hurricane.
Chief Warneld Tells About His EX-
perience on His Recent TIP
to the Island.

a
Rico. He arrived at San Juan August III.
having barely touched the outer borders of
the great storm in the passage from New
York At San Juan he saw but few evil
dences of the destructive fury of the hurri-
cane-some trees Frustrated and fences
overturned were all the wrecks that came
under his notice. Business was going on, as
usual, and there was nothing to indicate
that the city or any portion of the island
had suffered great disaster.
Devastation at Ponce.
On the following day Mr.. Warfield left
San Juan for Ponce arriving at that port
August 20. Here the storm had left ruin
in it's track. The great sheds on the
wharves in which coffee and sugar and 9TH
er staple exports are stored. were disman-
tied the roofs rolled up and twisted off,
and the valuable merchandise tossed about
and ruined by wind and water-the greatest
destruction was along the water front,
where no building was left standing except
the custom house, but some dwellings In
other parts Of the city were also destroyed.
These We're generally very fragile struc-
lures, which could scarcely be expected to
withstand an ordinary wind storm in the
tropical hurricane.
The province of Ponce suffered more
severely than any other part of the island.
The official list of victims in the whole
province numbered 2S1-a very impressive
exhibit, indeed, of the remorseless sweep of
the storm. but not nearly so dreadful as
represented in the first accounts sent to the
United States Under the influence of the
panic that prevailed for some days the re-
ports from the coast towns We're tremen-
dously exaggerated, and later there seemed
to be a deliberate purpose in overstating
the casualties and magnify1ng the losses.
The Path of Destruction.
AS far Mr.. Warfield could assert from
his personal observation and inquiries
among the people of different localities,
only narrow belt along the coast suffered
any serious injury. The interior of the ISL
and was scarcely touched. Some little huts
c'shacks,' the cottages inhabited by the
lower classes of natives are called may
have been overturned, but there was no
loss of life, no destruction of property, nor
interruption of the ordinary empioyments
of the people
All of the loss of life and greater part of
the loss of property was caused by the sud
den rising of the rivers they approach
ed the sea. The natives, with characters
tic heedleSSneSS, will build their little
'shacks'' on the banks of the rivers and
sometimes even in the dry channels of the
streams that rarely flow, and when the
hood comes these insecure habitations float
away with other driftwood. This was what
occurred in Ponce. When the waters rose
the strong and active fed from their houses
and left the infants, the young children
ana the aged ana lfflrm to be carried off
IN the pitlcSS torrent.
Possible Harm Of Charity
Mr.. Warfield thinks that the very liberal
and far-reaching relief afforded by the gov
ernment and the donations from benevo-
lent people in the United States If kept up
for any length Of time will work far more
injury than the hurricane itself. No sooner
was the telegram from the Secretary of
no tar tb.,ri
San Juan to issue rations to the sufferers
by the storm made public than crowds of
people began to flock to the designated
points of distribution, many of whom had
lost nothing, but Outran the real suffer
erS in their haste to draw free rations.
The news of a free set OUT along the
coast soon reached the interior, where there
was no loss of food, or clothing or employ
nent, and in some districts the plantations
We're denuded of their laborers Before Mr.
Warfield left the island he heard farmers
declare that they would have to abandon
their crops. because their field hands were
unwilling to work when they could get
their subsistence for nothing. This is a
phase of the relief question that it might
be well to investigate before the working
people of Porto Rico lose their taste for
their native food-the yam and the banana
and become permanently attached to the
United states army ration.
Rations for the People.
In passing from one town to another Mr..
Warfield frequently encountered the IA
miliar Z. S. army wagon, generally in con-
voys of five or six, carrying provisions 20
the places reported to be destitute He
was greatly impressed with the Astounding
wealth and the prodigal generosity OF
Uncle Sam in thus providing for the poor
est and most remote of his adopted chill
dren, but when he saw the shiftlessness.
the mendacity and the shameless greedi-
ness Of some of these new members of our
uncle's family ii occurred to him that
open handed generosity should be tempered
with little industrial stimulus or disci-
pine. Industry is the only cure for pow
erty.
The army wagons which Mr.. Warfield
encountered We're loaded with flour. beans
and rice. Under the system of distribu-
ton adopted family alleged to be dest-
tute was allowed to draw seven pounds OF
-four, seven pounds of beans and seven
pounds of rice for each adult member Der
week. The storm-stricken families were
generally represented to be large ana the
proportion of adults was extraordinary. b.
Under ordinary conditions the food or the
laboring people of the island Is the yam
and the banana. supplemented with the
spontaneous fruits and berries Thelr
wants are few and relate almost entirely
to the stomach. Their dwellings are the
''shacks'' already mentioned. From choice
most OF them prefer sleeping out OF doors
during greater part of the year With the
machete which is always at hand, they
cut a few punches or grass. anu On lHis IN
extensive bed they rest through the long
night with serene forgetfulness of the
wants of the coming day.
Capital and Energy Wanted. .
Mr. Warfield regards Porto Rico as
garden spot of infinite possibilities All
that it needs is capital and forceful, ener-
getc men to utilize the labor that is run
ming to waste through sheer ignorance and
Incidence. A compulsory system OF COM
mon school education will be the founda-
ton of better things.
In the meantime, he thinks the govern
ment might give a little stimulus to indus
try by constructing much-needed roads,
which would greatly enhance the value of
property in the interior, and at the same
time would give employment to a large
number of native laborers. who have to be
taught to work. They should be paid, not
in provisions or other family supplies, but
in money. which is scarcer and more
highly priced than anything else.
1t was surprise to Mr.. Warfield to find
no orange orchards in Porto Rico. The
orange is not cultivated, but it grows in
profusion spontaneously. The wild orange
trees are perennial bearers. except that dur
ing the months of August and September
there are no ripe oranges. During all the
other months of the year the tree exhibits
every stage of growth, from the swelling
bud to the golden fruit dropping from the
branches Mr.. Warfield found one tree