The times., 1899-06-18
SAGUA LA GRbNDE
A PEARL OF CITIES
A Cuban Town That Escaped
the Ravages of Strife.
An American Woman With a Cam
era AstGnishes the Natives.

hH hHtIlCdu w UHidH W It'll IL tdlil-
era AStGniSheS the Natives.
Touring Through the Surar-Produc-
ing Province of SANTA Clara--Or-
phnnaEe of the AsiIio de PatUa.
Sagua la Grande May 20-The best place
/ have found in which to study the con-
ditions and prospects of Cuba, its pros
porous past, depressed present, and future
possibilities, is this so-oalied seaport,
which lies a dozen miles or more from the
sea. There is no other town quite like it
on the island, its air of trimness and aris-
tocratic aloofness rendering it as different
from Havana, MatanZas, Santiago, Glen
fuegos, as a New England town differs
from Colorado mining camp. Its streets
are wider and better paved, its buildings
as fresh and unpieturesque as those of Yam
keedom, and its business interests, though
slow going and behind the times, are ap-
parently on an unshakable financial basis.
Such a thing as mercantile failure has
never been known in Sagua la Grande. The
conservative little city took no part in the
recent war and consequently suffered less
than any other portion of Cuba; and al
though, like the rest OF the country it
now feels somewhat the pressure OF hard
times, its 10000 population includes sew
eral millionaires, many well-to-do sfami-
lies, and none who are really suffering.
somebody has accurately described Sa-
qua as "A sky-blue picture Framed in
green" The sky-blue effect Is produced
by the preponderance of that hue in the
paint which is annually lavished upon the
buildings both public and private, while
the natural surroundings are green as the
greenest of tropical scenery Even the
central plaza, from which the orderly
streets radiate like the spesss in a wheel.
impresses the stranger as sky blue, being
divided into four equal Sections. each en-
closed within an ornamental wooden fence
of cerulean tint, outlined with biue-paint-
ed benches; while all the environing
structures, their arcades and ba.oolies, are
painted the same color. Each division OF
the plaza has towering palm in its outer
corner and white statue in the middle
OF Ceres or Flora, or some other mythical
female, standing waist deep amid the flow
ers. Prominent among tropical blooms are
seen the homely, good-natured faces OF cur
northern sunfowers-a comparatively re-
cent Importation into Cuba and regarded
with extraordinary favor one whole side
OF the plaza is occupied by the sky-blue
cathedral. its great doors and towers and
belfry painted bright green. with tall
black cross atop. The interior Of tSis
sanctuary is Unexpectedly beautiful-all
pale blue and pearl gray. Above the slen-
der marble columns of the main altar the
Blessed Virgin appears, soaring aloft in
gown of heavenly blue. Behind her the
royal mantle of Spain, of richest crimson
and ermine, is gathered into a golden
crown; and overhead, in blue sky stud
ded with stars, hoyers great white dove,
radiating golden light, each ray tipped
with a cherub's head, floating amid hsecy
clouds. The side altars containing the
usual images and gay with paper roses,
are each backed with simulated drapery OF
Spanish crimson and ermine surmounted
by the royal crown. The central portion
of the church is divided by double lows
of pillars, bearing pictures of saints and
angels, painted on sky blue panels by a
master hand and the walls are hung with
quaint old prints, above each woden cru
cifix.
Perhaps the most picturesque sight in
Sagua is its rambling, one-stoTied market
house, where products and commodities
unfamiliar 10 Northern eyes are exposed
for sale under a series of blue and yellow
arches. In the early morning the square
is thronged with sin-zapa toes (the bare
looted populace)-the aristocratic classes
of Cuba being never seen in the markets,
but delegatng the purchase of household
supplies 10 the servants An American
woman, with camera, clad from hat to
shoes, was such an amazing novelty that
when your correspondent ventured forth
one morning in search of snapshots and
curiosities. she found herself the embar-
Tassed centre of groups of half-cIothed
men and women and wholly unclothed chill
dren, from whose good-natured attentions
she was fain to retreat under the wing of
a friendly policeman.
A trip down the Sagua River to the sea
is an experience to linger in the memory.
The outer "Boca" (mouth) is thickly
strewn with wooded islets, each ''an en-
erald ring of the wave Most of them
are dense green solitudes, uninhabited eX-
cept by sea fowl awaiting the coming of
some Robinson Cruso. A few are occu-
pied by fishermen. their nets drying on
poles beside their straw thatched hUtS and
their boats drawn up high and dry on peb-
bly, beaches. From the outer bay into the
inner, the intricate channel winding
through shoal water between the islands,
is indicated by stakes driven at frequent
intervals, the most dangerous p aces mark
ed by fiuttering rags tied to the stakes, or
bottles inverted upon thaHi. The Boca
proper, or inner bay, where the river real
ly discharges, is surrounded by an i'm
passable mangrove swamp with a Trouble
some bar in front, and between the Scylla
and Charybdis of marsh and sand the in
experienced mariner has hard time of it.
Such is the northern part of Santa Clara,
the richest sugar producing province in
Cuba. OF course only the smallest craft
can make it, Once inside the bar. you
emerge into what seems a continuous cane
field as far as the eye can see, through
which the narrow river runs, an ndistin-
guishable streak of silver