The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-27
Gen. Ludlow's Report on Havana.


The annual report for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1899, Of Brigadler-Gen. WILL
LIAM LUDLOW, U. S. A., commanding the
Department Of Havana and Military Gov
ernor Of Havana, Is an interesting and
valuable document. Gen. LUDLOW was sent
to Havana last December, arriving there
and relieving Major.Gen. GREENE on Dec.
n. He took many OF Gen. GREENE's stan
officers. whose familiarity with the condi-
lions confronting him was Of great assist
anoe In the work before him.
In December of last year the island OF
Cuba, except for Santiago was still in the
hands Of the Spanish, and the gradual evac-
uation Of the country offered very serious
problem to those charged with the main
tenance OF the peace. Says Gen. LUDLOW:
Minor ARRAYS were frequent. and there
were alarming explosions and outcries.
Day and night there was no rest or quiet,
and as zone by zone, beginning at the out
skirts Of the city, the Spanards abandoned
the successive areas the thronging Cubans
surged behind them, hung out innumerable
flags, Cuban and American and made pam
demonium with professions, outcries,
bands and Fireworks" The newspapers
abetted the noise makers. magnitied every
barroom quarrel into a battle and made
the task OF the authorities much harder.
The Spanish, as they withdrew, Quilted the
public buildings and offices, 80 that only
the Governor-General's palace had anything
in it when Gen. CAsTELLANos turned it over
The physical condition OF the city can
only be described as frightful. The regular
80 = ia.
lyzed, street cleaning. at best farce, sus-
pended, and the houses OF assistance and
hospitals destitute of resources, even food"
The police had fed before the approaching
Cubans, las would rats il their shelter
were unroofed"
Gen. LUDLow's first step was to form
rural guard to protect the outlying areas
between the city and the rivers bounding
the department. He arranged for this on
Dec. %; meantime. the Eighth and Tenth
Infantry provided guards who took the
place Of the Spaniards as they retired and
struggled to keep the peace. The pro-
gramme Of festivities prepared to cele-
brate the evacuation Of the city by the
Spaniards was disapproved by Gen. LUD-
Low, with the consent OF the best Cubans,
anu Oh yam 1000 buo lldR WAS
hauled down and the American flag holsted
in its place peacefully and with due dig
nifty.
The sanitation OF the camps and OF the
city was the principal work before the new
administration; next In importance was the
organization Of civil government Before
leaving the United States Gen. LUDLOW
had obtained lists OF leading Cubans, whose
advice he intended to take as to the organi-
Zation OF the government. These persons
were invited to suggest names OF At persons
to serve, and so we'll had the plan been
thought out that on Jan. IA the first
Cuban administration was installed. Mean
time on Jan. 2, with the arrival Of Lieut.
Col. BLACK, the sanitation OF the city was
begun in earnest. when the Havana pop
ulation found the Americans insistent and
determined to have cleanliness, and COM
polling ii by work and thoroughness they
began to cooperate at once and 1t was but a
few weeks before the collections OF garbage
and waste matter were doubled from the
same area"
A most gratifying result OF Gen. LUD-
Lows work is shown in a comparative
table Of deaths from yellow fever during
the past nine years The curve, or rather
line, for 1899 is really wonderful. 1t not
only underlies the average for every month,
but 1t is also, at every point, the lowest OF
which the record is given. To what Is this
extraordinary reduction in the mortality
from an endemic disease to be attributed
The only points of difference to which the
present comparative exemption can be
credited are three-first, the general and
thorough cleansing to which thesuperfic les
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