The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-11
IMMEDIATE ACTION Cooperative
IY KLOIfIEIu.

new 1Ork. was as NcrltdDie "a martyr
as ever was burnt at the stake. Re
Questcd by the President TO go TO Ha-
vana and make a thorough examination
Of its hyeienic necessities ana requested
10 perform this service because Of his
we'll known mastery OF the subject hc
took his life in his hands for the love
Of public good only and divcd into the
filthy rccesses of Havana existence that
he might make an intelligent report The
result was what he had every reason TO
expect when he undertook the task He
contracted yellow fever and was soon a
corpse-a vcritable martyr to sense Of
obligation to duty.
But Colonel Warning made Dis inresu-
cations complete and his life was spared
long enough after they were completed
for him 20 record what he had seen and
also his recommendations.
This document has reached the gov
ernmeat at Washington ana has been
made public. 10 exhibits condition Of
equalor and filth I'm AN parts OF Havana
that is beyond conception, and existing
as this condition does in a tropical
island. where rain falls necessarily one
half Of the year and tho hottest Of suns
blaze out at AN seasons. it is marvel
that human existence can endure there
at AN. We have no space for am analy-
sis OF Colonel Warnss report, but take
the following extract from Sc at random
as indicating fairly well its general ma
ture. He says:
-Four pools were found in the streets
I'm which rubbish and filth had been de-
posted. which the contractor was not re-
quired to- clean This Nth was turned
over TO the buzzards. Some OF the streets
I'm the compact part Of the city are
pavel with large stone blocks, others
with Belgian blocks. and the remainder
are unpayed These streets are uiled
with dirty holes. which i'm turn are Tiled
up with house garbage. There is prac-
tically no sewerage. In many cases
households connect their private vaults
with loose brick or stone drains just un-
der the pavement along their frontage.
These allow the liquid filth 90 leak out
into the ground close TO the surface. enc
abling the householder TO get out of
much hiring of night scavengers TO bail
out and carry away Accommodations.
Slaughtering pens. while specifically
clean, are brutany disgusting while the
work SIS going ON. Blood and onal are
washed by copious Holdings from the
water supply into am adjoining creek and
harbor reeking with putrli filth. There is
no systematic disposal Of garbage and
swcepings IL is deposited on the surface
i'm and near the town. where the buzzards
feast upon 10 90 their fun satisfaction.
DEAD dogs. cats and chickens are lett JIM
the streets until the buZzards pick them
20 skeleton. And all this SIS done under
an intense sun.
Bad as these conditions are. they are
not comparable with the disgusting cone
diti0ns of the domestic life There are
fewer than $1,000 houses in the city. Six
teen thousand are of one-stOry. 200 are of
three stories. and "a very few are of four
stories. ami none higher AT least twelve
out Of every thirteen Of the inhabitants
live in one-st0ry houses. the total youig-
ton being over 100000 The average p0pu-
lation OF the houses is over ten.
Tn AN the compactly- parts OF the
CITY the entire lot is covered with tine
house. there being one or two courts in-
Guided I'm the building. I'm the better class
Of houses the entrance han is quite com
monty the standing room OF the carriage
j. opens into the parlor az It's side and
into the reception room az IT'S rear. Bee
vond this is court. then the dining
ROOM then a smaller court. the kitchen
stable and private vault practically au
in one Sleeping rooms are in The rear
OF the parlor at the side of the court
dining room
The conspicuous feature of every house
40 HH...
second vault for kitchen waste. These
vaults occupy O. space practically under
and almos. Boo the Kitchen. 10 is rare.
indeed. that these vaults have veHti-
lating pipe so that they beich forth
nauseatiue odors throughout the house.
which peryade the streets. Lest the cone
ditions above set forth should fail 90 d0
their appointed work of destruction. the
broad marches al the sOutheriy edge of
the harb0r are at hand 10 furnish their
quota OF malaria. Into these marches
f0w q number Of water courses. which
bear upon their surface the onscourines
Of q very poor quarter of The town, the
amueuts of the slaughtering pens and
other foul establishments. while "a large
portion of the fiat is used as dumping
ground for garbage.
Colonel Warning says that if the popula-
ton had not become IN a measure im-
muno to yellow fever It would neces-
sarily cxtcrminate 10 as it exists there
at all times But he points out that
there will be a great rush of Americans
TO Havana who are not immune. and
these must contract the disease, and
coming from and going TO Havana az an
times they must necessarily De always
bringing yellow fever into the Unitci
states. costing us thousands OF lives and
hundreds of millions OF dollars lie sug-
costs "a plan for remcdying present cone
ditions and says il can be put into eN-
ecution for sl0Oo0ooO Congress should
at once appropriate the money and have
tho work done before June There is not
a day 20 be lost, or We may have terri
bio epidemic OF yellow fever the coming
summer. We can take the money back
from Cuban revenues in a comparatively
short time.
=[--=-===