The times., 1899-02-19

How 1t Figured in Many Gu
ban Revolutions.
Wonders and Beauties of the Cav
erns of Bella Mar.
A Subterranean RnmhIe Through
the Wonderful Coral Founda-
tions of the Island.
Matanzas Cuba. Jan. $3.50 much has
been written about this old city since the
war that a minute description of it would
now be quite thrown away upon readers
of The Times. AS everybody knows it lies
about sixty miles southeast from Havana,
on beautiful bay of the Caribbean Sea.
Its harbor, though not SO large as that OF
Havana is superior to il in some respects
and infinitely cleaner; and of late there
has been considerable talk of transferrin ing
Cuba's seat of government TO this place
L
los II was king, and was christened San
Carlos y San Severino. 1t was first set
tied by colony of Canary Islanders, who
devoted themselves to the raising of cattle,
for beef to supply the Havana market
Close by in the valley was their Matanzas
Spanish for slaughterpen, from the verb
matar, to kilD; and hence the place soon
became known as the MatanZas de San
Carlos San Severino.
In course of time the names of the saints
We're left off altogether, and not only the
city but the whole district and the bay
that borders ii, were called MataDzas (the
"slaughterpen") 1t looks today as If the
ancient name had not been misapplied.
The Cubans love TO call it the cradle of
liberty" and for 200 years the spaniards
looked upon it as a very nest of rebellion.
Matanzas furnished more men 10 the in
surgent army that any other city; the
first skirmish of the war was fought in
this province and throughout the four
years struggle 1t was the favorite battle
ground. In all previous reyolts II has hg-
ured as prominently, and in its Plaza
d 'Armas hundreds of patriots have been
shot The blacklist page in the history OF
Cuba can never be accurately written, for
no record was kept of the thousands OF
brave men who suspected of having
hand in some conspiracy TO overthrow the
government, were publicly executed, or
privately murdered, or left TO die by inches
in some noisesome dungeon. in Spain's ef-
fort TO maintain her hold upon the island.
In 1896 Matanzas was a thriving city of
J., 900 inhabitants; today Goldsmith De-
serted Village would be lively in compari-
son. AT the beginning of the war, up
wards OF l., 600 citizens fed, to save their
families from the vengeance of the mother
country When Weyler issued his infa-
nous "reconcentrado" order, more than
% 600 men, women. and children, driven
from their country homes. were herded In
these streets, penniless and helpless. The
result can be imagined. when food became
so scarce that rice, the Cuban staff of life
sold for I5 cents a pound and meat was
no, to be had at any price.
Twcnty-three Thousand Died.
The feeble, who died quickly were TO be
envied-not the stronger, who fingered In
the pangs of slow starvation. In this little
city, upwards Of 10000 deaths occurred
within two months, from one general cause
hunger / was SO unfortunate as to come
here in the midst of it, with the Con-
gressional party about year ago. How
unspeakably horrible 1t wasi Everywhere
the wretched creatures wandered forlornly,
stretching bony hands in vain for bread.
Others crouched on the curbstones, too far
gone 10 beg. except with their eyes. whose
piteous expression will forever haunt the
beholder; while hundreds of others, having
given up the weary struggle. lay dying or
dead in the streets. On that awful day ]
saw score of people, young and old.
breathe their last; and each time thanked
God amid my tears, that the poor soul was
released, at last.
In its best estate, MatanZas came about
as near TO date as the time of its building,
a little more than two centuries ago. The
amphitheatre of green hills. three hundred
feet high, that enclose It on three sides,
resemble those that encompass Nalpa-
raiso; but these heights, with their natu-
raj sanitation and drainage. are not util-
lied for residence purposes like those of
the Chilean town. Neither ancient nor
modern Castilians were ever much given
to exercise. They evidently reflected that
if they put their houses up there and left
the water front for wharves and shops
they would have to walk up the hills ana
down again; so they placed the town on
some nice low land conveniently near 10
the bay and only three feet above IT,.
They did not take the trouble to put in
any sewerage, for were there not plenty
of buZzards about? Besides. did not the
elements sometimes give things PRETTY
falr cleaning up, between rains washing
down from the hills and a good storm at
sea sweeping up into the streets?
The town is now divided into three parts
by two rivers, the San Juan and the Yu-
muri, that used TO bound il on the north
and south. Beyond the second river was Il
swamp; but when the town grew and it
came 10 be question as to whether it
should it spread up the hills or over the
swamp, there was no hesitation in deciding
in favor of the latter. This choice has no
doubt helped the mortality rate n good
deal and rendered the Campo Santos i'll
credibly populOus-but Ii made level walk
ing for the lazy dons. There is only one
wharf in the town. and just eight feet of
water in front of II; consequently all large
vessels must anchor half q mile or more
from shore and load and unload with
lighters. The citizens argue that this gives
work to good many people who other
wise would have nothing to do; but no
body seems to have figured on the amount
of trade that has been lost during 200
years on account of this slow and tedious
method. The harbor has never been dredg-
cd at all. Half mile below the one soli-
tary wharf the channel runs very deem
within SO feet of shore; but nobody has
thought of building wharf out there and
of connecting it with the town by Tram
way. Maybe some enterprising American
VIII now do 1t and incidentally make a
fortune for himself while increasing the
trade OF the town fully 80 per cent
The Caverns of BELLA Mar.
Though fertile and beautiful beyond com
pare, Cuba it not rich in natural curiosi-
ties; bat the caverns of Bella Mar. three
miles from MatanZas, are wonderful enough