Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-11
AFFAIRS IN
GUANTANAMO
It is One of the WealthieSt
Cities in Cuba.
THE LACK OF SANITATION
Is Responsible For a Great Deal OF
Sickness--Moncyed Men
Are Wanted.
THE LACK OF SANITATION

pondence of the Associated Press)-
guantanamo has been more or less IN the
public eye since last June, when the ma
rines landed at Caimanera in Guantana-
mo bay, six miles from the city of Guam
tanamo. 1t is a city of some 10000 lnhab-
itants, surrounded by sugar and coffee
estates, the former being in the major
ity. 1t has always been a large garrison
town of the Spanish forces, and for many
years the district has been considered as
the most dangerous in the island, as in
deed the first shot in the insurrection four
years ago was fired within ten miles of
the city.
The merchants are mainly Spanish,
with a sprinkling of English, German and
French and Italian. The old town itself
has all the quaint Moorish aspect about
it so familiar to those who haVe visited
Spain or her colonies, and there is a
quaintness and pieturesqueness about 1t,
surrounded as it is by hills that remind
one very much Of the city OF Santiago
when seen from certain points. 1t is on
a higher altitude than almost any city IN
the province, and should for that reason
be one of the healthiest in the province,
but it seems SO i~mpregnated with malaria
and fever germs of one KIND or another
that it is difficult for any one TO stay
there many weeks and retain his health.
1t is proved to be the worst station IN the
province for troops, but the Sickness
among the troops is no more in proportion
than the sickness among the Inhabitants
of the city.
There are probably two or three causes
combining to make this undesirable state
of affairs. III the first place, the water is
supplied from house to house in barrels
on carts. There is very little question but
that a good water system would not only
be exceedingly useful and a great boon to
the inhabitants, but also as a sanitary
measure would be invaluable, and with
the very many mountain streams IN the
near neighborhood there should be very
little difficulty III supplying the city with
all the pure water needed the year round.
Since the Americans have been there,
sanitation has to a certain extent been
carried On. but not in such extensive
manner as has been done at Santiago. 1t
lacks the method and system, the mann
obstacle apparently being lack Of funds
to carry out the needed improvements.
Guantanamo has for many years been
one of the Wealthiest cities in the pro-
vince, but as her wealth as been almost
entirely derived from sugar, and as for
thle e years past there has been PRACTICAL
ly no sugar grown there, there has prac-
) tically been a cessation of income. This
} has naturally made a great difference IN
the state of the city, and it is more or
less impoverished, but there are many
; valuable estates that could be made TO
pay large sums Of money and employ
numbers of laborers, but the planters
have been unable to m operations
this fail, owing to lack of funds, and 1t
would probably pay any We'll established
bank to open a branch in hat city, pre-
pared to advance money on mortgages
which would enable the planters to begin
work again. Any bank could protitably
advance from s., GOO, COO to SO, eco, 600 in
that sditrict with the most perfect secur-
ity possible, and at good rates of interest.
To make the city OF Guantanamo
healthy, it would probably take an APP
preparation of at least a quarter of a
million dollars, and the temporary SER
vices of some sanitary expert like Major
Barbour, who has had such signal sue
cess here. In three months he could or
ganize a sanitary department there and
have it in good working order, SO that
if it did not completely check yellow fe-
YER there next summer 1t would at all
events considerably curtail it. For gen.
e]rations there has been no effort at sani-
tation of any kind, and the city, being on
level ground, nature has been unable to
assist in that reSpect as was possible at
Santiago, for here, when the heavy rains
come down, the majority of the streets
being on an incline, all leading down to-
ward the bay, are washed by the force OF
the water and lean in a natural way,
but at Guantanamo the water merely
sinks into the ground, leaving the dirt
where it was before, which. when it be-
comes dry, gradually poisons the atmos-
} phere. This is a state of affairs requiring
immediate attention before the spring is
we'll on the way.
SO far as the troops are concerned, Col.
} Ray believes there is no necessity for a
camp in the city of Guantanamo, and if
he had his way would remove the head
) quarters. of his regiment to a very healthy
spot in the hills some &c miles, where the
SpaniardS always sent their troops when
, they first arrived from Spain, so as to get
them accllmated by degrees, the conse-
} quence being that sickness was practical-
; ly unknown there. BY this time Rays
|, regiment is more or less impregnated
) with malaria, and it would probably take
!, some time, even in the healthiest place in
I the world, to eradicate this entirely, but
: it is probable that his place in the hills
) would be the best spot for the regiment
: to be sent to recuperate unless, indeed,
they We're brought down to Santiago and
) sent up to St. Louis, in the place now oc-
) cupied by the Ninth colored immunes, the
} only objection being that it is practically
I impossible to send a colored regiment to
5 take the place Of the Third in Guanta-
, namo, for the American colored troops
} are so cordially disliked in the province,
: and the Ninth especially has made such
) a bad record for itself that hey practi-
} cally have to be kept out of the way, and
Z to all intents and purposes. they are mere
ly an expense to the American govern