Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-18
IN SANTA CLARA PROVINCE
General Wilson Reports the Result Of His
Observations
Construction of Roads Much Needed
Sugar the Most Important
Manufacture.

The War Department has made public an
abstract Of a report from Brigadier Cen
eral James H. Wilson. commanding the
Department of Matanzas and Santa Clara,
Cuba.
The area of the province of Santa Clara
is Sta square miles. It's population in 1897
was $4,000; in 1899, from the best obtain
able data on hand, 1t was 100000; the num-
Der of souls to the square mile, thirty-tive.
The births in 1897 and 1898 were 6.4O0.
Thus one-seventh of the population has
died.
YOurs of Inspection.
Gen. Wilson states that he made tour
of inspection of his province between April
% and May 6. accompanied by number of
local officials and members Of his staff.
Later. between May IL and May "a. he
made a second tour of a more remote part
of the province. Among the number of his
attendants was the Rev. Sam. w. Small,
supervisor of public instruction. Gen. Will
son says he found the towns defended by
trenches, Instructions and block houses, as
in the province Of Matanzas The country
outside of the towns was devastated, and
not one farm house or hut, far as his
observation went had escaped destruction.
Horses. cattle pigs and cows had been
driven off or killed. and the people herded
into towns. Some of the large sugar CEN
trails or mills were preserved due to the
owners having means to pay one or both
sides to protect their property. The NOR
tality due to Recommendation ana conSe-
quent starvation appears to have been in
the province about one-Seventh OF the pop
ulation as compared with the loss of one
third of the population of Matanzas prov
ince. This difference, Gen. Wilson believes,
is to be attributed to the difference IN the
character of the country and the more
widely and scattered the population, which
enables more of the Inhabitants to evade
strict compliance with the orders of recon-
centration.
Generally Rolling Country.
The province of Santa Clara, with the ex-
ception of the swampy peninsula of Zapata,
Gen. Wilson says, is generally Of a rolling
surface, with here and there small rocky
hills projecting above the general level.
Southeast of the center and east of Glen
fuegos there is a group of hills or noun
tainS of considerable elevation, some reach
ing to nearly 1000 feet. The plains of the
western portion are devoted to sugar, of
which some is also raised In the level part
along the north coast; some also near Pla-
cetas and Yaguajay in the northeast and in
the San Luis valley near Trinidad.
Tobacco Is grown In the broken country
in the Remedies district between Ctenfue-
gos and Pacetas in the north and also be-
tween Cumamanagua and Manicaragua.
South of the center are the heavy and
broken countries of the east and south,
which are devoted to cattle raising. Much
coffee was formerly produced. but it's culti
walton was abandoned generally some years
ago. There are now indications of a re-
vival of interest in its culture, for which
much of the billy land is specially adapted.
This land is generally fertile, and, if prop
erly farmed, would support dense popu-
latfon.
wntered by Running Streams.
the running streams. The population Is not
so dependent upon wells as in the province
of Matanzas. The deeper wells, when they
have not been filed with refuse, furnish
good water. Grass is everywhere album
dant. the two MISUNDERSTANDING" and
"Guinea'-being held in about equal esti-
nation for horses. Hay is not made, as
the growing herb is available all the year
around. Firewood is sufficiently abundant
everywhere and sells at 81 80 to $500 per
cord The timber comprises the palm.
palmetto. cocoa, mango cuba, cana, the
crava, orange, lime Nancy, pine, salve-
dera, oak and occasionally mahogany The
plains as a rule have but little timber, hav-
ing been cleared out for cultivation. The
mountains are usually densely covered with
trees and other wood. and in some places
the brush rises so high and thick on both
the air from man on foot making the
districts impracticable for any troops but
cavalry.
Roads Needed.
While the roads near the cities have once
been good, they have been absolutely ne
elected SO long that they are almost USE
less as a means of communication. In the
rural districts the roads are generally no.
thing but bride paths and are impossible
for all wheeled vehicles except the ponder
GUS OK cart of the country, and in many
caSa 10
no work had been done on the roads for
many years. even in the vicinity of the
largest towns. Gen. Wilson thinks that it
will be some time before any part of the
municipal revenues will be available for
this work
A road is greatly needed to connect
Sancu Spiritus with Placetas. wagon
road would be very expensive while rail-
road could be built through a distance of
forty miles at cost of about $4,000 a
mile. Another road is needed from Santa
Clara to Camajuany, especially the five
miles nearer Santa Clara over the mountain
side, upon which work was begun by the
Spanish administration. A third road is
needed from Fueltas to Vega de la Palma.
a distance of about Two miles. This road
is of prime Importance, connecting Vueltas.
which grows much tobacco and corn, all of
which has to be carried by cart over this
very bad trail A fourth road needed is one
from Caibarien to Remedies which road
is necessary to facilitate intercourse be-
tween these two towns, which are sepa-
rated by but few miles and are inter-
dependent.
The above mentioned roads are those spe-
cially recommended Immediately nee
essary.
General Wilson dwells at some length
upon the necessity of a bridge over the
river Damuj', one Of the largest rivers in
the island. This river is navigabe between
Rodas and the Bay OF Cienfuegos.
Harbor of Cienfuegos.
The harbor Of Cienfuegos is frst-class in
every respect, and is the only good harbor
on the southern coast west of Manzanillo,
unless another should be found in the Bay
of Cochinas. Boats drawing over nine feet
of water cannot come up to the dock but
have to be unloaded by lighters. With i'm
provements the largest boat may be able
to come to the dock. The harbors of Casilda
and Las Tunas do not accommodate boats
drawing over seven feet of water. The
two harbors on the northern coast of Isa-
bella and Caibarien are very shallow and
steamers are obliged to anchor a number
of miles out and be unloaded by lighters.
Santa Clara has custom houses at Glen
fuegos, Trinidad, Zaza, Sagua la Grande
and Cabaren and General Wilson thinks
that the duties therefrom for 1899 will ag
gregate over a million and a half dollars.