The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-09
COL. GA. WARNINGS REPORT
The Streets of Havana Were in a
Filthy Condition.
HOLES FULL OF GARBAGE
It Was Left to the Buzzards-A Harbor
Reeking With Putrid Filth-Disgust-
ing Conditions of Domestic Life
"A Veritable Plague Spot.

Washington. Gan S.--The war depart
ment. division of customs and insular
affairs. made public to-day a very full
synopsis of the late Colonel George A.
Warnings report Of his visit to Havana
under the special Instructions of the
war department given him early last
autumn to thoroughly inspect the sani-
tary condition of the city and to make
such recommendation for the future
Improvement of the town as might be
suggested by said inspection. Colonel
Waring says he found the street clean
ing without adequate organization or
funds, and the markets offensive and
dangerously filthy for the distribution
of human food, with the exception of
two, the Tacon and Colon markets. He
| also found the machinery used for
sweeping the streets ineffective, the
garbage being thrown into the streets
in entire disregard of the ordinance to
be set out in proper receptacles. The
work or the contractor was all done in
the latter part of the night and abso-
| lutely in the dark. Any obscure side
defecation and no attempt seemed to
nave been made to cover or remove the
rubbish.
Foul pools Were found in the streets,
into which rubbish and filth had been
deposited, which the contractor was not
required to clean. This filth was turned
over to the buzzaIds. Some of the
streets in the compact part of the city
are paved with large stone blocks. others
with Belgian blocks and the remainder
are unpaved. These streets are filled
with dirty holes which, in turn, are
hiled up with garbage. There is prac-
t1cally no sewerage. In many cases
households connect their private vaults
with loose brick or stone drains Just
under the pavement along their 'front.'
age. These allow the liquid filth to leak
out into the ground close to the surface.
enabling the householder to get out of
much hiring of night scavengers to bail
out and carry away accumulations
Reeking, With Filth.
Strengthening houses, while super
ficially clean, are brutally disgusting
while the work is going on. Blood and
ofal are washed by copious floodfngs
from the water supply into an adjoin-
ing creek and harbor reeking with pu-
trid filth. There is no systematic dis
posal of garbage and sWeepings 1t is
deposited on the surface i'll and near
the town, where the buzzards feast upon
1t to their full satisfaction. Dead dogs,
cats and chickens are left in the streets
until the buzzards pick them to the
skeleton. And all this is done under an
intense sun. Bad as these conditions
are, they are not comparable with the
disgusting conditions of the domestic
NE. There are fewer than 10000 houses
IN the city. Sixteen thousand are of
Sc
very few are four stpries, and none
higher. At least II out of every l3 of
the inhabitants live in one-story houses,
the total population being over 200 900,
Inc average population of the houses
is over 10.
In all the compactly built parts Of
the city the entire lot is covered with
the mouse, there being one or two
courts included in the building. In the
better class of houses, the entrance hall
Is quite frequently used as the stand
ing room of the carriage. 1t opens into
a parlor at its side and into the recep-
llon room at its rear Beyond this is
a court, then the dining room. then a
smaller court, the kitchen, stable and
private vault, practically in one Sleep
ing rooms are in the rear of the parlor
ing room.
The conspicuous feature of everv
house is the private vault, and some
times second vault for kitchen
wastes. These vaults occupy a space
practically under and almost in the
kitchen. 1t is rare, indeed, that these
vaults have ventilating pipe, so that
they belch forth nausea ting odors
throughout the house and which also
pervades the street Lest the condi-
tions above set forth should fail to do
their appointed work of destruction.
the broad marshes at the southern end
of the harbor are at hand to furnish
their quota of malaria. Into -hese
marshes flow a number of water
courses. which bear upon their surface
the otfscourings of very poor quar-
ter of the town, the eftluents of the
siaughtering pens and of other foul es-
adjustments, while a large portion of
the fiat is used as dumping ground
for garbage.
Water Supply Is Good.
The water supply of Havana. saws
Mr.. Waring, is of the purest and inost
excellent character This with the
winds of the gulf, save the city from
being absolutely and unqualifedly bad.
The city is a veritable plague spot lis
own people, largely immune though
they are to yellow fever, which has
prevailed in Havana without Interrupt
tloi loi lp0 years, ldll constant VIC
TINS to the pernicious malaria and de-
pressing influence to which they are Al
ways subjected. It needs only the i'm
migration of fresh material, which the
enterprise of an American population is
sure to bring in, to create a sacrifice
such as has not yet been known. Com
merce, says Colonel Waring. will car
ry the terrible scourge of yellow fever
to our shore until we rise again in a
war n humanity and ar poStS wilma
out an enemy with which no military
valor can cope. In conclusion, Colonel
Waring says:
Would it not be wise to accept at
once the fact that we are confronted
with a danger compared with which
war is insignificant and proceed to
meet it and conquer it While we nayo
We cannot afford to wait until we have
fed it and strengthened it with the