The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-01

"a 81 mEUILttak IImccs NshCh wiz ~"
gse so many egg shells before modern ar
tiflery. Back OF Cienfuegos there is a
hump which cubans dignity as a mountain.
though It is nothing more than a respect
able hill. just big enough to break the
monotony of the fat country surrounding
II. The harbor Is so well hidden among the
keys that it's shipping can be seen only at
close view. You remember how Commodore
Schley when he came this way in quest
OF the Spanish feet thought he saw the
masts OF Cervera's ships in Cienfuegoss
sheltered harbor and was about TO enter
In hot pursuit when the insurgents brought
him word that the feet was far TO the east
ward. The three large rivers that empty
into Cienfuegos's bay enrich It past COM
putting. being N~navigable for small craft a
long distance inland. a matter of enormous
consequence in a roadless country. Inc
Cuato is the most Important river In CuDa'
being n~avigable sixty miles above the sea
and penetrating the richest sugar-producing
district. During the late war the Spanish
general Pando held the rivers mouth, but
the great water highway to the interior was
practically controlled by Garcia, who mad
his camp only a few miles above.
WEALTH IN CUBAN MOUNTAINS.
Next comes the Bay of Trinidad. with its
trinity of ports and its white-walled city
cinCing like a collection Of birds nests to
the side OF La Villa mountain, a thousand
feet above the sea that ~glistens in front
The lovely harbor is almost land-locked, but
so shallow as TO debar vessels drawing more
than ten feet OF water. Casilds, the worst
port Of the three, is generally used, as 1t lies
at the head Of the inlet. So shallow is the
water that all vessels must led by means
OF lighters and get away as quickly as pos
sibIe, to avoid sticking fast on the sandy bot
tom. Yet the shabby little port enjoys a
large trade in prosperous times. principally
in sugar and honey. It has extensive
wharves and warehouses and a rather hand
some station for the short railway leading
20 Trinidad and twenty miles or so be-
yond-
The next port OF call on our eastward
way is Santiago, nearly twice as far from
Trinidad as from that point westward 10
the Isle Of Pines. To avoid the dangerous
reefs. La Cienega" stands far out to sea
pursuing her course midway between the
Caymen group and Cayos de las Doce
Leguas. Morning finds US rounding Cabo
de Cruz, the picturesque headland which
forms the southwest tip of the great TRAN
gular province Of Santiago de Cuba; and
~thenceforth the mountains keep US COM
pany, crowding down close to the sea and
peering over one another's shoulders as If
10 get a better view. The coast hills are
bare and desolate enough, but the dark
heights behind them are forbidding beyond
description. They are said to contain incom-
putable stores of mineral wealth, and
though comparatively inaccessible. have
been mined, here and there, since earliest
times. The aboriginal Indians took silver,
copper and gold from them, and the first
Spaniards, by most primitive methods, got
out an average of four million dollars
worth Of ore every year. As late as 1907
six million tons Of copper were mined in
ten months. Then the spanish government.
rot content with realizing a very large sum
by way of taxes on the product, increased
the excise charges TO such an outrageous
extent as 70 utterly kill the enterprise
Then for more than half a century the ores
lay unsisturbed In the pockets of the
hills. until the attention of Americans was
turned this way. 1t is only about fifteen
years since the first mining claim of a for
eigner was recognized in Cuba. Now several
North American corporations are busy in
the Maestro mountains. developing rich
tracts Of mining territory, building railways
TO the coast from their works In the upper
heights and shipping increasing quantities
of ore to the United States.
AN UNKNOWN LAND.
In the unknown defles of this dark Sierra
and in the painless wilderness beyond the
mountains, the patriots" had their secure
camping grounds, from which they dehed
Spain for three long years, and might have
held the armies of the world at bay indef-
nitely, II food enough to sustain life could
have been grown IN the Businesses. To the
world at large, this land of the sky is yet a
terra incognita. and men wonder why
SPANS hundred thousand soldiers did not
crush at once the few hundred half-starved
rebels Under circumstances similar to Gen.
Weyler's, the Earl Hereford resigned his
command IN despair. when ordered to arrest
the cliff castle OF Dunnottar from the
Scotch insurgents. Said he: IF all the imps
OF mischief had conspired to burden a man
with an impossible task. they could have
done no worse than to saddle him with the
siege OF that sea-girt rock"
While the coast mountains OF Cuba show
traces OF former volcanic activity, the main
range-the backbone OF the island, so to
speak. which is really a continuation of our
western ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the Cumber-
land chain OF Kentucky and Alabama in
limestone cliffs and deep caverns. The
Sierra Honda ('hOllow mountains'), for ex-
ample, which cover more than 5000 square
miles OF central Cuba. are honeycombed
with calcareous caves and grottoes that alb
sorb good-sized rivers and have under
ground communication for long distances.
Their entrances are generally screened by
tmpenetrable screens OF tangled vines, and
some OF them have several outlets, wide
apart There are underground s~ide-vaults,
too, with portals that can be hidden by
movable rocks, so that those familiar with
the architectural details of these subter-
ranean abodes were as safe from invasion
IN them as If lying In their graves. Their
mere neighborhood was such a guarantee
of security that bands of insurgents, rely
Ing on the swiftness of their legs to get
them beyond pursuit If the enemy ap-
preached. came boldly forth to cultivate
corn, tobacco and potatoes for their own
support. When the perils OF cloudland end
the jungle begins. with zigzag trails
through which the machete must cut a
way. Each rowing band Of patriots was fol-
lowed by a hojador literally translated, a
leaf-Scraper), whose duty IL was 70 obliter-
ate all teil-tale tracks. Often the hojador
went farther and facetiously led the pur-
suers a merry dance upon a sham trail into
a quagmire or impossible morass. where
they fOundered about heIplesSlv while the