Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-02-09
Porto Rico Letter,
(Continued from Third Page.)

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movement through storm OF shot and
she'll 1t was a veritable death trap,
and the suspension of hostilities by the
signing of the protocol was all that
saved our forces from being caught in
it.
At other places, in winding around
the hills, the road is supported by
great restraining walls of masonry, in
a number of places as much as 100 feet
high.
The road throughout it's entire
length is macadamized with crushed
limestone to a depth OF 1S feet, and for
a considerable distance is lined on
either side with rows OF magnificent
trees, the branches of which meet ov
erhead.
All along this road, at intervals of
about seven miles, have been con-
structed handsome stone houses, called
"camineros," where the men now live
who keep the road in repair. These
houses were originally intended to
serve a fourfold purpose. One OF the
uses to which they were put and for
which purpose they are now used, was,
as Already stated, the shelter of-the re-
pairmen. The seconu was the con-
fnement and safe keeping Of convlcts
who might be employed on other pub
lie worn in the vicinity. The third was
that of resting place for troops which
were continually passing to and fro
over the road; and the fourth and
probably the feal purpose for which
they were constructed was that of
forts or block houses. They are one
story high and usually located in "a po-
sition to command a considerable
stretch of road on either side, and
around the fiat roof is built stone
parapet about three feet high and of
the same thickness as the walls, from
behind which the soldiers were able to
protect themselves while defending the
structure
What is said of this road can also be
said of few. others which were built
for a like purpose. There are alto
gether about $50 miles of just such
road in the island. have said that
this road was completed about ten
years ago. That statement should be
amended slightly, for there are few
bridges required on the end next to
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pleted.
While the good roads have been des-
cribed at considerable length, it is
proper that a few words should be
said about the bad ones; not that they
are really deserving of notice, but they
are there and must be noticed, espec-
to have to travel over them. There
may be somewhere in the world roads
worse than the bad ones in Porto Rico,
but if such is the case they will be
hard to ind, and even If found they
would hardly be called roads at all
Cowpaths would be more befitting
mer paths through the woods, scarcely
wide enough for single horse and
rider much less a carriage and team.
Yet tney are called carriage roads and
carriages drawn by the smallest, the
poorest and the slowest apologies for
horses ever used for such purposes are
constantly passing over them; up hills
that were never intended for anything
but q goat to climb; down hills where
the occupants of the carriage are in
constant danger of falling out of the
front on to the diminutive horses that
draw it; along the sides of hills where
The carriage is in great danger of
slipping over; across streams where
one has to stand on the seat to escape
a ducking and along an occasional lev
el stretch beset with mud holes into
which you have to go, for there is no
way around them, and the chances are
chat you will stick fast and have to
wade out There is on good thing
about such roads. They never grow
nonOtonous. They are constantly
;hanging-always growing worse, nev-
er better
In addition to the wagon roads,
there are also three short lines of rail-
road, with total length of 1870 miles.
Hhey are owned and operated by
French company, which had a conces-
sion from the Spanish government for
he construction OF a road around the
island. The road is constructed over
chat portion of the route Offering the
fewest difficulties. The other portion
will probably be constructed only
when some American company with
capital and push takes the contract off
the French company's hands. That
portion of the road already completed
Is OF narrow guage, but splendid ly
constructed. The rails are laid on
steel ties, well ballasted, and all
streams, as well as the most insignifi-
cant gullies, are crossed on stone cul-
ver.1. There is but little satisfaction
in riding on such road, aside from
the novelty of .he ching, as the very
Oest time made is but little in excess of
10 miles per hour, and even that speed
is attained only under the most fav-
orable circumstances. Green branches
| of trees are used for fuaI anil with