Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-04-02
HAYANA AS 1T
is TODAY

IL AVOAAp
Writing from Havana under date OF
March 18th. George E. Hooker gives the
following carefully drawn picture OF the
Cuban capital:
Rounding MORO castle and passing
thru the narrow neck of the deep pock-
et-like bay. entering Havana harbor,
stretching along the high blum on the
left, is seen Cabanas fort. century and
a quarter old, and the most remarkable
fortress of the hemisphere. To the right
/ is the city's almost treeless expanse Of
tinted roofs and towers. The harbor is
dotted with shipping at anchor. Half q
dozen lighters, propelled by men in cot
ton shirts and linen trousers. make for
the incoming ships cargo and fleet
of craft gather for the passengers and
their luggage.
The varied scene but prepares one
later to appreciate the fact that Havana
| is not a spot chiefly distinguished only
| fol. its lack of sewers, but the historic.
capital, predominantly Latin, of an Is
| land equal in area to the state OF Penn
sylvania and of wonderful wealth-pro-s
ducing capacity.
The half score castles and forts in and
around the city, its tobacco warehouses;
and factories, its sugar commerce, Its.
busy custom house, entering goods for
1.-The interior, Its century old palace, Its
dozens of imposing ecclesiastical.
structures. Its Impressive colonnades and
Moorish architecture, its endless variety
Of soft tints upon its facades. Its interior.
lSistas OF plant decorated patios, its3
score of highly ornamental parks, Its
stately Prado. all bespeak traditions, re-
sources, individuality, pride and diversi-
| fled life.
The gateway thru which one enters
the city, the custom house, tells OF,
strenuous local history. 1t is a fine old
franciscan church and convent, COM
Iapleted during the early part of the
eighteenth century, and afterward con-
| fiscated by the government with other
property of the religious orders.
Rapid transit is a thing vet to he de-
iIveloped in Havana There are several
lines OF street railway aggregating per-
i.haps thirty or forty miles of single
| track. but, with the exception of one
| dummy line, they are operated with
horses or mules and at a slow pace.
4 There are also numerous bus lines, but
| their movements, especially in the mar
row streets OF the business districts, are.
exceedingly leisurely.
The chief methods of passenger trans
liportation is by the rolantes, which are.
| little, open four-wheeled cabs. with adj
Unstable tops coming far forward for
protection against sun and rain. Serv-
| ice may be had for any journey within.
1.-THE city proper, comprising about four
square miles, for 10 cents Ameri-
can money. The wheels rattle not a
little over the uneven stone pavements.
| The diminutive and often scrawnyr
horses receive many strokes, and are
l,often set upon their launches In avoid
Ling collisions at corners. where, on ac-
count of the narrowness of the streets.
Ian intercenting vehicle can not be seen
until it is almost athwart the course.
In traversing the sidewalks in the old
Iportion of the city one is compelled
either to- turn half about or to step off
| the Sidewalk in order to pass travel
ser from the opposite direction. Still
There is aspeculiar and pleasant sense
lYof intimacy in these streets. The shall
How stores are directly at ones side. AS
\ one rubs against the window gratings
of the houses people may be leaning
1 out from the inside with the front room
lin full riew. and if one Of the high
/ double front doors happens to be ajar
one catches sllrrses of the great front
4 hall and Of the court yard beyond, en-
/ bellished With potted plants and SUR.
llrounded with pillars. arches and gal
i leries in great variety of arrangement
i The Chicarpat, at least, also notices
4 at once that the streets are in CON
4 dition OF cleanliness. for the duplica-
4 ton OF which in his own town he
I would be willing 10 endure the extsen-
4 4cies of civil revolution. Cleaning
4 gangs clad III white shirts and trousers
and furnished with handbrooms, are
4 frequently in evidence, and none OF the
4 back or remote streets is omitted in
their ministrations.
/ Hotel accommodations are inexplica-
IDLY poor. AT the leading" house one
i pays 81 per day for a dirty. poorly fur
4 snished room, probably opening into the
4 court. for coffee, rolls and oranges in
q the morning, and for two meals later
lin the day, for which the menu is mo-
4 notonous, the cooking indifferent and
a the service wretched. When some one
Z plans an American hotel in this town
] as probably will be done after the
course of affairs has become more
clearly determined. there promises 70
be a rude shock and q scurrying about
Il for reforms among the proprietors OF
existing establishments.
The visitor makes the best of these
conditions, however. for, notwith-
standing their annoyance, he finds
81 himself in genial spirits, due not only
to the clear atmosphere and brillian,
sky but to the general lack of worry
s and haste, 10 the endless and soothing
variety of soft solors on all the stuc-
coed buildings, both along the streets
and inside the courts.
Havana's architecture is by all8odds
. its most Interesting product. 1t is. in,
I deed, the worthiest bit of workman.
ship which the island as whole al.
fords.
So far as general production goes
Cuba has concentrated upon sugar ant
. tobacco almost to the exclusion o
manufactures or handtcrafts. Genera
manufacturing. however. has not beer
developed and nearly all manufactured
4 commodities are imported. This 4
even more true Of higher forms o
= handicraft than OF staples. except as t.
i iron work such as Is comprised il
|gratipgs or brackets, and cabinet worl
!. of simple and rather massive charac
tier. There is almost no native art, ex
i Ns IA.