New-York tribune., 1900-03-04
LIFE IN SAN DOMINGO.
THERE ARE SOME DRAWBACKS, BUT
MANY TROPICAL DELIGHTS.

San Domingo, Feb. "a (SpeciaD.-San Domingo
| City is enjoying a business boom under the new
administration. When the currency of the late
President deprecated continually IT nearly carried
| down every business house in the city. At his
assassination the money became worthless and
| business at a standstill. Many of the business
! houses closed up and many more did no business
whatever. No knew the future OF the money
| and it had not even speculative value. Now.
with the administration installed and value
placed upon the silver transactions are possible.
The 20 cents the dollar at which the silver cir
culates is arrived at in queer way There is nine
cents worth of silver in the dollar. II is Sad It
costs six cents dollar to make and ship It here
and that no can take chances on counterfeit
| ing 1t for less than five cents. This added to-
gether makes the 20 cents at which the dollar Is
accepted. This gives stability 10 the currency and
permits business transactions. there Is a general
revival OF business The stores have reopened and
| the foreign vessels bringing the largest I'm
| ports of recent years. Still. the currency at its
present value does not permit of the purchase of
many luxures and imports confined largely to
machinery for sugar mills and necessary fabrics
Similar Improvement is reported at other parts OF
the island. Increased customs receipts also
| favorable sign.
San Domingo City. like all tropical cities. IS OF
interest from health point of view When Gen
eral Ludlow and General Wood in Cuba disagree
one advocating in his annual report the retaining
| of troops in a tropical climate until they become
aCClimated, and the other urging constant changes
injected,
| that there is wide divergence OF opinion among
laymen. San Domingo boasts Of It's remarkable
health statistics hguratively speaking; literally
there such figures yellow fever epi-
demic but once in the memory of the oldest in
habtant, and in eighteen years there have been
only eleven deaths from that cause 1t is true that
there only a few foreign residents. but they
have not been the victims. The deaths have been
among the Dominicans
The city has population of twenty thousand A
pmDtipS int he upb Z yT.b
laria and It's maaral bearing mosquitoes. There
10 sewers. The water used for drinking purposes
is the pure rain Of heaven-that is. It is pure when
it falls. When it does not rain for three four
days the cisterns full of life a circus
aquarium. The water is not usually filtered and
never boiled. When it does not rain for month
and the cisterns are empty, water Is obtained from
any source available. The stables, vaults and hem
roosts close neighbors TO the cisterns and all
are within the walls of the home.
FRUIT THE STAPLE FOOD.
In the United States fruit is eaten with some
compunction and caution. In San Domingo the
natives live the tropical fruits. They eat some
meat. Across the street from the hotel is the
market. The meat is bought the night before and
hung up in the open stall without ice or screens
covering It IS cut up early In the morning and
hung on hooks in front OF the stalls IN attractive
display. The customer comes along and. after
feeling live chicken two In the gutter TO guess
at its weight, pnches the meat to II II ten
der. He buys part OF IT, and the dealer places It
on the wood counter. which is never washed and
makes the division ordered. The customer puts his
purchase in panner his burro or puts Il on his
head or carries II In his hand. The pannier may
be years old II is never cleaned Perhaps he
drops the meat while arranging IT, He may look
about the street for BIT OF floating paper and
wrap the meat In that. The dealers do not Furnish
wraI ping Taper and the man docs know wherr
the paper comes from. The better cIas. wash the
meat Thoroughly in fresh water and soda This Is
supposed TO cure all defects.
The foreigner cannot stand water and food OF
this sort without m internal rebellion n he useI
ordinary ntel.lEerc". and drinks pure water he is
an immune. The food when cooked IS safe Other
conditions for health and activity are excellent
The temperature is even: there Is no such thing
as sunstroke. Notwithstanding the tropical heat:
there are no flies to carry disease at any time Of
the year. and there Is such thing as catching
cold The air is never enervatlng the heat never
oppressive. Night does differ much from dav
There are no hot nights. however, at any time o,
the year.
SOME POPULAR BELIEFS
There Is a great deal OF superstition Onens and
dreams account for much that is told about tropi-
cal countries. No bathes here in the river ,hat
sweeps down from the mountains. The water 4,
fresh rain water. It is not safe to bathe In the
water. people say-it will give one the fever There
Is no known OF fever from bathing in II I'm,
such Is the tradition. And the climatic fever: no
one ever had it, but it exists as bugbear to every
adyentprer They talk about 1t they talk about
bad There is said TO be villa IL oy yyr1,i no
that makes which lasts until the plant des
or It does not VIC N''"S
Americans who use the same health precautions
diseases real and imaginary. and may avoid many
gion occasionally cold The tempefafsqe II IN ssn
Domingo is remarkably even the year round. The
shine and rainpows There are no long. depressing
rains: and n no London foss It rains for few
noticeable change in the temperature when IL rains
and the water quickly disappears from the surface
Sue in his tale Of he 'hs sd tine
mammoth serpents which ate the companion OF
here worth speaking Of The few are small 1 n"amsd and
where. and has a disagreeable habit OF creeping
into beds and office desks and dark corners so
that 1t is net with usually dsa greea Bile sur.
prise Its bite is less painful than that OF a mos
quito quito and less poisonous The tarantulas and tho
either, and In fact. there poisonous insects
There The re- are @ said to be some poisonous plants but
one has ever seen one of them as far the writer
has discovered At least days tramp through
than the sword cactus. with it's propensity to con-
eeal the narrow tran and TO cause Irritating
scratch on those who try 10 pass Il by.
A NOTABLE ROAD.
There are few roads IN San Domingo and the few
are hardly worthy the name Every ore travels
horseback. and the trail is just wide enough for
diminutive burro. When a fellow traveller
going In the opposite direction Is met there Is the
same courtesy under similar circumstances In
the United States. Both minds are intent on the
one purpose, that of passing, and there is a scram-
BILE into the brush along the side or lodging into Il
clear place until the thing is ACCOMPLISHED Tho
wide spreading panners which carrv ali The ,iar ne
ketabe goods make this sometimes a difficnIt mn
dertaklng. To the west from San Dominpo r,uS :.
road of some pretensions. IT is a hundred yaPds
Wlue' ana Tor TWO miles out from the city boasts
electric lights Outside Of thea improvementse tbs
roau se mas seen none All has been left to
ire Dkyad