The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-21
STATISTICS FROM CUBA
A COMPARISON BETWEEN HAVANA
AND INDIANAPOLIS.
They Are Cities of About the Same
Size-Marriages, Deaths and
Births Recorded.

Since the beginning of the Spanish
American war the American people have
taken a greater interest in the affairs and
conditions of Cuba than ever before. Many
citizens of the State of Indiana and of the
city Of indianapolis have gone to Cuba.
Some of them have been appointed to Of
fees in the new territory and thus it, has
been that the names of Cuba, Havana, In
diana and Indianapolis have often been
associated.
Many things have been written about
Cuba and Havana, but these have dealt for
the most part in generalities. No doubt
many who have not had the opportunity
or seeing for themselves have wondered
how Cuba compares with Indiana and how
Havana. the capital city. compares with
indianapolis. the capital and chief city
of this State. Several days ago young
man who had often speculated on the diff
ferences which would be found happened
to stroll into the Office of the city Board Of
Hearth On one table he found the sum-
mary of the boards work for the month Of
April and alongside was a printed state
pent of vital statistics of Havana for
April, 1900" Not knowing the exact popula-
ton OF Havana the first thing that caught
fetal census. 235. 0O0'' This was he thought,
only few thousand more than that of In
djanapolis.
Looking further and comparing the re-
ports Ii was found that the deaths in In
dianapolis were 253 of which fourteen were
N public institutions. In Havana the
deaths numbered 4S2. and of these seventy
three died in public hospitals; $50 were
white and 125 colored; 262 were males and
20 females. OF the 4s2 deaths, 372 were
Cubans, eighty Spaniards and only seven
We're Americans. The largest number of
deaths from any one disease was from tu-
berculosis. The number Is given as eighty.
IN this city twenty-nine deaths from the
same disease were reported. Forty-four
deaths in indianapolis from pneumonia
were reported in April. and for the same
Ieriod in Havana the number was twenty
five. Apoplexy caused thirteen deaths in
Havana and five in indianapolis. The num-
Der or deaths from grip were the same.
eighteen. Typhoid fever claimed five VIC
inns In Havana and four in this city.
The Havana statement showing the
number OF cases of infectious CONTAGIOUS
diseases reported gave the total number as
1872, of which 135 were among the white
population forty-seven among the colored
and ten among the Chinese. Tuberculosis
led the list with total of los, and nine of
the ten Chinese were said to be thus aff1ict-
ed. The indianapolis list was incomplete.
The number Of marriages during the
month in Havana was 1884, 125 of these from
the white population and nine among the
cOlOreu VI the ZbS persons marrying. 1yS
were Cuban and fifty-five Spaniards Nine
Americans entered into the marriage rela-
ton.
The figures In the statement of births are
somewhat startling, the total number being
1OS4, an apparent excess over the deaths
of COZ. OF these S3S were white and 246 COL
ored. The number of males and females
were about equal. The S3S white births are
divided into legitimate. $50; illegitimate, 2S2;
the colored born, legitimate, 81; ilegitimate,
215; making totals of legitimate births, 5S7;
illegitimate, 497.
The number of births in Indianapolis for
the same time was 300 white and colored, of
which 2S6 were called legitimate and sixteen
illegitimate.
The Havana sanitary officers report
showed the average square yards of streets
cleaned daily as 1,2396S, and the number
of cart loads of material removed from the
streets as 5.S01. The average area of In
dianapolis streets cleaned was said to be
1,520, 400 and the number of wagon loads of
dirt removed, 3,067. ~
The Havana statement also contained a
weather report and a comparison of this
with that of the Indianapolis weather
bureau showed the mean temperature OF
Havana was 1916, while that of Indianapolis
was S. The high temperature In Indianap-
oils so and in Havana 1t was but de-
gree higher. The low temperature In
Havana was 6S and in Indianapolis g. The
mean temperature of So degrees has been
the mean temperature in this city during
the month of April for thirty years. The
rainfall in Havana was 80 inches and in
Indianapolis was LOO inches.