Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-02-19
LETTER FROM CUBA.
Nuevitas, Cuba, Feb. 1, 1900,

| OlQ orleans COu.UN WOuiu lIhc w
hear a little 1 ut Cuba from one
who has liv in Vermont, and SO can
look al tropical lands through Yer
monter;s eyes. Or at least we can
make the excuse which was once made
for living, "because we have few
friends left who would miss u.s." and
imagine that we have few friends
among your readers who would like
to hear from us. To locate ourselves
for those not familiar with Cuban
geography,-this place is in the east
ern part of the island, about the n. E.
corner of the province of Puerto Prin-
cipe, and is the chief port of entry
for large and thinly populated Sec
ton in the east central portion of the
| island. 1t has one railroad, over fifty
miles long, connecting it with the old
capital of the province, which bears
| the name also Of Puerto Principe.
| This road has felt the influence of
Am erican haste and now makes the
trip in less than half a day, where it
used to require all day, under the
more leisurely Spanish administration.
But business is not very heavy now
and though this road is the only means
of communication with the coast for
a city of nominally forty thousand,
it only carries passengers three times
week, devoting. the other days TO
the transportation of freight at the
modest rate of $12. per ton. Even at
this rate it brings down some logs of
mahogany and Spanish cedar (used
for cigar boxes) which are shipped to
New York by steamer, when other
freight is not plenty.
The appearance of this part of the
island is picturesque but not charm
ing. Near the coast are sharp hills
of limestone covered with a very
thin layer of fossiliferous yellow clay,
which after rain works up like put
ty and hardens like cement. Back in
the distance rise several mountains,
reminding one a little of the grand
old hills Of New England. But most |
Of the land back little from the
coast and even running down to the |
sea is nearly level or slightly rolling |
and much deeper and more fertile in |
soil. This section has never been so
much cultivated as the western half
of the island, and now is mostly a
vegetation which looks
strange to northern eyes. Various
palms lift their fan leaves high in air
or squat with their stunted trunks
among the underbrush. Near the
coast there are frequent specimens of
the cocoanut palm, with dropping
leaves and punches Of green nuts.
There is great variety of hard wood,
out all entirely strange to us. Some
lines we see the bark of a beech or
maple, only to turn in disgust as we
note the leaf is of wholly different
variety. The devastation and desc
arion of war is still dismally appar- !.
mt in the whole region True the
keleton form of the starving ''recon-
entrado" is no longer painfully in
in the streets, though a con-
iderable number are still drawing :,
atoms from the government. And :,
he town itself does not show much
races of war, having been securely =
cid by Spanish troops, whose funny :.
tile plastered block houses do not =
lggest very aggressive campaign.
ut in the country desolation is the .
lie and activity the exception. Old a
inns of once prosperous plantations,
WIN nd |
lshes, tell of a policy Of destruction
arried on by both sides in the con- =,
lets which have ragged for more than
ne third of the time during the past
lirty years, and have turned much
what might have been the garden an
the west into great and terrible AZ
ilderness. I am told that one may us
de all day in various directions with w
lt seeing sign Of human habitation br
: productive activity. Some plan
.tions are running again and the
lgar making seasons just beginning. u
ANY others would start up if money o.
ouId be had to put them in working
rder, but money is sadly scarce, and LII
am told readily commands twelve II
er centinterest. The Cuban is blamed W
it'll being unenterprising. The fact W
sadly apparent; the culpability W
uch less so. I do not know what II
ice Of people, in his circumstances, IL
ould be very enterprising. The in CT
uence of climate and still more of a fe
~tched history for generations will fe
for his lack of thrift, without M
0eAN N with unusual depravity. W
taking advantage of o.