Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-21
CUBAN =foNDITloNS
The Island Not Prepared for Full
Home Government.
NECESSARY ELEMENTS. 4 4 LACKING
Education and Training Needed
Before We Relinquish the Reins.
THE HARBOR OF HAVANA

THE HARBOR OF HAVANA
From Diary of STAFF Correspondent
Saturday morning at O'Clock we entered
the harbor of Havana passing by the
frcwning Moro and Cabanas Notifications.
These old forts, while picturesque in ap-
pearance, are not very effective as in
struments of defense, and during the war
the Spaniards depended on concealed bat
teries and not on the stone walls of MORO
and the guns behind them. Inside the
harbor the scene was an extremely busy
one. The city is built down solidly to the
water front. good character Of ferry
boats are constantly running back and
forth, while great amount Of steam and
sail shipping filed the harbor. To Ameri-
can eyes the most interesting and pathetic
feature of the harbor and one for which
we looked first and looked at again last as
we sailed out, was the fighting top and
rust crumbled iron work of the battle ship
Maine which still rests where the ship
went down as a result of Spanish treach-
cry and by it's sinking opened the door to
a new era of progress for the United
States.
No anchors are dropped in the harbor of
Havana. For hundreds of years the sew
efaRe ana 1lltN VI Lie city pun Oh hAieo
this basin, only comparatively small
amount of it being carried off. The result
is that the entire bottom of the harbor is
filled with a not at all pleasant deposit
which is much better left where it Is than
brought to the top by the raising of an
chors. All ships are therefore made fast
to buoys, with which the harbor is plenti-
fully supplied. Our boat was buoyed with
in fifty yards of the wreck OF the Name
Don't Speak English.
The thing that impressed me on land
ing in Havana was the fact that nobody
seemed to speak English. Of fifteen or
twenty cabmen who were in the nelghbor-
hood of the dock not one of them knew
word OF the language of the nation which
is their protector and guide. This was DIR,
ferent from any of the places we had
visited before, and even different from
Santiago and Cienfuegos, on the same
island Everywhere else almost everybody
could at least speak few words OF Eingnsh
and almost invariably the drivers OF CABS
knew enough of the English language TO
receive directions. 1t was therefore, eX-
tremely disappointing to lind In Havana
that there was not cabman who coulo
understand, Il want to go the the post
Office"
The post office at Havana, where so much
that is dscredifabie to the United States
has occurred, is well-apponted building,
close to the harbor front. The routine OF
the office seems to be well managed, but
when one reaches Postmaster Harrison and
Director of Posts Fosnes an air OF trepf-
dation is apparent. There has been so much
scandal about the postal affairs of Cuba,
and the whole department has been crit1-
cised and ripped so by the papers that L
could see a feeling in them or hesitation
about saying anything about the work.
Rathbone is here on bail at one of the notes
and is sticking pins in the post office every
day or so through the Cuban papers.
Neeley is In jail awaiting his trial, and
Sheridan, who got away with Slooo OF the
post office money, is also occupying one OF
the free cells in the Jail. There are only
eight Americans in the Havana post office at
present, the minor places having been turned
over to the Cubaps entirely, and the elght
Americans are at the heads of depart
ments. Only three offices in the Island nave
American postmasters, the rest being Gu
bans. The natives make good clerks and
postmasters when they are tod eAactiy
what must be done, but when they have to
take the Initiative or decide questions
themselves they seem to lack all ballast.
They lose their heads almost Immediately
under such circumstances, and things are
liable as they have many times, to get
mixed up.
The Colon Cemetery.
The Colon cemetery. a drive Of a couple
of miles from the center of the city, is one
of the interesting sights here. The monu-
ments and tombs are In nearly all cases
absolutely covered with artificial flowers.
In land where nature provides such an
abundance of the real article it seems curl
GUS to see so many of the unreal There
are some fine examples of marble work at
the cemetery. One large monument to some
firemen who were killed in the discharge
OF their duties is especially striking.
Another noticeable piece of work is a
| monument to eight students Of local col
lege here who We're shot In 1871 by the
authorities the charge of defacing a
Spanish grave. The Spanish authorities
charged that some of the students OF the
college had committed the vandalism, but
they were not able to prove just which
| ones. They, therefore, simplified the mat
ter by lining up the forty students or the
college. picking every fifth one and execut-
ing him. 1t was one of those beautiful IL
Illustrations of Spanish justice that have
made that nation so popular through the
ages. 1t Is said that the father of one of
the condemned boys offered ms weight
three times in gold for his life, but that
the desire to kill was so strong that the
proposition was refused. 1t, ofscourse, is
hard to believe that the Spanfards in Cuba
face of the heavens for a reasonable sum
of money. However, this is what they tell
you when they show you the monument.
A Busy City.
Havana is an extremely solid, well-built
city. The streets are clean, now at any
rate, although those travellers who visited
the city several years ago say that the
change now from the filthy streets of that
time is little less than remarkable. There
are numbers of pretty parks scattered
| through the city, with flowers and plants
and well kept lawns A great deal of
work has been done on the streets since
the American occupation. Havana seems
very busy city, an active city and a
prosperous city. There are big warehouses;
the business section Is crowded with heavy
drays, and these drays, by the way, are
drawn by as fine lot Of mules as you
will find in the whole world. Hotels are
plentiful and pretty well kept There are
numbers of fine stores filled with the best
goods. Obispo street, the main shopping
thoroughfare, is a very narrow street, with
sidewalks only a couple of feet wide and
| for nearly it's whole length covered by
awnings running from one side of the
street to the other. This little narrow al
ley-like street. however, Is crowded with
| fine stores and dazzling displays.
The city market takes up an entire
SQUARE with stores around the exterior and