Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-21


| they have done in the United States. that
asphalt Will not do where there is heavy
/ traffic.
Col. William Black, who was a District
Commissioner in Washington for several
years is here in charge of the engineering
| work and has been in Cuba since the oc-
| eupation. He is responsible for most of the
| cleaning of the city and for much of the
| public improvements that have been put
| in. and has made the splendid record for
| efficiency that his friends knew he would
| make.
Havana HarbOr.
According to Col. Black. the Bay of Ha-
vana is not by any means menace to
| health. He says the harbor at it's worst
never did as much hurt to the health of
| the city as the Anacostia flats do to Wash
| ington. In the old days, when the city of
Havana was in a frightfully dirty condi-
| ticn, 1t was very convenient to lay the
feyers and other diseases which resulted
| onto the harbor. but the city itself and not
! the harbor was really the cause of un-
healthiness. The cleaning of the city and
the fact that now whenever it rains mass
! of dirt and filth is not washed from the
streets into the bay has caused radical
difference in the health conditions here. OF
course, the harbor is still susceptible of
further Improvement. What sewerage
| there is goes into the bay and the surface
drainage washes there also. At the upper
end OF the bay there is some marshy
| ground that is doubtless extremely I'M
healthy. The engineers plans for the i'm
| provement of Havana contemplate the fill
ing In of this marsh, as the Potomac flats
| were filled in. The plans also provide for
| sewerage system for Havana, the sew
erage TO be carried under the harbor, down
the coast distance and emptied out at
sea. In connection with the healthfulness
| of the harbor itself it may be said that
nearly all the Americans who have been in
Havana in the last few years have either
| mad their offices or their houses overlook
a H.
rectly on the water line. These Americans
nave not suffered from this nearness to the
| so much talked of filthy harbor.' Today
the water in Havana harbor is clear in
appearance as that of New York harbor
AS l have said, the cause of the unhealth-
mess was due primarily to the filthy con-
dt1on of the city itself. This was not con-
| fined to the streets, but the courts and al
ley parts of the houses themselves were
| left unclaimed from years end to years
end. In the palace of the governor general
hlmSei1, after the American occupation,
more than 200 cart loads of dirt We're re-
moved by the Americans. There is little
DOUBT In the minds of experts that a con-
tlnuation of the work of sanitation done
| by the Americans in Santiago and Havana
VIII stamp out entirely the fearful danger
| OF yellow fever.
| Sunday a Fete Day.
| sunday was rainy and the atmosphere
| was damp and cold, being rather remark
able weather for this territory This was
| the sixth anniversary of the breaking out
| Of the revolution and was also one of the
carnival Sundays. Had it been a clear
| day the events would have been elaborate
| ~ celebrated; even as it was there was a
| considerable to do In the morning sew
eral thousand school children paraded on
| the Prado. Each child carried a Cuban flag
IL was noticeable that very large proper
| ton of the children We're of the colored
| race A number of popular meetings were
| held in the afternoon and there was also
a big carnival of carriages on the Prado,
Inc evening was marked by a number of
| masked balls.
| General Wood gave a reception at the
palace to the people from the steamer dur
ing our stay The party was received by
| General Wood and Mrs. Wood and the
members of his staff The palace is a fine
! old Spanish building, with some very inter-
estlnS furniture and decorations. In the
| main reception room two mirrors open as
| doors and behind Is small chapel fitted
| up with all the necessities for a good
| Catholic. This was the governor generals
| private chapel in the old days. and was a
| very convenient thing for this gentleman
to nave all to himself and close at hand
| Convention in Session.
The Cuban constitutional convention was
| still in session, although the constitution
| itself was adopted a few days ago and one
| copy given to General Wood for transmits
| sion to the United States. The convention
| IS now being held in an effort to induce il
| to define its idea of the relations which
! should exist between Cuba and the United
states. 1t is said that the administration,
through General Wood, who has conferred
| with the committee from the convention
| recently for several days, demands that
| for the present the United States shall have
entire charge Of Cuba's foreign affairs,
| shall have an oversight of its finances
| and that several coaling stations be coded
| to the United States outright These
propositions are bitterly opposed by the
radical Cubans. They want to make no
| concessions at all, and even to have no
| negotiations until the American troops are
| Withdrawn and their own Independent gov
eminent organized. 1 talked with a great
| many business men and citizens of Havana
| and also a number of the Cuban people and
| several members of the convention Abso-
| lutely nothing is to be expected on the line
OF grattude from these people, and this
| Is invariably true in the case of all the
| spanish people In the West Indies or South
America Many, in fact most, of the
Cubans are today bitter in their remarks
concerning the United States. Take Cis-
| neros. for example. He was as everybody
| in Washington will remember president of
| the provisional republic, and visited the
united states number of times. where he
| collected money for the use of the reyolu-
ton 1t is said that he carried an American
cltlzensh1p for years as protection in case
ne should be captured by the Spanish. He
| is member of the constitutional conyen-
| ton, and with all the record of fayors re-
| celVed from the American government and
| the American people, when the constitu-
ton was being signed he refused to sign
| the copy that was to go TO the United
States, saying that the American govern
| ment or people, had nothing to do with
| the Cuban constitution, and he would sign
| nothing that was to be sent to Washing
| ton This was in the open convention, and
| there he turned to some Americans who
were present. saying, You Americans are
| monkeys; you want everything" One of
| the members of the convention who had
Vainly endeavored to get him to sign the
constitution said to him, well, even if you
VIII not sign we will stay friends Yes"
| shouted Cisneros, land when We commence
to fire on the Americans to drive them out
will be with YOU"
| Spanish and Cubans,
An investigation Of the feeling of the in
habitants of Cuba as to the United States
| reveals a curious condition of affairs The
| commercial and business men Of the island
are nearly all Spanish, and these people to
a man. almost, are in favor of the strong
| est kind of connection with the United
1 tot Arr {o..