The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-14
FRIEND OF
GEN. MILES
Continued from Page IL

| SOntlnue0 from Page Ii
| Down the gangway of the mighty cruis.
/ er | took my men, and we were pulled
| to the shore. 1t was the noon hour. bu,
the word had gone out that Mattel had
| come, Antonio Mattel Lluveras, he OF
Yauco the idol of the masses of Porto
Rico, and the wharves were lined the
streets filled, with an enthusiastic crowd
There were shouts and embraces. min
gled with cheers for the United States
which had sent him back.
| 1t was most remarkable demonstra-
| ton of the hold which this man has on
the common people of the island. Later,
up in the city, 1 was to find Lat his
| friends were not alone among the mass
| es. but that every prominent man who
| had hitherto been known as opposed to
Spanish power on the island, FASTENED to
| send him greetings. These came by spe-
eial messengers, who had passed through
| the Spanish lines at the risk of their
| lives. From Bayamon. close to the CAPT.
| tai. party of the principal men had
secretly set out each by himself to re-
| unite finally in Ponce for the purpose OF
meeting him.
few days later / was to witness a
more remarkable demonstration of his
| hold on the people. Mattel is a Corsi-
can by blood, although born on the ISL
and. Yauco itself is called Corsican
town, and when he went to his home
with only one days notice in advance,
| FIVE thousand people from the noun
tains had filled the streets of the town.
A mile outside, the horses were taken
| from the carriage and he, with the two
American officers, was drawn through
the streets to the city buildings Hun
dreds of men broke down and cried from
the very joy Of seeing him, and at least
half dozen deliberately threw them
selves to the ground and let the wheels
| of the carriage pass over their bodies.
The small town of Port au Ponce is two
| miles from the main city, but forms a
part of it, called the Playa, and contains
some three thousand Inhabitants. Here
are the custom house, captaincy of the
port. warehouses, cable offices and other
buildings.
In the custom house were our postof-
fee, the office of the customs, and. up
stairs, the headquarters of the Major
General commanding the army. General
Miles occupied small corner room, with
one window to the east and one fronting
the south on the bay. On the roof above
was the signal station, from which, day
and night, orders were passed backward
and forward by flags and lanterns.
On the fine stone wharyes, with wood
en- planking. our troops, ammunition and
supplies were landed. and then transfer
red TO huge wagons or native carts.
Mules and horses rode through the gen.
tie swells in low, fiat-bottomed lighters
and then walked ashore. There were
guards everywhere. officers coming and
going, a blockade of wagons. and all the
rush of busy war campaign.
From the Playa a fine, wide wagon
road, with rounded center of pounded
stone, extends for two miles up to the
city. There are cane fields, banana plan
tations, tropical fruits and flowers.
houses and people all along the road.
while of to the left is a great sugar
lard, not loved by many. We entered
the city by the calle Mayor, or Main
street. passing the Casa Dodd, where
Major General James, h. Wilson had his
headquarters when in command of the
city, and later occupied by General Miles
as a residence.
In the center of the city is the Casa
Consistorial, where the new Alcalde. or
Mayor, has his Office. In the same
building are the other city offices and
the Jail. This Mayor, r. Ulpiano Colon.
is a lineal descendant of the great navi-
gator whom we cali Columbus. and is
as earnest an American as can be found
in Porto Rico. The day he was sworn
into office the royal arms of Spain came
down from the building and the flag OF
the United States was hoisted above 1t.
Across the street is the plaza de las
Delicias, the main square of the city. On
this are the Arabic kiosk, guarded by our
boys in blue, the catholic church and
the parque de bombas (engine house,.
The market, large, ill-kept building,
a S1f ton, 10
farther up.
The hotels of Ponce are very poorly
equipped, so that the coming of the ar
my with many officers seeking accom-
modations soon filled every available
space. Many persons were obliged TO
sleep on couches and on the floors in
| hotels, because even rooms with four
beds each were filled to their utmost ca
pacity.
| AS for myself. I Jared beautifully Be
fore we left the ST. Louis, a relative OF
one of my party invited us to occupy his
residence. as the family were out at
their quinta The house, which may be
considered typical of the country, IS OF
one story, raised some five feet from the
ground, with a gallery In front ana on
| two sides, as well as in the rear me
| large front parlor is partially divided
near the middle by two columns ana
| low quarter wall. In one portion OF the
parlor is the piano, and back of this a
large dining-room opens on the rear gar
lery On each side of this parior ano
dining-room are four bed-chambers. some
fifteen feet square The ceilings OF all
these rooms are twenty-Ieet high. AT she
back are the kitchens, closets and chii-
dren's quarters. In the patio are large
fountain filed with marine plants ana
fishes, and the bath-house- There are
benches under immense shade trees, CON
venient for all hours of the day Back
of this is large prado, with grass ano
Istables for the horses, and cocoanut aho
iother trees IN great profusion. ),
/ While the social side of the island
not much developed. In Ponce. San JuaI
and Mayaguez there exist quite the saIns
standards Of taste and form that arr
found the world over. Each OF thes'
towns has one or more fine casinos o.
theaters, with fine bali and dinint
rooms. During the heated season I'M
srnartest people retire to their quintas
4 but the round OF social diversions IS KEEP
up there. -
After the arrival of Mrs. and MIS-
Miles at Ponce, a reception was giveI
/ them at the Casino. It was very fal
exa,nl of tha condition of society II