The National tribune., 1901-06-13
WASHINGTON g. THURSDAY JUNE 49, 1901


with large porticos, some very old and
J others of more recent construction-make
} a picture that is not only unique and in
terestlnS, but grand and impressive.
We are moving along slowly now-yery
slowly, like one approaching a mausoleum
of the honored dead And so, in truth.
we are; for there, just off our port bow,
so near that it seems but a step to reach
IT. lies the wreck Of the gallant but i'll
fated Maine. That twisted mass of iron,
with one mast still pointing toward
Heaven, as il to call down on the heads
of the perpetrators of that dastardly deed
its most dire vengeance, marks the spot
where the noble ship went down, bearing
with her so many of our brave young
sailors to watery and untimely grave!
One wonders while thinking of these
Things II that monumental crime shall go
forever unpunished if ever those lives
shall be avenged
Passing few fathoms farther on the
pilot on the bridge rang out, ''I-st her go,
sIr!' and the huge anchor, with a tre-
mendous splash as it struck the water,
ana the rafting of the immense cable
rushing through the hawse-pipe, told US
that the ship was again at anchor.
IL IS not my purpose to attempt to de-
scribe the city of Havana or its varied
population still, perhaps. it would not be
out of place to mention some of the
things which seemed peculiarly interesting
to me. The Bay of Havana is one of the
hneSt IN the world, easy of access and ca
pable of floating in deep water / 900 large
ships at one time. The entrance to it is
without rock or bar, $50 feet wide and
4,200 feet long
The city itself lies to the right or west
ern side of the harbor, and though laid
ont somewhat irregularly, is noted for its
promenades, drives and public gardens,
among which are the Plaza de Armas,
with statue of Ferdinand VII, who
| must have been popular with the Spanish
residents of the island; the Prado, a long
and handsome boulevard laid out in the
18th century; the Campo del Marie, OF
! drill park, and the botanical gardens, the
latter well worth visiting.
There are many large buildings-the
! Cathedral, Universities, Public Library,
hospitals and theaters-the largest of the
last named, Tacon, built in the year 1885,
being capable of seating about 5000 peo-
pie. The resident population of Havana
in 1887 was 20O, ,44S; whether recent events
have increased or diminished that figure,
have, at present, no means of knowing.
The houses for the most part are built
of solid stone and have fiat roofs, the
erection of wooden buildings having been
illegal since 1772.
The city is divided into the "old" and
new towns, the latter lying outside the
old walls, which have been almost COM
pletely demolished since 1863, and laid
out on spacious plan, with wide thor
oughfares beautifully fringed with palm
trees. The streets of the "old" town con-
tiguOus to the bay are of the "narrowest
possible construction consistent with the
existence of wheel traffic." with sidewalks
so narrow as to scarcely admit of two
persons walking abreast.
Early Friday morning our ship was
again under way, and we were soon out
of sight Of land, bound for Cienfuegos, on
the south side of Cuba. There is rail- |
road from Havana to Cienfuegos, said |
to be so rough that passengers get sea-
sick riding in the cars. l only mention |
this incidentally, as it has no connection |
whatever with my trip.
The distance by water is much greater |
than by land, being somewhere between
800 and 600 miles, as the extreme west
ern end of the island and the Isle of Pines
must be gone around, while it is neces-
sary to maintain a good olfing, in order to
avoid the many shoals and coral reefs
which are, in these waters, a constant
menace and serious impediment to safe
navigation.
Large canvas awnings were stretched
across the decks to protect us from the
heat and glare of tropical sun, which in
this latitude is at meridian almost directly
in the zenith. A gentle breeze just rumpled
the great blue sea around, smooth and
placid as an inland lake on midsummer
day. The day and night passed without
incident. The next morning when the
sun rose his shadows fell directly fore
and aft, indicating that our course was
due east. Since leaving Havana our
course had been westerly, around Cape
San Antonio, through the Yucatan Chan
mel, and into the Caribbean Sea. At
night when the stars came out we found
we had again changed and were steering
almost due north. Daylight Sunday morn
ing revealed the blue, misty outline of
distant mountains; little later land be-
came visible all around, and by 10 o'clock
we were entering the great land-locked
harbor of Cienfuegos, or Xagua Bay.
The word 'cienfuegos" pronounced
The -en-fue gos) means "a hundred fires"
and the name of the town afterwards
built here is said to have originated in
this way: During the second visit of Co
umbus to Cuba, in 1894, one Of his Cap
aims, while far out at sea, discovered on
he horizon what seemed a tremendous
On approaching, greatly
against the wishes of his crew, who. in
heir ignorance and superstition, imagined
hey had come to the end Of the world '
md that to proceed meant total annihi-
alton, he found great forest fires raging s
IN the east of the bay, which he also dis
covered and entered. l am inclined to
believe that the legend needs confirmation, i
md that the town was named in honor &
If some Spanish grandee-an ancestor,
perhaps, of Nicasio Alverez de Cienfuegos,
Spanish poet and writer, born in 1862. t
The entrance to the harbor is very mar i
ow, but once inside it spreads out like I
great inland sea. Just inside on the q
vest is the island of Castillo, on which +
tands an elegant castle, or fort from
which the island takes its name A ro- '
mantle little legend was told me concern g
ng this castle by a cavalryman, Corp'I V
samuel W. Carter, who had been sta |
ioned here with his regiment ever since t
he occupation of Cuba by the United v
,tates forces, and who seemed thoroughly a
Osted on all matters of local nature
The legend runs thus: c
Many years ago, about 1740, certain i,
Obe of Spain, but a resident of Cuba, \
vas accused of some political crime, for v
which he was tried, found guilty and SEN
enced to be shot, and to have his estates r.
onfiscated by the Crown. His faithful n
wife, who was immensely wealthy in her Z
wn right, in order to save her husbands Y
fe, made overtures to the Government
or a Communication of the death penalty
0 life Imprisonment, offering in consider
ton of such clemency to build on this
sland a fort or castle commanding the >,
ntrance to the harbor as a prison for u
he condemned man, which, at his death, L.
hould revert to the Crown. The offer G
ras accepted, the castle built, and the p
usband immured within its walls And,
D round out the story beautifully, the de-
oted wife asked and obtained permission ~
D share her noble lords Imprisonment :.
md so the castle became their home, their = =
ungeon, their tomb; and stands today a -, ~