Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-05-23
CUBA IS NOW
INDEPENDENT
Palma Becomes President and
Our Troops Withdraw
rom the Island.
FLAG GIVES WAY TO CUBA'S
General Wood Personally Lowered tho
American Colors and With His Own
Hand BOisted the Cuban Flag. as an Act
II the United states

Havana, May 21.-Senor Palma yes.
document, as president of the Cuban
republic, after an exchange of con-
CALCULATIONS, and the veteran, General
Gomez, assembled to the roof of the
palace, where he was accorded Il
great reception. General Wood per.
sonally lowered the American colors.
hands hoisted the Cuban flag, as an
act of the United States, Gomez as
sisting.
General Wood and his staff and the
American troops embarked Immediate
ly after the hosting of the Cuban flag
and the American ships steamed out
of the harbor. At the time the trans
fer took place in Havana, General
Whiteside at Santiago. turned over his
authority to his Cuban successor
and sailed away with the American
cavalry which had been in garrison
there.
The natal day Of the republic of
Cuba found Havana arrayed like a
queen. to await the coming of her lord
She seemed reinvested for the occas-
ion with the dignity Of the prosperous
days of her power and wealth. The
decorations were universal. In some
cases men had worked all night, by
the light of torches. to complete elabo-
rate designs. There was not a rest
dence, pretentious or humble. that did
not bear upon it's quaint facade some
emblem in honor of the event
The many arches erected at the en-
frances of plazas by political societies,
fraternal clubs, residents of various
civil divisions of the city and business
organizations had an air of real gran.
d.ur The scaffoldlng was covered
with canvass. painted an imitation of
marble, and from distance the illus.
ion was complete. Bunting spread on
Venetian masts canopied the deep.
narrow streets from the rays of the
sun. Beneath these canopies the Gu
ban colors and palms graced the open
doOrways through which glimpses
could be caught of luXuriant gardens
in COOL inner courts. Many of the
balconies jntting from the white wall
ed buildings were adonrder with roses.
Nature seemed in harmony with the
spirit Of the festivities. The parks
were literally afame with tropical
flowers, and the vaulted sky above
might nave been chlSeled out of tur-
quoise. Above every red, tiled roof
arose Cuban flag. The whole city
seemed suddenly buried beneath a
forest of waving banners.
The decorations along the water
front were exceedingly lavish. and all
the shipping in the harbor was dressed
in gala attire. The majority of the
ships flew the American ensign at the
main. and the Cuban colOrs at the fore
or mizzen. The United States armor-
ed cruiser Brooklyn which was to take
General Wood away. and the steamer
Moro Castle of the Ward line. on
which the troops were to embark, as
we'll as the foreign warships which had
been sent by their governments to be
present at the birth of the new re-
public We're dressed with signal flags
for and aft. man-of-war fashion. The
American colors, which were to be
hauled down in few hours, still
foated above the grim walls of the
fortresses which guard the entrances
OF the harbor. Not another bit OF
color showed upon them.