Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-16
SANTO DOMINGO.
,, oldest City on the Western Hemsphere-"Casa de
colon Where Diego Columbus Lived in Splendor-
street Scenes
ulnnnnnrJ,n

lengc, Quien vior-"Who goes there?"
These ancient walls, with their bas-
tons, fortae2Q3 and numerous little
sentry boxes sandwiched between, after
the fashion Of military cities four cen.
turtles aso look as old as they really
IRE, but are yet strong and firm Their
circumference is about three miles. en-
tirely surrounding the city and running
1000 yards along the O2ama river They
are from nine 10 ~ feet thick, OF sold
stone and now 30 oyergrown with vines
and creepers that their stuccoing Is
hardly visible They vary In height
from 10 to 20 feet, except along the
ocean front where they dwlndle down
TO your feet, being sufficiently protected
by the bold rocky cliff against which
the surf dashes violently. There is no
other walk Hike this on our side Of the
world, and words fail TO convey an
idea Of It's imposing dignity even in
decay. The dozen or more fortalezas
are named In honor Of the Sants-as
Santa Barbara, San Gil San Antonio
and each Is backed by quaint old
church Of the same name. The for
talezas are now dismantled and I'M
guarded except at the citadel and bar
racks, the bastons above the Ataranza
gate, by which the city Is en-
tered from the sea- and the
Bastion de San Concapcion at
the land gate, which leads out Of the
city towards the Interior. The moat
and tuTets that were defended by gates
and bastious are now In ruins, but at
two main gates a strong guard Is kept
constantly on duty, under a comr,Is-
stoned officer who is responsible to the
militpry governor Of the city for the
good behavior Of every person who en-
At s p, m. the gates are closed for
the night, and no one Is allowed to
lGss until they are opened again. after
daylight the following morning.
Having satisfied the officer in charge
and passed through the Puerto (gate)
del Ataran2a into the old city, you
seem 70 have taken a sudden plunge
into the past, to another age and coun-
try, and find yourself face to face with
remarkable condemnation of beau
~ and squalor, dirt and venerable an
uquity. The streets are extremely mar
row, covered with hard cement which
Is dangerously broken IN many places,
and outlined by three-foot sidewalks.
few OF the streets are partly de-
voted TO shops. but there is no exclu-
slvely business portion except the mar
ket space, which IS giyol up to the
smallest retailers while the importers
and wholesale dealers are scattered
through the heart of the city. You
see caSas three or four centuries Ole
painfully masquerading IN fresh coats
OF gaudy blue and yellow, like beWlgged
and bepainted octOgenarans.
Against the massive walls of disman-
tied converts, once the populous homes
OF learned and holy men, lean the
worthless shanties OF lazy blacks, their
owners summing themselves all day at
ease, without care or trouble In the
world.
You find cobblers, tailors, vendors of
tripe aud liver, dealers i'm every small
local commodity, occupying what re-
mains OF ancient PALACES, now mostly
Iallen IN pieces. or the IS or IA thou
sand Inhabitants of the city, but a very
small portion are pure whites, the ma
Jorlty having more or less admixture
OF inc African with their boosted "blu-
est blood OF Old Castle," and a most
despicable community are many of
Them, almost too inert to breathe They
TURK Ike snakes in the corridors OF
moldy palaces Of long -dead mobiles un-
der the arches of the city gates. even
In holes followed out of the walls. COM
ing out an hour or two every day 10
ENJOY the sun and beg Of passing
strangers, crawling back to their dens
at nlghtfall Everything reminds Won
that the Anglo-SaXon associations of
order. industry. cleanliness and conyen.
tionality are exchanged for the dirt and
shlftliness of Latln-African llfb in the
Horsemen obscured under straw hats
OF such breadth Of brim that beside
them Mexican sombreros would look
as pigmies, gallop rest1essly through
the crowd on their nervous little island
ponies; and II they trample a few of
the rat piccanies that roll around In
the cutters entirely unencumbered by
a shred OF clothing cares
much, there being an embarrassing sn.
periiuity Of such spawn. Troops of half
grown boys ride through the streets
each comfortably clad in single gar.
ment' fashioned like the Cutie sarks"
or Tam O'Shanters' witchas-fNeir how
black legs astride immense straw sad.