The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-22
CLEANING UP HABANA.

| People who talk so much about the evils
of military government lose sight of its
many sterling advantages, and its impera-
tive necessity at times. Habana is a bril-
| liant example of the latter. For CEN
fury Habana was not only a good deal of
curse TO its citizens, but terrible dan
ger to us. 1t was one of the worlds three
great breeding spots of .'el Fomito."
Every Summer it would start the fearful
contagion by which thousands of Cubans
and strangers would die. Then our own
cities would be visited or threatened. bust
ness would be practically suspended for
months in New Orleans, Galveston. Mo
bile, Jacksonville, Savannah and Charles
ton, immense amounts of money would be
lost, and some years the mortality would
be frightful. The epidemic has reached
as far north as Philadelphia, New York
and st. Louis.
1t was known that all this was the re-
sult of the incredible filth of Habana.
Therefore. the moment that we got pos
session of the city army officers went to
work cleaning it up, and they did it with
military sternneSS and theoretic effective
ress. Maj. VIM. Black. of the Engineer
Corps, came into charge of the work in
January, 1899, and to him most Of the
credit is due. In the course of two years
every house in Habana was cleaned from
top to bottom, sometimes of the accumu-
lations of decades of years. 1t was most
disgusting work, but it gave employment
to great numbers of laborcrs. who seemed
glad of the opportunity of earning daily
wages. The only ones who seemed to suf-
fer were the American officers who in
spected and superintendent, and the fami-
lies who were compelled TO live in clean
quarters. After the filth was removed,
and proper sanitary appliances put in, the
floors were scrubbed with electrOzonc, and
the walls with a weak solution of cOrrO-
rsive sublimate AS many as 10000 houses
were cleaned in a single month. The fami-
lies grumbIed and swore fcrcely in Span
ish while the work was going on, but they
had to stand by and see it done.
The sewers were re-Opened, cleaned. re-
paired, and extended, so that every house
was in communication.
Colon Park, the principal breathing
ground, had been allowed to run down I'M
til it was & tangle of filth, weeds, BRAN
bIes, and vines, where robbers lurked, and
through which few men dared to pass at
night. Maj. Black transformed it into one
of the most beautiful places to be found
any where. 1t was trimmed up, the walks
restored. fountains erected, seats placed
at convenient places, and electric lights
made it bright and safe at night. Now
it is filed with children and nurses during
the day and by people at night.
The streets were cleaned repayed, and
thoroughly washed with electrozone, and
now the city has ff2 miles of well-paved,
well-lighted thoroughfares.
The end of the Prado was vile dump
ing ground for the refuse of the city.
Maj. Black built a fine sea-wall at a
moderate cost, and back of this a charm
ing promenade, in which the Habanese
now take great delight.
The result has been that yellow fever
has been almost completely stamped out.
Last year there were but FIVE cases in
Habana, and in many of the formerly
worst months there was not single case
The only danger to this country from
the dreaded disease now comes from the
two other great breeding spOts-Vera Cruz
and Rio de Janeiro.