Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-15

iightful than that from Baltimore TO Bos-
ton. The ship is good. the rates are low
and the Accommodations comfortable.
The Southern Pacific Railway Company
has a steamer sailing every Saturday from
New Orleans which arrives at Havana on
Monday. This voyage is from forty to
forty-eight hours, about twelve hours be-
ing consumed in going down the Mississippi
river. The Peninsula and Occidental
Steamship Company has steamers from
Tampa, Fla, and also from Miami,
which take you in little more than a day
from the United States to Havana. The
Tampa boats leave Sunday, Tuesday and
Thursday nights. and the Miami boats on
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Al of these lines are overcrowded. and
the same is true with the boats from
New York. The latter belong to the Ward
line. which plies between New York and
Mexico via Havana and also has large
steamers sailing to Havana direct. The
fastest of these ships make the trip in
three days. I understand that the Wards
will put on a new line of steamers next
year which will go from New York to Nipe
bay, the new port of northeastern Cuba,
and that through tickets will then be sold
from New York to Havana, landing the
passengers at Antilla, the port on Nipe
bay, and carrying them across Cuba by
railroad 1t Is probable that ships will be
put on from New York to Jamaica calling
at Nipe bay, so that Jamaica passengers
will be able to come to Havana on their
X
At present there are regular steamship
lines from Copenhagen to Havana con-
Meeting this island with Antwerp. Havre.
and Bilbao, Spain, and Spanish steamers
month The North German Lloyd has
steamers from Bremen to this port and
the Hamburg-American have monthly SAIL
fngs from Hamburg.
Our New Winter Resort.
Cuba in fact is fast becoming a winter
resort for Americans and If the present
health conditions prevail which seem prob
able, this island will be the Riviera of
our continent. There were three times as
many American tourists here last year as
ever before and were It not for the lack of
hotel accommodations the travel would be
enormously increased. In talking with one
of the leading railroad managers of Cuba
was told that the several American tourist
associations were anxious to send parties to
Cuba, but that this discouraged be-
cause there was no place to take care of
the crowd. There are only about dozen
hotels In Havana, and these are generally
Of small capacity There Is no such thing
an American hotel on the island If one
excerpts that at Camaguey, which was
opened last January by the Cuba railroad
and which has. I am told. done good
business, even though 1t is located in the
center of Cuba
The hotels here are built on the Spanish
style. with enormous rooms and long
stairs Their elevator service Is not good
and they have had so many Americans this
year that they have been able to charge
what they pleased and get 1t. Indeed, they
have charged Americans considerably more
than their ordinary rates. and nevertheless
have had to turn away guests. 7 understand
that Mr.. Flagler, the famous Standard OIL
millionaire who runs big hotel business In
Florida has been looking over Cuba with a
view to building some hotels here. If he
does so, they will probably be more profit
able even than his Florida properties.
The rates at the better class hotels in Ha-
vana are from 50 to So and upward per day
on the American plan during the season
and about 50 per day on the European plan
between times. Rooms can be rented in
different parts of the city. and there are
also boarding houses where one can be
served at lower rates than al the hotels.
Havana Houses.
The traveller will find Havana quite as in
teresting as any city on the continent.
Parts of the town seem to be slices out of
old Spain. The buildings have thick walls,
great windows covered with iron bars and