Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-02
BY A. w. LEE.

49,
door. The streets are exceedingly
narrow, so much that on many of the
principal streets vehicles are per-
mitted to go in only one direction, go
ing down one street and up another,
signs on the street corners indicate in
which direction one is permitted to
drive. The cabs are all provided with
gongs like patrol wagon, which the
drivers vigorously ring as they ap-
preach the interesting street eros
sings.
The cleanest City.
This city, which under Spanish rule,
was noted for its dirt and unhealthful
condition is today, thanks to the Amer
lean intervention, tremendous effort,
large expenditures and intelligent
work along scientific lines, the clean
est city we have ever seen. We can
readily believe the public statement
that 1t is today the cleanest city in the
world. Indeed it is constant delight
to the visitor to see how clean large
and densely populated city can
be kept. There is not even
scrap of waste paper to be seen
on the streets, as a large force
OF white uniformed men provided with
brooms. shovels and garbage carts is
kept constantly at work night and day
sweeping the streets and removing the
refuse and garbage. This work was
organized in Havana under the direc-
ton of the United States government
by the late Col George E. Waring, Jr,
who had previously organized the
street cleaners of New York into an
efficient body of men, and taught both
sweepers and public the dignity of well
performed labor as inherent even to
the lowliest servants. When after
the surrender by Spain in 1898 the
Americans were confronted with the
tremendous task of cleaning up Ha-
vana, which had been left by the SPAN
iards in an appallingly filthy condition
and keeping it clean, and giving it a
place among the healthy and whole
some cities OF. the earth, they turned
to Col. Waring as the one best fitted to
ind the solution Of the hard problem.
He came to Havana, organized the
work, but in so doing contracted the
yellow fever and died martyr to the
cause of health and cleanliness His
work however, will live for all time as
a monument to him, and he will be
held in grateful remembrance by the
entire world. Indeed the Americans
found the city in an indescribable con-
dition of filthiness. They paved the
streets, remodeled the parks and boule-
wards. converted numerous military
establishments into public schools. in
troduced an American school system
of public education, put in operation a
modern and efficient system, and
above ALL and beyond all, eradicated
the yellow fever and converted Ha-
vana from the foul pest hole it had
been for a century and half into one
OF the healthiest cities of the world.
No Yellow Fever In Havana.
There has not been case of yellow
fever in this city since 1901, and the
story of eradication of this dreadful
disease, which in many repeated cpl
denies had brought untold loss of life
and property to the southern tier of
states in America is one of the most
interesting records of modern science.
A board of investigation sent to Cuba
by the United States authorities in
the summer of 1900, after numerous
experiments made the discovery that
yellow fever was transmitted by the
agency of certain mosquito For
year and a half previous the Ameri-
can authority had endeavored to di
minish disease and mortality in Cuban
towns by general sanitary work, but
While the health of the population
showed distinct improvement and the
mortality had greatly diminished the
dread destroyer, yellow fever, appar-
entity had been entirely unaffected by
these measures. Major Walter Reed
surgeon in the United States army,
made application to Governor Wood
for the means of making exhaustive
experiments. Money and full author.
lty to proceed were promptly granted.
and to the everlasting glory of the
American soldier, volunteers from the
army offered themselves for expert.
ment in plenty and with the utmost
fearlessness. This resulted in q mum.
Der of martyrdoms, as several of those
experimental upon died of the disease.
Among these was DR.. .Lazier, mem
Der of the commission conducting the
investigation. This investigation
demonstrated that the mosquito bite
alone was responsible for the spread
of the infection, and measures were at
once instituted to eradicate the dis.
ease, based entirely on the conclusions
of the commission. The records show
that the last case of yellow fever orig.
mating in Havana occurred in Septem.
Der, 1901, since which time the city
has been entirely exempt from this
terrible disease, that had there kept
its stronghold for $50 years.
The spaniards In Cuba.
Havana is distinctively a foreign
city. Spanish is the language univer.
sally spoken, and while there are in.
terpreters at the larger hotels, some
knowledge of Spanish is of great as.
sistance to enjoying visit here. The
Cubans proper are the descendants of
the Spanish and the Indian. There
are however, large numbers Of ne
groes and mulattoes here, who also
call themselves and are known as Gu.
bans, and there seems to be no social
distinctions between those who have
negro blood and those who have not,
based upon the question of race. The