Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-12
RAILROADS IN CUBA
More Than 1900 Miles of
Trunk Lines in the Island.
NEW LINE TO SANTIAGO
WAS SUBSCRIBED TO IN SHARES
OF $4,000 EACH.
Backwoods of Cuba Have Been Opened
Up by the New Road-British
Own Most of the Lines.
Copyright. 1905, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
G ..Ial a.i1..,. -, III.

Copyright. 1905 by Frank G. CarpenterD
Special Correspondence of The Star.
SANTA CLARA Cuba.
Within the past few weeks l have trav-
eled over the most of Cuba by rail. 1t is
now possible to go from one end of the is
land to the other and branch lines are
planned for the east and west which will
eventually make every part of the coun-
try accessible by train. There are already
more than fifteen hundred miles of trunk
lines, and of these more than one-third
have been built since the war. The Cuba
railroad, owned by American and Canadian
capitalists headed by Sir William Van
Horne completed its main line in 1902 and
the trains are now running on the branch
which joins that with the new port of An
tilla, on the Bay of Ntpe. The Cuba road
has now 400 miles of track, and it has
thrown about 20 per cent of the whole is
land open to settlement. l shall write fully
concerning 1t later on.
Good Railroad Properties.
The older railroads of Cuba are well es-
tablished, and they now have large earn
irgs Their stock is far above par and is
growing in value every day. There had
been about s65,000,CO0 invested in such
reads up to 1898, and they We're then max
ing net earnings of more than s., 600 900 per
annum. The roads have been improved
since then, and nearly all have made ex-
tensions
Cuba is one of the oldest railroad coun-
tries on our hemisphere. 1t had railways
before any other country of Spanish Amer
1ca' and as far back as the days of Jack
sons presidency concession was granted
TO" a railroad from Nuevitas on the north
coast of Camaguey, a distance of forty
nv. miles. This road Is still in existence
and 1t has large traffic.
The Western railway of Havana runs
from that city for distance of two hun
dred miles down into the province of Pinar
Del R1o. reaching the famous tobacco fields
IL is well built, well equipped and makes
good time. 1t has first and third-class
cars, and does good business In both pas
sengers and freight. The through rates
are about y cents milo first class and half
that for third class.
The United Railways.
The United Railway Company extends
from havana eastward through the prov
inces of Havana and Matanzas with branch
lines covering the whole of Havana. In
Guiding Bataban. the sponge-fshing CEN
ter and fort on the south This road has
265 miles of track. 1t is well built and one
of the best managed on the island 1t Is
connected with the Cuba road by the Cuban
Central railway, which runs from Jovel-
ietiloo " SANTA Nidit, mus competing with
the United railway the trunk line from
Santiago to Havana. The Cuban Central
railway is rough to an extreme and is in
bad condition, although it goes through one
OF the richest parts of the island and has
large traffic. In addition to these there
are branch lines, which are more or less
under the control of the main lines and
also the plantation railroads. about one
thousand miles in length. which have, / am
told, cost over $1l,000,0O0
Railroad Travel in Cuba.
All of the railroads. with the exception
OF the Cuba road, are owned by British
Cubans and Spaniards, the British having
by far the largest holdings The cars are
on the American plan, with seats facing
the front and aisles running through the
middle. They are usually comfortable, and
especially so on the trunk line from Ha-
vana to Santiago. The United Railway
swivel-back chairs which are especially
adapted to this climate, and the seepers
which carry you from the east to the west
in about twenty-four hours. are made in
the United States after q Pullman pat
tern but higher and with lower seats than
our sleeping cars Indeed. one can now
travel comfortably all over Cuba. / came
from Havana to Jovellanos in chair car
riding all day In II at an extra charge of
40 cents over the ordinary rate, and / have
several times ridden over the Cuba road
with ladies In my party quite comfort
ably as upon any railroad at home
The Iorters and conductors of the sleep
ing cars are yelow-faced Cubans, who
speak broken English. The conductors on
the main lines are Cubans, and there are
newsboys dressed in suits of gray linen,
who work the train with papers and novels
IN Spanish and English Smoking goes on
In all the cars, and after our breakfast at
Matanzas noticed that the newsboy pulled
a huge cigar as he showed his wares to
the passengers.
So far there are no dining cars. From
twenty to thirty minutes allowed at the
stations for meals which cost from so to
rs cents. There are also lunch counters
and at nearly every stoppage peddlers
bring fruit and eatables to the car windows
How the Cuba Road Was Built.
The Cuba railroad Is by far the longest
on the island, and 1t will eventually be one
of the best railroad properties of this part
of the world. 1t runs right along the back
bone of Cuba. extending from Santa Clara,
which is west of the center of Cuba, east
ward to Santiago. opening up a country
which heretofore has been accessible only
from the coasts. This is the widest part
of Cuba, and 1t has some of the richest soil
and best material resources. The trunk line
is 354 miles long. but, with the branches,
there are altogether about 100 miles more
of track, and the system viii be extended
until 1t incloses eastern Cuba like a net
The Cuba road is one of the wonders OF
modern railroad building. Its main line was
constructed within less than two years. and