Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-02-27
WRITES FROM CUBA.

| send you, under another cover, a
copy of this mornings Havana Post,
the leading English paper of the island.
From this you might clip the items of
local interest.
We left Miami, Florida, last Wednes-
day morning at 8 a. m. We sailed
down the east coast of Florida all day
until $50 p. M, when we reached Key
West End changed to an ocean going
boat, The ride down was beautiful.
We were not out of sight of land and
the ocean was continually dotted with
small sail boats. 1t was warm but not
oppressive. Ladies sat about the decks
all day without wraps. At Key West it
was close and warm at the dock, b1t
cool outside the port. 1t was a rainy
morning on Thursday and the boat
rolled some. Many were sea sick. We
escaped until Mrs. M rose to dress for
the day. About Is minutes after left
the state room Mrs Mylrea called to me
through the window. When | went to
her found she was suffering from an
attack of NAL de mer When | suggested
that it would soon be over she very en-
phatically insisted that she did not care
to recover and that if she ever reached
Havana that she would stay there until
there was tunnel built to Key West.
1t is 366 miles from Jacksonville
south to Miami. Flagler is building
the East Coast railway from Miami to
Key West, 154 miles. This line is being
built on the Keys. At one point they
are obliged to fill in and bridge twelve
miles 1t is said it will cost twenty
million dollars to build this I54 miles.
1t is 80 miles from Key West to Havana
and the railroad company will have car
ferries to Havana, making the trip in
five hours. Freight cars can then be
loaded on any railway line in Cuba and
billed to any point in the states. A re-
frigerator car of Marathon county pro-
ducts can be delivered here without re-
loading
The entrance to the harbor is equal to
all that has been written. When we
came to anchor awaiting the port Off
cials, twas on the eighth anniversary of
the sinking of the Maine. The masts
of the sunken warship were only few
yards from our bow. On the taller
mast, half way up, was floating an
American flag and above it hung a
large wreath OF flowers in memory of
the men who were lost.
Everyone here rides in cabriolets.
The ride costs twenty cents, Spanish
money, or about eighteen cents,
Americana" money, anywhere in the
business portion of the city. Most of
the streets are only wide enough for
two teams to pass and the sidewalks for
one person at time. When a man
meets woman, the latter has the right
of way. The colors of the buildings are
beyond my power to describe. They
all harmonize equal to the most beauti-
full oriental rugs. Every window, near
ly, in all buildings, is barred or grated.
Inside, the windows and doors swing in.
A great building boom is going on here
and must be seen to be appreciated.
The prices of nearly everything one
eats or wears is much higher than in
the states. Most of the goods in the
stores comes from the factories in the
United States. In fact, we learn here
that most of the famous Spanish fans
are made in Ohio.
Our hotel is one of the famous Span
ish inns and the table is fine. There is
no heating appliance, as frost is
unknown here and the common people
do not quite comprehend the term
The fronts of the hotel and stores are
all open to the streets. Coffee and rolls,
with fruit, are served from 6 to a. m.
Breakfast is 10 to II, noon, and dinner
from 5 to s p. m. Our dining room is
separated by rail from the street. As
we sat eating our breakfast on the sec
ond morning, Hon. E. g. Mills, of West
Superior, put his hand over the rail and
touching me, said, II ought to know
that face.' He is here as the attorney
for the United States, taking testimony
for the Spanish claims commission.
We have met two or three others with
whom we had more or less acquaint-
ance. The city is filled with American
visitors. When the new railway to
Miami is built, and better and more
accommodations are given, it would be
an ideal place to visit Every one is in
summer dress and the temperature is
just right. This trip will make one
wish it every year. The one thing the
Cubans fear is annexation by us. Every
Americana have met will admit Cuba's
future, but expresses himself as opposed
to annexation. The streets are clean
and the city is very orderly. Mr.. Mills
tells us that drinking is very light COM
pared with the states, and that the
moral tone is also better than in Ameri-
can cities of the same size.
We have not seen the country much
81 NdhhOb WHO Vi lbs 1AC IL ultS uCLS
are far beyond anything l have ever
tasted. Likewise the fish served on our
table.
We leave on Wednesday for Key
West, hoping that we can come again
for longer stay next time.
Yours truly,
w. H. MYLREA.
The following are the articles marked
by Mr.. Mylrea in the Havana Post, of
February 18th viz:
The thermometer has been down as
low as so degrees three times this week,
which has led this colony to believe
that the tail of the Texas blizzard has
struck here.