Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-26
SIDELIGHTS ON HAVANA.
CURIOUS CUSTOMS OF QUAINT
COUNTRY.
Incidents OF Life In And About The City
Native PecuIiaritieS That Strike a
Tourist Cafes Are Everywhere
The FruitseIler And MiIkman.
LEPERS IN THE VERY HEART
OF TIE CITY.

Vegetables are peddled horseback
in the same way as fruit and milk.
aud the kodak fend who is every
where is continually posing these as
well as the seller OF shoes and laces.
The shoe seller carries a long pole
suspended from his right shoulder.
At either end of the pole are strung
the shoes for sale. Just where the
purchaser tries the shoes on, or how
they are fitted, il was not our pleasure
to see. The lace man carries his laces
on pole, but usually rests the pole
on the ground. indeed a reed or a
pole in Havana is a most useful COM
modify with the street vender and the
rod and stan are truly the comfort
of his life.
We have seen moving pictures ga
lore. Indeed Annapolis is SO full of
moving pictures that she ought TO be
ashamed To look one in the face.
But we never saw n moving farm un-
I'll we came 10 Havana. It's really
worth while. and it's characteristic
sight here, although il is startling at
first. and takes little time 10 get used
to IL. one can hardly describe his
feelings when he first sees mass of
green grass advancing toward him
without any visible means of locomo-
tion. 1t gets nearer and nearer until
at last we discover stack of green
corn. fodder centirely covering and
concealing the animal bearing it.
This fodder is the staple food of horses.
II is grown the year round and is
brought into town daily and consists
of cornstalks, leaves and tassels.
Havana is the land Of menana (to-
morrow. Nothing is done today that
can be put of until tomorrow, and
nothing is done tomorrow that may
be put Off until next week. This doesn't
applies TO furnishing household sup
plies which are bought for the day
only. Fruit and vegetables are brought
into town daily by hucksters and
street venders and all roads leading
into the city are filled before dawn
with monterOs (countrymen) on horse
back laden with farm products. Often
these animals are in trains, the first
being ridden, the second horse tied Ito
the tail Of the first, the third 10 the tail
of the second and so on with a dog
tied to the tail of the last horse bring
ing up the rear guard. The sight is
unique and the tourist marvels.
The chicken wagon is another pic
turesque sight. a little Rocky Noun
tain burro is harnessed to the cutest
Of wagons, a sort of two-story affair
with an oval cover, filed with live
chickens for sale. IL was the delight
of the Army officers children at Camp
Columbia to ride on the burro and on
the chicken wagon, the vender usually
walks alongside. An Army officers
wife offered one of the vendors $75 for
this pretty little wagon and burro,
but he stoutly refused the offer and
said 1t was worth much more. There
is another way of selling poultry, or
rather OF bringing it to town. The
dealer carries live chickens and tur-
Keys slung over his shoulder head
down, aud live pigs are carried in
the same manner. The rule in lla-
vana is TO buy chickens alive. They
are cooked Immediately after killing
and are consequently tough when
served at table.
The man who sells pins and needles
and housewife supplies is called the
baratillero. He carries his wares in
wooden boxes with glass ends, on the
back OF donkey. Truly any one
with an eye for the picturesque sees
something at every turn to crafty
his sense of appreciation along this
lire at every hand in Havana.
The largest market in Havana is the
Mercado de Tacon, or Plaza de Vapor.
Every variety of Cuban product is
to be found here, bat one must go
early to market, not to avoid the rush
exactly, but because the market opens
very early and does not do business
but few hours. Besides native fruits
mt Tacon Market there is tempting
display OF jellies and marmalades.
Beautiful baskets of palm leaves and
gourds in curious shapes are suspend
ed over many stalls. The fish market
is a curiosity. Many of the fish are
of superb coloring and are kept alive
in tanks. You pay your money and
take your choice, but the prettiest and
most gaudily colored fish do not al
ways taste the best. At one time for
a long period, it is said, there was
graft in the fish market here and one
Marti. smuggler, had the monopoly
of the fish trade for twenty years.
There are two other markets besides
the Tacon.
Havana S water is the clearest, the
purest, the healthiest anywhere, and
physicians recommend its free use for
drinking purposes. Havana's water
supply comes from the springs of
.Almendares River at Vento, nine
miles south of the city. Here there is
a group of 400 springs enclosed by a
heavy wall Of masonry 60 feet high
and $50 feet wide at the top. The
water is carried under the river in an
inverted siphon, consisting of two
heavy iron pipes in a masonry tunnel.
and Il then flows by gravity in an un-
derground aqueduct six miles to the
Palatino reservoir and from the reser-
voir it is distributed through the city
and also to Camp Columbia. The daily
supply is 40, 600. 600 gallons of the
purest water which is free from all
organic matter, but. because of the
limestone, is somewhat hard.
The aquedcut, which was construct
ed at cost Of over 5000, 600, was
named for the distinguished Cuban
engineer, Albear, who planned and
built it and to whose memory a mon
ument has been erected in Havana.
Before the Albear aqueduct was built
the water was brought through an
open ditch, which succeeded another
open ditch which was built in 1892,
and for more than three hundred
years Havana has been receiving its
| abundant and refreshing water suTply
from the xlmenGares River.
nnrir, the rainy season The rain
fall u sometimes so tremendous that
the Almendares a Vento has been