Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-04-29

nowhere. During the eyolution for in |
dependence the forests were the ref |
uge Of the insurgents. Whenever they
were closely pressed by the Spanish
troops they plunged into the green
glilfs and scattered beyond the knowl-
edge. as well as the reach of their
pursuers. Maxine Gomez had several
camping places in the timber, so well
concealed that nobody but well-trained
timber wolves could find him. and in
one of these retreats a hospital was
maintained for more than two years by
an ebony Amazon called La Baya-
mesia.
Her real name is Rosa Casellanos,
and she was one of the genuine heroes
Of the war for liberation. She is now
living at Camaguey practicing the pro-
fession OF nurse and midwife, honored
and respected by all true Cubans.
La Bayamesia is a giantess, full
blooded negress. six feet five inches in
height, and as black as a block of
anthracite coal. Her muscular devel-
opment is extraordinary. Her strength
was so great that she regularly carried
the sick and wounded insurgents from
the camps and battlefields of Santa
Clara and Puerto Principe on her back
twenty, thirty and even fifty miles to
her hospital In the Najasa hills, south
east ofCamaguey. on hill that is in
accessible to ordinary people she had
l row of tents rudely supplied with
the necessaries of life and she hoisted.
H.. IL
The hospital was impregnable; no
lrmy could have taken ii, and it was
40 concealed by timber that the Span
lards could never have found it ex-
;ept by accident. There Rosa Castel-
amos nursed the sick and wounded
with the assistance of several hospital
stewards and nurses. Every native
armer and laborer in that part OF
The country knew there was such a
llace and respected her requests as il
hey were the commands of the AL
mighty. They gave her whatever she
needed from their humble store and
she was much better supplied than
my of the insurgent forces.
The insurgent government gave her
l commission as captain in the army.
She was much more etitled to the
ank of general than the majority of
those who parade as such, for when
ler hospital was vacant, when there
| we're no sick or wounded to care for,
| Ia Bayamesia went down and fought
n the ranks. She is now between so
md 20 years old, but as vigorous as
-
| The $35, 100000 loan were being dis
tributed among the veterans of the
evolution sic received $1,000 as her
| 3hare, III which she hoIght home
in the city of Camagucy, and there she
is living now.
Tho stations alcng the Cuba rail
| road are all on the American plan
new, modern frame buildings, painted
a bright yellow, and all the section
| horses are the same pattern. They
| remind You of those on the Chesa-
peakc and Ohio and the Big Four sys-
| tens in the United States. The track
is inclosed with wire fences on either
side the entire distance to keep the
| cat q from interfering with the trains
and mony of the fence posts have bios.
somed like the rod of Aaron and are
bearing flowers and fruit. The soil is
| adjoining forests, and those that were
| green have survived and are now
| lowering trees. Surveyors stakes
| have been known to take root and
grow.
| Another curious freak of nature is
orchids growing upon telegraph wires
The atmosphere. like the soil is full
| of fertility. and slips of air plants
which have become detached from the
| trees and have lodged across the
| wires are now growing as bravely as
any parasite you ever saw. The trees
are draped with orchids, but l am
told that no collectors ever come this
way. There is question as to the
value of the plants. | have talked
with several natives about them, and
they differ in opinion. Some of them
say that the forests contain many
rare and valuable varieties, while
others insist that all of them are
worthless. All agree, however, that
no competent botanist has ever made
| an investigation here.
Every station is surrounded by i'm
| mense piles Of mahogany and cedar
logs waiting shipment, and the own
ers clamoring for cars because they
want TO take advantage of the un-
usually high prices now offered for
cabinet woods. The railway company,
however. gives them no satisfaction.
Every available car is given to the
sugar planters, hauling cane to the
mills and raw sugar to the shipping
| ports, for this is the sugar season. No
| railroad company in Cuba win furnish
cars for anything but sugar at this
season Of the year, and every one OF
the managers complains that he can
not get cars enough. Mr.. Orr, mana
ger of the United Havana railways,
| and NJ. Galdos, manager of the Cuba
railway, both tell me that they could
use four times as many cars as they
have, but cannot get them for love
or money. The Cuba railway builds
Its own cars and turns out an average
OF seventy cars month. 1t wrecks
an average of twenty month, which