The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-12-04
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a little stevedOro village. is the near
est place for supplies by land from
Cuba. The station is about two miles
from here. This town is reached from
Guantanamo City by a rickety train.
which runs at uncertain hours. in
tended principally 20 take workmen
down TO the point" where ships are
uuloaded. There IS no first-class pas
sage-indeed. IL might be described as
about fifth-class While the distance
is not more than twenty miles, IL
sometimes takes an hour and a half
to make the trip. The ballast for the
track IS scarce. and the train has
sort Of rocking-cheir motion. and one
mOmentarily expects it TO jump off the
track into the sand. There is no
checking system-vOu merely point
cut your baggage and show your tick
e. Your belongings are then put on
the train. usually by a hotel porter,
and when YOU reach Caimanera you
merely claim IT, Naval officers who
go down by land through Cuba 10 the
station declare that their baggage is
never lost.
Caimanera. with an enlarged naval
station. will be a supply town Of some
importance. but just now II Is gener-
ally spoken Of by navy people as
"hcll hole" for It ia a genuine steve
dore town. and many Of these men are
Ncxicans Of the lowest type. The
town is built along the water front
iast as Atlantic CITY. Venice and
numerous other places In the world.
but IL bears no resemblance TO any of
these cities. for Caimancra has a style
which is distinctly It's own. and which
is not likely 10 DE copied. The main
street Is made up principally Of sa-
Icons. together with p pOstoficc ana
telegraph Office combined and n few
stores. These stretch for perhaps two
city squares along the water front
but the houses do not face the water
and only those on one side OF the
street have a sea view. This side.
however has the real thing. for the
houses are built over the water and
are prODped up on such slender piers
| that IL gives one the shivers every
time the sea washes in. lest IL should
carry away the slender stills and
throw part Of the town into the sea.
/ The town has no drinking water of
| its own. but every morning the reser-
voir. which is a tank filled with water,
comes from Guantanamo for the naval
! station. one tank is unloaded I'm a
/ field near the railroad station and the
/ water carriers at once begin their
/ work OF delivering It 60 the residents
] The carriers are boys and men VINO
I own goats. carts and Standard oil
F. cans They nh their cans from the
. tank spigot and load them into the
l carts. six cans for o cents is the
\ price. and the water wagon does a
\ thriving business
N There's no hotel I'm the place where
I enc would care 90 stay, and the nava'
n officers rush through this place as
n quickly as possible. There is a man
\ who runs a general store and is known
as the Marshall Field Of the town. FOR
he serves tho fleet with anything from
matches to alligator skins and he has
tried to make things comfortable bS
III fixing up an attractive little WaitinE
room in his store, and here the officers
wait for the train or until the boat Is
sent for them. The leading restaurant
is run by a Chinaman. and his staple
menu is OK liver. ham and eggs. cot
fee. bread and butter and this cannot
be eaten with any sort Of relish IL one
has had n view OF his kitchen
The most unfortunate thing abOu
this place is the number OF saloons
and the character Of liquor they sell
This does not come under our pure
food law. and as Cuba has none. the
quality Of drinks Is bad. anu some O.
our sailors have tested the whisky q
their sorrow. The use Of liquor IS. o.
course. forbidden at the naval station
and Tor n man TO be found with IL II
martial. but there is nothing e. pre-
vent his drinking the vile stun
The establishment OF the large sta
ton will necessarily bring a largi
number Of people 20 Caimanera. 10
all the supplies cannot be sent I'm b,
ship. Fresh fruits and vegetable
must come through Caimanera, which
II not under better police control. vii
then become the Port Said of this sid
of the globe in its viloncss. II is
town or few women. for every maj
who is unfortunate 10 have 20 do bust
ness IN Caimanera leaves HIS wife il
Guantanamo.
The weather in this part OF Cuba {
always delightful. for even in midsum
mer. while the days are very warm
the nights are always delightfully."- cool
The bay Is 50 sheltered and protecte,
as 20 make an excellent place for ship
20 lay at anchor. During Februar
and March the wind blows every da
for about an hour or two. but eve
( with this the waters OF the bay ar
usually calm. During the early par