Milford chronicle., 1911-03-17
LETTER FROM HAVANA.
HAvANA, CuBA. Feb. IS. 1911.

back home, owing to the work being car
ried on here by our government in trying
TO raise the Maine | write this letter tC
you, telling little of this magnificent
city, OF the past and Of the present. The
sky was clear, and II was a beautiful moon.
light morning, such as only the tropics
can produce, as our Steamer from Key
West, Florida, approached the Havana
shore. The first land seen by ships max
ing the port OF Havana, is Tetas de Man
aqua, two hills over seven hundred feet
high, rising south OF the city. Next to
come in view is the tower Of FL MORO
light, and on nearer approach the dark
walls OF ancient III MORO Castle comes
into view on the left oi the month of the
harbOr, with the old tort La Punta on the
right and the low lying city stretching
along the crescent shores Of the Gulf
A lew hundred feet from the shore the
dark blue OF the sea changes into a pale
green, winch makes an effective fore
ground for the city with it's houses gaily
painted IN tnts of pink, yellow, brown.
blue, green, aud white. and the dark red
of the Spanished tiled rOuts hevond rise
the green hills, covered with stately royal
palm trees, aud above IL a ky clear and
intensely blue As the sun peeps ont over
the distant hills, il forms many brilliant
panOramas one never fOrgets, az her rays
Of light fall over the harbOr and city
The entrance to the harbOr is very mar
row. We pass close under III Moro with
her ancient guns irowning down upon us
from her ramparts one hundred and fifty
feet above, and beyond the extensive for.
tfications OF Cabana crowning the heights
opposite the city reaching mile or more
in length.
On the right is the plaza with it's mu
sic stand, and La Punta, the fort on the
point, Beyond on the harbor front is the
tower OF Hayana' S oldest fort, La FueTZa
with it's bronze Indian Maid facing the
sea. Still beyond is the ola tower OF the
old church San Francisco, the highest in
Havana. Entering the harbor In days OF
old, when the Spanish flag of red and
gold waved above Fl MORO and Cabana,
one would have seen long lines of soldiers
in white uniforms on the parapets and
haYe heard the shrill of the fife and the
roll of the drum, but today no military
display enlivens the scene. The flag of
Cuba now waves there with only a few
soldiers of the republic of Cuba. After
passing the narrOws the harbOr expands
before us into a magnificent bay two or
three miles wide with ample sea room
for a thousand ships. We soon see the
magnitude of the commerce of this port
Numerous steamships and sailing craft
flying the flags of many nations are here.
The arrival of vessels at Havana in the
course of a year number between three
and four thousand. Most of the steam
ships are moved out in the bay and their
freight aud passengers are discharged by
lighters.
1t is a little past sun-up when our
steamer comes TO her mOOTlng, soon the
doctors come aboard and examine us and
as all are found to be we'll and have thirty
dollars in cash leach foreigner is required
TO have in order to land in Cuba) we are
then allowed to land. On landing we find |
everything in a hustle. Don't think for
n moment that down here, as is often re-
ported up north, that the people lay in |
bed late IN the morning and are lazy and |
move slow. Far from that They are up |
and at work with the break of day, and |
at sunrise the streets are crowded with |
people and teams. They do their work |
in Ghe the c0O of the morning and even |
G.nsRd If any sleeping Is to be done, |
..;,I hatO it in the heat of the day, from |
~, off the morning to four in the even |
ger ese
vile rr landing the trouble then begins
s.. .rai many in finding suitable place to |
ne -, while trying to make the people |
-. rstand English and they are all the |
! in very polite Spanish saying that
lateL don't understand.
ourt ia surprising considering the near
1eess of Cuba to the States how few even
here can speak English Americans doing
Q business here have to learn Spanish be
lore they can get far. On landing we find
ourselves in the narrow streets of the old
part of the city, so narrow that vehicles
of all kinds are only allowed to go in one
direction. Havana was a walled city in
the Olden days and as space was valuable,
not much room was left for streets.
The Moorish style of the houses, the
vehicles, the street life, the strange WAYS
and the Spanish tongue proclaim that
we are in q foreign land The houses
are Of one or two stories, but the single
story is often so lofty that 1t seems as
high as many two-stOried houses in other
places. The effect is enhanced by the i'm
mense doors, windows and heavy roofs. {
The houses are constructed of blocks of (
limestone, with very thick walls, and |
doors high aud massive and with win {
dows reaching from floor to ceiling the
ceiling often being twenty or more feet
in height. The windows have no glass, 1
only shutters, and are guarded with heavy
iron bars on the street side which gives
every house the appearance of prigOn. /
In Havana every mans house is his :
castle. The first permanent structure q
built here was fortress, and the style of s
seems to have been taken 5
from the bastines and embrasures of La '
Fuerza. t
Havana was built to endure. There are {
10 front yards, the houses are built flush +
With the street and close together. {
The doors are OF ten to fifteen feet high g
md double, and are Of solid mahogany or k
ome other richly colOred native wood il
barred and studded, and fur h
lished with pOnderous bolts, locks and St
knockers. II
"En cada TERRA su usO, said Sancho c,
'anza. And so Havana has a wav OF her "
,wn, too, which has been determined by al
Ter climate. Everything has been ar q
anged for GOODNESS. The thick walls and rC
leavy roofs are to Withstand the glare of al
he tropical sun, unglazed windows are fe
o admit the full inflow Of every draught. I
The central feature of the Cuban home cl
) the patio, the interior court, about m
which the house is built. This is paved, tv
pen to the sky, and surrounded by ar b.