El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-06-07
Cadiz and the Germans

WASHINGTON, d. C.-Rumors of diplo.
matte chickering's between certain prominent
Spanish politicians and the German gov
eminent looking toward the use by Ger
man transatlantic liners of the Spanish sea-
port of Cadiz as a first and last port of
call at the conclusion of the world war,
bring into high relief this great city OF
ancient and Of Eighteenth century Spain,
but a place of small Importance in TWEEN
tieth century commerce. The National &c.
ographic Society, from its Washington
headquarters, issues an interesting bulletin
on The physical aspects of the Anda1usian
port. 1t says:
"Although its Importance began to wane
when SPANS colonial possessions began
to diminish, and its commerce reached low
water mark following the destruction of
Spanish trade with Cuba and Porto Rico as
a result of the Spanish-American war, Cadiz
still maintains a brave and beautiful
front" to world travellers. Situated on a
narrow tongue of land which juts out from
the Isle de Leon a distance of five miles,
1t seems a veritable magic city with its
tall, turreted houses all snow-white. 1t is
said that every house is white-washed at
least once a year. A famous writer has
sad that the most fitting description OF this
port is the word white written with a
white pencil on blue paper.
"Cadiz is almost completely surrounded
by water. To the west is the Gulf of Ca
diz while to the north and east are the
waters of its beautiful Bay OF Cadiz, 80
miles in circumference. Protecting the city
from the winds and waves is a massive wall
from 30 to so feet high and 20 feet thick.
T'Theefeatures of Cadiz which would com
mend it to Germany as a port of call for
her transatlantic liners are her two splen-
did hafDors, the small inner harbor being
the safer, sandwiched between the FORTH.
cations Of Matagorda and Puntales. Deter
rent factors are the present inadequate
railway facilities connecting the seaport
with central Europe, and the high annual
death rate CAS- per t~housand), attributable
in part to the damp, heavy atmosphere in
summer, and to the quantities of rotting
seaweed which collect at the base of the
seawalls. The supply Of good water is
also limited. (The only fresh water spring
in the city flow from beneath the high al.
tar in the old cathedral built in the Thir-
teenth century, by Alphonso, X of CASTLE
after his expulsion Of the Moors who had
occupied the port since I'll A. d.
"Cadiz is the capital Of the Spanish prov
ince of the same name and is situated so
miles northwest of Gibraltar, and 81 miles
south of Seville (94 miles from the latter
city by rail-. Madrid lies to the northeast
a distance of 800 miles in an air line. The
city is in about the same latitude as Nor
folk, Va.
Among Cadiz's most important exports
are the famous Jerez sherry, salt, figs,
olives, canary seed and cork. Fuel, iron,
and American slaves for making Wine casks
are the leading imports.
Among the most interesting buildings in
the city are the two Cathedrals, the bull
ring seating 1900 spectators, and the little
church of Santa Catalina, connected with
the ancient Capuchin convent, in which
hangs an unfinished canvas by Murillo.
This was the picture on which the great
master of mellow color was working when
he fell from the scaffold ard sustained in
iuries from which he died in his native city
of Seville, April 3, 1852.
"At the present time steamers ply regu-
larly between Cadiz and Great Britain,
France, South America, the West Indies,
the Canary Islands, and Morocco.
Something of the varied history of the
Spanish Venice will be related in a sub
sequent bulletin of the National Geographic
Society"