the extensive railroad system of cuba makes it possible to reach almost any part of the island with little trouble. the provinces of habana and matanzas, in particular, are completely covered by the ramifications of the united railways of habana. the majority of tourists confine their excursions from habana to points which may be reached by this line. there are, however, on the cuba railroad many cities and districts that will well repay a visit, whether the object be merely sightseeing, or a study of the resources and development of the country.
it is a short run from the capital to hoyo colorado, the route traversing a rich tobacco district and the centre of the pineapple culture. ten miles out, the line reaches the playa of marianao, habana’s fashionable bathing resort and the headquarters of the yacht club. mari{264}anao is to habana what waikiki beach is to honolulu.
the trip to guines is beginning to rival in popularity with tourists the excursion to the famous caves of bellamar. the railroad is one of the oldest in the world, having been opened to traffic in 1837. the picturesque little town occupies a beautiful situation in an extensive valley, almost entirely surrounded by mountains. it is in the centre of a rich sugar district, but the lands in the immediate vicinity are devoted to truck farming, in which a number of americans are engaged with marked success. near by is the village of madruga, famed long ago for the curative quality of its sulphur baths and mineral waters. centuries ago, solitary invalids performed the tedious journey to the spot and sojourned in the peasants’ huts, whilst undergoing the cure. nowadays madruga is much frequented and has comfortable hotels, as well as several well-appointed bathing establishments.
the most recent railroad to be opened in cuba is the habana central, running from the capital to the great providencia sugar mill, situated thirty-five miles to the southwest. this line has the distinction of being operated en{265}tirely by electricity. thousands of tourists last year visited the plantation and factory at the terminus of the road. as the crop season is from the beginning of december to the first or second week of may it coincides with the tourist season, and thus visitors have an exceptionally good opportunity to see one of the most up-to-date mills of cuba in full operation, with little trouble and in a few hours’ time.
batabano, situated on the coast almost directly to the south of habana, is an unattractive place, but a port of considerable importance. an extensive sponge industry is carried on in the neighboring waters and great numbers of turtles are shipped from here to the united states.
batabano is the port from which the traveller takes steamer to the isle of pines. the value and importance of the isle of pines have only been realized in recent years. it was at one time a rendezvous of pirates and henry morgan once planned to assemble his men there and make a raid upon habana by way of batabano. in the hands of spain the isle was turned to account only to the extent of working its marble quarries. after the last war of independence an american colony settled there{266} and has since become numerous and prosperous. the island is now practically owned by citizens of the united states, who represent a majority of the population. several land companies have been in operation for the past ten years, and have established many thriving towns and settlements. the soil of the island is adapted to all kinds of farming and the climate has been famous for its salubrity during the past hundred years.
pinar del rio is best known for the possession of the finest tobacco lands in the world. tobacco is, however, by no means the only industry of the province. along its north coast are extensive sugar lands and a number of large mills; also numerous plantations owned by americans and canadians. the province is singularly deficient in harbors. the best of the few which it has is bahia honda. a coaling station in this bay was ceded to the united states by cuba, but it has not been used as yet.
the most pronounced physical feature of the province is the group, rather than range, of mountains called the organo. their verdant sides form the background of the view from almost every point. the soil in the valleys{267} between the numerous spurs is exceedingly fertile. these lands were peaceably tilled through all the disturbances previous to the last war, but then maceo carried the conflict into the far west, and pinar del rio will not recover from its effects for many a year to come. on the north and on the south the organo mountains slope down to undulating plains. that on the southern side is the more extensive and in it the celebrated vuelta abajo tobacco district lies.
for two centuries the spaniards looked upon the province of matanzas as a hotbed of rebellion. the cubans style it “el suelo natal de independencia,” meaning the birthplace of independence. though, after habana, the smallest of the provinces of cuba, it is one of the richest sections of the country. in the beginning it was a great cattle grazing region, but long since its fertile plains were extensively planted with sugar-cane. before the war there were five hundred stock farms in the province, nearly as many sugar estates, and at least three thousand plantations of various other kinds. during the rebellion all this industrial wealth was practically destroyed. its rich lands insured a revival, however, and the{268} province has again taken its place in the forefront of sugar-producing sections of cuba.
the favorite excursion of visitors to habana is to the valley of the yumuri, which humboldt characterized as the “loveliest valley in the world.” it has been described by many pens, as have the caverns of bellamar, with their numerous chambers filled with stalactite and stalagmite crystals.
the city of matanzas is one of the most attractive in cuba. it contains several beautiful parks and boulevards and, in the newest portion, some of the finest residences in the island.
not far from matanzas is cardenas, a centre of about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. it ranks third among the sugar shipping ports of cuba, handling most of the output of the province. cardenas is beautifully situated and enjoys a delightful climate. it is sometimes spoken of as an “american city,” on account of the number of persons of that nationality resident there. cardenas appears to be justified in its boast that it is the most progressive city in cuba. no more than seventy years old, it is far in advance of every other city of its size in the matter of public utilities, whilst its
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fort san severino, matanzas.
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buildings are as handsome and substantial as any to be found outside of habana. the harbor of cardenas will be remembered as the scene of the tragedy in which the little torpedo boat “winslow” and ensign bagley figured.
although sugar-cane is by far the chief product of santa clara province, its tobacco and cattle industries are of considerable importance. there is some ground for the belief that it possesses latent mineral resources of great value. gold and silver have been found in the province, and the output of asphalt has reached as much as ten thousand tons in a year.
the city of santa clara is situated at a considerable elevation above sea level. it is well laid out, with unusually wide streets, considering the age of the town, which was founded in the seventeenth century. santa clara has long been noted for its healthfulness and its exceptionally beautiful women. although the capital of the province, its population of somewhat less than seventeen thousand is only about half that of cienfuegos.
cienfuegos, on the south coast, has one of the peculiar pouch-like harbors found on several points of the cuban shore. centuries ago las casas pronounced this harbor to be the most{270} magnificent in the world, an opinion which many naval experts of to-day support. the city, which is comparatively modern, occupies a beautiful site in the lap of a group of hills, backed by rugged mountains. it is one of the most progressive centres of cuba, with an extensive and constantly growing business.
trinidad is, after baracoa, the oldest city of cuba. it was founded by velasquez in 1514. it is situated upon the side of a mountain, at an elevation of nearly one thousand feet. trinidad was at one time a port of considerably more importance than it is at present. the locality seems to possess some peculiar health-giving properties, for the town has long held the reputation of being the most healthful in the island and is resorted to by sufferers from nervous and pulmonary complaints.
the province of camaguey, or puerto principe, as it was called under spanish dominion, is very rich in natural resources, but far less developed than the divisions to the west of it. this, because cattle raising was almost its sole industry until recent years, and because it has only lately enjoyed the advantage of railroad communication. its area is broken by mountains, between which lie deep valleys and broad
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parlor, hotel camaguey.
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mesas. extensive forests occupy the former, whilst the latter are covered with nutritious grasses, upon which cattle thrive. before the war at least half a million steers grazed upon these table-lands, and fifty thousand head a year were shipped to the habana market. there is every promise of a great revival for this industry. only a small proportion of the lands of this province are cultivated, and those are devoted mainly to the production of tobacco and sugar.
the city of camaguey is a picturesque old place, laid out on a very irregular plan, or rather on no plan at all. its buildings are quaint and suggestive of their great age, many of them having stood for two or more centuries. the city is the outgrowth of one of the earliest settlements in the island. previous to the inception of the railroad era it ranked next to habana in population, but gradually fell into fifth place, thereafter. in late years it has had a revival, due to the extension eastward of the railway system. the hotel camaguey, converted from a barrack into a delightful hostelry of a unique character, has become famous under the management of the railroad. there is probably no other place in cuba affording{272} such restful conditions and charming surroundings.
in the vicinity are a number of cattle ranches conducted by americans. the lands adjacent to the railroad are, however, becoming too valuable to be used as grazing grounds. their soil is extremely rich and they will soon be devoted to the cultivation of fruit, tobacco, and other high-priced crops. there are already several colonies in the province, including “la gloria,” one of the oldest and most prosperous american settlements.
the province of oriente, formerly called santiago de cuba, is the section of cuba in which the greatest future development is to be looked for. this development will be fortunately along greatly diversified lines. its mountain regions are extremely rich in minerals and virgin forests of hardwoods. its elevated valleys contain the best soil and have the most suitable climate for the culture of coffee. on its lower levels fruits of various kinds grow in abundance and of good quality, whilst its coast lands are admirably adapted to the production of sugar-cane. the valley of guantanamo contains some of the largest and most prosperous sugar plantations in the
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manzanillo.
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island. a busy mining district lies to the west, from which a large output of iron ore is produced annually.
the city of santiago de cuba, situated among hills at the head of one of the most remarkable harbors in the world, has a population of about fifty thousand. behind the city lies the great plateau of oriente, composed of stretches of the richest agricultural land, with here and there a range of hills, or a belt of forest. this section must in time become the seat of an extensive agricultural development.
manzanillo is situated on the coast and at the edge of a great level plain of extraordinary fertility. years ago a railroad was started from this point to bayamo, but after a few miles had been laid, construction was stopped, for some reason which is not easy to surmise. there is the greatest need for such means of communication, and few railroad projects in cuba could be as promising. the region between manzanillo and bayamo contains soil as rich as any to be found in cuba, and there is no doubt but that the construction of a railroad would be followed by a thorough development of the section through which it would pass.{274}
the nipe bay district is the seat of the greatest progress being made to-day in cuba, a progress typical of the development that has in different parts of the island followed the introduction of american capital and the application of american business methods. the bay itself is equalled by few in the world. it is completely sheltered, with a narrow entrance, a depth of fifteen miles, and a width of about ten. the mountains sweep southward at nipe bay, and thence far to the west extends a broad plain of fertile land. on the northwest side of the bay is the model town of antilla, a creation of the cuba railroad, with which it is connected by a branch line. antilla has a rapidly growing trade and regular steamship connections with the united states and jamaica. all the country round about is in cultivation. along the banks of the mayari river tobacco is grown, and has been for centuries. its quality is indifferent, but efforts are being made, with every promise of success, to improve it.
the development of this section is due to five great corporations, operating with american money, except for the last named, which is mainly supported by british capital. these
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the docks and warehouses of antilla.
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corporations are the united fruit company, the nipe bay company, the spanish-american iron company, the dumois-nipe company, and the cuba railroad company.
the united fruit company’s property extends for more than twenty miles between dumois and banes, its shipping point. the plantation, which was formerly devoted to bananas, is now occupied by sugar-cane to the extent of 25,000 acres. the product is consumed by the central boston, one of the largest mills in cuba. the extent of the fruit company’s property here is probably nearly 100,000 acres. five thousand head of stock and the numerous buildings require a large proportion of it.
the cuba railroad’s interest is in the port of antilla, where it has established a flourishing little town, and built extensive docks and warehouses. these are much in excess of present needs, but the railroad management is confident that this will become the principal shipping point of the eastern end of the island, a conclusion that seems to be founded on logical grounds.
at preston, the nipe bay company, a corporation controlled by the united fruit com{276}pany, operates a sugar plantation considerably more than one hundred thousand acres in area, and what is claimed to be the most complete and up-to-date mill in existence. this factory is in course of enlargement, so that it will consume five thousand tons of cane daily. the plantation, mill, and village of preston are more fully described in the chapter on “cuba’s sugar industry.”
the dumois-nipe company owns about fifty thousand acres of land in the vicinity of saetia. this is devoted to various products. the largest area, about one thousand acres, is planted in sugar-cane, somewhat more than half as much land in bananas, and a considerable acreage in pineapples. oranges and grape-fruit occupy several hundred acres.
the spanish-american iron company, which controls extensive mining properties at daiquiri and elsewhere in the province, has its latest and most extensive operation at felton in the nipe bay district. the ore deposit here is more than twenty miles in length and from ten to sixteen in breadth. in depth the workings average about twenty feet. steam shovels are employed in taking the material out. in its ultimate form the ore is shipped in small{277} pellets upon the company’s steamers, which dock in immediate contact with the plant.
nothing could be surer than the future great development of oriente, with a continuance of the present trend. american capital is constantly looking for new investments in the province. its mineral deposits and its fertile valleys will be exploited by americans. the american influence is already prominent in every part of it. american methods prevail in all its industries and american money is the universal currency. oriente will advance by leaps and bounds into the position of the most productive province in cuba.
