Latest / National Geographic Magazine Vol. 08 - 05. May 1897 / National Geographic Magazine Vol. 09 - 05. May 1898-National Geographic Society

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National Geographic Magazine Vol. 09 - 05. May 1898-National Geographic Society · National Geographic Magazine Vol. 08 - 05. May 1897

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  Speaker 1: Section one of the National Geographic Magazine, Volume nine, May
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  Speaker 1: eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information, Auto Volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot Org. Recording by ABAI in September
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  Speaker 1: two thousand, twenty Cuba by Robert T. Hill, United States
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  Speaker 1: Geological Survey, Situation and Geographic Relations. Cuba is the westernmost
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  Speaker 1: and largest of the four islands known as the Great Antilles. These,
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  Speaker 1: with the Virgin Islands at their eastern end, stretch east
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  Speaker 1: and west for over one thousand, three hundred fifty miles
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  Speaker 1: and constitute a distinct geographic province, distinct in relief, geologic formation,
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  Speaker 1: and history from the other West India Islands and the
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  Speaker 1: adjacent mainlands. In their climate and vegetation, as in their
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  Speaker 1: topographic features or geologic history. The Antilles have no affinities
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  Speaker 1: with conditions with which we are familiar in the United States.
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  Speaker 1: Their whole aspect is tropical, yet they possess so many
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  Speaker 1: unique individual features differing from those of other tropical lands
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  Speaker 1: that they belong in a class entirely by themselves. The
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  Speaker 1: causes of this individuality are involved in a peculiar geologic history,
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  Speaker 1: which can be dwelt upon here only to the extent
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  Speaker 1: of stating that it has produced certain peculiarities of configuration
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  Speaker 1: and given origin to formations which weather into soils of
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  Speaker 1: unusual productiveness. Collectively, the Great Antilles consist of a disconnected
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  Speaker 1: chain of mountains, the Antillean system, protruding above the sea
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  Speaker 1: and having an east west trend directly transverse to that
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  Speaker 1: of the axial continental cordilleras. The highest peaks of this
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  Speaker 1: system in Haiti, Cuba, and Jamaica are eleven thousand, nine thousand,
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  Speaker 1: and seven thousand feet, respectively. These mountains of deformation are
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  Speaker 1: irregularly flanked below two thousand feet by horizontal benches or terraces,
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  Speaker 1: which are the result of regional elevations and base leveling
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  Speaker 1: after the last period of mountain making in Miocene time.
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  Speaker 1: The Antillean uplift may be compared to an inverted elongated canoe,
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  Speaker 1: the highest and central part of which is in the
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  Speaker 1: region adjacent to the windward passage. Thus it is that
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  Speaker 1: the higher peaks occur in Haiti, eastern Cuba, and eastern Jamaica,
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  Speaker 1: while the arching crestline descends toward the western part of
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  Speaker 1: the two latter islands, and on the east toward Puerto Rico.
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  Speaker 1: The higher mountains are composed of non calcareous clay, conglomerate
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  Speaker 1: and igneous rock, the debris of an unknown land of
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  Speaker 1: pre Tertiary time, which, with the exception of a few
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  Speaker 1: restricted points, were buried during a profound subsidence in early
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  Speaker 1: Tertiary time, beneath a vast accumulation of calcareous oceanic sediments,
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  Speaker 1: now composing the white limestones, which constitute the chief formations
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  Speaker 1: of the islands, and which were together with the preceding formations,
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  Speaker 1: elevated into their present position at the close of the
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  Speaker 1: Tertiary period. Footnote. The general geology of the island, while
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  Speaker 1: not discussed in this article, is well shown in many
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  Speaker 1: of the illustrations. It may be briefly stated as consisting
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  Speaker 1: of an older basement of pre tertiary sedimentary rocks, in
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  Speaker 1: which Cretaceous and probably Jurassic fossils have been found. Above
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  Speaker 1: this there are first literal beds composed of terigneous material,
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  Speaker 1: and then the great thickness of white limestones consisting of
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  Speaker 1: organically the oceanic material, as distinguished from true refrock of
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  Speaker 1: late Eocene and Oligocene h The island was reclaimed from
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  Speaker 1: the sea and assumed its present relief by a great
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  Speaker 1: mountain making movement in late tertiary time, succeeding the deposition
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  Speaker 1: of these limestones. In later epochs Pliocene and Pleistocene, the
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  Speaker 1: island underwent a series of epyogenic subsidences and elevations which
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  Speaker 1: affected the coastal borders, producing the wave cut cliffs and
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  Speaker 1: a margin of elevated reefrock which borders the coast in
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  Speaker 1: many places, as can be recognized in the illustrations of
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  Speaker 1: the cities of Habana and Baracoa. So far as its
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  Speaker 1: history is known, the island has never been connected with
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  Speaker 1: the American mainland, although such as frequently been asserted to
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  Speaker 1: be the case. These assertions have been based upon the
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  Speaker 1: erroneous identification of certain vertebrate animal remains. There are no
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  Speaker 1: traces in the animal life of Cuba past or present
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  Speaker 1: which justify this conclusion. Some of the crystalline rocks may
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  Speaker 1: be ancient, but most of them are mid tertiary in age.
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  Speaker 1: End footnote. The mountains above two thousand feet are composed
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  Speaker 1: of the older, non calcareous formations and the bordering plateaus
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  Speaker 1: of limestone, resulting in two distinct and contrasting types of
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  Speaker 1: soil throughout the Antilles. Strategic and commercial position in area,
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  Speaker 1: in natural resources, in the number and character of its inhabitants,
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  Speaker 1: in position as regards proximity to the American and Mexican seaboards. Strategically,
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  Speaker 1: Cuba is by far the most important of the Great Antilles.
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  Speaker 1: It is very near the center of the Great American Mediterranean,
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  Speaker 1: separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea, and
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  Speaker 1: in close proximity to our southern seas, the coast of Mexico,
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  Speaker 1: the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Central America, the Isthmus, and the
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  Speaker 1: coast of South America. The island commands three important Maritim gateways,
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  Speaker 1: the Straits of Florida leading from the Atlantic Ocean into
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  Speaker 1: the Gulf of Mexico, the windward passage leading from the
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  Speaker 1: Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea, and the Yucatan Channel connecting
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  Speaker 1: the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf. The first and last
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  Speaker 1: of these completely command the Gulf of Mexico. It is
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  Speaker 1: less than ninety six and a half miles from Key
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  Speaker 1: West to the north coast of Cuba. From the east
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  Speaker 1: end of the island, Haiti and Jamaica are visible fifty
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  Speaker 1: four and eighty five miles distant, respectively. From the western
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  Speaker 1: Cape San Antonio to Yucatan, the distance is one hundred
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  Speaker 1: thirty miles. Outlying dimensions and the area. The outline of
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  Speaker 1: the island, commonly compared by the Spaniards to that of
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  Speaker 1: a bird's tongue, also resembles a great hammer headed shark,
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  Speaker 1: the head of which forms the straight south coast of
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  Speaker 1: the east end of the island, while the body extends
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  Speaker 1: to the westward in a sinuous curve. This analogy is
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  Speaker 1: made still more striking by two long, thin like strings
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  Speaker 1: of cays or islets, which extend backward along the opposite
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  Speaker 1: coasts parallel to the main body of the island. The
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  Speaker 1: longer axis of the island extends from the seventy fourth
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  Speaker 1: to the eighty fifth meridian, while its latitude between nineteen
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  Speaker 1: degrees forty minutes and twenty three degrees thirty three minutes
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  Speaker 1: embraces nearly four degrees. Its length, following an axial line
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  Speaker 1: drawn through its center from Cape Michi to Cape San
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  Speaker 1: Antonio is seven hundred thirty miles. Its width varies from
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  Speaker 1: ninety miles in the east to less than twenty miles
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  Speaker 1: in the l longitude of Habana. Cape Maikei on the
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  Speaker 1: east lies directly south of New York, while Cape San
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  Speaker 1: Antonio is situated south of Cincinnati. At the outset. The
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  Speaker 1: reader should dispossess his mind of any preconceived idea that
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  Speaker 1: the island of Cuba is in any sense a physical unit.
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  Speaker 1: On the contrary, it presents a diversity of topographic, climatic,
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  Speaker 1: and cultural features, which, as distributed, divide the island into
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  Speaker 1: at least three distinct natural provinces, which for convenience may
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  Speaker 1: be termed the Eastern, Central, and Western. No accurate trigonometric
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  Speaker 1: surveys have been made of the island and its bordering islets,
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  Speaker 1: including five hundred seventy ks adjacent to the north coast
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  Speaker 1: and seven hundred thirty to the south or of the
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  Speaker 1: Isle of Pines, a large and important dependency. Nearly all
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  Speaker 1: existing geographic data have been based upon a large map
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  Speaker 1: compiled by Picado engraved in Barcelona, which was a compilation
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  Speaker 1: of local surveys of various and doubtful degrees of accuracy.
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  Speaker 1: The area of the main island has been estimated at
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  Speaker 1: from forty thousand to forty three thousand square miles, that
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  Speaker 1: of the Isle of Pines at one thousand, two hundred fourteen,
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  Speaker 1: and that of the Case at one thousand, three hundred fifty.
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  Speaker 1: Some of the larger caves, like Romano, are one hundred
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  Speaker 1: forty square miles in extent. Reckless estimates the total at
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  Speaker 1: forty five thousand, eight hundred eighty three square miles, an
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  Speaker 1: area about equal to that of the state of New
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  Speaker 1: York and nearly one fourth the size of Spain. Configuration,
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  Speaker 1: the distinct types of relief include regions of high mountains,
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  Speaker 1: low hills, dissected plateaus, level plains, intermontane valleys, and coastal swamps.
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  Speaker 1: In general, however, with the exception of a strip of
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  Speaker 1: the south central coast, the island as a whole stands
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  Speaker 1: well above the sea, is thoroughly drained, and presents a
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  Speaker 1: rugged aspect when viewed from the sea. About one fourth
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  Speaker 1: of the total area is mountainous, three fifths are rolling
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  Speaker 1: plain valleys and gentle arable slopes, and the remainder is swampy.
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  Speaker 1: The coast. The coastline of Cuba is very extensive measuring
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  Speaker 1: without its meanderings nearly two thousand, two hundred miles. On
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  Speaker 1: Picardo's map, the coastline, measured with all its embayments and
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  Speaker 1: including the islets, is over six thousand, eight hundred miles.
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  Speaker 1: On all sides except the south central the coast is
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  Speaker 1: abrupt except where indented by pouch like harbors, and stands
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  Speaker 1: above the sea as if the waters of the latter
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  Speaker 1: were rapidly plaining away what had once been a more
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  Speaker 1: extensive land. In many places, the immediate coast coast line
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  Speaker 1: is a narrow bench of elevated reef rock, a few
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  Speaker 1: yards in width and standing about twenty feet above the
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  Speaker 1: sea between the bluffs and the water. The coast border
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  Speaker 1: on the north presents a low cliff topography, with a
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  Speaker 1: horizontal skyline from Matanzas westward, gradually decreasing from five hundred
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  Speaker 1: feet at Matanzas to one hundred feet in the west.
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  Speaker 1: The coast of the east end is abrupt and rugged,
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  Speaker 1: presenting both on the north and south sides a series
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  Speaker 1: of remarkable terraces, representing successive pauses or stages in the
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  Speaker 1: elevation of the island above the sea, and constituting one
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  Speaker 1: of the most striking features anywhere to be seen west
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  Speaker 1: of Guantanamo to Cape Cruz. The precipitous Sierra Maestra rises
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  Speaker 1: immediately back of these terraces. From Cape Cruz to Cape
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  Speaker 1: San Antonio, with the exception of a brief stretch between
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  Speaker 1: Trinidad and Cienfuegos, the coast is general low and marshy.
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  Speaker 1: The cays adjacent to the middle third of the island
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  Speaker 1: on both the north and south sides. The famous jardines
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  Speaker 1: of Columbus are mostly small coral or mangrove islets which
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  Speaker 1: have grown up from shallow, submerged platforms surrounding those parts
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  Speaker 1: of the island, and in places formed barriers to the mainland.
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  Speaker 1: They are mainly uninhabited owing to the scarcity of potable waters,
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  Speaker 1: but constitute a formidable obstacle to navigation, except when guided
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  Speaker 1: by skillful pilotage. The interior. The interior of the island
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  Speaker 1: of Cuba has not been sufficiently surveyed to accurately map
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  Speaker 1: the nature of the soil or the relief of the surface.
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  Speaker 1: The various commissions named in times passed by the Captain's
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  Speaker 1: General to make reconnaissances avow in their reports that the
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  Speaker 1: lack of habitation in the greater part of the territory,
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  Speaker 1: the impenetrability of the forest, the insurmountable cordilleras, and the
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  Speaker 1: scarcity of means and time have prevented them from carrying
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  Speaker 1: out successfully the mapping of the diverse ramifications of the mountains,
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  Speaker 1: the tracing out of their assalientes and valleys, and the
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  Speaker 1: determination of their extent altitude and geologic structure. It seems
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  Speaker 1: that their observations did not extend east of the seventieth meridian,
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  Speaker 1: where the most interesting part of the island from a
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  Speaker 1: scientific point of view is found. Furthermore, the results of
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  Speaker 1: such investigations as were made, were but imperfectly published in
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  Speaker 1: fragments Mountains. The higher eminences are true mountains of defamation,
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  Speaker 1: composed of disturbed sedimentary rocks with igneous intrusions. The mountains
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  Speaker 1: of this class do not constitute a continuous axial backbone
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  Speaker 1: to the island, as popularly supposed, but occur in three
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  Speaker 1: distinct and independent groups, known as the Eastern, Western, and Central, respectively,
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  Speaker 1: the trends of which overlap each other on a schelon.
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  Speaker 1: The highest of these is the narrow, precipitous eastern range,
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  Speaker 1: known as the Sierra Maestra, which dominates the straight east
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  Speaker 1: and west coast of Santiago de Cuba and culminates in
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  Speaker 1: the Pico del Torquino, which rises directly from the sea
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  Speaker 1: to a height variously estimated at from eight thousand, six
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  Speaker 1: hundred to nine thousand feet. La Gran Piedra in this range,
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  Speaker 1: near Santiago is five thousand, two hundred feet high. This
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  Speaker 1: Master range extends through two and a half degrees of
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  Speaker 1: longitude from Guantanamo to Cape Cruz and constitutes an independent
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  Speaker 1: feature topographically different from the rest of Cuba. Geographically, it
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  Speaker 1: belongs to a class with the Blue Mountains of Jamaica
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  Speaker 1: and the highest Summits of Haiti, collectively constituting the master
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  Speaker 1: ranges of the Great Antilles, which have been thrown up
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  Speaker 1: directly at right angles to the trends of the continental
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  Speaker 1: cordilleras and at a far more recent period of time.
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  Speaker 1: These mountains are composed of non calcareous conglomerates and shales
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  Speaker 1: of Mesozoic and Eocene age, intruded by ancient mid tertiary
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  Speaker 1: igneous rocks, the debris of which makes a clay and
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  Speaker 1: gravel soil. One of the two contrasting types which constitute
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  Speaker 1: the great wealth of the island. The Sierra Maestra crest
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  Speaker 1: closely parallels the adjacent sea coast, toward which its slopes
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  Speaker 1: descent precipitously. Inland toward the north, the slope is gentler,
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  Speaker 1: the eroded ridges leading gradually down to the valley of
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  Speaker 1: the Kauto, the deep indentation of which nearly separates these
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  Speaker 1: mountains from the region to the north. The second group
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  Speaker 1: of mountains, the Sierra de los Organos, is found in
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  Speaker 1: the extreme western province of Pina del Rio, extending northeast
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  Speaker 1: and southwest between Mariel near Habana and Cape San Antonio.
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  Speaker 1: This range consists of lower ridges of geologic formation different
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  Speaker 1: from those of the Sierra Maestra. Its summits culminate in
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  Speaker 1: the Pande guachai Bon west of Havana, which has an
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  Speaker 1: altitude of two thousand, five hundred thirty two feet. Its
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  Speaker 1: rocks are composed of deformed sedimentaries of supposed Paleozoic, Triassic, Jurassic,
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  Speaker 1: and Tertiary age, the uplift of which may have been
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  Speaker 1: cumulative but culminated during the close of the last mentioned period.
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  Speaker 1: The Organos are covered with a growth of pine and
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  Speaker 1: flanked on either side by many beautiful slopes and valleys,
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  Speaker 1: those on the south constituting the famous Vuelta Abajo tobacco lands,
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  Speaker 1: while the Sierra Organos proper sees just west of Havana,
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  Speaker 1: the strike of their uplift a COmON need by the
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  Speaker 1: same character of igneous protrusions flanked by tertiary limestones. Although
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  Speaker 1: void of the older rocks, is traceable by a series
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  Speaker 1: of low, disconnected hills in a gently curved line passing
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  Speaker 1: throughout the central plain of the island and to the
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  Speaker 1: north of the third or central group of Trinidad into
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  Speaker 1: the western part of the province of Puerto Principe. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: in a manner, this line of uplift, varying in intensity
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  Speaker 1: from the sharp ridges of the west to low flattened
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  Speaker 1: folds in the middle provinces, constitutes the nearest resemblance to
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  Speaker 1: an axial backbone of the body of the sinuous outline
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  Speaker 1: of the island, while the Sierra Maestra constitutes the head.
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  Speaker 1: The principal components of these interrupted summits of low relief
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  Speaker 1: dotting the plains of Habana, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Puerto
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  Speaker 1: Principe are as follows almost due south of Habana. Commencing
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  Speaker 1: east of the village of Santiago is a range of
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  Speaker 1: low timbered hills surrounded by plains, including the Tetas de Managua,
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  Speaker 1: the Arkas de Kanasi, Lomas de Camoa, the Escalera de Jaruco,
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  Speaker 1: which is visible from a great distance, and the Pan
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  Speaker 1: de Matanzas. Along the north coast between Habana and Matanzas,
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  Speaker 1: there are many of these hills, which, as remarked by Humboldt,
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  Speaker 1: affords some of the most beautiful scenic prospects in the world.
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  Speaker 1: The occurrence of these lower timbered summits in a region
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  Speaker 1: which is generally level plain has afforded a safe retreat
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  Speaker 1: for bands of insurgents, who make them a base for
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  Speaker 1: frequent incursions upon the outskirts of Habana and Matanzas. For
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  Speaker 1: a brief interval, these hills die out in eastern Matanzas,
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  Speaker 1: but upon crossing the Santa Clara and from thence on
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  Speaker 1: into Santiago de Cuba, they reappear as long crestlines and
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  Speaker 1: flat topped plateaus, following a line near and parallel with
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  Speaker 1: the north coast, including the Sierras Satibonico and Kubitas. The
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  Speaker 1: last named ridge has been an impregnable insurgent stronghold during
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  Speaker 1: the present revolution, and was for a time the seat
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  Speaker 1: of the insurgent government. The third group of high mountains
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  Speaker 1: occupies a limited area between Sienfuegos and Santo Espiritu, on
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  Speaker 1: the south side of the central portion of the island
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  Speaker 1: and to the northward of the city of Trinidad, and
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  Speaker 1: entirely south of the axial group above described. These are
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  Speaker 1: less angular than the eminences of the Sierra Maestra and
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  Speaker 1: consist of central summits with radiating slopes, the highest of
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  Speaker 1: which is El potre Rio two thousand, nine hundred feet.
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  Speaker 1: They are composed of semi crystalline limestones and shales which
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  Speaker 1: have been doubtfully considered of Palaeozoic origin, flanked by highly
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  Speaker 1: disturbed Cretaceous and Tertiary beds. Interspersed between these mountains are
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  Speaker 1: numerous fertile valleys, giving to this part of Cuba a
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  Speaker 1: diversified landscape. The Limestone plains, the three dominant groups of
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  Speaker 1: mountains above described are topographic irregularities surviving from earlier epochs
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  Speaker 1: or pushed up with the great sheets of tertiary limestones,
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  Speaker 1: which in all the intermediate and coastal areas comprise the
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  Speaker 1: dominant formation of the island. This limestone crust, gently warped
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  Speaker 1: and undulated in many directions, has great variation in altitude.
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  Speaker 1: Its maximum elevation is in the extreme east and gradually
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  Speaker 1: decreases to the center of the island, rising again to
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  Speaker 1: the west in the eastern and northern parts of the
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  Speaker 1: province of Santiago de Cuba. It constitutes an elevated plateau
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  Speaker 1: attaining a height of nearly one thousand, eight hundred feet
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  Speaker 1: and imbeds the base of the Sierra Maestra. Here it
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  Speaker 1: is so decended by drainage that it gives a most
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  Speaker 1: drugged relief to the district which it occupies, and presents
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  Speaker 1: on the seaward side a remarkable series of terraced cliffs,
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  Speaker 1: representing successive elevations of the island in Pliocene, Pleistocene and
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  Speaker 1: recent time. This topography is surmounted by extensive flat topped
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  Speaker 1: summits like the Mesatoa and the Junki Anvil of Baracoa
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  Speaker 1: altitude one thousand, eight hundred twenty seven feet, bordered by
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  Speaker 1: numerous sharp knife edged salients known as cuchillas. Similar remnantal
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  Speaker 1: flat tops occur at rare intervals as far west as Matanzas,
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  Speaker 1: the most conspicuous of which are the Sierra Matahambre and
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  Speaker 1: the Pan de Matanzas altitude one thousand, two hundred feet
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  Speaker 1: To the westward in the provinces of Matanzas and Habana,
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  Speaker 1: the arch of the plateau, which follows the northern side,
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  Speaker 1: descends nearer and nearer sea level and develops a longer
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  Speaker 1: but gentle slope toward the south coast, hence presenting a
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  Speaker 1: cliff topography to the north sea and gradually merging as
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  Speaker 1: the great Central Plain of Cuba into the Caribbean, producing
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  Speaker 1: the extensive Sienega or a swamp known as the Zapata
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  Speaker 1: on the coast opposite Matanzas through Puerto Principe and Santa Clara.
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  Speaker 1: Except where broken by the central mountains of Trinidad, this
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  Speaker 1: limestone stretch forms two wide coastal belts, each about a
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  Speaker 1: third the width of the island, separated by a central
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  Speaker 1: axial strip. West of Santa Clara, these two belts unite
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  Speaker 1: into the broad plains of Matanzas and Havana, where they
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  Speaker 1: constitute the central sugar region of Cuba, the Vuelta Arriba,
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  Speaker 1: and again diverge west of the latter city along either
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  Speaker 1: side of the central mountains of Pinar del Rio, where
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  Speaker 1: it constitutes the Vuelta Abajo. These limestone districts whether into
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: fertile calcareous soils, red and black in color, and of
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: a quality and depth unequaled in the world, and their extent.
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: In the level region is an almost continuous field of
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: sugar cane. At two places throughout the length of the
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: island there are depressions crossing it where the divide is
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: reduced to less than five hundred feet. The first of
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: these is between Moron and the south coast in Puerto Principe,
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: and the second between Habana and Batabano valleys. In the
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: more rugged eastern provinces, there are many valleys of wide
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: extent and great fertility. These are numerous also in Santa
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: Clara and Puerto Principe. The most extensive of them, however,
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: is that of the Riocauto in Santiago de Cuba. It
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: is situated in a protected position between rugged eminences on
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: the north and south, and threaded by an navigable river
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: This valley is densely populated and has been one of
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: the great strongholds of the present uprising. By provinces. The
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: relief may be summarized as follows. Santiago de Cuba is
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: predominantly a mountainous region of high relief, especially along the coasts,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: with many interior valleys, where to Principe and Villa Clara
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: are broken regions of low mountain relief diversified by extensive valleys.
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: Matanzas and Habana are vast stretches of level, cultivated plain
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: with only a few hills of relief. Pina de le
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: Rio is centrally mountainous, with fertile coastward slopes. Drainage. The
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: drainage of Cuba is abundant, varying in character in different
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: parts of the island. Considering the limited catchment areas, these
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: streams are remarkably copious in volume. In the plains of
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: the central and western and provinces. The streams flow from
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: the central axis toward the corresponding coast and have opalescent
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: waters like those of the limestone springs of Texas and Florida.
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: These streams run through widely sloping valleys with only slightly
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: indented streamways and are remarkably free from lateral ramifications. Canyons
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: are not developed until they reach the abrupt plateau edge
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: of the north coast. Many of the southward flowing streams
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: of this portion of the island do not reach the
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: sea directly, but disperse into vast sienegas and swamps. Several
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: of the stream valleys, like that of the Yumudi or Matanzas,
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: are accompanied by some of the most RESTful and beautiful
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: landscapes in the world. The Rio Armendades, which nearly encircles
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: Habana on the southward, affords that city an abundant supply
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: of water. In this and other portions of the island
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: where the limestone formation prevails, as in all the white
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: limestone areas of the Tropics, a large portion of the
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: drainage is subterranean, accompanied by many remarkable caverns. The rivers Cuya, Jabos, Pernales, Guanajai, Coppellanias,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: San Antonio and others along the south slope of Pinarre
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: del Rio disappear in limestone caverns where they continue their
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: seaward course. The fonts of Rosario in this province are
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: of great beauty as also is an immense natural bridge.
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: In the province of Santiago and part of Puerto Principe,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: the drainage is more complicated. The limestone plateaus of north
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: and east Santiago de Cuba give rise to many rivers,
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: the most remarkable of which are the Cabanas, the Yamanigasi
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: and the Moa, which, in descending the escarpments of the
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: high levels of the Toad, disappear beneath the surface and
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: reappear on a lower terrace over the edge of which
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: they are discipitated in cascades of three hundred feet to
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: the coast. Other streams of this region, such as the
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: Humudi on the east, find outlet through sharply cut canyons
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: indenting the limestone cliffs of the back coast border. The
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: central portion of this province is dominated by the Ria
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: Kauto and its ramifications. This is the longest river on
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: the island and flows in a westerly direction for a
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: distance of one hundred fifty miles, draining the wide and
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: fertile valley to which its name is applied. This stream
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: is navigable for small boats for a considerable distance eighty
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: to one hundred miles, but its mouth has been obstructed
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: by bars. End of section one, Section two of the
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: National Geographic Magazine, Volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight. This
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. A vox recordings are in the
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: cliprivox dot org. Recording by AVAI in September twenty twenty
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Cuba by Robert T. Hill, Part two flora. The surface
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: of the island is clad in a voluptuous floral mantle, which,
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: from its abundance and beauty, first caused Cuba to be
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: designated the Pearl of the Antilles. In addition to those
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: introduced from abroad, over three thousand, three hundred fifty native
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: plants have been cataloged. Homeboard said, we might believe the
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: entire island was originally a forest of palms, wild limes,
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: and orange trees. The flora includes nearly all the characteristic
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: forms of the other West Indies, the southern part of
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: Florida and the Central American seaboard. Nearly all the large
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: trees of the Mexican Tierra Caliente, so remarkable for their size,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: foliage and fragrance reappear in western Cuba, over thirty species
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: of palm, including the famous royal palm Oreodoxa regia, occur,
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: while the pine tree elsewhere, characteristic of the temperate zone
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: and the high altitudes of the tropics, is found associated
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: with palms and mahoganies in the province of Pinar del
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: Rio and the Isle of Pines, both of which take
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: their names from this tree. Among other woods are the
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: Lignum vitae, granadilla, the cocoa wood, out of which reed
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: instruments are made, mahogany, and Cedrela odorata, which is used
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: for cigar boxes and linings of cabinet work. Although three
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: hundred years of cultivation have exterminated the forests from the
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: sugarlands of the center and west, it is estimated that
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: in the hills of those districts and the mountains of
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: the east, nearly thirteen million acres of uncleared forest remain.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: Rich and nutritious grasses are found throughout the island, affording
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: excellent forage for stock. The pineapples, manioc sweet potato, and
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: Indian corn are indigenous to the island. When the flora
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: of Cuba is studied geographically, it will doubtless be divided
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: into several subdivisions. Climate climatological records are not available except
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: for Habana, and these are not applicable to the whole island.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: Where it is but natural to suppose that the altitudes
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: and position of the high mountains produce great variations in
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: precipitation and humidity, such as are observable in adjacent islands.
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: The Sierra Maestra probably presents conditions of temperature very nearly
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: the same as the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, where the
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: thermometer at times falls almost to the freezing point. Everywhere.
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: The rains are most abundant in summer, from May to October,
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: the rainy season. As a rule, the rains brought by
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: the trade winds are heavier and more frequent on the
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: slopes of the eastern end. At Habana, the annual rainfall
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: is forty inches, of which twenty eight inches fall in
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: the wet season. This rainfall is not excessive, being no
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: greater than that of our eastern states. The air at
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: this place is usually charged with eighty five per cent
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: of moisture, which under the tropical sun largely induces the
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: rich mantle of vegetation. The average number of rainy days
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: in the year is one hundred and two. There is
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: but one record of snow having fallen in Cuba, namely
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty six. At Habana. In July and August,
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: the warmest months, the mean temperature is eighty two degrees fahrenheit,
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: fluctuating between a maximum of eight eight eight degrees and
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: a minimum of seventy six degrees. In the cooler months
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: of December and January, the thermometer averages seventy two degrees,
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: the maximum being seventy eight degrees the minimum fifty eight degrees.
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: The mean temperature of the year at Habana on a
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: mean of seven years is seventy seven degrees, but in
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: the interior, at elevations of over three hundred feet above
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: the sea, the thermometer occasionally falls to the freezing point.
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: In winter, hoar frost is not uncommon, and during north winds,
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: thin ice may form. The prevailing wind is the easterly
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: trade breeze, but from November to February, cool north winds
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: lost north or North's the southern attenuation of our own.
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: Cold waves, rarely lasting more than forty eight hours, are
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: experienced in the western portion of the island to which
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: they add a third seasonal change from ten to twelve o'clock.
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: At the hottest hours of the day, afternoon, a refreshing
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: breeze La vi Rathon sets in from the sea. In
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: Santiago de Cuba, the average is eighty degrees, that of
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: the hottest month is eighty four degrees, and that of
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: the coldest seventy three degrees. The whole island is more
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: or less subject to hurricanes, often of great ferocity. The
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: hurricane of eighteen forty six leveled nearly two thousand houses
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: in Habana and sank or wrecked over three hundred vessels.
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: In eighteen ninety six, the banana plantations of the east
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: were similarly destroyed. Earthquakes are seldom felt in the western districts,
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: but are frequent in the eastern. All in all, the
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: climate of Cuba is much more salubrious than it has
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: been painted. The winter months are delightful, in fact ideal,
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: while the summer months are more endurable than in most
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: of our own territory. The current impressions of insalubrity have
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: arisen from an erroneous confusion of bad sanitation with the weather.
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: While it is true that sickness follows the seasons. The
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: former would be greatly allayed almost abated, if public hygiene
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: received proper official consideration. Agriculture. The principal products of Cuba
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: in time of peace are agricultural and consist of sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, bananas, corn, oranges,
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: and pines in the order named. The raising of sugar
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: cane overwhelmingly preponderates and heretofore has been the mainstay of
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: the island. This industry originated in fifteen twenty three, when
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: a loan of four thousand piastres to each person wishing
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: to engage in it was made by King Philip the First.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: The whole of the vast central Plain and much of
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: the region from the Kautor westward to Pinarre de le Rio,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: except where broken by hills, is one continuous field of cane,
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: which yielded in eighteen ninety two to ninety three one million,
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: fifty four thousand, two hundred fourteen tons, valued at eighty
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: million dollars. Besides giving employment to large commercial and transportation interests,
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: the sugar plantations vary in extent from one hundred to
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: one thousand acres and employ an average of one man
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: to two acres. The Cuban sugar lands are all upland
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: soils quite different from the lowlands of Louisiana, and excel
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: in fertility those of all the other West Indies, the
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: cane requiring to be planted only once in seven years
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: instead of every year as in Antigua. The machinery of
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: the estates, up to the outbreak of the present revolution
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: was the finest and most modern in the world. According
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: to statistics elsewhere presented. This industry has been almost destroyed
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: within the last three years. Tobacco, while secondary to sugar,
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: is far more profitable in proportion to acreage. This product
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: grows well in all parts of the island, but the
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: chief seat of its cultivation is along the southern slopes
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: of the Cordillera de las Organos in Pina de le Rio,
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: the famous Vuelta Abajo region, which produces the finest article
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: in the world. Good tobaccos are also exported from Trinidad,
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: Sienfuegos and Santiago. In addition to the growth of the leaf,
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: there are dozens of large cigar factories in Havana, giving
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: employment to thousands of people of both sexes and all ages.
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: In eighteen ninety three six million, one hundred sixty thousand
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: pounds of leaf tobacco and one hundred thirty four million,
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: two hundred ten thousand cigars were exported. Large exports of
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: baled tobacco are also made from the east end of
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: the island, most of which is sent to the United States.
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: Coffee was once extensively exported, but the trees have been
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: mostly cut down and replaced with sugar cane in consequence
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: of the greater profitableness of that product. The mountain sides
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: and hill lands of the east are especially favorable for coffee,
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: and a quality as excellent as that of the famous
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: Blue Mountain coffee of Jamaica can be readily grown. If
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: the island should ever pass from Spanish hands, this will
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: become a large and flourishing industry. There is still a
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: considerable quantity of coffee grown, but it is nearly all
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: consumed locally. At the beginning of the present Revolution, the
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: growing of bananas was a large and important industry, chiefly
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: in the vicinity of Nuevitas and Barracoa at the eastern
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: end of the island. During the season from February to December,
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: an average of a shiploaded day was exported from Barracoa.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: This fruit was the lung chest and finest received in
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: the United States. It was grown upon mesas and plateaus
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: and let down over the precipitous cliffs by wire trolleys.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: Captain John S. Hart of Philadelphia, who had large investments
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: in this business and was one of the largest importers
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: of the fruit into the United States, finding his business
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: destroyed by the outbreak of the Revolution, promptly turned his
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: ships into philibusters, and after landing many cargoes of arms
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: and ammunition, was eventually tried and convicted in a United
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: States court and is now confined in the Eastern Penitentiary
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: at Philadelphia. Oranges of delicious flavor grow spontaneously in all
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: parts of the island. No attention is paid to their
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: culture for exportation. However, pineapples are grown and exported in
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: western Cuba and the Isle of Pines. If the island
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: belonged to the United States, it would undoubtedly become one
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: of the greatest fruit growing countries. Mahogany and logwood are
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: also exported in small quantities in the provinces of Santa Clara,
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: Puerto Principe, and Santiago. The cattle industry, owing to the
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: fertile grazing lands, reaches large proportions, the product being large
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: and fine animals of Spanish stock. Horses are also bred
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: in all parts of the island. The Cuban horse is
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: a stout pony descended from Andalucian stock, with the build
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: of a corp and a peculiar pacing gait, which renders
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: it an exceptionally easy riding animal. Goats and sheep do
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: not flourish in Cuba, the wool of the latter changing
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: into a stiff hair like that of the former. Poultry
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: flourishes everywhere and was abundant in all markets. In addition
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: to the large estates of the planters, the island possesses
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: many small farms of less than one hundred acres devoted
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: to products for which there is a demand in the
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: local markets. In eighteen ninety five, there were over one
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: hundred thousand farms, ranches and plantations valued at twenty million
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: dollars minerals. The mineral resources of the island are iron
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: ores as faltam, manganese, copper, and salt. A little gold
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: and silver were mined in past centuries, but never in
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: large quantities. The silver mines of Santa Clara yielded in
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: eighteen twenty seven one hundred forty ounces to the ton,
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: but were soon worked out. The iron mines, situated in
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: the mountains a few miles east of Santiago de Cuba,
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: are of importance. The production of the Juragua Iron Company
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety was three hundred sixty two thousand, sixty
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: eight tons and constituted one fourth of the total importation
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: of iron ores into the United States for the same period.
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: These mines were owned by an American company which had
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: invested extensive capital in them, but the production has been
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: almost destroyed by the present revolution. The oars are mineralogically peculiar,
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: being the result of replacement in limestone. They are mixed
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: brown and red hermatite targeite as faltam chapaporta of unusual
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: richness occurs in several parts of the island in the
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: bits of late Cretaceous and early Eocene age. At Villa
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: Clara occurs an unusually large deposit of this material, which
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: for forty years has supplied the material for making the
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: illuminating gas of the city. American investors bought these mines
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: the year preceding the revolution, and their investment up to date,
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: which would otherwise have been profitable, has proved a total loss.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: Copper of extraordinary neary richness has been worked on the
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: leeward side of the Sierra Maestra range, twelve miles from
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: Santiago de Cuba. In former years, these mines yielded as
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: high as fifty tons per day. Current report asserts that
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: they are still very valuable, but are awaiting the return
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: of peace and development. Salt of great purity is found
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: in the cays adjacent to the north coast. No manufacturing industries,
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: except those of tobacco and sugar, have been encouraged, the
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: persistent policy of Spain having been to promote the importation
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: of manufactured articles from the mother country. In the writer's
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: travels over the island, only a single industrial establishment was seen,
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: namely a mill at Baracoa for extracting oil from coconuts
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: and making soap. Harbors, the narrowness of the island and
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: the abundance of good harbors make nearly all parts of
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: it convenient to maritime transportation. Perhaps no country in the
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: world is so blessed with harbors. Not only are they
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: very numerous, but many of them are excellent and afford
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: convenient outlets for the products of the island and easy
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: access for oceanic and coastal transportation. These harbors are nearly
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: all pouch shaped inlets indenting the coast, with narrow outlets
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: pointed by elevated reef rock and capable of accommodating large
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: numbers of vessels. They are so conveniently situated as regards
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: different portions of the island, that the trade of Cuba
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: may be said literally to pass out at a hundred gates.
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: The chief of these harbors are Habana, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Gibara,
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: Mipe and Barracoa on the north coast, and Guantanamo, Santiago
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: de Cuba, Manzanillo, Trinidad and Cienfuegos on the south. The
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: last mentioned is said to be one of the finest
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: harbours in the world. Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago are regularly
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: visited by American and Spanish steamers, while coastal steamers circumnavigate
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: the island, touching at the minor parts, which are also
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: sought by many tramps and sailing vessels. In search of
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: cargoes shipping. The shipping trade, both foreign and coastal, is extensive,
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: the American tonnage alone amounting to one million per annum.
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: About one thousand, two hundred ocean vessels, steam and sail
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: annually clear from Havana, while the sugar crop finds an
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: outlet at all. The principal ports lines of steamers coast
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: the island, the north coast being served by lines from Habana,
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: and the south bylines from Bathabano, the southern entropos of Habana.
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: The tonnage of Habana and eight other ports for eighteen
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: ninety five amounted to three million, five hundred thirty eight thousand,
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: five hundred thirty nine tons, carried by thirty one thousand,
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: one hundred eighty one vessels railways. The railways aggregate less
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: than one thousand miles of line and consist principally of
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: the united system of Habana, extending through the tobacco and
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: sugar districts of the west and center, and connecting the
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: capital with Matanzas, Pina de le Rio, Batabano, Sienfuegos and Sagua,
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: the system terminating at Santa Clara one hundred fifty miles
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: east of Habana. The entire half of the island east
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: of Sienfuegos and Sagua is dependent upon water communication, although
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: several short local lines extend interior ward from Nuevitas, Remedios
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: and Santiago. There were about two thousand, eight hundred ten
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: miles of telegraph line in eighteen ninety five, including nearly
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: one thousand miles of cable connecting the cities of the
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: south coast and the Isle of Pines with Habana via
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: Batabano Highways. Good highways are both short and few. In
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: past centuries, a few good roads were established of the
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: class called Camino ele Rey, the King's Highway, leading from
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: Habana into Pinar del Rio and from a few interior
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: cities to their entrepos. Aside from these roads, which were
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: absolute necessities, the government has constructed no highways leading into
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: the country, through or around the island, and hence inland
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: communication is much impeded. Had a more far sighted policy
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: of road construction been undertaken, such as has been carried
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: out by England in the adjacent island of Jamaica, Spain
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: would have been in no danger of losing her colony
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: the lack of good military roads having been in one
• 47:00
  Speaker 1: of the factors which have made possible the success of
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: the present revolution. Although Cuba is so situated geographically as
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: to command the commerce of the entire American Mediterranean, trade
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: and communication with the adjacent regions other than Mexico have
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: neither been cultivated nor encouraged. To reach any of the
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: adjacent islands such as Haiti or Jamaica, each less than
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: one hundred miles distant. It is usually necessary for the
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: Cuban to proceed first to New York and thence to
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: his destination. A perpetual quarantine appears to exist against the
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: island on the part of all its neighbors. The completeness
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: with which Cuba is isolated commercially is illustrated by the
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: fact that not even the Habana cigar, the most far
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: reaching of its products, can be found in a single
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: Caribbean city. Cities Habana, which bears upon is escujon yaved
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: El Mundo, the Key of the New World, is the
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: political capital and principal city of Cuba. It is situated
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: mainly on the west and south sides of a capacious harbor,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: and surrounded by eminences rising to one hundred fifty feet
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: in height. It is a picturesque and beautiful place, presenting,
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: even in the midst of the most horrible tragedy of
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: the centuries, the gay appearance of a European city. In fact,
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: in population, interest, customs, and dominant political feeling. The city,
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: being the seat of the foreign government which rules the island,
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: is thoroughly Spanish, and in this sense is entirely unrepresentative
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: of the local customs and sentiments of provincial Cuba. Its
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: commerce is ordinarily enormous, while large pleasure drives, parks, clubs,
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: and public institutions give it picturesque variety. Conspicuous Among notable
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: objects are the wharves, fortifications, hospitals, the university, the botanical garden,
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: government palaces, and several churches, including the cathedral, which claims
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: to possess, like Santo Domingo, the remains of Columbus. This
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: city was founded early in the sixteenth century, about fifteen nineteen,
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: nearly one hundred years before the first colonization of our seaboard.
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: Until recently, it was badly supplied with water, and its
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: sewerage is still abominable. In eighteen ninety five, a modern
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: system of water works was installed by New York engineers,
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: who also prepared plans for the solution of the sewerage problem.
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: The foreign trade of Habana amounts to fifty million dollars
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: yearly and is chiefly carried on by American steamers. From
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: the city radiates several lines of railway, which bring to
• 49:56
  Speaker 1: it the products of the interior. The only cable connection
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: with the United States is made here. West of Habana,
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: there are several small ports, such as Mariel Cabanas and
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: Bahia Honda, which are similar in their formation to that
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: of Habana, but are places of secondary importance. South and
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: the east of the city were flourishing places, the largest
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: of which is guanabacoa crowning a hill which commands a
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: fine panoramic view of the capitol, its roadsteads, and environments.
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: Habana has easy access to the south coast by rail,
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: terminating at the miserable village of Batabano, twenty five miles distant,
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: which is in entropos for the city. Here the coastal
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: cable from Santiago touches, and from this point radiate various
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: lines of steamers along the coast and to the Isle
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: of Pines. The second city and seaport of central Cuba
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: is Matanzas, about seventy five five miles east of Habana.
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: This city was founded in sixteen ninety three. It is
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: the chief outlet for that part of the sugar region
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: which stretches south and east toward Cardenas, and which includes
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: the most fertile lands in Cuba. The harbor, like many
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: others through the less a fair policy of the Spanish government,
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: has been allowed to fill with sediment, and hence the
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: largest steamers are obliged to load in the roadstead. Cardenas,
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: founded in eighteen twenty eight, is one of the few
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: towns of Cuba which can boast of having been born
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: in this century. It lies on a spacious bay sheltered
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: by a long promontory. It is one of the principal
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: sugar exporting places of Cuba, and is connected by rail
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: with Habana and by regular steamers with all the coast towns.
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: East of Cardenas for a considerable distance, life and industry
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: are shifted from the northern to the southern seaboard towards
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: sien Fuegos and Trinidad. Sian Fuegos is a modern place
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: situated on a magnificent harbor. Although surveyed by Ocampo in
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: fifteen o eight and spoken of by Herrera as a
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: haven unrivaled in the world, the town was only settled
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: in eighteen nineteen by refugees from Santo Domingo. Within the
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: past twenty years, its port has increased enormously. It is
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: now the second sea port in the island. Trinidad, to
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: the east of sien Fuegos, dates from the first years
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: of the conquest and has no fewer than three harbors
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: and an excellent roadstead. It suffers largely from the incursions
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: of the French and English buccaneers. The city has a
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: picturesque setting surrounded by high hills and mountains. East of Trinidad,
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: which is near the central meridian of the island, important
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: cities begin to appear in the interior, such as Santa Clas, Esperanza,
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: Puerto Principe and Holguin. These places are the most truly
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: Cuban and representative in their population of any towns on
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: the island. Santa Clara is a beautiful city, dating from
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: previous centuries and surrounded by charming scenery. It possessed the
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: year before the revolution a cultured Creole population. Footnote. The
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: word creole, as used in this paper means white descendants
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: of the Latin races. The impression on the part of
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: some people that the word implies a mixture of Negro
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: blood is an ignorant and to the Creole an insulting mistake.
• 53:44
  Speaker 2: End footnote.
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: The insurrection has raged most fearfully around this place, and
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: it is probable that its most representative people have been
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: largely driven away or destroyed. Camague, as the Cubans call
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: the town, or or Puerto principet as it is officially designated,
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: Although remote from the sea coast, is the chief interior
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: city of Cuba, and claims to be the most Creole
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: of Cuban towns. The city lies on a plain about
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: midway between the two coasts, and is connected by rail
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: with Nuevitas to the northeast. In the basin of the
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: Cautor Bayamo is the principal place. This is a very
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: old town which was founded on a southern affluent of
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: the main stream during the first years of the conquest.
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: It was at Yarra, a little southwest of this place,
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: that the Great Republican Rising took place In eighteen sixty eight.
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: The next year, when the Spanish troops made their appearance,
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: the inhabitants themselves set fire to their houses. During the
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: present revolution, Bayamo has been an important stronghold. Holguen, lying
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: to the northward of the Cautor, is also an important
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: city of this portion of Cuba. Returning to the north
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: and sea coast, several important points remain to be described
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: east of the central meridian of the island, without considering
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: the innumerable smaller landings. The principal towns are Nuevitas, Padre, Gibara, Barnes,
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: Nipe and Barracoa. These are all antique and interesting places,
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: possessing many old ruins and fortifications. Baracoa, the easternmost port
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: of the north coast of the island, is of historic
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: interest inasmuch as it is the oldest continuous settlement of
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: the New World, having been settled by Diego Columbus, the
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: son of Christopher, in the here fifteen eleven. The inhabitants
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: still point with pride to the ruins of his house.
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: It will also go down in history as the point
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: near which on the twenty fifth of February eighteen ninety six,
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: Antonio Macheo and his valiant band of nineteen followers, by
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: a most daring and successful landing, started the present revolution,
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: and from which within a year's time he marched to
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: the western extremity of the island, winning battle after battle,
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: and was only checked by treachery and assassination. Barakoa, at
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: the beginning of the present revolution was again becoming an
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: important commercial city, being the seat of the banana and
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: coconut trades. Returning again to the south side of the island.
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: There are three ports of importance east of Trinidad, and
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: these are all situated on the south or west coast
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: of the Sierra Maestna Peninsula. The westernmost of these is Manzanillo.
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: This is the chief outlet of the fertile valley of
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: the Kauto. Since the close of the Ten Years Revolution
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: and up to the recent outbreak, it was acquiring an
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: increasing trade in tobacco, sugar, wax, honey and produce. Santiago,
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: as it is called by the Americans, sant Cargo, or
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: simply Cuba by the natives, is a port second only
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: to Habana in strategic and political importance. It is the
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: capital of the Eastern Department, as well as its most
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: flourishing seaport. It is located on one of the many
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: pouch shaped harbors, which outlet to the sea through a
• 57:24
  Speaker 1: narrow gateway like that of Habana, but with an entrance
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: dotted by many islands with handsome villas. At its narrowest part.
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: This outlet is only one hundred eighty yards wide, but
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: it gives access to a magnificent basin with many indentations,
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: large enough to accommodate all the shipping of the island.
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: Its many colored structures, promenades, gardens, and superb prospects over
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: the valley make Santiago one of the most marvelous city
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: of the Antilles. The town is well fortified and has
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: been practically the only stronghold of the Spanish authorities in
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: eastern Cuba during the present revolution. Back of the city
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: the overtowering cliffs of the Sierra Maestra separated from the interior.
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: Several lines of railroad run from the city to the
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: iron mines sixteen miles east, where Pennsylvania capitalists were employing
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: nearly two thousand hands at the date of the recent outbreak.
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: The city is the telegraphic center from whence radiate the
• 58:28
  Speaker 1: submarine coastal cables of the island for the Western Department, Mexico, Jamaica,
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: South America, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles.
• 58:41
  Speaker 2: End of section two, section three of the National Geographic Magazine,
• 58:52
  Speaker 2: volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 58:58
  Speaker 2: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 59:02
  Speaker 2: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 59:07
  Speaker 2: by Larry Wilson, Cuba, Part three by Robert T. Hill. Inhabitants,
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: Perhaps there is no question upon which the American people
• 59:19
  Speaker 2: are so ill informed as upon that of the population
• 59:23
  Speaker 2: of Cuba. It is impossible to obtain accurate statistics, owing
• 59:28
  Speaker 2: to the fact that no reliable senses has been taken
• 59:31
  Speaker 2: by the government for many decades. All figures which may
• 59:35
  Speaker 2: be presented are merely estimates, and great variation is found
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: in those given by different authorities. The latest census of Cuba,
• 59:44
  Speaker 2: published December thirty first, eighteen eighty seven, gives the population
• 59:48
  Speaker 2: as follows. Provinces Habana eight thousand, six hundred ten square
• 59:55
  Speaker 2: kilometers white, three hundred forty four thousand, four hundred six
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 2: seventeen colored, one hundred seven thousand, five hundred eleven total
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 2: four hundred fifty one thousand, nine hundred twenty eight percent
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 2: of colored race twenty four density fifty two point four
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 2: nine Binar del rio eight thousand, four hundred eighty six
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 2: square kilometers White one hundred sixty seven thousand, one hundred
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: sixty colored fifty eight thousand, seven hundred thirty one total
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 2: two hundred twenty five thousand, eight hundred ninety one percent
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 2: of colored race. Twenty six density twenty six point sixty
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 2: two Athansas fourteen thousand, nine hundred sixty seven square kilometers
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 2: White one hundred forty three thousand, one hundred sixty nine
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 2: Colored one hundred sixteen thousand, four hundred nine total two
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 2: hundred fifty nine thousand, five hundred seventy eight percent of
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 2: colored race. Forty five density seventeen point thirty four Santa
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 2: Clara twenty three thousand, eighty three square kilometers White two
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 2: hundred forty four thousand, three hundred forty five Colored one
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 2: hundred nine thousand, seven hundred seventy seven total three hundred
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 2: fifty four thousand, one hundred twenty two percent of colored
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 2: race thirty one density fifteen point thirty four, Puerto Principe
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 2: thirty two thousand, three hundred forty one square kilometers white,
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 2: fifty four thousand, two hundred thirty two colored thirteen thousand,
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 2: five hundred fifty seven total sixty seven thousand, seven hundred
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 2: eighty nine percent of colored race twenty density two point ten.
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 2: Santiago de Cuba thirty five thousand, one hundred nineteen square
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 2: kilometers white, one hundred fifty seven thousand, nine hundred eighty
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 2: colored one hundred fourteen thousand, three hundred ninety nine total
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 2: two hundred seventy two thousand, three hundred seventy nine percent
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 2: of colored race forty two density seven point seventy six.
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 2: Total one hundred twenty two thousand, six hundred six square
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 2: kilometers White one million, one hundred eleven thousand, three hundred
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 2: three colored five hundred twenty thousand, three hundred eighty four
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 2: total one million, six hundred thirty one thousand, six hundred
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 2: eighty seven percent of colored race average thirty two density
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 2: thirteen point thirty one. The population of the principal towns
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 2: has been estimated as follows. West Habana one hundred ninety
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 2: eight thousand, seven hundred twenty guanabacoawenty nine thousand, seven hundred ninety,
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 2: Regla eleven thousand, two hundred eighty, Batanzas twenty seven thousand,
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 2: Pinar del Rio twenty one thousand, seven hundred seventy, Cologne
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 2: twenty thousand, four hundred, Cardenas twenty three thousand, six hundred eighty.
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 2: Central Puerto Principe forty six thousand, six hundred forty, see
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 2: In Fuegos twenty seven thousand, four hundred thirty, Santo Espiritu
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 2: thirty two thousand, six hundred, Trinidad twenty seven thousand, six
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 2: hundred forty East Santiago seventy one thousand, three hundred, Olguin
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 2: thirty four thousand, seven hundred sixty Manzanillo twenty three thousand,
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 2: two hundred. Few realize the important fact that environment is
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 2: quite as potent a factor as racial or political conditions
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 2: in producing the social status. And nowhere is this great
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 2: principle more plainly exemplified than in the West Indies and
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 2: tropical mainlands, where adjacent islands present most striking contrasts in
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 2: the character and conditions of their populations. The Antiguans, Barbedians, Barbudans, Martiniques, Jamaicans, Haitians,
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 2: and Cubans are socially indirecially as distinct from each other
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 2: as the inhabitants of the great countries of Europe. Were
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 2: it not for the facts of history, one will believe
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 2: that each population was indigenous to its habitat, instead of
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 2: having been transplanted from the Old World within four centuries.
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 2: No where are these distinctions more apparent than in the
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 2: Four Antilles themselves, especially as seen in the islands of Cuba, Haiti,
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 2: and Jamaica, the people of which have hardly one trait
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 2: in common. Cuba and Puerto Rico are the only two
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 2: tropical islands where the white race has become thoroughly acclimated,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 2: and Cuba alone contains ten times more whites of Spanish
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 2: stock than all the British West Indies contain whites of
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 2: English stock. Foreigners. The total population of Cuba, about thirty
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 2: thousand are Chinese male laborers. The Spanish born, not counting
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 2: the present army of invasion, probably do not exceed thirty thousand,
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 2: while counting all others, there are not over fifty thousand
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 2: Caucasian foreigners. This foreign population, except the Chinese, is engaged
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 2: in office holding, trade and ship beating, and is largely
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 2: confined by residents to the cities, which contain fully one
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 2: third of the total population. These foreigners, having no other
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 2: interest in the welfare of the country than gain of wealth,
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 2: and possessing no intention of permanent residents, should not be
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 2: considered in any manner as representative of the Cuban people,
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 2: although alas their voice has in recent political events almost
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 2: drowned that of the true inhabitants. To the Cubans, the
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 2: foreign Spaniards are known as intransi hinthes, and between the
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 2: two classes, the governors and the governed, owing to the
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 2: despotism of the former, a bitter hatred has existed since
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 2: eighteen twelve, and has been more strongly accentuated since the
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 2: surrender of Zanhon in eighteen seventy six, when the rebellious
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 2: Cubans laid down their arms under unfulfilled promises of autonomy
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 2: and local self government, similar to schemes lately presented the Cubans.
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 2: Seventy five percent of the native population of the island
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 2: is found outside of the Spanish capital of Habana, which,
• 1:06:40
  Speaker 2: being the seat of an unwelcome formed despotism, is no
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 2: more representative of Cuban life or character than is the
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 2: English city of Hong Kong of the rural Chinese. While
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 2: the Habanese have had the freest communication with the United
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 2: States during the last three years of the Revolution, Americans
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 2: have had little opportunity to hear from the true white
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 2: Cuban population. The Cubans are mostly found in the provinces
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 2: and provincial cities, especially in Pinar del Rio and the
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 2: eastern provinces of Santa Clara were the Principe and Santiago.
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 2: Although of Spanish blood, the Cubans, through adaptation to environment,
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 2: have become a different class from the people of the
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 2: mother country, just as the American stock has differentiated from
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 2: the English. Under the influence of their surroundings, they have
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 2: developed into a gentle, industrious, and normally peaceable race, not
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 2: to be judged by the combativeness which they have developed
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 2: under a tyranny such as has never been imposed upon
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 2: any other people. The better class at Camageno's, as the
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 2: natives are fond of calling themselves, are certainly the finest,
• 1:07:48
  Speaker 2: the most valiant, and the most independent men of the island.
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 2: While the women have the highest type of beauty, it
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 2: is their boast that no Cuban woman has ever become
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 2: a prostitute, and crime is almost unknown among them. While
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 2: these people may not possess our local customs and habits,
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 2: they have strong traits of civilized character, including honesty, family attachment, hospitality,
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 2: politeness of address, and a respect for the Golden Rule.
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 2: While numerically inferior to the annual migration of Poles, Jews,
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 2: and Italians into the Eastern United States, against which no
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 2: official voices raised, they are too far superior to these
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 2: people to justify the abuse that has been heaped upon
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 2: them by those who have allowed their judgment to be
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 2: prejudiced by fears that they might, by some means, be
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 2: absorbed into our future population. Notwithstanding the disadvantages under which
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 2: the Cubans have labored, they have contributed many members to
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 2: the learned professions. To educate their sons and daughters in
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 2: the institutions of the United States, England, and France has
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 2: always been the highest ambition of the Creoles of Cuba
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 2: and Puerto Rico. Influence of their educated men is felt
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 2: in many countries. The most distinguished professor of civil engineering,
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 2: two leading civil engineers of our Navy, and the most
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 2: imminent authority on yellow fever in our country. Belonging to
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 2: this class. Thousands of these people, driven from their beloved island,
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 2: have settled in Paris, London, New York, Mexico, and the
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 2: West Indies, where they hold honorable positions in society, and
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 2: even the exiles of the lower classes, with their superior
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 2: agricultural arts, have been eagerly welcomed in countries like Jamaica,
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 2: Mexico and Florida, which hope to share with Cuba the
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 2: benefits of its tobacco culture. These are the people who
• 1:09:40
  Speaker 2: are the leaders of the movement for Cuba Libre, and
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 2: who struggled so valiantly to throw off the yoke of
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 2: an inferior governing class. No cause in all history has
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 2: been more just than theirs, no self sacrificing heroism greater.
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 2: And yet the world, during all the agitation of the
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 2: past three years, has known little of them, so completely
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 2: have they been cut off from communication. While such little
• 1:10:05
  Speaker 2: has has been heard, has had to find its outlet
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 2: through the stronghold of their enemies, the Negroes. In addition
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 2: to the white krale population, thirty two percent are black
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 2: or colored, using the latter word in its correct signification
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 2: of a mixture of the black and white. This black
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 2: population of Cuba has been as little understood in this
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 2: country as has been the Crele, especially by those who
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 2: have alleged that in case Cuba should gain her freedom,
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 2: the island would become a second Haiti. The black and
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 2: colored people of the island as a class are more
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 2: independent and manly in their bearing than their brethren of
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 2: the United States, having possessed even before slavery was abolished
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 2: on the island the four rights of free marriage, of
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 2: seeking a new master, of their option, of purchasing their
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 2: freedom by labor, and of acquiring property. While the Negro
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 2: shares with the Crele the few local rites possessed by
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 2: any of the inhabitants, their social privileges are greater than here,
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 2: although a strong caste feeling exists. Missagination has also produced
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 2: many mulatos, but race mixture is no more common than
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 2: in this country. The colored people of Cuba belong to
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 2: several distinct classes. The majority of them are descendants of
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 2: slaves imported during the present century, but a large number,
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 2: like the Negroes of Colombia and the Maroons of Jamaica,
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 2: come from a stock, which accompanied the earliest Spanish settlers,
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 2: like esteven the negro who, with the two white companions
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 2: of Cabeza Devaca, first crossed the United States from the
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 2: Gulf of Mexico to California in fifteen twenty eight thirty six.
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 2: The amalgamation of this class in the past century with
• 1:11:49
  Speaker 2: the Spanish stock produced a superior class of free mulatos
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 2: of the Antonio Maseo type, unlike any people in this
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 2: country with which they can be compared. The current expressions
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 2: of fear concerning the future relations of this race in
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 2: Cuba seem inexplicable. The slaves of the South were never
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 2: subjected to a more abject servitude than have been the
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 2: free born whites of Cuba, for they at least were
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 2: protected from arbitrary capital punishment, imprisonment, and deportation without form
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 2: of trial such as that to which all the Cubans
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 2: are still subjected. And the white race of this country
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 2: or any other country, has furnished few more exalted examples
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 2: of patriotism than the mulatos Toussaint L'Ouverture or Antonio Masel.
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 2: The experiences of the past have shown that there is
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 2: no possibility of Cuba becoming Africanized without constant renewal by emigration.
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 2: The five hundred twenty thousand colored people, one half of
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 2: whom are mulatos, represent the diminished survival of over one
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 2: million African slaves that have been imported. The Spaniards had
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 2: the utmost difficulty in acclimatizing and establish this race upon
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 2: the island. While Jamaica and other West India islands are
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 2: a most prolific Negro breeding ground, the race could not
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 2: be made to thrive in Cuba. Those persons who undertake
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 2: to say what the social conditions of Cuba would be
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 2: under independence should look elsewhere than to Haiti for comparison.
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 2: Even where the population of Cuba black as it is not,
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 2: the island of Jamaica would afford a much better contrast.
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 2: This island, only about one tenth the size of Cuba,
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 2: is composed of mountainous lands. Like the least fertile portion
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 2: of Cuba has a population wherein the Blacks outnumber the
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 2: whites forty four to one. Yet under the magnificent influence
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 2: of the English colonial system, its civilization is one of
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 2: which any land might be proud, possessing highways, sanitation and
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 2: other public improvements, even superior to those of our own country,
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 2: and such as have never been permitted by Spain and Cuba.
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 2: Even though qube we should become a second Haiti, which
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 2: it could not. There is some satisfaction in knowing, in
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 2: the light of historic events, that Hati Frie, although still
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 2: groveling in the savagery which it inherited, is better off
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 2: than it would have been had Napoleon succeeded in forcing
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 2: its people back into slavery, as he endeavored to do.
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 2: Another fact which will stand against the Africanizing of Cuba
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 2: is that it is highly probable that nearly one half
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 2: of these five hundred thousand colored people had been destroyed
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 2: during the present insurrection. A large number of them had
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 2: but recently been released from the bonds of slavery, and
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 2: were naturally the poorer class of the island upon which
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 2: the hardships have mostly fallen, being generally the field hands
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 2: in the sugar districts of Habana, Mantanza and Santa Clara.
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 2: With the death rate of the terrible wiler Reco Centramento
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 2: has been greatest. Three hundred thousand of the five hundred
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 2: thousand blacks belonged to these provinces, and of this number
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 2: fully one half have been starved to death. The population
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 2: of Cuba has undergone great modification since the collection of
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 2: the statistics. Given what changes the deplorable conflict is wrought
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 2: can only be surmised beyond doubt. However, the population has
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 2: at least been reduced to a million inhabitants by immigration
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 2: of non combatants, destruction in battle, official deportation of suspects
• 1:15:27
  Speaker 2: and political prisoners, and by the reconcentration. The rural population
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 2: of the four western provinces of Pinar del Rio, Habana, Mantanza,
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 2: Ansanta Clara has been totally obliterated. Estimates of this extermination
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 2: are all more or less conjectural, but the Bishop of
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 2: Habana is authority for the statement that more than four
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 2: hundred thousand people have been buried in the consecrated cemetery.
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 2: The shaded portions of the accompanied diagram show the depopulated
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 2: portion of Cuba. End of section three, Section four of
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 2: the National Geographic Magazine, volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight.
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot Org recording by Lurie Wilson. Cuba, Part
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 2: four are Robert T. Hill Religion and Education. Cuba is
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 2: divided into two dioceses, which are the Archbishopric of Santiago
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 2: de Cuba containing fifty five parishes and the Bishopric of
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 2: Habana containing one hundred forty four parishes. No Cuban born
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 2: priests are found in any church of importance. In the
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 2: Cathedral chapter at Havana there is only one Cuban and
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 2: only two natives have ever obtained any special preferment the
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 2: miter never. The same oppression obtains in the church as
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 2: in the state, the former being used for base ends
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 2: in thousands of instances and against the protests of the
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 2: authorities at Rome. While nominally Catholics and so holding that
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 2: church responsible for what they do, many Spaniards in and
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 2: out of Cuba are very poor Catholics in fact, and
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 2: they do hundreds of things which the church authorities by
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 2: no means approve. For example, the Cuban native who becomes
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 2: a Roman Catholic priest varies about as badly as does
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 2: the Protestant preacher. There is not a perish on the
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 2: whole island that supports an endowed school. Recently, there was
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 2: a crusade against the civil marriage ceremony. The objection came
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 2: because of the loss of fees to the priest. The
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 2: crusade was led by the Spanish born priest who charges
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 2: Cuban's fees twice as high as he does. Parishes are
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 2: farmed out on account of profits, not by the Church
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 2: but by the Spaniards. No priest gets these desirable parishes
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 2: unless he happens to have been born in Spain. It
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 2: is the Spanish blood that contaminates the church, and not
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 2: the Church that does the injury. It is partly the
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 2: Spaniard's acts in introducing abuses into the church that brought
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 2: about the present insurrection. The insurgents are Catholics and love
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 2: their church. The religious condition of the island is as
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 2: bad as the political. Education is still much neglected. The
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 2: chief educational institutions are the Havana University, two professional schools
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 2: with meteorological observatories attached, one agricultural school, and two seminaries.
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 2: There are several private as well as public schools, aggregating
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 2: in all seven hundred and fifty institutions with some thirty
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 2: thousand students and scholars. The Habana University is modeled after
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 2: the Spanish universities, and its curriculum is chiefly devoted to medicine, law, theology,
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 2: and an obsolete system of philosophy. Its entire faculty was
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 2: disposed of by imprisonment and banishment last year. While the
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 2: students have always been looked upon with a suspicion of sedition,
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 2: the public schools are decided a few most of the
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 2: better Cubans patronizing the private institutions. Courts. Cuba has two
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 2: high courts, but the Captain General is above either court,
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 2: as appears from the Royal decree of June ninth, eighteen
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 2: seventy eight, defining his duties and prerogatives. His power not
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 2: only over rules decisions of all the judicial authorities, including
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 2: the justices of the Court of Judicature, but also enables
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 2: him to withhold the execution of any order or resolution
• 1:19:59
  Speaker 2: of the home coming quote, whenever he may deem it
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: best for the public interests unquote administration. Since its discovery,
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 2: Cuba has been a crown colony of Spain, occupying a
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 2: relation to that country so far as the absence of
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 2: local government is concerned. Comparable to that which Alaska occupies
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 2: to this but governed by military instead of civil authority.
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 2: Some of the Spanish islands, like the Canaries and the Bellarics,
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 2: or integral parts of the mother country, having equal rights
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 2: with the people of the peninsula. Cuba, however, has ever
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 2: been treated solely as a subordinate colony. The central and
• 1:20:42
  Speaker 2: absolute authority of the crown has been represented by a
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 2: governor called the Captain General, controlling the land and sea
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 2: forces and residing at Havana, and having the right of
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 2: setting aside all judgments of the local courts. His authority
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 2: has been backed, even in time of peace, by a
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 2: Spanish soldiery larger than the army of the United States,
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 2: and with police powers unknown in this country. In addition
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 2: to the army of soldiers, there is a vast hoarde
• 1:21:11
  Speaker 2: of subordinate officials, all Spaniards, who collect the customs and
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 2: attend to other minor executive duties. The lower classes of
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 2: the Habana mel population, porters, draymen, and clerks, are organized
• 1:21:26
  Speaker 2: into a dangerous and oftentimes uncontrollable military force known as
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 2: the Volunteers, who, while never having been known to take
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 2: the field, are a serious menace to the peace of
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 2: the city, being feared equally by the authorities, over whose
• 1:21:42
  Speaker 2: heads they waive the threat of mutiny, especially upon any
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 2: indication of granting reforms, and by the resident and unarmed Cubans,
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 2: over whom they hold the threat of massacre. Up to date,
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 2: the record of this organized mob has been a series
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 2: of horrible crimes, such as shooting down a crowd of
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 2: peaceable citizens as they emerged from the theater, firing into
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 2: the office and dining room of a hotel, assaulting the
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 2: residences of Cuban gentlemen, and in eighteen seventy one, forcing
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 2: the authorities to execute forty three medical students, all boys
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 2: under twenty, because one of them had been accused of
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 2: scratching the glass plate on a vault containing the remains
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 2: of a volunteer. Fifteen thousand volunteers witnessed with exultation this
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 2: ignoble execution. While the primary functions of the government have
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 2: been to attend to the prerogatives of the crown and
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 2: the collection of revenues, its attention has been largely devoted
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 2: to the personal enrichment of the officials through misfeasans and
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 2: the prevention of the secession of the island it has
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 2: practically ignored the other functions of government, such as the
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 2: collection of statistics, the promotion of education, and the establishment
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 2: of public works and proper public sanitation. Few, if any
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 2: educational institutions have been erected at public expense. No public
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 2: highways have been constructed, nor have any improvements of a
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 2: public character been made outside the city of Abana. Even
• 1:23:17
  Speaker 2: when the Cubans have undertaken such improvements, they have been
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 2: heavily taxed for the benefit of the Spanish officials. The
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 2: administration of Cuba is and has been, since the settlement
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 2: of the island, an absolute military despotism on the part
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 2: of the mother country. At periods depended upon the personality
• 1:23:36
  Speaker 2: of the Captain general. There have been epochs of peace
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 2: and prosperity, but since the middle of the present century
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 2: the island has been in a state of insurrection, dormant
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 2: or eruptive, accompanied by a growing hatred between the governing
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 2: and the governed classes, with constantly increasing restrictions upon the latter.
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 2: At times, the revolting people were reduced to subjection by
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 2: the promises of local self government, which have invariably been
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 2: broken during the present century. The Spanish crown has made
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 2: various pretenses of giving to the inhabitants of the island
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 2: greater political privileges, but all of these, down to the
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 2: latest and present autonomy scheme, had been the merest subterfugis,
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 2: void of the true essence of local self government, with
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 2: a string attachment by which absolute and despotic power remained
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 2: in the hands of the Spanish governor general. Thus it
• 1:24:32
  Speaker 2: was that in February eighteen seventy eight, the Ten Years
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 2: Revolution was ended by general compos Under the stipulations of
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 2: the treaty, the island was allowed to be represented in
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 2: the Spanish courtes by sixteen senators and thirty deputies, but
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 2: restrictions were so thrown around their selection that Cubans were
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 2: practically debarred from participating in the choice of these members,
• 1:24:57
  Speaker 2: notwithstanding that these so called representation natives were utterly powerless
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 2: to press any Cuban measure in the quartas of over
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 2: nine hundred members, or to put it to a vote.
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 2: This military despotism has been accompanied by a system of
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 2: exorbitant taxation such as has never been known elsewhere in
• 1:25:17
  Speaker 2: the world. This has included at times an average of
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 2: forty percent on all imports, in addition to taxes upon
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 2: real estate, the industries, arts, professions, the slaughtering of meats,
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 2: and an odious system of stamp taxes, which even included
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 2: in its far reaching application, the affixing of an impost
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 2: stamp upon every arrival at a hotel. The process of
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 2: possible direct taxation being exhausted, the government even resorted to
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 2: the establishment of the most nefarious and contaminating lottery system,
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 2: which yielded a profit of four million dollars annually. In
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 2: eighteen seventy nine. The total revenue collected was about thirty
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 2: five million dollars or twenty five dollars per capita, all
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 2: of which except ninety eight thousand dollars was spent, mostly
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 2: in the payment of the parasitic horde of intransigent soldiers
• 1:26:11
  Speaker 2: and office holders and the Spanish debt. In addition to
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 2: the legal taxation, the commerce is burdened by a system
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 2: of illegal taxation in the form of bribes, which are
• 1:26:23
  Speaker 2: necessary to the securing of any legal action. Little or
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 2: none of this money was devoted to education, science, public construction,
• 1:26:32
  Speaker 2: harbor improvements, highways, sanitation, or other benevolent purposes, such as
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 2: those to which our free government devotes its per capita
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 2: tax of thirteen dollars and sixty five cents. It is
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 2: also a remarkable fact, notwithstanding the extravagant taxation, that only
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 2: about one billion dollars have been remitted to the mother
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 2: country during the past century, most of the revenue having
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 2: been diverted to maintain the official classes. It is a
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 2: common assertion that, with the exception of Martinez Compels, no
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 2: Captain General has ever returned to Spain after a four
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 2: years intendency, except as a millionaire. Above all the numerous edicts, decrees,
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 2: customs and police regulations, the fundamental law of the island
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 2: is the will of the Captain General, enforced by the
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 2: following decree of May twenty eighth, eighteen twenty five, which
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 2: is still in force. Quote His Majesty the King, our Lord,
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 2: desiring to obviate the inconveniences which might result in extraordinary
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 2: cases from a division of command and from the interference
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 2: of powers and prerogatives of the respective officers, for the
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 2: important end of preserving in that precious island, Cuba is
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 2: legitimate sovereign authority and the public tranquility through proper means.
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 2: Has resolved in accordance with the opinions of His Council
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 2: of Ministers, to give to your Excellency the fullest authority,
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 2: bestowing upon you all the powers which, by the Royal
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 2: Ordinances are granted to the governors of besieged cities. In
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 2: consequence of this, his Majesty gives to your Excellency the
• 1:28:13
  Speaker 2: most ample and unbounded power, not only to send away
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 2: from the island any persons in office, whatever be their occupation, rank, class,
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 2: or condition, whose continuance therein, your Excellency may deem injurious,
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 2: or whose conduct public or private, may alarm you, replacing
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 2: them with persons faithful to His Majesty and deserving of
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 2: all the confidence of your Excellency, But also to suspend
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 2: the execution of any order whatsoever, or any general provision
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 2: made concerning any branch of the Administration, as your Excellency
• 1:28:50
  Speaker 2: may think most suitable to your royal service. Under this law,
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 2: which has been utilized with terrible effect, misfeasans has developed
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 2: beyond description, and freedom has been a mockery year after year.
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 2: The least liberty of thought, or expression of opinion, or
• 1:29:09
  Speaker 2: suspicion of liberal ideas on the part of the individual
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 2: or the press has resulted in imprisonment, death, or deportation. Furthermore,
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 2: the elsewhere obsolete punishment of torture has added horror to
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 2: the cruelty of this edict. In eighteen forty four, over
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 2: three thousand people were executed under this law. During the
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 2: Ten Years War, it is estimated that fully twenty thousand
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 2: people suffered its enforcement. The official records show that four thousand,
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 2: six hundred seventy two people were executed during the first
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 2: half of that war. The first act of the Spaniards
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 2: upon the outbreak of the present revolution was to arrest, imprisoned,
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 2: deport shoot, or otherwise punish every man who has suspected
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 2: a disloyalty. This class also included all who were suspected
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 2: of life ability to become revolutionary sympathizers, such as the
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 2: leading men of the learned professions, doctors, lawyers, editors, and
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 2: the faculty of the university, who during the past three
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 2: years have been imprisoned in the dungeons of Seuta, Africa,
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 2: where seven hundred thirty leading Cuban citizens are now confined,
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 2: or upon the Isle of Pines. Many women were similarly treated.
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 2: This process is still in force Notwithstanding the recent assertion
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 2: that liberal autonomy has been granted to Cuba, the following
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 2: extract from the New York Sun of April fifth, eighteen
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 2: ninety eight, as I write this article, shows that the
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 2: force of this despotic decree has not at all been
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 2: ameliorated by the present farcical autonomous government. Quote. Many arrests
• 1:30:50
  Speaker 2: are being made in the city among members of the
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 2: best families for political causes. Magdalena Pena Redonda, a well
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 2: known Cuban lady, was put in jail well this morning
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 2: upon a charge of conspiracy against the government. Alfredo Herrera,
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 2: a young man of an aristocratic family, was arrested this
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 2: morning in a house in Industria Street, upon a charge
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 2: of rebellion. It is said that he was leading a
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 2: band of insurgents near Havana a few days ago. Bablolrinago,
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 2: Juan Romero, Candido Villa Nueva, and others, all well known persons,
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 2: also have been arrested, charged with conspiracy and rebellion. The
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 2: right of free speech on the part of the individual
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 2: citizen has not only been restricted, but the rigorous press
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 2: Law of eighteen eighty one requires every editor or manager
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 2: of a paper to send duly signed by him, two
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 2: copies of each issue to government headquarters, and two other
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 2: copies to the district Attorney as soon as printed, that
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 2: it may be seen whether any objectionable remarks are contained therein.
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 2: Nearly every public cation in Cuba has been suspended at
• 1:32:02
  Speaker 2: some time or other, and its editor find imprisoned or
• 1:32:06
  Speaker 2: deported to the penal colonies. The American who undertakes to
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 2: investigate the history of the Spanish government in Cuba inevitably
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 2: finds the details too revolting to be described. Greed, injustice, bribery,
• 1:32:21
  Speaker 2: and cruelty have been practiced with such frequency that volumes
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 2: could be filled with their horrible details. Above all these, however,
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 2: stands the fact that Spain has thrice endeavored to wipe out,
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 2: by butchery and starvation, the entire native population. The first
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 2: of these attempts, practiced in former centuries upon the Aborigines,
• 1:32:43
  Speaker 2: was successful. The second attempt was made during the Ten
• 1:32:47
  Speaker 2: Years War by Valamaseeda, who wrote, quote, not a single
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 2: Cuban will remain on this island, because we shoot all
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 2: those we find in the fields, on their farms, and
• 1:32:57
  Speaker 2: in every hovel. We do not leave a creature alive
• 1:33:01
  Speaker 2: where we pass, be it man or animal. If we
• 1:33:05
  Speaker 2: find cows, we kill them, If horses ditto, if hogs ditto,
• 1:33:10
  Speaker 2: Men and women or children ditto. As to the houses,
• 1:33:15
  Speaker 2: we burn them. So everyone receives what he deserves, the
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 2: men with bullets, the animals with bayonet. The island will
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 2: remain a desert. The intentions of this officer were only
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 2: foiled by the arousal of foreign public sentiment against him,
• 1:33:32
  Speaker 2: and his replacement by the humane General compos who tried
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 2: to restore peace. The third attempt at extermination, a matter
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 2: of present history, was made by Wyler, who expressed sentiments
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 2: as ferocious as those of Alla Maceda. How successfully Wyler's
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 2: policy has been partly carried out can be answered by
• 1:33:52
  Speaker 2: the graves of a fourth of the population, which have
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 2: been recently filled with starved or assassinated victims of his cruelty.
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 2: Had not this government raised its voice and demanded his recall,
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 2: the sole remnant of the Cuban people would now have
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 2: consisted of the soldiers of Gomez. We have now given
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 2: in brief the geography, resources, and political conditions of this island.
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 2: In all history, no other country has presented such an
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 2: unfortunate exhibition of misgovernment. Perhaps ere this article reaches the reader.
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 2: The Greek government, which stands for the highest type of humanity,
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 2: and whose every interest, commercial, hygienic and strategic calls for
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 2: a cessation of Spanish misrule, will have made its influence
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 2: felt and established a permanent peace upon the island. Supplemental
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 2: note on the Isle of Pines. The principle of the
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 2: outlying islands considered geographically as a part of Cuba is
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 2: the Isle of Pines, which is situated about thirty eight
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 2: miles south of the coast of Binhard del Rio. This
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 2: is the only one of the adjacent islands which is
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 2: not merely an elevated reef or mangrove swamp, and which
• 1:35:06
  Speaker 2: has a geological structure and configuration comparable to the mainland.
• 1:35:11
  Speaker 2: Its area of one thousand, two hundred fourteen square miles
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 2: is almost equal to the combined area of the other
• 1:35:18
  Speaker 2: one thousand, three hundred islands and islets. The island is
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 2: circular in outline and almost divided by a bayou or
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 2: salty depression into two divisions, the southernmost of which is
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 2: a vast sia andega or swamp, occupied only by a
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 2: few fishermen. The main portion of the island is diversified,
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 2: being dominated by a central ridge of low mountains extending
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 2: from east to west, rising to two thousand feet above
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 2: the sea. Elsewhere the island is quite flat, consisting of
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 2: land which represents a coraline plain recently reclaimed from the sea.
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 2: Steamers from Batabano run to Santa Fe and Nueva Herona.
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 2: The latter place is a very small town at the
• 1:36:01
  Speaker 2: foot of the hills, with plains of palm trees in
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 2: its neighborhood, the town itself being on the Rio de
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 2: Serre de Casa, some distance from its mouth. Santa Fe,
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 2: which is the prominent place of resort for travelers, is
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 2: of itself a miserable congregation of houses on the banks
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 2: of the river of the same name, some distance from
• 1:36:22
  Speaker 2: its mouth, and also some distance from the steamboat landing.
• 1:36:27
  Speaker 2: This landing is a rough wooden wharf from which carriages
• 1:36:30
  Speaker 2: and stages ply to Santa Fe. Immediately in the neighborhood
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 2: of Santa Fe, there are beautiful drives and walks some
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 2: distance back, where the country is more rolling and even hilly.
• 1:36:42
  Speaker 2: The climate of the Isle of Pines is delightful the
• 1:36:46
  Speaker 2: air is pure, dry and balmy, and the winds coming
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 2: from the sea passing over pine forest are gentle and invigorating.
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 2: The inhabitants of the island are a very simple, kind
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 2: hearted set of people, and very fond of a strangers.
• 1:37:01
  Speaker 2: They have a natural dignity of matter, a courteously hospitable way,
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 2: as also a degree of freshness and innocence. For many years,
• 1:37:10
  Speaker 2: a large penal colony has been maintained on the island,
• 1:37:13
  Speaker 2: consisting mostly of Cuban revolutionists.
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 3: In this section four, Section five of the National Geographic Magazine,
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 3: Volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 3: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:37:36
  Speaker 3: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 3: Florida Coastline Canal, which has been under construction since eighteen
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 3: eighty nine, is now completed from Mosquito Inlet to Miami.
• 1:37:49
  Speaker 3: Boats of five feet draft traverse semi weekly. The entire
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 3: distance from Titusville on the Indian River through Lake Worth
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 3: to Palm Beach. Three shortcuts complete the canal, two between
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 3: Matanzas and Tomoka, and one uniting North River with Pablo Creek. Eventually,
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 3: the canal will connect the Saint John River with Biscayne Bay,
• 1:38:09
  Speaker 3: rendering possible an inland passage along the Atlantic Coast from
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 3: Long Island Sound to Key West. End of section five,
• 1:38:24
  Speaker 3: Section six of the National Geographic Magazine, Volume nine, May
• 1:38:29
  Speaker 3: eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 1:38:33
  Speaker 3: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 3: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Origin of
• 1:38:42
  Speaker 3: West India BirdLife by Frank M. Chapman, American Museum of
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 3: Natural History, New York. A study of the origin of
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 3: the life of any given area involves so extensive a
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 3: knowledge of the factors governing the distribution of life that
• 1:38:59
  Speaker 3: the ideal theory of the derivation of the fauna of
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 3: a region should be based on the detailed reports of
• 1:39:05
  Speaker 3: a corps of specialists, each one of whom should state,
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 3: without bias, the facts in the cases they have been
• 1:39:11
  Speaker 3: determined in his particular subject. Thus, before attempting to account
• 1:39:16
  Speaker 3: for the origin of life in the West India Islands,
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 3: we should receive such reports from the geologist, hydrographer, climatologist, paleontologist, zoologist,
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 3: and botanist, and no theory can be satisfactory which does
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 3: not consider the data presented by these specialists. Acting on
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 3: this principle, I offer the following synopsis of studies of
• 1:39:37
  Speaker 3: West India bird life made during the past ten years,
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 3: the detailed results of which will be found in earlier papers.
• 1:39:44
  Speaker 3: My remarks may be prefaced by the statement that, so
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 3: far as its distribution is concerned, our knowledge of the
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 3: resident bird life of the West Indies is essentially complete.
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 3: Haiti and San Domingo may hold some ornithological secrets, but
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 3: our record ordered information is not likely to receive any
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 3: material accessions, a condition of affairs for which we have
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 3: largely to thank mister C. B. Corry, who has sent
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 3: collectors to every West India island and published numerous reports
• 1:40:13
  Speaker 3: on the results of their work. Of the five hundred
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 3: eighty or more birds which have now been recorded from
• 1:40:19
  Speaker 3: the West Indies, no fewer than some three hundred and
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 3: five are endemic. The remaining two hundred seventy five are
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 3: species of general continental or tropical distribution, or those of
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 3: the surrounding mainland, about one hundred seventy being migrants from
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 3: eastern North America which occur in the West Indies as
• 1:40:37
  Speaker 3: winter residents or as transient visitants. Of the three hundred
• 1:40:41
  Speaker 3: and five endemic species, two hundred ninety three are land birds,
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 3: ninety percent of the resident land birds being therefore endemic.
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 3: Truly a surprising degree of specialization when we consider how
• 1:40:53
  Speaker 3: near several of the islands are to the mainland. One
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 3: family to today and thirty eight genera are peculiar. The
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 3: latter are represented by ninety six species, leaving two hundred
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 3: and nine species belonging to the genera of North, South
• 1:41:09
  Speaker 3: or Central America. But for the most part they have
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 3: no near mainland allies, and in comparatively few cases can
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 3: we point with probable exactness to their continental ancestors. In
• 1:41:21
  Speaker 3: other words, taken as a whole, the endemic birds of
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 3: the West Indies are widely differentiated from their parent stock.
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 3: Considering now the faunal relationships of the island's intrisee, we
• 1:41:34
  Speaker 3: find at once that they can be divided into the
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 3: two groups of physical geographers, the greater and the lesser Antilles,
• 1:41:42
  Speaker 3: with the former belong the Virgin Islands and Saint Croix,
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 3: with the latter Sombrero, Anguilla and the other islands east
• 1:41:49
  Speaker 3: of the Anagata Channel and southward II and including Granada.
• 1:41:54
  Speaker 3: While some genera, for example Myadestes and Quiscalis, are represented
• 1:41:59
  Speaker 3: by more or less closely allied species in both the
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 3: Greater and Lesser Antilles, and while certain species characteristic of
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 3: each group, for example margaropes Beolona and Mimisichula intrude to
• 1:42:12
  Speaker 3: some extent into the other, their avifaune are quite unlike
• 1:42:17
  Speaker 3: the more distinct West Indian species, are found only in
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 3: the Greater Antilles. Thus, the Totadae are represented in each
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 3: of the larger islands of the Greater Antilles, but are
• 1:42:27
  Speaker 3: known in the Lesser Antilles. In short, the relationships of
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 3: the avifauna of these two groups are quite in accord
• 1:42:34
  Speaker 3: with mister Agassi's statement that the Windward islands were probably
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 3: raised long after the range of the greater West Indian
• 1:42:42
  Speaker 3: Islands existed. Some one hundred and eight resident land birds
• 1:42:46
  Speaker 3: have been found in the Lesser Antilles. Sixteen of these
• 1:42:49
  Speaker 3: are South American, of which thirteen occur in the Lesser
• 1:42:52
  Speaker 3: but not the Greater Antilles, and fourteen are West Indian
• 1:42:55
  Speaker 3: species which occur in both the Greater and the Lesser Antilles.
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 3: Are peculiar, whereas in the Greater Antilles twenty four genera
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 3: are peculiar. These eight genera contains seventeen species upon whose
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 3: origin we can only speculate. Subtracting them from the eighty
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 3: one endemic land birds, we have left sixty four species,
• 1:43:15
  Speaker 3: which may be grouped according to their apparent relationships, as
• 1:43:18
  Speaker 3: follows Tropical twenty two, South American nineteen, West Indian twenty three.
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 3: The South American element here shown to be present in
• 1:43:29
  Speaker 3: the Lesser Antilles at once suggests the possibility of a
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 3: former land connection between these islands and the continent. And
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 3: without pausing to inquire into minor questions, let us at
• 1:43:40
  Speaker 3: once proceed to Grenada, the last island of the group,
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 3: in order to learn to what extent its avafauna has
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 3: been influenced by its proximity to the mainland, and especially
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 3: to the continental island of Trinidad. Some one hundred and
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 3: ninety five resident South American land birds are known from Trinidad.
• 1:43:58
  Speaker 3: Of this number, no fewer than sin sixty five have
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 3: been found in Tobago, which was evidently at one time
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 3: connected with Trinidad, but only sixteen have been recorded from Grenada.
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 3: In Trinidad. These birds represent thirty families in Tobago twenty
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 3: five and in Grenada but eleven and these eleven birds
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 3: with one or two exceptions, are members of families having
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 3: wide distribution and extended powers of flight so far as
• 1:44:24
  Speaker 3: their avifauna is concerned. Therefore, there has been apparently no
• 1:44:27
  Speaker 3: connection between the Lesser Antilles and the mainland, and we
• 1:44:31
  Speaker 3: may regard these islands as zoological dependencies of both South
• 1:44:35
  Speaker 3: America and the Greater Antilles, from which, through more or
• 1:44:39
  Speaker 3: less virtuous circumstances, their avifauna has been derived. Turning now
• 1:44:44
  Speaker 3: to the Greater Antilles, we may at once dispose of
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 3: the Bahamas as oceanic islands of more recent formation than
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 3: any of the larger islands or mainland adjacent to them,
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 3: from which they have evidently received their life. Only one
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 3: genus is peculiar, and with the exception of its single species,
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 3: the ancestry of the twenty five forms peculiar to the
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 3: Bahamas can be traced with more or less certainty Cuba,
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 3: furnishing the greater number of parent forms. The Caymans, about
• 1:45:14
  Speaker 3: one hundred seventy five miles south of Cuba and two
• 1:45:17
  Speaker 3: hundred miles west of Jamaica present an apparently similar case.
• 1:45:22
  Speaker 3: Most of the fifteen forms peculiar to them being closely
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 3: related to Cuban or Jamaican species. We have left now
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 3: the four larger islands of the Greater Antilles, from which
• 1:45:33
  Speaker 3: one hundred seventy four of the three hundred three peculiar
• 1:45:37
  Speaker 3: West Indian birds have been recorded. They are distributed as
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 3: follows Jamaica sixty six, of which forty two are endemic,
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 3: Cuba sixty eight, of which forty five are endemic, Haiti
• 1:45:50
  Speaker 3: and San Domingo fifty six, of which thirty four are endemic,
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 3: Porto Rico forty six, of which twenty five are endemic.
• 1:46:00
  Speaker 3: As I remarked in the paper on the Origin of
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 3: West Indian bird life previously referred to quote, it will
• 1:46:07
  Speaker 3: be observed that although Jamaica is but little larger than
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 3: Porto Rico and is more isolated from neighboring regions than
• 1:46:14
  Speaker 3: any island of the group, it is nearly as rich
• 1:46:17
  Speaker 3: an endemic species and has one more peculiar genus than Cuba.
• 1:46:22
  Speaker 3: The latter island is not only ten times as large
• 1:46:25
  Speaker 3: as Jamaica, but its proximity to Florida has given it
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 3: at least four forms which have evidently been derived from
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 3: Florida species. Haiti and San Domingo, although about seven times
• 1:46:37
  Speaker 3: as large as Jamaica, have eight endemic species less, while
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 3: Porto Rico, nearly as large as Jamaica and favorably situated
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 3: for the reception of lesser Antilian species, has seventeen endemic species,
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 3: less than Jamaica, and but one genus. Is peculiar to
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 3: the island.
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 1: Quote.
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 3: It is evident that, as Wallace has said, the islands
• 1:46:58
  Speaker 3: were not peopled by a migration from surrounding countries while
• 1:47:01
  Speaker 3: in the condition we now see them. For in that case,
• 1:47:04
  Speaker 3: the smaller and more remote islands would be very much poorer,
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 3: while Cuba, which is not only the largest but nearest
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 3: to the mainland in two directions, would be immensely richer,
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 3: just as it really is in migratory birds. These facts
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 3: in distribution and a study of hydrographic charts give us
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 3: some suggestive evidence in regard to a past land connection
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 3: between the West Indies and the mainland. Thus we discover
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 3: that an elevation of only one hundred fathoms would leave
• 1:47:34
  Speaker 3: but two channels, the wider seventy five miles across between
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 3: Jamaica and the Honduras coast. Wallace, in theory, completely bridged
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 3: this gap, connected Cuba with Yucatan and filled the sea,
• 1:47:46
  Speaker 3: thus enclosed with land to which Sclater gave the name Prayantelsia.
• 1:47:51
  Speaker 3: But as mister Agazi's has remarked, the deep soundings over
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 3: three thousand fathoms developed by the blake south of Cuba
• 1:47:59
  Speaker 3: between that eye island and Yucatan and Jamaica do not
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 3: lend much support to the theory of an Antillian continent
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 3: as mapped out by Wallace, Nor is it probable that
• 1:48:08
  Speaker 3: this continent had a much greater extension in former times
• 1:48:11
  Speaker 3: than now, judging from the depths found on both sides
• 1:48:14
  Speaker 3: of the West Indian Islands. While the disproportionately rich avafauna
• 1:48:19
  Speaker 3: of Jamaica and the shallow sea between this island and
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 3: the mainland suggests the possibility of a continental land connection
• 1:48:25
  Speaker 3: at this point, the absence of representatives of certain families
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 3: of birds from the Greater Antilles is opposed to the
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 3: theory of this connection ever having been complete. Thus, with
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 3: the exception of Hydrostomus nagere in Jamaica and Colonius Virginianis,
• 1:48:40
  Speaker 3: Cubaninsus in Cuba. The following twelve families of Mexican and
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 3: Central American birds are without representatives in the Greater Antilles Droglodididae, Pipridae, Cotingidae, Dendrocollaptidae, Formicaridae, Galbuliday,
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 3: Momo today Ramphaestaday, Krakaday, Tetroniday Tenamiday, in his list of
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 3: the birds of Costa Rica Zelodon, records no less than
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 3: one hundred forty species of birds belonging to these families,
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 3: and their non representation in the West Indies is a
• 1:49:19
  Speaker 3: fact which cannot be ignored. Especially does their absence become
• 1:49:24
  Speaker 3: significant when we consider that, with few exceptions, they are
• 1:49:27
  Speaker 3: birds of terrestrial or sedentary habits, which we should not
• 1:49:31
  Speaker 3: therefore expect to find on oceanic islands. Although in previous
• 1:49:36
  Speaker 3: papers I have proceeded to theorize on the facts here presented,
• 1:49:39
  Speaker 3: I shall, on this occasion adhere to the suggestion made
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 3: in my opening sentence, and with this presentation of the
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 3: more important results derived from a study of West India
• 1:49:49
  Speaker 3: bird life, leave the larger questions involved until we are
• 1:49:52
  Speaker 3: in possession of the reports of other specialists end of
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 3: section six.
• 1:50:04
  Speaker 4: Section seven of the National Geographic Magazine, volume nine, May
• 1:50:10
  Speaker 4: eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 4: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 4: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Asha.
• 1:50:26
  Speaker 4: Trade of the United States with Cuba by John Hyde.
• 1:50:31
  Speaker 4: The trade of the United States with Cuba reached its
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 4: high watermark in eighteen ninety two to eighteen ninety three,
• 1:50:38
  Speaker 4: when it amounted to one hundred two million, eight hundred
• 1:50:41
  Speaker 4: sixty four thousand, two hundred four dollars, the ratio of
• 1:50:46
  Speaker 4: imports to exports being approximately as ten to three. This
• 1:50:51
  Speaker 4: total was almost equal to that of our entire Asiatic trade,
• 1:50:56
  Speaker 4: was nearly four times that of our trade with China
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 4: or Jiapan, and thirteen times that of our trade with Russia,
• 1:51:04
  Speaker 4: while it even exceeded the grand total of that with Austria, Hungary, Russia,
• 1:51:09
  Speaker 4: Sweden and Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal combined.
• 1:51:17
  Speaker 4: Nor does this contrast derive its strength mainly from the
• 1:51:21
  Speaker 4: largeness of the imports. The exports themselves, products of our
• 1:51:25
  Speaker 4: own country were nearly twice as great in point of value,
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 4: as our exports to Italy over three times as great
• 1:51:33
  Speaker 4: as those that China and Japan combined, nearly six times
• 1:51:37
  Speaker 4: as great as those who Sweden and Norway, and over
• 1:51:39
  Speaker 4: ten times as great as those to Russia. They amounted
• 1:51:43
  Speaker 4: to almost half as much again as our total exports
• 1:51:47
  Speaker 4: to Asia, and even exceeded our total exports to South
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 4: America exclusive of Brazil. So much for the aggregates, What
• 1:51:55
  Speaker 4: of the different items of which it is composed, These
• 1:51:58
  Speaker 4: may be considered in detail if presented in tabular form,
• 1:52:02
  Speaker 4: and the accompanying tables will accordingly show the principal imports
• 1:52:07
  Speaker 4: into the United States from Cuba and the principal exports
• 1:52:10
  Speaker 4: of domestic merchandise from the United States to that island
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 4: for the ten years ending June thirtieth, eighteen ninety seven.
• 1:52:18
  Speaker 4: The principal article imported is sugar, the largest importation of
• 1:52:23
  Speaker 4: which was in the fiscal year eighteen ninety three to
• 1:52:26
  Speaker 4: eighteen ninety four, when it amounted to nine hundred forty
• 1:52:30
  Speaker 4: nine thousand, seven hundred seventy eight tons of two thousand,
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 4: two hundred forty pounds, or over one million tons of
• 1:52:37
  Speaker 4: two thousand pounds. This was equivalent to thirty pounds or
• 1:52:42
  Speaker 4: more per capita of our population and constituted about one
• 1:52:46
  Speaker 4: half of our total consumption. The next item in importance
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 4: is tobacco, the imports of which reached their highest figures
• 1:52:55
  Speaker 4: in eighteen ninety five to eighteen ninety six, when the
• 1:52:58
  Speaker 4: amounted in point of value to considerably more than one
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 4: third of the total value of our own tobacco crop.
• 1:53:06
  Speaker 4: The only other class of imports that calls for special
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 4: mention consists of fruit and vegetables, which had a value
• 1:53:13
  Speaker 4: in eighteen ninety two to eighteen ninety three of nearly
• 1:53:16
  Speaker 4: two and one half million dollars. The principal articles of
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 4: export are as will be seen from the table, meats, breadstuffs,
• 1:53:25
  Speaker 4: and manufactured goods, The trade in all of which articles
• 1:53:28
  Speaker 4: was rapidly, assuming very large dimensions at the outbreak of
• 1:53:31
  Speaker 4: the insurrection. Coal, coke and oils were also exported in
• 1:53:37
  Speaker 4: considerable quantities. Indeed, so diversified were our exports that there
• 1:53:42
  Speaker 4: is no considerable section of the entire country that was
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 4: not to a greater or less degree benefited by the
• 1:53:48
  Speaker 4: market for our agricultural, mineral, and manufactured products that existed
• 1:53:53
  Speaker 4: in Cuba between eighteen ninety three to eighteen ninety four
• 1:53:58
  Speaker 4: and eighteen ninety six to eighteen ninety seven, However, our
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 4: imports from Cuba suffered a decline of seventy five point
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 4: seven percent in our exports to the island, a decline
• 1:54:09
  Speaker 4: of sixty one point seven percent, the imports being reduced
• 1:54:13
  Speaker 4: to less than one fourth and the exports to little
• 1:54:16
  Speaker 4: more than one third of their previous volume. During the
• 1:54:19
  Speaker 4: first year of the insurrection, our trade fell off over
• 1:54:22
  Speaker 4: thirty million dollars, during the second year of further sum
• 1:54:26
  Speaker 4: of eighteen million dollars, and during the third year a
• 1:54:29
  Speaker 4: still further sum of twenty one million dollars, making a
• 1:54:33
  Speaker 4: total decline of sixty nine million dollars in the annual
• 1:54:38
  Speaker 4: value of our foreign trade, and of a branch of it, moreover,
• 1:54:42
  Speaker 4: that is carried almost entirely in American bottoms. Is it
• 1:54:46
  Speaker 4: any wonder that, entirely, aside from the humanitarian considerations that
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 4: have prompted the United States Government to seek to put
• 1:54:52
  Speaker 4: an end to the unfortunate conditions so long prevailing in
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 4: the island, some justification for such intervention should have been
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 4: found in the well nigh total paralysis of our commercial
• 1:55:04
  Speaker 4: relations with that once extensive and profitable market. End of
• 1:55:10
  Speaker 4: section seven.
• 1:55:12
  Speaker 5: Recording by Asha, Section eight of the National Geographic Magazine,
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 5: Volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 5: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:55:32
  Speaker 5: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Captain
• 1:55:39
  Speaker 5: Charles D. Sigsby, USN by Henry Ginnett. Captain Charles Dwight Sigsby, USN,
• 1:55:49
  Speaker 5: whose portrait forms the frontispiece of this number of the magazine,
• 1:55:52
  Speaker 5: was born July sixteenth, eighteen forty five, in New York.
• 1:55:57
  Speaker 5: He graduated from the Naval Academy in eighteen six sixty
• 1:56:00
  Speaker 5: three and served throughout the Civil War. Was on board
• 1:56:03
  Speaker 5: the Monongahela at the Battle of Mobile Bay and in
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 5: the Fort Fisherfights. In eighteen sixty eight, he was made
• 1:56:11
  Speaker 5: a lieutenant commander. In eighteen seventy four he was placed
• 1:56:15
  Speaker 5: in command of the Blake, and during the succeeding four
• 1:56:18
  Speaker 5: years was engaged in deep sea exploration in the Gulf
• 1:56:22
  Speaker 5: of Mexico and the Gulf of Maine. During part of
• 1:56:25
  Speaker 5: this time, Professor Alexander Agassi was upon the Blake, directing
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 5: the deep sea dredgings. Almost immediately after taking command of
• 1:56:33
  Speaker 5: the Blake, Sigsby instituted improvements in instruments for deep sea
• 1:56:37
  Speaker 5: sounding and virtually designed a new machine for that purpose,
• 1:56:40
  Speaker 5: which has since been adopted all over the world. The
• 1:56:44
  Speaker 5: results of the deep sea soundings made by the Blake
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 5: under his command were published as an appendix to the
• 1:56:50
  Speaker 5: Report of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for
• 1:56:53
  Speaker 5: eighteen eighty under the title deep Sea Sounding and Dredging,
• 1:56:57
  Speaker 5: A description and discussion of the methods and appliances used
• 1:57:01
  Speaker 5: on board the Coast and Geodetic Survey Steamer Blake. This
• 1:57:05
  Speaker 5: work has proved valuable in many ways, especially with reference
• 1:57:08
  Speaker 5: to the intricate problems involved in the study of the
• 1:57:11
  Speaker 5: Gulf Stream. The report is a comprehensive and standard treatise
• 1:57:15
  Speaker 5: on deep sea exploration. For several years prior to taking
• 1:57:20
  Speaker 5: command of the Main, Captain Sigsby was hydrographer of the
• 1:57:23
  Speaker 5: Navy Department. While thus in charge of the Hydrographic Office,
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 5: he developed many improvements tending to simplify and strengthen the
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 5: data and material furnished the marine from both the practical
• 1:57:35
  Speaker 5: and scientific sides. During his detail in charge of the
• 1:57:39
  Speaker 5: Hydrographic Office. Captain Sigsby was a member of the U
• 1:57:42
  Speaker 5: S Board on Geographic Names. Captain Sigsby's contributions to our
• 1:57:47
  Speaker 5: knowledge of the sea bottom and its topography place him
• 1:57:51
  Speaker 5: in the front rank of scientific hydrographers. As a naval
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 5: officer and an American. The events of the past two
• 1:57:58
  Speaker 5: months have shown what manner of man he is. End
• 1:58:03
  Speaker 5: of section eight Section nine of the National Geographic Magazine,
• 1:58:13
  Speaker 5: Volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:58:19
  Speaker 5: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:58:23
  Speaker 5: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Reception
• 1:58:31
  Speaker 5: to Captain Charles D. Sigsby US N by John Hyde.
• 1:58:37
  Speaker 5: Not only has the name of Captain Charles D. Sigsby
• 1:58:40
  Speaker 5: become a household word throughout the length and breadth of
• 1:58:43
  Speaker 5: the United States is that of the gallant commander of
• 1:58:47
  Speaker 5: the ill fated Battleship Maine, but Captain Sigsby himself, by
• 1:58:51
  Speaker 5: the admirable self restraint and judicial temper which he displayed
• 1:58:55
  Speaker 5: in the most trying of all conceivable circumstances, has won
• 1:58:59
  Speaker 5: golden opinions from all sorts of people. In addition, however,
• 1:59:04
  Speaker 5: to being a brave officer, a true patriot, and a
• 1:59:07
  Speaker 5: just man, he has distinguished himself, as shown in the
• 1:59:11
  Speaker 5: preceding article, by his valuable contributions to hydrographic science. So
• 1:59:16
  Speaker 5: much so, indeed, that his position in the scientific circles
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 5: of the National capital is as well recognized and assured
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 5: as his standing as a naval officer. It was eminently fitting, therefore,
• 1:59:29
  Speaker 5: that the National Geographic Society, of which Captain Sigsby has
• 1:59:33
  Speaker 5: long been an active member, should take advantage of his
• 1:59:36
  Speaker 5: recent return to Washington to do him honor. Immediately on
• 1:59:41
  Speaker 5: his arrival, the following letter was addressed to him by
• 1:59:44
  Speaker 5: President Alexander Graham Bell, Washington, d C. March thirtieth, eighteen
• 1:59:51
  Speaker 5: ninety eight. Captain Charles D. Sigsby, us N, Washington.
• 1:59:56
  Speaker 4: D C.
• 1:59:57
  Speaker 5: My dear sir, you have earned the gratitude of America
• 2:00:02
  Speaker 5: by your noble conduct in a great and terrible emergency.
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 5: When your prompt, energetic, and wise action held in check
• 2:00:10
  Speaker 5: the popular excitement which threatened to precipitate war between friendly nations.
• 2:00:16
  Speaker 5: The citizens of Washington are one and all anxious to
• 2:00:20
  Speaker 5: greet the brave commander of the main you are, fellow
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 5: members of the National Geographic Society, especially to whom you
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 5: have so long been known as a scientific hydrographer, desire
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 5: to grasp you by the hand and welcome you back
• 2:00:34
  Speaker 5: to the city once more. On behalf of the National
• 2:00:37
  Speaker 5: Geographic Society, allow me to tender you a reception to
• 2:00:41
  Speaker 5: be held in the parlors of the Arlington Hotel on
• 2:00:45
  Speaker 5: Saturday evening, April second, from nine to eleven o'clock. I
• 2:00:50
  Speaker 5: am my dear sir, yours respectfully, Alexander Graham Bell, President
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 5: National Geographic Society. To this invitation, Captain Sigsby responded as follows, Washington,
• 2:01:06
  Speaker 5: d C. March thirtieth, eighteen ninety eight. Professor Alexander Graham Bell,
• 2:01:13
  Speaker 5: President National Geographic Society, Washington, d C. My dear Sir,
• 2:01:19
  Speaker 5: in acknowledging the receipt of your letter to day, wherein
• 2:01:22
  Speaker 5: the members of the National Geographic Society tender me a
• 2:01:26
  Speaker 5: reception on Saturday to meet my associates of the Society
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 5: as well as other residents of Washington. I beg to
• 2:01:33
  Speaker 5: thank you sincerely for the kind sentiments which you express
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 5: the honor which the Society proposes for me. I accept
• 2:01:41
  Speaker 5: most gratefully, not alone for the good will towards myself,
• 2:01:45
  Speaker 5: but also because the occasion will reflect honor on those
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 5: who served with me on board the Main at Havana.
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 5: To come out of so great a disaster with honor,
• 2:01:55
  Speaker 5: and to have the fact confirmed in so positive a manner,
• 2:01:59
  Speaker 5: is a satisfaction that lies nearest the heart of every
• 2:02:02
  Speaker 5: survivor of the Main. With full appreciation of your offer,
• 2:02:07
  Speaker 5: which please express to the Society, I am yours, most
• 2:02:11
  Speaker 5: sincerely and most respectfully, C. D. Sigsby, Captain U. S. Navy.
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 5: Three days later, namely on the evening of Saturday, April second,
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 5: the parlours of the Arlington Hotel were crowded with one
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 5: of the most brilliant and distinguished assemblages ever brought together
• 2:02:31
  Speaker 5: in the national capital. The President of the United States,
• 2:02:35
  Speaker 5: the Vice President, and Missus Hobart at an exceptionally large
• 2:02:39
  Speaker 5: gathering of statesmen, diplomatists, scientists, military and naval officers of
• 2:02:44
  Speaker 5: high rank, and other distinguished persons, to the number of
• 2:02:48
  Speaker 5: one thousand, six hundred uniting to do honor to the
• 2:02:51
  Speaker 5: Society's guest, to whom each of them was presented by
• 2:02:55
  Speaker 5: President Bell. Rarely has a purely scientific society, formed a
• 2:03:00
  Speaker 5: function so entirely on rapport with public sentiment, and been
• 2:03:04
  Speaker 5: so truly national in any of its doings. Everything conspired
• 2:03:08
  Speaker 5: to give a national character to the occasion, in addition
• 2:03:12
  Speaker 5: to the attendance of the Chief Magistrate of the Nation,
• 2:03:15
  Speaker 5: and of a gathering in which few states of the
• 2:03:17
  Speaker 5: Union and few departments of the national life were not
• 2:03:20
  Speaker 5: specially represented, a guard of honour was furnished by the U. S.
• 2:03:24
  Speaker 5: Marine Corps, whose band, stationed in the ballroom performed a
• 2:03:28
  Speaker 5: selection of patriotic music under special orders from the Secretary
• 2:03:32
  Speaker 5: of the Navy, while the brilliant salons set apart for
• 2:03:35
  Speaker 5: the occasion were decorated with the handsomest national flags and
• 2:03:40
  Speaker 5: emblems the resources of the government could furnish. End of
• 2:03:45
  Speaker 5: Section nine.
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 6: Section ten of the National Geographic Magazine, Volume nine, May
• 2:03:58
  Speaker 6: eighteen ninety eight. This a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 6: are in the public domain. Recording by Betty B. Geographic Literature,
• 2:04:09
  Speaker 6: Rand McNally War Atlas with marginal index, Pages sixteen, Chicago
• 2:04:15
  Speaker 6: and New York, Rand McNally and Company, eighteen ninety eight,
• 2:04:19
  Speaker 6: twenty five cents. Bulletin of the Department of Labor, Number
• 2:04:24
  Speaker 6: sixteen May eighteen ninety eight, pages two hundred sixteen, Washington,
• 2:04:30
  Speaker 6: eighteen ninety eight. Statistical Abstract of the United States eighteen
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 6: ninety seven, twentieth number prepared by the Bureau of Statistics,
• 2:04:39
  Speaker 6: Treasury Department, pages Roman Numeral seven plus four hundred twelve, Washington,
• 2:04:46
  Speaker 6: eighteen ninety eight. It was surely a happy thought on
• 2:04:50
  Speaker 6: the part of Rand McNally and Company to select from
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 6: one of their high price to atlases a series of
• 2:04:57
  Speaker 6: maps of those portions of the world to in which
• 2:05:00
  Speaker 6: public attention is being directed in connection with the war
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 6: with Spain, and to place them within the reach of
• 2:05:06
  Speaker 6: everyone by binding them up together for sale at twenty
• 2:05:10
  Speaker 6: five cents. The atlas is everything that can be desired
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 6: in its way. It is marvelously cheap and cannot fail
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 6: to have an enormous sale. The May bulletin of the
• 2:05:22
  Speaker 6: Department of Labour is largely devoted to a report on
• 2:05:25
  Speaker 6: the Alaskan goldfields and the opportunities they offer for capital
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 6: and labour, by mister Sam C. Dunham, a special agent
• 2:05:34
  Speaker 6: who was sent out to the Klondike by the Commissioner
• 2:05:37
  Speaker 6: of Labour in July last. The report is accompanied by
• 2:05:42
  Speaker 6: maps and illustrations, and contains much valuable information. While written
• 2:05:48
  Speaker 6: in a becomingly dignified style, it is occasionally enlivened by
• 2:05:52
  Speaker 6: a vein of quiet humour, which adds greatly to its readability.
• 2:05:57
  Speaker 6: Good examples of this are found in the statement if
• 2:06:00
  Speaker 6: a visitor to the Gulches prefers to ride, he can
• 2:06:04
  Speaker 6: secure a saddle horse in Dawson for sixty dollars a day,
• 2:06:08
  Speaker 6: and in the author's description of the proceedings of the
• 2:06:11
  Speaker 6: improvised courts. The creation of a justice loving community that
• 2:06:16
  Speaker 6: has no regularly constituted judicial system or officers of the law.
• 2:06:23
  Speaker 6: As a compendium of information relative to the population, finance, commerce, agriculture, mining,
• 2:06:31
  Speaker 6: railroads and telegraphs, immigration, education, public lands, pensions, postal service,
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 6: prices of commodities, shipping, et cetera. Of the United States,
• 2:06:43
  Speaker 6: the statistical Abstract has become an absolute necessity, not only
• 2:06:48
  Speaker 6: to all economic writers and students, but to everyone who
• 2:06:51
  Speaker 6: would keep abreast of the growth of our institutions and
• 2:06:55
  Speaker 6: the development of our resources as a nation. The abstract
• 2:06:59
  Speaker 6: has been almost completely transformed under the direction of mister
• 2:07:03
  Speaker 6: Worthington C. Ford, and it is not easy to see
• 2:07:06
  Speaker 6: how it could be made more useful, except by increasing
• 2:07:10
  Speaker 6: its circulation. Jh ninth Annual Report on the Statistics of
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 6: Railways in the United States for the year ending June thirtieth,
• 2:07:21
  Speaker 6: eighteen ninety six, prepared by the Statistician to the Interstate
• 2:07:25
  Speaker 6: Commerce Commission, Pages seven hundred nine and Map Washington, eighteen
• 2:07:31
  Speaker 6: ninety seven. This report follows the same general plan and
• 2:07:35
  Speaker 6: presents the same technical excellence that have rendered all the
• 2:07:39
  Speaker 6: reports prepared by Professor Henry C. Adams as Statistician to
• 2:07:45
  Speaker 6: the Interstate Commerce Commission especially acceptable to all trained statisticians.
• 2:07:52
  Speaker 6: The condition of the railway system of the United States
• 2:07:55
  Speaker 6: on June thirtieth, eighteen ninety six, and during the twelve
• 2:07:59
  Speaker 6: months ending with that date, was about as follows. The
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 6: aggregate growth of the railways was one hundred eighty two thousand,
• 2:08:07
  Speaker 6: seven hundred seventy six point sixty three miles, of which
• 2:08:11
  Speaker 6: one hundred eighty one thousand, one hundred fifty three point
• 2:08:15
  Speaker 6: seventy seven miles were represented by reports to the Commission.
• 2:08:20
  Speaker 6: There were ten thousand, six hundred eighty five point sixteen
• 2:08:24
  Speaker 6: miles of second track, nine hundred ninety point forty five
• 2:08:28
  Speaker 6: of third track, seven hundred sixty four point fifteen of
• 2:08:32
  Speaker 6: fourth track, and forty four thousand, seven hundred seventeen point
• 2:08:36
  Speaker 6: seventy three of yard track and sidings, making the total
• 2:08:40
  Speaker 6: mileage of all tracks two hundred thirty nine thousand, one
• 2:08:44
  Speaker 6: hundred forty point thirteen. The railway construction during the period
• 2:08:49
  Speaker 6: covered was slightly greater than during the fiscal year eighteen
• 2:08:53
  Speaker 6: ninety five, but less than during any other year covered
• 2:08:56
  Speaker 6: by the statistical reports of the Commission. Fifty four corporations
• 2:09:01
  Speaker 6: operated one hundred three thousand, three hundred forty five point
• 2:09:06
  Speaker 6: eighty nine miles, or fifty six point eighty nine percent
• 2:09:10
  Speaker 6: of the railway mileage of the country, the remainder being
• 2:09:13
  Speaker 6: operated by one thousand, sixty seven companies, of which nine
• 2:09:18
  Speaker 6: hundred seventy seven operated, but thirty four thousand, four hundred
• 2:09:22
  Speaker 6: ninety seven point ninety or eighteen point ninety nine percent
• 2:09:27
  Speaker 6: of the total equipment consisted of nine thousand, nine hundred
• 2:09:31
  Speaker 6: forty three passenger locomotives, twenty thousand, three hundred fifty one
• 2:09:36
  Speaker 6: freight locomotives, five thousand, six hundred fifty six switching and
• 2:09:41
  Speaker 6: other locomotives, thirty three thousand three passenger cars, one million,
• 2:09:46
  Speaker 6: two hundred twenty one thousand, eight hundred eighty seven freight cars,
• 2:09:50
  Speaker 6: and forty two thousand, seven hundred fifty nine cars employed
• 2:09:55
  Speaker 6: in company service. The passenger service performed was equal to
• 2:09:59
  Speaker 6: carrying one million, three hundred twelve thousand, three hundred eighty
• 2:10:03
  Speaker 6: one passengers one mile for each passenger locomotive and four million,
• 2:10:09
  Speaker 6: six hundred eighty four thousand, two hundred ten tons of
• 2:10:12
  Speaker 6: freight one mile per freight locomotive, both of these items
• 2:10:16
  Speaker 6: showing a gratifying increase in efficiency over the previous year.
• 2:10:21
  Speaker 6: The resources of the Commission do not permit of the
• 2:10:24
  Speaker 6: collection of statistics of cars owned by private companies. The
• 2:10:29
  Speaker 6: number of employees was eight hundred twenty six thousand, six
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 6: hundred twenty, having increased since June thirtieth, eighteen ninety five
• 2:10:37
  Speaker 6: from seven hundred eighty five thousand, thirty four, but being
• 2:10:41
  Speaker 6: less than the number employed on June thirtieth, eighteen ninety three.
• 2:10:46
  Speaker 6: The number assigned to general administration was thirty one thousand,
• 2:10:50
  Speaker 6: seven hundred ninety two to maintenance of way in structures
• 2:10:54
  Speaker 6: to hundred forty three thousand, six hundred twenty seven, to
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 6: maintenance of equipment one hundred sixty seven thousand, eight hundred
• 2:11:01
  Speaker 6: fifty and to conducting transportation three hundred seventy three thousand,
• 2:11:06
  Speaker 6: seven hundred forty seven, the balance of nine thousand, six
• 2:11:10
  Speaker 6: hundred nine being unclassified. The average daily compensation of general
• 2:11:15
  Speaker 6: officers was nine dollars nineteen cents of station agents one
• 2:11:20
  Speaker 6: dollars seventy three cents, of engineers three dollars sixty five cents,
• 2:11:26
  Speaker 6: of firemen two dollars six cents, of conductors three dollars
• 2:11:30
  Speaker 6: five cents, of section foreman one dollars seventy cents, of
• 2:11:34
  Speaker 6: other trapman one dollar seventeen cents, and of switchmen, flagmen
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 6: and watchmen one dollars seventy four cents. The total amount
• 2:11:43
  Speaker 6: paid as compensation for labor was four hundred sixty eight million,
• 2:11:47
  Speaker 6: eight hundred twenty four thousand, five hundred thirty one dollars,
• 2:11:52
  Speaker 6: amounting to sixty one percent of the entire expense of operation,
• 2:11:56
  Speaker 6: less than two and three quarters per cent of the
• 2:11:59
  Speaker 6: amount be bus paid to general officers. The total railway
• 2:12:03
  Speaker 6: capitalization is reported as ten billion, five hundred sixty six million,
• 2:12:09
  Speaker 6: eight hundred sixty five thousand, seven hundred seventy one dollars,
• 2:12:13
  Speaker 6: and the average per mile of line as fifty nine thousand,
• 2:12:17
  Speaker 6: six hundred ten dollars. These figures are not comparable with
• 2:12:20
  Speaker 6: those of previous years for the reason that, at the
• 2:12:24
  Speaker 6: request of the Association of American Railway Accounting Officers, the
• 2:12:28
  Speaker 6: continuous cooperation of which with the Statistician has been a
• 2:12:33
  Speaker 6: source of considerable advantage other forms of indebtedness, which in
• 2:12:38
  Speaker 6: eighteen ninety five constituted six hundred sixteen million, eight hundred
• 2:12:43
  Speaker 6: thirty thousand, one hundred fifty six dollars or three thousand,
• 2:12:47
  Speaker 6: five hundred fifty six dollars per mile of line of
• 2:12:51
  Speaker 6: the capital reported, is no longer included. It is especially
• 2:12:55
  Speaker 6: notable as a result of the railway financeering incident to
• 2:13:00
  Speaker 6: the rehabilitation of those companies which have become bankrupt during
• 2:13:04
  Speaker 6: the recent depression, that the increase in capital stock during
• 2:13:09
  Speaker 6: the last two years has, for the first time since
• 2:13:12
  Speaker 6: the establishment of the Commission, exceeded the increase in funded debt.
• 2:13:17
  Speaker 6: As success in securing a definite aggregate profit upon capital
• 2:13:21
  Speaker 6: stock is not essential, this change makes for permanent financial stability.
• 2:13:28
  Speaker 6: Another transformation of capital lending in the same direction is
• 2:13:32
  Speaker 6: shown by the fact that an increase in income bonds
• 2:13:35
  Speaker 6: has been accompanied by an absolute decrease in the amount
• 2:13:39
  Speaker 6: of mortgage bonds. It is interesting also to observe that
• 2:13:43
  Speaker 6: of the total stocks and bonds outstanding, those having a
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 6: par value of one billion, five hundred one million, three
• 2:13:50
  Speaker 6: hundred forty six thousand, nine hundred fourteen are held by
• 2:13:54
  Speaker 6: railway corporations. Of the total stock outstanding, an amount our
• 2:14:00
  Speaker 6: value of three billion, six hundred sixty seven million, five
• 2:14:04
  Speaker 6: hundred three thousand, one hundred ninety four, or seventy point
• 2:14:08
  Speaker 6: seventeen percent paid no dividends, while five hundred fifteen million,
• 2:14:14
  Speaker 6: twenty nine thousand, six hundred sixty eight or eleven point
• 2:14:18
  Speaker 6: forty percent of bonds was similarly unremunerative to investors. The
• 2:14:24
  Speaker 6: percentage of income bonds not receiving interest was eighty seven
• 2:14:28
  Speaker 6: point ninety six. The total amount paid in dividends on
• 2:14:32
  Speaker 6: common and preferred stock was eighty seven million, six hundred
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 6: three thousand, three hundred seventy one dollars as interest on
• 2:14:40
  Speaker 6: funded debt two hundred forty nine million, six hundred twenty
• 2:14:44
  Speaker 6: four thousand, one hundred seventy seven dollars and as interest
• 2:14:48
  Speaker 6: on current liabilities eight million, four hundred sixty nine thousand
• 2:14:52
  Speaker 6: sixty three dollars. The public service performed was equivalent to
• 2:14:57
  Speaker 6: carrying thirteen billion, forty nine million, million, seven thousand, two
• 2:15:02
  Speaker 6: hundred thirty three passengers and ninety five billion, three hundred
• 2:15:06
  Speaker 6: twenty eight million, three hundred sixty thousand, two hundred seventy
• 2:15:10
  Speaker 6: eight tons of freight. One mile. Passenger service showed an
• 2:15:14
  Speaker 6: increase over the preceding year, but was lower than that
• 2:15:17
  Speaker 6: of eighteen ninety four, eighteen ninety three, and eighteen ninety two.
• 2:15:22
  Speaker 6: The freight service performed exceeded by more than ten billion
• 2:15:25
  Speaker 6: ton miles that of the preceding year, and exceeded that
• 2:15:29
  Speaker 6: of eighteen ninety three, the highest year previously recorded. The
• 2:15:35
  Speaker 6: total earnings from operation were one billion, one hundred fifty million,
• 2:15:39
  Speaker 6: one hundred sixty nine thousand, three hundred seventy six of
• 2:15:43
  Speaker 6: which two hundred sixty six million, five hundred sixty two thousand,
• 2:15:48
  Speaker 6: five hundred thirty three was from passengers, sixty three million,
• 2:15:53
  Speaker 6: nine hundred fifty one thousand, four hundred eighty one dollars
• 2:15:56
  Speaker 6: from mail express and other miscellaneous sources conected with passenger service,
• 2:16:02
  Speaker 6: seven hundred eighty six million, six hundred fifteen thousand, eight
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 6: hundred thirty seven dollars from freight, three million, eight hundred
• 2:16:10
  Speaker 6: eighty five thousand, eight hundred ninety dollars from miscellaneous sources
• 2:16:14
  Speaker 6: connected with freight service, and twenty nine million, one hundred
• 2:16:19
  Speaker 6: fifty three thousand, six hundred thirty five dollars unclassified or
• 2:16:23
  Speaker 6: from other operations. The average revenue per passenger per mile
• 2:16:28
  Speaker 6: was two point oh one nine cents and that per
• 2:16:31
  Speaker 6: ton of freight per mile point eight zero six cent,
• 2:16:35
  Speaker 6: the latter being lower than for any previous year covered
• 2:16:38
  Speaker 6: by the reports of the Commission. Operating expenses amounted to
• 2:16:43
  Speaker 6: seven hundred seventy two million, nine hundred eighty nine thousand,
• 2:16:47
  Speaker 6: forty four dollars, or sixty seven point twenty one percent
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 6: of the total income from operation. The average cost of
• 2:16:54
  Speaker 6: running a train one mile was ninety three point eight
• 2:16:58
  Speaker 6: three eight cents. From the summary of accidents, it appears
• 2:17:02
  Speaker 6: that one hundred eighty one passengers, one thousand, eight hundred
• 2:17:06
  Speaker 6: sixty one employees, and four thousand, four hundred six other
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 6: persons were killed during the year covered by the report,
• 2:17:14
  Speaker 6: While two thousand, eight hundred seventy three passengers, twenty nine thousand,
• 2:17:18
  Speaker 6: nine hundred sixty nine employees, and five thousand, eight hundred
• 2:17:22
  Speaker 6: forty other persons were more or less seriously injured. Comparing
• 2:17:27
  Speaker 6: these data with the number of passengers and of employees,
• 2:17:30
  Speaker 6: it appears that one passenger in every two million, eight
• 2:17:35
  Speaker 6: hundred twenty seven thousand, four hundred seventy four carried was
• 2:17:39
  Speaker 6: killed and one in every one hundred seventy eight thousand,
• 2:17:43
  Speaker 6: one hundred thirty two carried was injured, while one employee
• 2:17:46
  Speaker 6: in every four hundred forty four was killed and one
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 6: in every twenty eight injured. Of the other persons killed,
• 2:17:54
  Speaker 6: three thousand, eight hundred eleven were trus passers, and of
• 2:17:57
  Speaker 6: those injured four thousand, four hundred sixty eight. The statistics
• 2:18:01
  Speaker 6: of accidents to that class of employees whose duties involved
• 2:18:05
  Speaker 6: their presence on running trains are particularly disheartening. They show
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 6: that during the twelve months covered by the report, one
• 2:18:13
  Speaker 6: in every one hundred fifty two of such employees was
• 2:18:16
  Speaker 6: killed and one in every ten more or less seriously injured.
• 2:18:21
  Speaker 6: The increased use of safety appliances does not seem materially
• 2:18:25
  Speaker 6: to have affected this ratio, and it is to be
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 6: doubted whether it will do so until all cars are
• 2:18:32
  Speaker 6: properly equipped. Of the one million, three hundred thirty three thousand,
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 6: five hundred ninety nine cars in service, four hundred forty
• 2:18:40
  Speaker 6: eight thousand, eight hundred fifty four were equipped with train brakes,
• 2:18:44
  Speaker 6: the increase during the twelve months covered by the report
• 2:18:48
  Speaker 6: being eighty six thousand, three hundred fifty six, while the
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 6: actual increase in the number of cars was twenty seven thousand,
• 2:18:56
  Speaker 6: three hundred thirty nine. The number equipped with automatic Upler's
• 2:19:00
  Speaker 6: was five hundred forty five thousand, five hundred eighty three,
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 6: being an increase during the year of one hundred thirty
• 2:19:07
  Speaker 6: six thousand, seven hundred twenty eight. Nine thousand, eight hundred
• 2:19:12
  Speaker 6: sixteen of the nine thousand, nine hundred forty three passenger
• 2:19:16
  Speaker 6: locomotives in service were fitted with train brakes, as were
• 2:19:21
  Speaker 6: also seventeen thousand, nine hundred twenty one of the twenty thousand,
• 2:19:26
  Speaker 6: three hundred fifty one freight locomotives and three thousand, eight
• 2:19:30
  Speaker 6: hundred ninety five of the five thousand, six hundred fifty
• 2:19:34
  Speaker 6: six switching and other locomotives. Such is the picture of
• 2:19:38
  Speaker 6: the condition of the railways of the United States, so
• 2:19:41
  Speaker 6: far as it can be derived from this report, and
• 2:19:44
  Speaker 6: if it fails to meet in any way with the
• 2:19:46
  Speaker 6: reasonable desires of the student of transportation who seeks a
• 2:19:50
  Speaker 6: complete numerical description of the business of interstate transportation of
• 2:19:55
  Speaker 6: persons and property as conducted in the United States at
• 2:19:59
  Speaker 6: the present time, the fault is in no way attributable
• 2:20:02
  Speaker 6: to the statistician or to his assistance, but to the
• 2:20:06
  Speaker 6: inadequacy of the legislation which provides for the collection of
• 2:20:09
  Speaker 6: these statistics. The very excellence of the report from a
• 2:20:13
  Speaker 6: technical standpoint causes greater regret than those who have had
• 2:20:17
  Speaker 6: its preparation in charge have not been entrusted with the
• 2:20:21
  Speaker 6: collection of those data which all intelligent students of transportation
• 2:20:26
  Speaker 6: so seriously need. No statistical report can adequately present the
• 2:20:31
  Speaker 6: business of transportation while omitting to deal with the business
• 2:20:35
  Speaker 6: of express companies and that of interstate carriers operating via
• 2:20:39
  Speaker 6: water routes. It is also to be desired that the
• 2:20:43
  Speaker 6: classification of the data now collected be greatly extended, and
• 2:20:47
  Speaker 6: the supervision of the accounting of individual roads so perfected
• 2:20:52
  Speaker 6: as to ensure greater definiteness in the items included H. T.
• 2:20:58
  Speaker 6: Newcombe Geographic Serials. The Geographic Journal from March contains a
• 2:21:05
  Speaker 6: summary of mister Perry's explorations in Greenland under the title
• 2:21:09
  Speaker 6: of Journeys in North Greenland. Doctor Spen Hedden commences a
• 2:21:14
  Speaker 6: narrative of his four years travel in Central Asia. Honorable D. W.
• 2:21:20
  Speaker 6: Carnegie publishes a narrative of his explorations in the interior
• 2:21:25
  Speaker 6: of Western Australia. The Bulletin of the American Geographical Society,
• 2:21:30
  Speaker 6: number one, eighteen ninety eight offers the following table of contents.
• 2:21:35
  Speaker 6: Relations of Irrigation to Geography by H. M. Wilson from
• 2:21:40
  Speaker 6: Cairo to Beni Hassan, The Location of some of the
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 6: most celebrated Tombs of Ancient Egypt by D. K. D Eaton,
• 2:21:48
  Speaker 6: And Physical Geography of New York State, the third installment
• 2:21:52
  Speaker 6: of a continued story by Professor R. S. Tarr. The
• 2:21:57
  Speaker 6: Journal of the Royal Colonial Institute for Mark March is
• 2:22:00
  Speaker 6: largely devoted to a paper by Henry Birchenow on some
• 2:22:05
  Speaker 6: aspects of our Imperial Trade and in extended discussion. It
• 2:22:10
  Speaker 6: is curious to find an Englishman complaining of the greater
• 2:22:13
  Speaker 6: cheapness of foreign goods, of the want of adaptability of
• 2:22:17
  Speaker 6: British manufacturers and traders, the superiority of foreign methods of
• 2:22:22
  Speaker 6: pushing trade, and the lower freights of foreign shipping companies.
• 2:22:26
  Speaker 6: Especially when he instances the American as the chief competitor
• 2:22:31
  Speaker 6: and is excelling the Britain in these respects, the article
• 2:22:34
  Speaker 6: is extremely significant and very suggestive. Another suggestive article is
• 2:22:39
  Speaker 6: by mister Everard R. Calthrop on light railways for the Colonies,
• 2:22:45
  Speaker 6: in which he rehearses arguments in favor of cheap construction, which,
• 2:22:49
  Speaker 6: while perhaps new to his readers, have controlled the construction
• 2:22:54
  Speaker 6: of the entire railroad system of this country. End of section,
• 2:23:01
  Speaker 6: end of National Geographic Magazine, volume nine, May eighteen ninety eight.