Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

BTJGGY TILL A K We believe are better ab le tosell you a good Buggy than any other & dealer we in believe this section we we are belief is based on the fact that we carry only the . & P a^Sf EisKoOMi-ORT. and look line Ourpnces % tto OaU cmr over. are right. THE ALMAND HARDWARE COMPANY c t file Rockdale fianner. SUBSCRIPTION |1.00 PE U YEAR EDGAB P. QUINN. EDITOR. Entered at the poet-ollice as eecoud-clasi mail matter. Price, fl.OO per annum Advertising Rates Reasonable made known on application Conyers, Ga., Junk 6th, 1000. THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES, Cuba as was saen by a II. S. U, during the re cent war with Spain. "Reminisces which may and may not interest you. HV THE B13ITOW. On Friday night January 18th 189D. the 8rd Ga., U. 8. V. Infan try who were stationed in Savan nab at that time, hoarded the transport ltoamuinun, bound for the seat »f war—(Juba. W; remained at anchor that night and proceeded down the river on the following duy with the rising tide. After a voyage of nearly live days wo arrived in the beautiful bar hor of Nue vitas, Cuba. Owning to r.ho shadowness of the bay, we had to cast anchor about 8 mile# out and from there proceeded to Juud our stores and men by little ves¬ sels ouiled lighters, which came out to us when signaled. Those vessels were so small that it took us nearly three days to get fho regiment and equipments on land. Our trip over was n very pleas¬ ant- out, the weather was line, the tea calm arid little sea-sickness made the voyage an ideal one. It was very interesting to note the change of tlie weather as we went across. We left Favamiali wrap¬ ped in our hea\ y per coats and ere we reached our destination we longed for linen garments. When we arrived, every tiling there in dicated tbo middle of August in stead of January. From ten o’ clock a. in. to 6 p. m. it is excess ively hot even in January the tiler mometer registers Win the shade. but alter three o’clock it begins to get cooler ami by night time it is perfect I v cool and pleasant. The climate in Cuba is a great deal better than I anticipated, as we had very little sickle's in the regiment during our entire stay on the island. About one mile from the city of Nnavitas, on a very bight lull was our camp hjhI it was certainly a beautiful epot. having as a back-ground a forest of tall palms un i olive trees and over looking one of the lovli eet bays that nature ever produced, Axter we had got ihe camp straightened out l went into Xuevi tas, having dm obtained tlie nee ossary pass to do so. It is aquaint. old city, about as large as Con vers but has a much larger popu latron. 1 had heard so much a bout the dirt and tilth of tin* Cu¬ ban cities that 1 was prepared for almost any tiling, but l was agree- ably surprised to find this on< , in a I v<! ry good condition. Asa rule the streets of this city are very nar row , the side-walks are not half as i wide as the walks of Center street. In more than two-thirds of the city of Nuevitas the inhabitants live in a very crowded condition the houses being built right on the streets and in contact with each other. There is no glass in the windows, which, in every ease are protected by iron bare or fancy iron-work screens; inside of these are wooden shutters, which serve to keep out both light and air. The windows run liom floor to ceil ing, and as the ceilings are very high you can readily see that when tlio shutters are open the rooms would be almost out of doors. The flooie of these houses are made mostly of brick or rock, and con¬ structed with no yontilizat ion un¬ derneath, so that although they serve to keep the houses cool they are not conducive to oxcessive dry¬ ness, and in consequence in some of the more poorly .constructed houses the dampness would to, »ji noying to us here. Most of these houses have in the center a square room or court into which tho»le.ep ing rooms open, and sometimes in tho case of liner residences this court is very beautiful, being dec¬ orated with fountains, palms, etc. The natives were kindly dispos¬ ed toward the soldiers; l imy aie a gentle and courteous race and live largely on courtesies and compli¬ ments. The young women of Cuba are very pretty, but the older women are not good representatives in beauty of what they must h.avo been when younger—that is if they are or rather were once like their While we were stationed at vitas several of our officers invited to attend a ball on a Sun¬ day night, (by the way the sabbath is not observed there as the lords day but ns a kind of a holiday) but on account of some misunderstan¬ ding led to it being called off, so there was no dancing with the to live “Senorita” that night, The Cuban girls are not halt as pretty and bright, as those here; I was not impressed with them much and when four or live would get around you and all talking at once, I would soon have tried translat ing monkey-talk into English as to try their language, \\ o had not been in Xuovit-as no longer than a week when we re eoived orders to mov ' into the in terior of the island to a little town called Los Minas when* wo were sent to protecta large sugar estate, There was nothing in that town of importance, it being a small vil Inge of 1000inhabitants, Jlieon lv point of interest there, was the large sugar estate belonging to a Major Sanches, he was a clever gentleman, a man of Hue inlelii genes, speaks English like au American, is very wealthy and has a daughter, who is beyond a doubt the prettiest girl ou the entire Is¬ land. She was so pretty, that 1 was almost tempted to bring her back to the states with me as Mrs. Guinn. To visit Cuba and not see a estate is like reading a book skipping the most mteiesting hi company with several other officers 1 visited this large ° 8 e littie . of which 1 will here give a, discription. As we approached the mill wo paused to notice the pro¬ cession of large light cars, each drawn by three oxen, which travel on a tram-way laid to the cane fields, brought thence the juicy stalks trimmed and cut to the pro per length and first passing over a scale where each log.d is weighed and carried to the foot of an end¬ less revolving belt, upon which the cane is piled by the drivers of the oxen, while numerous )ialf-naked boys and girls stand ready to toss back any of the stalks which chance to full of}’. Defeated of escape, the unfortunate stalks find them¬ selves carried stowdj gpd relent¬ lessly upward until they fall ifito the jaws of three great iron rollers, which revolving upon each other, crush the ogee so completely that the fragments fall #f- titP other side, more dry, sapless chips, which are carried away by another belt gild shot into the ox iarts which stand waijbjpg below—each as it is fiiiled starting on to toaJto room tor another. The rich juice meantime falls ffQjR behind the rollers into a conducting trough which takes it first into copper vesseli pierced with holes, where the bits of cane and refuse floating through it a; e strained out. It is then tome,a by ;i steam pump to the highest part of the budding; where, in a eort of an upper galle¬ ry, it runs into vats and is treated with a certain amount of lime to help the clarifying process immediately, instantly as if this juice fer uumts lefP to ite se te> Thc amount of correction to the acidity of the jUiun is deternjined by a test proper, called in Spanish “ToraSel,’ it is a chemical pro pared of a blue color, which turns to red more or less vivid according j to the acidity of the liquid m j which it is Inuneread. ATter elar- J efyiug, the syrup is filtered* through vats nearly filled with burned and powdered bone, called animal carbon, 1V0 were told that 111 thing is more fatal to the imnty of the ugar than careless- ! s ness in regald lo changing tliis burnt, bone, which in eight or ten liours becomes so impregnated \i it-li the impurifics ot tlie sap to In 1 110 longer efficient. We were then taken to another building where su di. bone cliareonl is made ou the estate and that which lias already been used goes through a burning again. Tlie sugar season lasts about four or five months, beginning just after Christmas ; and while it continues the <500 slaves of the es¬ tate as well as the Cuban laborers are kept very closely at work: la¬ bel beginning at 5 o’clock in the morning anil lasting until 9 at night, with intervals for food and rest during tlie hoteet part of day. - Cuba i, nuleej a pmfect p» r n <!,«. Ihe lovely paJms of ...hoy varieties that lift their heads above the green coat of the island. the vines that- wrap the trees, the wild flowers every hand, the cool gray grass of the natives, the paraquets other gay plumage birds, the sunsets and the soft southern moon, all together made Cuba a sort of wonder land to me. One Saturday myself and seve¬ ral others were allowed the privi¬ lege of going to Puerto Principe, the capitol of the province we were'in. It is a very old town of about 60,000 inhabitants. It pos sesses many points of interest winch I cannot describe this time on account of the space I have al¬ ready consumed. This town has an electric light plgpt and an ice fac¬ tory. The country around Hto city i3 level and is the home of thousands of cattle which stay sleek gnd fy t iiOjS ‘round op the rich gxe/en grass yvhipli cfofhe tlm soil of Cllbg. We stopped df tofp d e . Hotol” where we nipt seyergl ofch: Uf offiaeps of the jbfh fnfantry and their wives, It was indeed a treat to see and converse, with Ameri can ladies again. That night we gto.nito.4 & dance on the plaza, which was the prettiest thing l saw while there. We danced and promenaded around the plaza un¬ til the “wee small hours.” I met r • • ladies, spyeral pretty pjfpg or ‘senorita.s- as'they are polled .tfiere pile of them could speak english fairly well touch ?wlp It very411 tevestipg for me, The American soldier was look. ed upon with a great deal of- re¬ spect, and for an officer to reeog njye the ‘seuoritas’ by lifting Uimr Sint- and m ‘‘fipp&s peis gteuoritft,” which means in epgr Hall, (load morning lady—they feel highly complimented. .While at Puerto Principe 1 saw for my first time a woman stager j n g 4,0^1 i-Jp? street half dressed , U id as drupk'as a‘‘biied owlJ’ £y the way you might be interested in the drinks of that country. It strange fact that the people j ovo ] 10 t liquors more than we do j ler& —of cour.e a few Holland gin and Jamaca rum are tha favorites, Tlie latter is the vil eat- stuff the devil ever brewed— t iri,«k it-and go crazy. I havP seen the natives pome staggering alopg the streets, their hair dis hevoled, their eyes like the eyes of a Maniac—pitablecreatures, with 9n tirely dethroned, The effects of this rum on the Amer i C£in jg even more dreadful than the cgso of the native. In my opinjop Quba is a de lightful siiot, the nights and morn? and afternoons are cool and the breezes that blow are refresh¬ ing—Fruits are plentiful there, but we was advised by our surgeons to let them alone except the lime, the orange and the cocoa-nuts on¬ ly the milk of the latter being us¬ ed and it is said to bp most valua¬ ble a preventative of fever. The nut is pulled before the shell hard enes and the juice does not taste like that in the matured cocoanut we g3t . ^re, it is delicious howev er and is very refreshing, So emls the flrst chapter of my ia Cub#, (To be continued.) Subscribe... A Ian Shot ■ o down the street. He had forgotten to bring home any groceries with him, hence his hot run ' Through The Heart city in W of a grocery st o re. He tided CP Q irice too high, a nd it is possi bje that he }m migljt direoteef stjU be looking for tjpegrqcejm > find not By A Woman tp fl)e Cheap Cash Store, where he found the nicest line q f 0roperip3 in town him qt the lowest prices, He liepds no ppe to direct now— He juste follows tlie cto wet, bound $ irocery Store ; 3 8 ion dou> mmmsm Wto you a Cool, Healthful, Refresjii^ Invigorating Boda-Water, Lemonade, MilK-SluRe, etc., goto Dr. Lee's Fountain.- Le uses the purest and best rnaterial; consequently his drinks are IjealtHfUi and delicious?. 11 , W. IX, lit CAPITAL MONUMENT CO, UAVIES & KEBI, J|ANAQJtRg. 014 TEMI*I.E COUBT. BELL’PHONE 2839. ATLANTA, GA. MONUMENTS. Granite and garble Work of Every Pescription. Mail orders given prompt attention, KEFEESH YOURSELF WijenyoU feel dull and stupid, noi’niUd will do you rr|o r s good than a visit- to our Soda Fountain Call and let Roy Elliott, Wbo Iras cbaGJ e of our refreshing drink ° r Ice-crearn parlor, ipaKe you a dish you out a delicious plate of cream. 1 ^ 1 , fiaikir ^