90 CUBA AND l'OKTO RICO 



of the class called camino del rey ("the king's highway") 



were established, leading from Havana into Pinar del Ki<>, 

 and from a few interior cities to their entrepots. A more 

 or less continuous highway of this kind also extends 

 through the interior from Havana to Santiago. The 

 "royal road" is merely a broad strip of country, some- 

 times fenced by cactus and barbed wire, and passable on 

 horseback or by ox-carts in the dry season. Aside from 

 these roads, which were absolute necessaries, the govern- 

 ment has constructed but few highways leading into the 

 country through or around the island, and hence inland 

 communication is much impeded. Had a more far-sighted 

 policy of road-construction been undertaken, such as has 

 been carried out by England in the adjacent island of 

 Jamaica, Spain would have been in less danger of losing 

 her colony, the lack of good military roads having been 

 one of the factors which have made possible the success of 

 the present revolution. The city streets are usually fair, 

 and many pleasant suburban drives are possible. The 

 only time in which hauling can be done to any extent is 

 during the long dry season, when the field-roads made by 

 the sugar- and tobacco-estates can be traversed by great 

 two-wheeled carts with four oxen. Two days of rain stop 

 traffic in all directions. The opportunity for the building 

 of common roads is large, and in most places there is plenty 

 of stone for the purpose. The roads cross rivers, etc., by 

 fords which are impassable soon after the rains set in ; and 

 although the streams are neither large nor very numerous, 

 the necessity for bridges is great. 



There were about 2810 miles of telegraph line in 1895, 

 including nearly 1000 miles of cable, connecting the cities 

 of the south coast and the Isle of Pines with Havana via 

 Batabano. 



Foreign cables run from Havana to Key West (two 

 lines), from Santiago to Jamaica, these connecting with the 

 British cables to Bermuda, Halifax, and Europe, and from 

 Ghiantananio to Mole St. Nicolas, connecting with Porto 



