258 



CUBA. 



company acquired in the province of Santiago 

 de Cuba the ownership of several manganese- 

 mines. The contract provided for the payment 

 of $1 United States gold for each ton of ore 

 exported, the number of tons to be exported 

 not to exceed 21,000 yearly, and the export 

 dues to be paid quarterly in the sum of $5,250, 

 whether the maximum quantity be exported or 

 not. The copper-mines of San Fernando and 

 the Santa Rosa Company at Santa Clara ex- 

 ported some copper through the port of Cien- 

 fuegos about the same time ; they begin to be 

 worked ona large scale. 



The Cuban Bessemer Iron Ore range is of 

 considerable interest in connection with the 

 American Jnragua Iron Company, the joint 

 property of the Bethlehem Iron Company and 

 the Pennsylvania Steel Company. In a recently 

 published description of the locality the Sigua 

 or Arroyo de la Plata mines are specially re- 

 ferred to. One of the six Sigua properties is 

 described as showing outcrops varying from 

 150 to 450 feet in width, with a very large 

 amount of ore in sight. They are located about 

 four miles back of the Carribean Sea, about 

 twenty-two miles by road from the Bay of 

 Santiago de Cuba. The Government employs 

 all means in its power to encourage and pro- 

 mote the mining industry in the island of Cuba. 

 Mining companies are, by a special law, ex- 

 empted for a period of twenty years from all 

 taxation, and for a period of seven years from 

 import duties on all materials, machinery, etc., 

 for use in the construction and operation of 

 mining works. These exemptions cover rail- 

 way, harbor, and all other works belonging to 

 mining companies. Labor is easily obtainable 

 at the rate of eighty cents a day, and under 

 proper management is very efficient. The 

 climate in the hills where these mines are situ- 

 ated is healthful. 



Up to the middle of June, 1888. there had 

 been registered 300 mines, to work which a 

 concession had been applied for in the province 

 of Santiago de Cuba, namely : iron. 103 ; man- 

 ganese, 37; copper, 151; silver, 2; gold, 3; 

 sulphate of zinc, 3 ; lead, 1 ; antimony, 1 ; and 

 coal, 1. One of the gold-mines is near the 

 village of Jiguani, on the bank of the river 

 of the same name. A fair quantity of gold is 

 said to be in the bed of the stream, and a joint- 

 stock company was organized to work this 

 mine. Favorable accounts were also received 

 from the San Anastasio gold-mine at Guara- 

 cabulla, near Placetas, Santa Clara. 



New Textile Fiber. Don Leopoldo del Castillo, 

 of Puerto Principe, has introduced a new fiber, 

 that of the quimbomb6 plant, indigenous 

 to the locality and island, growing spontane- 

 ously in all sorts of soil throughout the year, 

 and furnishing a soft, white fiber of great 

 strength, considered superior to flax. Good 

 progress has also been made with ramie cul- 

 ture at Guines. 



General Condition, The stringent measures 

 taken in August, 1887, by Captain-General 



Marin for the purpose of purifying the cus- 

 toms service at Havana, have produced tan- 

 gible results in the shape of larger revenue 

 from that source ever since. In April, brig- 

 andage and kidnaping had assumed such pro- 

 portions that the Captain-General issued a de- 

 cree declaring martial law in five provinces 

 containing one hundred cities, towns, and vil- 

 lages. In one instance a wealthy merchant, 

 Sefior Galindez, was kidnaped and not released 

 till his ransom of $40,000 had been paid. In- 

 cendiary fires on the sugar- estates, leading to 

 heavy losses from the destruction of standing 

 canes, were also of frequent occurrence during a 

 season of drought in the spring. The meas- 

 ures alluded to, which were adopted by the 

 Captain- General to suppress crime throughout 

 Cuba, proved most beneficial in their results. 

 The robber bands were broken up complete- 

 ly, and fugitive members were captured daily, 

 among others, one of the band that had carried 

 off Sefior Galindez. Among other inflictions 

 the island was subject to, Havana was visited 

 by small-pox, of which there were 2,000 cases 

 in December, 1887, and January and February, 

 1888, 580 proving fatal; later it spread to 

 Cienfuegos and Manzanillo with less violence. 

 The yellow fever made its appearance in Sep- 

 tember at Santo Espiritu and Paredes, deci- 

 mating chiefly the Spanish troops stationed in 

 those localities, with a few cases at Santiago. 

 On September 4 and 5 a most destructive cy- 

 clone swept the island. Its disastrous effects 

 were felt the whole length of Cuba. Its great- 

 est violence spent itself in the province of Santa 

 Clara. This cyclone was as disastrous as that 

 which occurred in 1883. The destruction of 

 property on shore and along the coast in har- 

 bors and bights was counted by millions, the 

 loss of life at the same time reaching 1,000. 

 The Captain-General left immediately on a 

 tour of inspection in the devastated districts, 

 but after visiting Matanzas and Cardenas was 

 suddenly recalled to Havana by the alarm felt 

 in the latter city on account of the numerous 

 strikes occurring in various trades, the move- 

 ment being the result of the cigarmakers' 

 strike. The authorities were resolved to take 

 the severest measures to prevent a disturb- 

 ance ; but good order prevailed, the cigar- 

 makers' strike, having kept at one time 8,000 

 operators out of employment, ending early in 

 October. At 4 A. M., on July 2, a severe shock 

 of earthquake was experienced at Baracoa and 

 vicinity; the damage to property was con- 

 siderable, but there was no loss of life. In 

 September, in the district of Roque springs 

 that had been dry for a long time were again 

 flowing, partially submerging some estates, 

 their reappearance exciting general alarm 

 throughout the district. 



American Consular Service. The Consul-Gen- 

 eral at Havana is Ramon O. Williams; the 

 Consul at Matanzas, Frank H. Pierce; at 

 Santiago, Otto E. Reimer; at Cienfuegos, 

 Henry A. Ehninger. 



