i6 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



Everybody looked and telt discouraged and 

 dispirited. 



Since then there ihas been constructed in 

 this town about five miles of macadamized 

 streets as good as any in the United States ; 

 about two miles of cement sidewalks ; a big 

 drainage ditch, with feeders so placed as to 

 drain the surface of every street in the city, 

 which carries off all surface water within a 

 half hour after a heavy rain ; and the city 

 plaza has been improved with cement walks, 

 so that it is a suitable, cheerful place for 

 public reunions. To do this, some $6,500 

 of the then existing appropriation was 

 utilized, and another allotment of $11,000 

 was made by the government in Havana. 



This work was accomolished by the people 

 of Colon, merely with a little encouragement 

 and help. They furnished the necessary 

 labor at from 70 cents to 90 cents per day 

 in Spanish silver, when work on the neigh- 

 boring carreteras was being paid for by 

 contractors at $1.25, American gold. Every 

 citizen in Colon contributed to the best of 

 his ability, regardless of politics. 



It was done at a price, too. The battle- 

 field has its heroes, but not greater than 

 those who fall in such works as this. Dig- 

 ging ditches and building streets in the 

 tropics, in the rainy season, is just as dan- 

 gerous to life and health as campaigning 

 and digging trenches. By good fortune on- 

 ly one life, however, was expended as a 

 result of this work ; that of Juan Acuna, 

 one of the foremen, who gave his life to 

 his town to advance the public improve- 

 ments, falling a victim to the pernicious 

 malarial fever contracted on these works. 

 His grateful townsmen have undertaken the 



care of his dependent family, finding em- 

 ployment for his widow under the city gov- 

 ernment, and in 'due time will also see that 

 the sons of Juan Acuna, martyr of Colon, 

 shall receive as good an education as their 

 father could have provided. 



As in Colon, so in many other places. 

 Cabezas contributed labor and material to 

 such an extent as to stretch $850 to do a 

 job that would cost by contract $2,500. 

 Bermeja turned out en masse. Every owner 

 contributed materials, every laborer con- 

 tributed labor, until the town has now 

 streets as good as any of its size in the 

 world. Similarly in Alacranes, in Itabo, in 

 Hatuey Nuevo, in Maximo Comez, in Ja- 

 vellanos, and in Jaguey Grande. Public 

 spirit, that migihty power, was aroused, and 

 devoted to cleaning up streets and lots, im- 

 provement of streets and sidewalks, drain- 

 age, and all the details that go to make 

 towns good to live in. In all, more than a 

 dozen towns were thus awakened into hfe, 

 and in the end the interest of the general 

 government was so directed to these munici- 

 pal problems that it has just devoted an 

 appropriation of $3,000,000 of tne Cuban sur- 

 plus to municipal improvements, along the 

 same lines, for all the cities in Cuba. 



The awakening of civic pride, the advance 

 toward happier conditions, and the warm 

 gratitude manifested on every side by these 

 people, coming to Cuba Mnth a strong preju- 

 dice against the Cuban people, the writer has 

 become their enthusiastic friend and In 

 many things their admirer. Finer hos- 

 pitality, more generous appreciation, more 

 delicate consideration, it would be impos- 

 sible to find anywhere. 



A STREET IN THE CITY OF PINAR DEL RIO. 



