Cuban Railways 



109 



half of the island. The system of the 

 eastern half is represented by four short 

 lines running to interior points from 

 the ports of Santiago, Guantanamo, 

 Gibara, and Nuevitas, and by a Spanish 

 military road across the island, along 

 the line of the Jucaro-Moron trocha. 

 This was constructed with the expecta- 

 tion that it would enable the Spanish 

 army to limit insurgent activities to the 

 region of their inception — the provinces 

 of Santiago and Puerto Principe. 



Much the larger part of the Cuban 

 railway system is now in the hands of 

 English companies. English capital 

 was represented prior to the insurrec- 

 tion, and its holdings have been largely 

 increased during recent years, notably 

 about the time of the American occupa- 

 tion. Purchases were made at prices 

 which American investors did not care 

 to touch, in view of the condition of the 

 properties and the uncertainty of those 

 prompt returns which are a much more 

 important item in the mind of the Amer- 

 ican investor than they are in the mind 

 of his English competitor in the world 

 of finance. The principal systems, five 

 in number, represent about nine-elev- 

 enths of all the public lines. These are 

 under English control, though some 

 American money is represented among 

 the stockholders. 



The private roads are practically 

 feeders to the public lines, though some 

 run to coast ports. Thus the United 

 Fruit Company operates 29 miles of rail- 

 way, with 7 locomotives and 300 cars. 

 This runs from the company's planta- 

 tions to the shipping port of Banes. 

 The Tern- estate operates some 65 miles 

 of road, with 16 locomotives and 700 

 cars. Of the private lines which con- 

 nect with the public lines, some use their 

 own equipment and some use the equip- 

 ment of the lines with which they con- 

 nect. The 107 roads represent an in- 

 vestment of nearly $12,000,000. 



At the close of the war many of these 

 lines, both public and private, were in 



exceedingly bad condition as a result of 

 the destructive methods employed by 

 the contending parties. Equipment had 

 been wrecked, stations burned, bridges 

 and culverts blown up, and road-bed 

 neglected. Travel over them meant so 

 many hours of misery at exorbitant rates 

 of fare. There has been a notable im- 

 provement in physical conditions, but 

 the rates are still excessive. These aver- 

 age about 7 cents per mile for first-class 

 passengers and about 5 cents per mile 

 for second-class. On some runs I have 

 paid as high as 12 cents per mile. 

 Freight rates are also exorbitant, and a 

 serious detriment to the welfare and the 

 development of the country. Some 

 effort is now being made to effect a 

 modification of rates by military order, 

 though the legality of the step is some- 

 what doubtful. 



But the railway feature of the great- 

 est importance in the island is the line 

 which is now in process of construction 

 by Sir William Van Home and his asso- 

 ciates of the Cuba Central Railway. 

 This will connect at Santa Clara with 

 the lines now- running from Havana to 

 Cienfuegos. It will extend eastward for 

 a distance of some 350 miles, via Ciego 

 de Avila, Puerto Principe, and Las 

 Tunas, to the Bay of Nipe, on the north- 

 eastern coast, which will become a prom- 

 inent port of shipment. Nipe is per- 

 haps the best harbor on the whole Cuban 

 coast line. This company has also pur- 

 chased the short line now running north- 

 ward from Santiago. This will be ex- 

 tended to the main line from Santa Clara 

 to Nipe. With these lines completed, 

 there will be railway connection from 

 Santiago to Pinar del Rio, a distance of 

 some 600 miles. 



The benefits of this system are not to 

 be estimated. It will open a vast area 

 of fertile land for cultivation and set- 

 tlement. The railway project is, in fact, 

 little more than an incident in a great 

 scheme of insular development. The 

 road will tap, by means of radiating 



