Abilene Weekly Reflector

WOOD DESCRIBES SANTIAGO.
Cleaning the Filthiest Town on Earth Was
One of the Governor's Unpleasant
Tasks.

Washington, Oct. 1.-Secretary Alger
has received a long letter from
Gen. Leonard Wood, military governor
of Santiago. The secretary feels that
Gen. Wood, combining his medical
skill with high soldierly qualities and
executive ability, has met and over-
come the problems presented at San-
tiago. The letter presents vividly the
frightful conditions that confronted
the American army of occupation aft-
er the surrender of Santiago. Among
other things Gen. Wood says:

We have yellow fever all around us and about
20 cases in the Spanish military hospital The
civil hospital was full of dying people and pub-
lic buildings were being used as hospitals. I
have been working systematically with every
means at hand to improve the sanitary condi-
tion of the city. I have a force of about 170
men constantly employed and at many times
have had nearly double this force working
day and night to remove the vast accumu-
lations of indescribable filth which has accu-
mulated in the outhouses and yards, as well as
the streets of the city, which is reputed to be
one of the most unhealthy and dirty in the
world. The death rate has dropped steadily
since we came in and is now about one-fourth
of what it was in July. The water system has
been put in order and a great many repairs
made to it and the supply, although insum-
ient, is utilized to the greatest advantage.

I have had to hire doctors for the hospitals,
purchase medicine for them. and supply them
with beds and bedding and food. in fact, re-
establish and take entire charge of them. I
have also established a strict system of house
inspection and inspection of the streets. and
have a disinfecting department as well as a
cleaning department The city has been
divided into five districts, in each of which is a
relief station where food is distributed and a
physician in attendance. who prescribes for
those who present themselves sick and visits
the sick in the houses I am issuing at present
about 15,000 rations a day. The physicians are
probably prescribing for about 600 or 700 people
and some days many more. These physicians
are native Cubans, educated in the United
States and employed by our government as
contract surgeons.