Puerto Rico and its resources . ow fever is said to havebeen endemic; but with the constantly blowingtrade winds, which sweep across it from the ocean,and the swift sea current flowing through the har-bour, there is no excuse whatever for these localconditions so favourable to contagious diseases. The urban population is estimated at abouttwenty thousand, probably one half being negroesand people of mixed bloods. These are domiciledin about one thousand houses, not more than onehalf of which are over two stories in height, plainlybut massively constructed of mamposteria, or stoneand mortar, wi
Puerto Rico and its resources . ow fever is said to havebeen endemic; but with the constantly blowingtrade winds, which sweep across it from the ocean,and the swift sea current flowing through the har-bour, there is no excuse whatever for these localconditions so favourable to contagious diseases. The urban population is estimated at abouttwenty thousand, probably one half being negroesand people of mixed bloods. These are domiciledin about one thousand houses, not more than onehalf of which are over two stories in height, plainlybut massively constructed of mamposteria, or stoneand mortar, with flat roofs, jutting balconies, somewith miradores, or open cupolas, and generallysurrounding a patio, or inner court, where often afountain and plat of flowers makes an attractivespot for the gathering of the family during hours ofrecreation. The architecture, in fact, is essentiallySpanish, or Hispano-Moriscan, like that of Anda-lusia. The streets are narrow, the sidewalks, whenthey exist, relatively narrower, scarcely wide. SAN JUAN, THE CAPITAL. 123 enough for two persons to walk abreast, resemblingmuch those of Obispo Street in Havana and some ofthe alleyways of Seville. The supply of water is scanty, being derivedmainly from the clouds and stored in cisterns,which, by the way, are for the most part in astate of neglect and very foul. When the cityshall have become an American winter resort it isto be hoped that its system of sewage and sanitationwill include the introduction of water from thehills not far away, where the supply is unlimitedand of the purest quality. Outside the walls are several suburbs, the twoprincipal being known as the Marina and Puertade Tierra, with perhaps seven thousand inhabitantsbetween them, the total population pertaining toSan Juan rising twenty-seven thousand. The Ma-rina lies right up against the walls, with an over-flow of garden and park filled with choice trees,shrubs, and flowers, dotted with kiosks and drink-ing booths, and with a br
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Keywords: ., bookauthoroberfrederickafrederi, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
