This is from E.C. Smith’s Mom who lived in Cuba (they were Americans)
E.C. is a founding member of Berkeley Prep in 1960 and he is now 75 years old (and still working here as a special assistant to the Headmaster). He found this paper in his mother’s papers. Dated 1960 in Cuba. She wanted to write down what she saw before they left.
“Sugar cane is said to have been brought to the West Indies island of Santo Domingo, known at that time as Hisponiola, by Columbus on one of his voyages.
It is known to have been in cultivation in that island shortly after the year 1500, from whence shortly afterward it was carried to Cuba.
The history of sugar cane shows that this plant was originally introduced from India to the lands of the Mediterranean during the thirteenth century, whence through Spain and Portugal it was brought to the islands of the Caribbean, where the soil, rainfall, and climatic factors were found to be ideal for its development.
The island of Cuba, in particular, due to its size and the character of its soil, gradually became to be the largest producer of sugar cane in the Western Hemisphere, until today (1960). Cuba produced in 1942 approximately 12% of the world’s sugar cane.”
She goes on to describe how the land is prepared….and how it is cut….
An acre of cane produces 16 tons of cane WITHOUT fertilization or irrigation…
Cutting is done by hand with a knife known as a “guampera”
The cane is transported on boxcars…
This is a brief outline of the sugar cane which I have picked up from observation and reading in my 25 years of life on the sugar plantation….
Sincerely, Mildred Morris Smith
United Fruit Company
Preston, Oriente, Cuba
The Old Tennis Courts
Austin and Brandon playing with the boys of the sugarmill 2010
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A little history of the Sugar Mill Dolores Cuba
HISTORIC DATA ABOUT THE SUGARMILL CALLED OUR LADY OF DOLORES (Sorrow)
On 1823 Dona (Mrs.) Dolores Montalvo y Narvaez (cubana) granchild of the
earl (count) of Montalvo (Family name, Montalvo, means Montalvo Castle)
(in Spain)
Dona Dolores was the widow of MELCHOR GASTON Y NAVARRETE, who has been
officer in the Naval Forces of His Majesty the King of Spain. The said
Mrs. Dolores got in 1823 as an inheritance of her grandfather count
Montalvo, 20 "caballerias"(agrarian measure which amount to 96 acres) of
land that his grandfather received from the King in Matanzas, Cuba. That
land was known as Cinco Palmas (Five Palmtrees).
Miguel Gaston y Montalvo (the son of Melchor Gaston and Dolores
Montalvo, dismounted, and fertilized the property and made of it a Sugar
Mill and baptized it with the name of Our Lady of Dolores. He built a
house (the factory) with TRAPICHES sugar-press or mills run by
bullocks, and the sugar was put in containers and brought to Matanzas,
main city in that place.
Don Miguel Miguel Gaston married Josefa Gaston and Ansoategui. The sugar
Mill evolved and made progress.
In 1853 the Press was replaced by one of electricity (istead of bulls)
This machine was one of the first that came o Cuba. During a long time
the station closest to the
railroad was called Montalvo. Now a day is called Navaja.
In 1874 Francisco Rosell and Sauri, married to Agueda Malpica and
Labarca bought from Miguel Gaston y Montalvo and his brothers the Dolores
Sugar Mill. The said Dolores already had 47 caballerias of land.
(Notice that the Dolores Sugar Mill changes from the Gaston family to the
Rosell family by purchase).
Francisco Rosell and Sauri did a lot to update the Ingenio, and he died
in the house VIVIENDA on Dec. 1877.
His widow, Agueda Malpica y Labarca, demolished the land called CAFETAL,
(Coffee plantation) called The Star (La Estrella) which she has
inherited from her parents and where she and her children had been born,
and added that land to the Sugar Mill Dolores.
In 1885 a fired ended with a nearby Sugar Mill called Pichardo. That Land
was added to Dolores. At that time the owner of Dolores was Francisco
Rosell and Malpica.
In 1890 the one who took the administration of the Sugar Mill was Eduardo
Rosell and Malpica. Eduardo joined the Independence War where he died
gloriously in action on February l897.
When the War ended (1898) both the Government of the Island and the
Government of the sugar mill had changed. Instead of belonging to the
Crown of pain, it was part of the Cuban Nation. Melchor gaston and
Gaston was the one capable to be administrator of the Sugar Mill and he
was elected Administrator by the owners.(He was the son of Miguel Gaston
y Montalvo and Josefa Gaston and Anzagati. It was the said Migue who
founded the sugar mill in 1853.
Melchor Gaston and gaston married Agueda Rosell and Malpica (Owner of
the sugar Mill) Agueda and her sisters had inherited Dolores Sugar Mill
from her mother in 1897, when their Mother died. Melchor Gaston nad
Gaston bought from his wife's sisters the part of the Sugar Mill that was
theirs, and he and his wife Agueda became the only owners of the Sugar
Mill. Melchor, thanks to his intelligence, his energy and his big heart,
was able to reconstruct the Sugar Mill which was completly in ruins
after the WAR against Spain (won in 1898)
XX Century.- In 1901 they were able to install the electric plant, then
pipes. They divided the land in Colonies. They built sanitary services
and systems. Melcnor bought (1906) the Sugar Mill Diana and margarita,
and the Dolores was able to make 50,000 sacks of sugar.
In 1913 Melchor bought the ruined Sugar Mill called Ingenio Pichardo, and
they were able to make 70,000 sacks of sugar. In 1913 he bought Sugar
Mill Maria. These years before the European War were very difficult but
will God's help and perseverence melchor was able to pay until the last
debt was payed.
In 1919 Melchor died and he left the Sugar Mill to his widow and
childres. It was a very fine Sugar Mill, very prosperous one. It's
greatest production was in 1925. They made 86,000 sacks of sugar.
When Agueda Rosell died in 1926 the owners of the Sugar Mill was
inherited by her children Melchor Gaston and Rosell , Nana, Nene, Nini,
Toto, Tete (Maria Josefa, Maria Luisa, Agueda, Teresa and Margarita, and
Lili's Mother.)
Melchor Gaston and Rosell married Eloisa Segrera and Herrero and had 6 children
one of those children was Eloisa Gaston-Segrera who married Manuel Suarez-Carreno
and they had 14 children (Lourdes, George, Teresa, Lala, Margarita, Eloisa, Manela, Rosi, Xavier, Charlie, Mel, Mary, Manny, and Fred) who left Cuba in 1961 to America
This is an email from Lourdes Suarez-Gaston 1995
On 1823 Dona (Mrs.) Dolores Montalvo y Narvaez (cubana) granchild of the
earl (count) of Montalvo (Family name, Montalvo, means Montalvo Castle)
(in Spain)
Dona Dolores was the widow of MELCHOR GASTON Y NAVARRETE, who has been
officer in the Naval Forces of His Majesty the King of Spain. The said
Mrs. Dolores got in 1823 as an inheritance of her grandfather count
Montalvo, 20 "caballerias"(agrarian measure which amount to 96 acres) of
land that his grandfather received from the King in Matanzas, Cuba. That
land was known as Cinco Palmas (Five Palmtrees).
Miguel Gaston y Montalvo (the son of Melchor Gaston and Dolores
Montalvo, dismounted, and fertilized the property and made of it a Sugar
Mill and baptized it with the name of Our Lady of Dolores. He built a
house (the factory) with TRAPICHES sugar-press or mills run by
bullocks, and the sugar was put in containers and brought to Matanzas,
main city in that place.
Don Miguel Miguel Gaston married Josefa Gaston and Ansoategui. The sugar
Mill evolved and made progress.
In 1853 the Press was replaced by one of electricity (istead of bulls)
This machine was one of the first that came o Cuba. During a long time
the station closest to the
railroad was called Montalvo. Now a day is called Navaja.
In 1874 Francisco Rosell and Sauri, married to Agueda Malpica and
Labarca bought from Miguel Gaston y Montalvo and his brothers the Dolores
Sugar Mill. The said Dolores already had 47 caballerias of land.
(Notice that the Dolores Sugar Mill changes from the Gaston family to the
Rosell family by purchase).
Francisco Rosell and Sauri did a lot to update the Ingenio, and he died
in the house VIVIENDA on Dec. 1877.
His widow, Agueda Malpica y Labarca, demolished the land called CAFETAL,
(Coffee plantation) called The Star (La Estrella) which she has
inherited from her parents and where she and her children had been born,
and added that land to the Sugar Mill Dolores.
In 1885 a fired ended with a nearby Sugar Mill called Pichardo. That Land
was added to Dolores. At that time the owner of Dolores was Francisco
Rosell and Malpica.
In 1890 the one who took the administration of the Sugar Mill was Eduardo
Rosell and Malpica. Eduardo joined the Independence War where he died
gloriously in action on February l897.
When the War ended (1898) both the Government of the Island and the
Government of the sugar mill had changed. Instead of belonging to the
Crown of pain, it was part of the Cuban Nation. Melchor gaston and
Gaston was the one capable to be administrator of the Sugar Mill and he
was elected Administrator by the owners.(He was the son of Miguel Gaston
y Montalvo and Josefa Gaston and Anzagati. It was the said Migue who
founded the sugar mill in 1853.
Melchor Gaston and gaston married Agueda Rosell and Malpica (Owner of
the sugar Mill) Agueda and her sisters had inherited Dolores Sugar Mill
from her mother in 1897, when their Mother died. Melchor Gaston nad
Gaston bought from his wife's sisters the part of the Sugar Mill that was
theirs, and he and his wife Agueda became the only owners of the Sugar
Mill. Melchor, thanks to his intelligence, his energy and his big heart,
was able to reconstruct the Sugar Mill which was completly in ruins
after the WAR against Spain (won in 1898)
XX Century.- In 1901 they were able to install the electric plant, then
pipes. They divided the land in Colonies. They built sanitary services
and systems. Melcnor bought (1906) the Sugar Mill Diana and margarita,
and the Dolores was able to make 50,000 sacks of sugar.
In 1913 Melchor bought the ruined Sugar Mill called Ingenio Pichardo, and
they were able to make 70,000 sacks of sugar. In 1913 he bought Sugar
Mill Maria. These years before the European War were very difficult but
will God's help and perseverence melchor was able to pay until the last
debt was payed.
In 1919 Melchor died and he left the Sugar Mill to his widow and
childres. It was a very fine Sugar Mill, very prosperous one. It's
greatest production was in 1925. They made 86,000 sacks of sugar.
When Agueda Rosell died in 1926 the owners of the Sugar Mill was
inherited by her children Melchor Gaston and Rosell , Nana, Nene, Nini,
Toto, Tete (Maria Josefa, Maria Luisa, Agueda, Teresa and Margarita, and
Lili's Mother.)
Melchor Gaston and Rosell married Eloisa Segrera and Herrero and had 6 children
one of those children was Eloisa Gaston-Segrera who married Manuel Suarez-Carreno
and they had 14 children (Lourdes, George, Teresa, Lala, Margarita, Eloisa, Manela, Rosi, Xavier, Charlie, Mel, Mary, Manny, and Fred) who left Cuba in 1961 to America
This is an email from Lourdes Suarez-Gaston 1995
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