New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-07
HE SAYS THEY ARE AFRAID.
r. g. PIERRA EXPLAINS WHY SPANIARDS
HAVE CHARTERED SHIPS.
CUBANs READY TO RECEIVE THE EXTRA TROOPS
WHICH THE FOREIGN VESSELS ARE Ex-

chartered seven vessels to he used IN transPoi'-
| ing troops to Cuba brought to the atten-
! ton OF Fidel G. Pierrag OF No. 1873 ST. johns
Place last night. Mr. Pierra is chairman OF the
Press Committee Of the Cuban headquarters ana
is thoroughly conversant with the Cuban situa-
| ton The vessels said to have been chartered
are as follows The freighter Cutie. Of the White
| Star Line: the Cunardcr Gaa: the Pegu. OF
| the Glasgow Line: the Lord Give and Cough
late Of the American Line; the Montevideo' OF
the Spanish Transatlantic Line. and the Colon
| OF the Pacific Mail Line. 1t is said that by these
TRANSPORTS the Spanish Government intends 10
| land 10000 men a month in Cuba. Only one OF
| these vessels the Montevideo, sails under the
| Spanish flag.
"Ah" said Mr.. Pierra. when asked wnat ne
thought of the action of the Spanish Govern
ment they are afraid to carry their troops III
their own vessels. They know that the 'uoans
would think twice before blowing up BOAT Sd"
| ing under foreign flag. and that we "ouu ,'o'
hesitate for a moment to blow up spanish
| vessel / do not any other reason WI! 'n's
| should charter these vessels, for the 'Pi'i's"
TRANSFORMATION Company has enough poa's 10
carry all their troops to Cuba ana wouiu oe s'"u
| Of the opportunity Of making the money i".''
sna,n IS very intimate with the transpor'a'io"
| company and their vessels ought certain! u
receive the preference 49,, ,
"Thev exnect to send 10000 men TO Cuba and
at the rate Of 10000 a month. 1t VIII take '''l"
untu December to do so. BY the time they get
.no ,ast IN GOO there the first 10000 will have
d,sonneared. and more, perhaps. / do not thhK
..., ,,,,, s.rd az MANY as 10000 men, although
tbev need them to replace those that nave al
saoa,, di.d We here in the United States, do
80. Lnow the number of sick men they ha'e'
.ho % tbev recover will never be worth any
.h,Do IN themselves or anyone else. but we nave
an idea of the enormous number by the la0'
.h.t tbev cannot find buildings enough III Ha-
,ona and the other large cities in when 10 house
them Even the building of the House Vi O"a'
t,es in Havana which was occupied ny "'o'
three hundred little girls has been 'ranSioi .eO
into a military hospital and the it'ie ci'''0' I'll
scattered all over the city. and every o'"e'
enlistment Of that character mas oee"
in the same manner The huihpe' Vi
uounded Standards is something enormous
.The Cuhans are practically exempt from Ill
the diseases natural to Cuba, because We
outside in the open air. while the "pa'''a,N
- orouded together in barracks and other
hrud,ngs IN the large cities. where contagious
diseases travel very fast. The climate Vi Nu""
ia healthful. and only little malaria 10 Nv"
and then had but little else Inc Cuoa,'
q hardy race They cen get wet 10 the sn ""u
keen their clothes on until they olS' anu
never become sick while such thihs "ou''
l.. fatal 70 q foreigner unless he was accus-
toned to the climate Then our troops are wen
fed They have beef and vegetables ana the
,os,s ~ their food Is strengthening and heaitn-
Ga, Tho Snaniards on the contrary, are poorly
God IN the first place because the quaity Vi
tho food they get Is not adequate 10 the cn
mate and in the second place the managers VI
the supplies are giving them an exceedingly
small quantity of an inferior grade OF stun. ana
are making q fortune out OF 1t for themselves
They buy. for instance. rancid pork. ana give
each soldier piece which Is worm-eaten. ms
brings about all sorts Of intestinal diseases IN
addition to the fevers natural to Cuba.
CRUEL TREATMENT OF INVALlDs.
.rbe way in which the Spanards treat their
soldiers IS something that cannot be described
II must be seen in order to be appreciated.
They are treated like slaves. Any animal III
this country receives twice as much Afternoon
as a sick soldier In Cuba A noted JapaheSe
surgeon WHO recently visited the spanish nos
pitfalls in Cuba said that the Spanish surgeons
have not begun to know their BUSINESS '"a'
they are so ignorant and stupid In their treat
ment of the sick that they are almost paroa'ous'
It is something frightful have seen II myself
Tho moro sick soldiers there are the less at
tention the physicians pay to them. Before II
is possbe TO make diagnosis OF case they
order some sort of medicine, and frequently
medicine ordered for one patient Is admins
tered to another. When patient Is very SICK
they nav less attention to him because they
say. he must die anyway. and attention "ou'o
be wasted. Not long ago 1t was discovered tha'
those who were delivering quinine at the nos
pitfalls were giving white powder neutrai III i'S
effect upon the system.
well, when they get their troops 10 CUBA
they will find in condition to dispatch
them as quickly almost as they arrive. In the
Eastern and Central parts Of the island we are
masters of everything The Spaniards are with
drawing from all the strongholds in the In
terror They say they want to concentrate their
forces so as to operate more effectively. The
truth is that they cannot keep them there. be-
cause they cannot get provisions for them
Every time they attempt to do so the supplies
fall into our hands.
"An evidence that they begin to feel that
their case is a hopeless one, and even to ac-
knowledge It, is the speech made short time
ago by Premier Canovas del Castillo. lie was
asked when he expected the war would end
He said IL was very hard to say. After dis
cussion OF the matter. he finally became ex-
cited which is not frequent with that man. for
he ls very cold -DlOOdeu ana saiu tiat tne sac
rfces being made were great. and that lots
of money and men were wanted. but that the
Spanish Government would go on with the war
as long as the people wanted II. He also said
that he would be glad to sever his connections
with the Government.
THE FIAT CURRENCY EVIL.
Now they have begun to issue paper money
in Spain 1t has not even the shadow OF value
behind it. and they compel everybody to receive
it at par. That means If anyone refuses 1t he
is court -martalled. All the private bankers
haye closed their offices and we cannot get
one cent Of exchange from them and the Span
ish Bank in order to destroy the effect. has Of
fercd to sell bills OF exchange and to receive |