Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-18
Small Strip of Country Where 0ubans Are
Absolutely Secure,
LIES ALMOST AT THE GATES OF HAvANI
Spanish Troops I'm swnrms Occupy the
Land, but They Cannot Reach
the Natives in Their
Businesses.

any equal area of this island, the Cuban
revolution has steadily strengthened. Under
less favorable circumstances than obtained
elsewhere in Cuba. the insurgents of this
Spanish-ridden section have not only in
creased In numbers and armament, but are
sanguine of ultimate success. They will
not listen now to a suggestion of autonomy
uneer Spanish sovereignty. But II such
proposition were indorsed and guaranteed by
the United States 1t would have great effect,
and II It were approved by Maxine Gomez
1t would be accepted.
If the Cuban revolution has held its ground
in this district, conservatism itself says
that Spain can never hope to regain absolute
control OF this Pearl of the Antilles. This
district extends eastward from the Mariel
trocha in Pinar del Rio province to the outer
gates OF Havana City 1t Is eighteen miles
long by six miles average breadth, and lies
between the Mariana Guanajay pike road
and the coast The total area is los square
miles just about one-third the area covered
by Greater New York. This diminutive
theater OF war is fenced in by Spanish bayo-
nets.
SOLDIERS IN swARMs.
The part OF the trocha which bounds 1t on
the west counts fully 5000 regular soldiers,
OF whom at least 4 600 can be marched east
ward on an hours notice. Along the north
fantry detachments. These small forces
do not often leave their quarters, but they
are very useful in occupying the best sites
for Cuban camps, and in reporting insurgent
movements. The eastern end of the district
is the heavily fortified and garrisoned suburb
OF Maiianoa. which is eighteen minutes by
rail from the Spanish reserve in Havana,
trains running every hour. General Weyler
can put 10000 troops of the line into this
section within four hours, AMI cal follow them
In other words, on six hours notice fully
10000 eplendidly equipped and drilled sol
diers OF Spain can be poured into this small
territory by rail and by road from the east
and the west. This does not take into ac-
count the forces along its southern boundary
on the pike road between Marianoa and
Guanajay.
TOWNS WELL GARRISoNED
That fine macadamized highway is a trocha
in itself. From east to west are the towns
of Marianao La Lisa. El Cano. Arroyo
Arena, Punta Brava. Hayo Colorado Car
mito and Guanajay. Each place is well
fortified, has an efficient cavalry force or
guerrilla" and strong infantry garrison.
When Gomez and Maceo made their COM
bined movement last winter from the east
ern point to the western tip of Cuba, all
these towns were garrsoned by volunteer
forces, which incontlnently surrendered In
turn, sometimes after half-hearted resist
ance, but usually without pulling a trigger
and at the behest of the townsfolk Stripped
OF their arms, the volunteers disbanded
Some Joined the revolution, while these Of
Spanish birth now form the principal part
OF the guerrilla organizations One of GEN
eral Weyler's first moves was to fortify
these towns and garrison them with troops
of the line. Consequently they now form
a hedge of well guarded bases for the opera
tions throughout this little inclosure of no
less than ten bodies of irregular Spanish
cavalry and the infantry battalion of San
Quintin. These places are in constant move
ment Sometimes two columns from the
trocha combine with the regular forces and
have seen one Cuban position near here
attacked by three infantry columns and
thirteen different guerrilla squadrons.
The Cubans in arms here have been suf-
fering from the malarial fever of the coast
for two months. Fully half of them are
unfit for duty. The fever time Is about over
but their sickness has not tended to in
crease their enthusiasm.
REBELS GROW IN NUMBERS.
Watched, surrounded by much greater and
very active forces, cartridges poor, and sick
the Cuban revolutionists of this section have
endured extraordinary hardships and are to-
day In the most periloGs position of any
body OF armed patriots in the island They
have no mountains for refuge. yet there are
one-fourth more insurgents here now than
there were last June. I spent three weeks
here then and have Just finished riding all
oyer the same district now. There were
then, as printed in the World, two insur-
gents to each rife; now there are two and
n half. The number of rifles purchased as
described has slightly Increased | have
seen the Cuban forces and have been care
ful to estimate conservaiively. This strange
increase in numbers is partly accounted for
by the maltreatment of Cuban farmers by
the guerrillas, lack of work and food for
laborers, increasing confidence in ultimate
success and the fact that the Cubans in
arms have proved that they can keep away
IRON the Spanish troops, no matter how
many they may be- This last statement
cannot be appreciated without thorough
understanding OF the nature of the country.
Although level and one of the most open
parts OF the island. this section neverthe-
less has good cover All along the coast
are impenetrable thickets, or "manlgua," of
small nterlaced trees through which a
bright campfire cannot be seen twenty yards
away. Troops cannot move through hare ex-
cept in single file and along paths SO ndis-
tlnct that even Cubans sometimes lose them
selves.
so NEAR AND YET so FAR.
The entrances to the many small camps |
are cunningly concealed. When one is |
finally located, should its occupants not care |
to retreat by other equally obscure ways |
they can hold their positions for hours and |
make every cartridge count. To illustrate: |
In the first week of last month the San |
QutHtlH pdltdllon ana large NUMBER OF |
guerlllas tried to surprise the minor leader, |
Pufno Urra. in his unguarded camp at |
Pohr, near here. One of Urra's men had |
himself to the Spanish authorities
and was promised pardon II he would tell |
the exact location of the rebel camp. This
he promptly did. But just as promptly one
OF Urra's agents, a patriotic Cuban of the
town, got word out to the leader, who inn
changed his camp, moving not
more than 500 yards into another thick
manigua. The rebel camp had been near
the bank of a stream. The Spanish com
mander sent his guerilas down that bank.
while he marched his infantry along a little
back from the other bank. The guerlllas,
guided by the deserter. soon reached the
vacant camp. Then the infantry came along
the opposite bank and opened fire, killing
1--WE guerllas and woundng four. Some idea
Of Cuban manigua may be gained when
IL Is explained that the two Spanish forces
were not more than 100 yards apart and
most OF the distance was open water.
There is only one elevation here that
merits the name OF mountain. II Is a good
sized hill north of Caimito. just high enough
for the Spanish signal officers In the fort |
there to flash with the heliograph informa.
tion to Mariana OF any insurgent movement
on the plains below. This signal station
is one OF a chain between Pinar del Rio and |
Havana. All day long the helograph is
twlnkllng In the steady Cuban sunshine and |
"A ntphf lonp ha Al