The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-28
THE SALT LAKE HERALD. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2s 1897.

that we met treated us WELL At a town
called Consolation, the soldiers got
boisterous and we were afraid they
were going to attack us, but the
trouble was finally settled in peace
and we were allowed to proceed.
we had now been joined by many
other soldiers and had quite big
escort. Most of them, however, were
either wounded or unfit for duty, owing
to sickness.
I'VE arrived one morning at Rio
Blanco, a fine town only a couple of
miles from the coast. Here we were
told that within a few days we would
get steamship for Havana. We
were very glad to hear it, for we were
utterly tired out.
WILL NEVER FORGET IT.
1--WE had been here only a short time
when smoke was seen. This was an
nounced to be our steamship. She
came into within half a mile of the
coast. We were rowed out in large
lighters and put on board, together
with the sick and wounded soldiers.
There was already a big cargo of
on that ship shall never forget. How
ever, you soon get accustomed to such
things. The steamer made but one
stop between Rio Blanco and Havana,
and that was at Bahia Honda. More
sick and wounded soldiers were
crowded on her and a considerable
amount of corn and supplies was
landed. The condition of the sick and
wounded might have been helped had
there been any medicines, but there
was none at all. At Bahia Honda we
weighed anchor at 2:30 p. M, passed
outside the reef and shaped course
for Havana, which we reached Sunday
morning, Jan. II.
THE Moro castle and forts were sa-
luted as we passed inside the harbor,
and we were in the Cuban metropolis.
The three guns and our bill of ladlnS
were sent on board a Spanish gunboat,
which lay in the harbor. and we waited
in great anxiety to hear our fate. At
ter some time q guard came back from
the gunboat and we were escorted to
a cheap hotel and now had a chance
to wash ourselves and eat a good
hearty meal.
1.-The following day, much to our
surprise and qualification. we were
presented to American Consul General
FitZhugh Lee, from whom we received
the treatment of shipwrecked mariners
We had contracted quite large bill
for our expenses while being brought
here and our compass and instruments
were taken from us to be sold to meet
these expenses. Some OF our boys were
badly in need of clothing, what they
had being much torn and worn out by
the long hard trip across the island,
and Uncle Sam now supplied them
with overalls and some very thin cheap
garments to wear back to the states in
zero weather, and furnished us with
steerage tickets, which Obliged us to
sleep on the decks without Sedding or
blankets, and to eat our meals off the
deck out Of tin pans. Our treatment
at the hands of the Spaniards, whom
we looked on as enemies, had been a
good deal better.
SOME COMPARISONS.
There was a contrast in the case of
the Norwegian sailors on board who
were being sent home by their consul
and also had been shipwrecked. They
were the crew of a bark that had gone
ashore near Vera Cruz, Mexico where
the Norwegian consul had provided all
with good warm clothing. second-class
passage and first-class passage for the
captain and mate So the Norwegians
did not return to their homes like
tramps. We reflected on the poverty
of Uncle Sam, who could do no better
than send his sailors home in the dead
of winter with no undertaking and
with only the thinnest apparel, and
very little of that