Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-08-05
BELLOWS FALLS,
On the Vulcan.

Some Work at GuantRnamo---Char
Smith writes from the Repair ship
About His Work.
A letter has just been received from
Charles Smith, who is on the repair ship
"Vulcan," which, at the time of writing,
was anchored in Guantanamo Bay. The
letter is dated July "a Smith describes
tbe Measure with which the sailors receive
their mail saying that "men who are as
sedate as judges act like little children
when mail is swung out" Smith writes
in part as follows:
We are routed out at half past four
o'clock in the morning or at one bell, as it
is called here. Those who sleep in ham
mocks lash them up into a nice little roll
and stow them in a hammock rack. Then
we lie around the deck until breakfast is
piJed at six or four bells. Our breakfast
consists of black coffee, bareback, cSrned
beef and sometimes bisaE aud oatmeal,
and for dessert we have bareback.
Then at bells, or $50, the tables are
slung up to the side of the ship and we get
to work by : o'clock. We work on every.
thing that comes in our way that needs re
pairing. This morning | worked on the
big guns of the Indiana, and finished this
shop. We have dinner from II to /, or
from eight bells to one bell Then we
work until four o'clock unless there is
some rush Job. Then we have supper,
after which we visit the other ships When
we first came here the officers allowed us
to 90 ashore, but now they have stopped
that. We lie on deck in the evening, or
20 swimming. We have some fine singers
aboard but their songs are getting monot-
onous We have banjos, guitars and some
other small instruments, and all help to
pass the time away, but still ] find time to
wish that | could get off the train at Bel
lows Falls some evening. But take it all in
all, l like the life and excitement, and it
agrees with me, too
We have an elegant climate, and the
evenings are something grand. We had
some visitors aboard today, and | was II n
ming shaper, and was taking no particu.
lar notice of those who were standing
around, when a tall, white whiskered Off
Ger asked me what l was making, and
told him. When he was gone, | found
out that he was Admiral Sampson. He
was on a tour of inspection of the vessels
He is an older looking man than his pic
lures show him to be. His hair is as white
as snow
The shores of the Bay are covered with
cocoa palms and the kind of palms of which
fans are made.
Bananas are in abundance, so also are
pineapples and lines, but the doctor wi |
not let us eat them, if he can help it, We
expect to go to Porto Rico soon, but dc
not know exactly when. We need some
small stores badly, but will have to dc
without them | think. | saw some fellows
on the Indiana giving a dollar box fol
cigarettes. Poor fools
| have got a lot of souvenirs of the wal
which are very valuable, to me at least.
have a 6pound shell that exploded in {
turret of the Vizcaya, and that killeC
three men, and l got from the ashes Of
their clothing, which the shell set afire
some buttons that were on their uniforms
which are worth 50 50 apiece right here il
the fleet l also have a piece of the cabl,
which was cut between Manzanillo anC
Jamaica, some queer stones that | found OF
the shore of the bay, and some coral.
Cactus is found all around here.
We had some Spanish prisoners aboarc
yesterday They were in charge of Hob
sons gunner, who was with him when he
blew up the Merrimac. They were aftel
fresh water, which we make aboard ship
out of the salt water of the ocean.