The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-12
F0rlOrn and Ragged CaptiveS Landed
at Portsmouth.
SEVEN HUNDRED SAILORS
PRESENTED A SoRROWFUL AND
FEARFUL SPECTACLE.
Thousands of Spectators Witnessed
the Landing, But There Was Not
Sheer nor Jeer-Pathetic
Parting Between the Officers and
Men-Commander Kissed Them.

Portsmouth. N. H, July 1.-THE Span
ish prisoners who were brought to port
in the auxiliary steamer st. Louis. from
! Santiago, numbering 692 of the tnen who
formed part of the crews of Admiral Ger
vel'a's squadron, are tonight sleeping
peacefully and in comparative comfort in
the new barracks erected for them on
! Seaveys island. Around them is a guard
| of l25 marines.
The work of debarkation was accom-
! plished in just two hours, under the d.
rection of Colonel Ferney. The prison
erS were marched to the highest part of
each man deposited under the eyes of the
marine guard whatever belongings he
possessed.
1t was a pathetic sight from beginning
TO end, and such would bring tears to
many eyes. The poor wretched creatures
struggled up the hillside, clad for the
! most part In rags. some of the men being
! covered only with the fragments of a
! tablecloth or a blanket, while others had
/ on portions of what was once a uniform.
| When the men landed, some of them were
| so weak that they could not stand, and
| lay on the ground until stretchers We're
| brought. and were carried by their COM
radeS to the main road, where they were
placed on the grass.
/ Here the rays Of the sun and the cool,
refreshing breeze fIom across the r.
cataquis seemed to strengthen them and
! most of them were later able to follow the
| others TO the place where they were mus
tered.
| Many of the prisoners had wounds tha +
| were still unhealed and their heads and
arms showed the effects of the terrible
| battle in which they fought.
The crew of the Cristobal Colon were
! landed in body They were better clad,
and evidently better fed than the other
men, for they bore a semblance of the
Spanish sailor in makeup. They brought
| ashore with them bags filled with cloth
! ing. Thirty members of the Colon's crew
were, however. severely wounded and had
! to be carried on Stretchers.
SYMPATHETIC SPECTATORS.
The Unloading of the crowd was wit
messed by thousands of people on shore
and in boats. ana it NAV be said with ali
| sincerity that during the two hours oc-
cuDied with the task. not a sneer or a
! jeer was heard. nor an act performed
which might have given offense to the
/ prisoners.
The most interesting part of the landing
of the men was the duty performed by
Captain Z. Diaz Moru of the CristobaI
Colon, the once hearty and jovial officer,
/ the favorite captain OF the Spanish navy.
standing on the height of land near where
| the men came ashore, clad in a tattered
uniform of white duck trousers and blue
coat, book in hand, the mastering officer
! of the Spanish prisoners. His heavy
voice called out the names of the prison.
ers and credited each to the vessel to
which the individual was once member.
When the muster out, as it seemed to
be, was finished, the men were formed
| in lire and marched into the temporary
! barracks which will serve as a prison for
them.
Of the number landed. 40 have been
taken to the hospital. suffering for the
most part from wounds, while not few
have minor ills.
Among the ohlcers there were ten-four
GERS and one paNmaStr-and these
through some misunderstanding OF orders
| from Washington, were returned TO the
st. Louis.
1t is understood tonight, however. that
these same officers will be landed again
tered a. the Marine Barracks
1t was an interesting sight TO watch the
way in which the Spanish prisoners ac-
cepted the fortunes of war. After break
ing. rank they looked about and saw mat
| tresseS and coucheS and many other com
forts which had not been their lot for
many years in the barracks. and as they
looked them over they appeared 10 &C
cept the. situation with much cheerful
ness. They walked around with what
appeared to be disnified air and seemed
to grow happy as appetizirg odors were
waited to them from the large kitchen.
= TOUCHING INCIDENT.
One of the most touching incidents of
the day was the farewell Captain h. D az
Morn, of the Cristobal Colon. took of his
crew just before he went back to the st.
Louis. Few who saw the tenderness with
which he walked down the line and affec-
tionately embraced each seaman as # he
was his son, could refrain, from tears.
When the muster had beer completed
Captain Moru turned to Colonel Forney of
the American marine corps and asked rer-
mission to ST. few words to his men.
The request was readily granted, but Cap
tain Moru. instead of making a formal
and eloquent address to the line, walked
up TO the man at the head of II, and,
taking him warmly by the hand. tendeTly
kissed the grim sailor on the cheek.
When the men saw the action of the COM
mander. they wept as If their hearts
would break and as the captain walked
down the line, shaking each by the hand.
and kissing each sunburned cheek, each
man threw his arms around his command
er's neck and gave him most hearty en-
brace.
AS Captain Moru came to the CoIon's
marine guard the captain orderly, in an
outburst of grief spranG from the ranks
and threw his arms about his captains
neck IKE q child.
When, finally, the captain reached the
end Of the long line he turned. and in
words of farewell to the crew as a
whole. AS he finished the haIf-clad men
surrounded him. grasping his arms and
legs and trying for one last embrace.
SECURELY IMPRISONED.
The grassy banks of the rockbound
prison island face the entrace of the
harbor. The island has an area of about
100 acres and is just across the channel
from Fort Constitution. About five acres
of this comprise the prison yard of the
captives. The space will be enclosed with
q fence eight feet in height. Outside
this fence. seven feet from it, q barbed-
wire fence is to be constructed. beside
which the sentries will be placed. At
commanding points platforms have been
made on which gatling guns will be
mounted, thus making an attempt to es-
cape . most hazardous one.
In the southwestern end of the enclosure
and close TO the water are the ne-rly
erected buildings that are to be the living
quarters of the men. There are ten OF
them long, low and fiat rooted, and if
need be. each can shelter 800 men. The
buildings are IS feet wide by 100 feet long,
are raised from the ground and thorough
ly ventilated. Besides the prisoners
quarters. there is a hospital building =
cook house with q ranges and all cooking
utensils. Every precaution has been taken
to prevent disease and insure the best
sanitary conditions. Just outside of the
stockade or an eminence that will over
look the whole county. is a building for
the officers of the day and accomn oda-
lions fer 125 marines. ..
OFFICERS CAPTURED.