Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-09

taches. news men and prominent officers
took fitful maps, their slumbers grotesquely
startled by the subconscious impression
that it was time to move. Those who kept
this long night watch, waiting nervously
for the long-delayed start for war will
never forget the brilliantly lighted hotel,
the dark night and afterward the slowly
growing dawn.
Confusion at Port Tampa.
The scene at Port Tampa Wednesday
was apparently one of widest confusion
there was no martial music, nor the orderly
and steady tramp, tramp of the flower of
the army, as described by some of our
more fmpressionable and poetic writer's,
but In their place was the grim datermina-
ton Of every commanding officer, every
oYerWoTked quartermaSter, to get his re-
spective regiment on board some particular
transport The docks were piled high with
tentage, luggage and commssary supplies
and the sweltering, already-tired soldiery
struggled in long, thin, loaded lines, to get
their stuff aboard. 1t was q wonderful
spectacular performance, ons to be seen,
not described.
Amid 1t all many amusing and many sad
things happened. Here a company of strap
ping neglo soldiers stood in line with
their blanket-rolls open on the ground for
inspection, giving up six shooters by COM
mard, which they had surreptitiously hid
den about their persons, until nearly a
dozen guns-an armfui-of all sizes and
descriptions were held by the officer while
the Not guilty men, with heels together
and heads erect, shook their braWny chests
with suppressed laughter at their more I'M
fortunate and warlike comrades. Here a
poor fellow had given out under the ter
rifle heat and strain of duty, and lay, white
and painting with exhaustion, waiting for
the hospital corps and litter to carry him
away. Here lay another who had been
thrown from his horse and had his leg
broken, crying more from the knowledge
that he would be left behind than from the
eAcruciattng agony which throbbed in his
broken bones.
One OF the amusing incidents of this
memorable Wednesday-that is, amusing
for those who did not participate in the
misery of going hungry-was that, in the
excitement, the foreign military attaches
were entirely forgotten, and, after an entire
night without sleep they spent nearly
day without food, or information as to
little hotel at Port Tampa a crushing
crowd of several hundred hungry men were
vociferating for breakfast, and in this typ
fcal American aggregation, where every
man was for himself the polite spick and
span attaches stood not the ghost of. d
chance. So, poor fellowsl they went hun
CRY and forgotten through the hot day,
until those in command, eased of their
labors, had time to look around and re-
member matters of less Importance.
"dSh IhceHt SpecIacte.
1t was a magnificent spectacle. Thirty
blaoksided transports lying in the stream
II cir decks closely crowded with q mass of
humanity. which waved back and forth
like the heat rays which fell unblinkingly
upon them. They swarmed into the rig
ging like monkeys, the old sailors In the
army each striving to Guido the other in
some daring feat of climbing, while the
auc ence below oheered them to the echo
lis fearful activity, this stupendous
enc rgy evidenced by army suddenly
eIe trthed into motion was all for naught
and for nearly five whole days the army
lay idly at rest waiting patiently and phil
osoph1cally, or waiting grumblingly and
with cursingi for further orders from
Washington. 1t was frightful ordeal for
this army of a thousand score of men,
one in which the men suffered mental de-
preston and physical LIBERALIZATION, largely
shared by the ranking officers, who feared
that, under the torrid suns and in the
superheated and illy-ventilated holds
where the masses of the army lay gasping
an outbreak of fever was imminent. Feyers
did appear, but fortunately they were all
malarial, and the dread typhus did not
make it's appearance before the glad news
To move came on Monday to cheer the
hearts of the men and raise their sinking
spirits again to the point OF enthusiasm.
On Friday night a storm sprang up,
which cleared the sickening atmosphere,
and, for a few short hours, cooled 1t to a
refreshing temperature, but Saturday and
Sunday were almost unbearable, with the
greater portion of each day airless and
dazzlingly, sizzingly hot. On Sunday night
a storm ragged, such as can come only to
tropical countries. The lightning flashed
until the fleet in the harbor looked ablaZe
with natures beautiful fires, and the heavy
roaring, trembling thunder shook the YES
sells from bow to stern. The winds were
almost cyclontc and drove the deluges of
rain in roaring streams over the decks of
the vessels AT one time two of the thick
, ly dotted transports could be seen in the
brilliant flashes to be dragging their
anchors. and a great fear arose that they
might drift down upon others and cause a