The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-07-29
A DASH FOR NEWS.

was the only American operator in
eastern Cuba in February and March,
1898, which were very busy months in
the cable Office at Santiago, where l had
been for four years. In the early part of
1895 we seldom handled more than 80
messages a day, but after the insurrec'
ton began the number rose to 80 and
100 daily, increasing little every
month.
The cable from Santiago to Spain
goes under sea first TO Kingston, ia
maica, thence to Porto Rico, thence to
st. Croix, and from there to Paramaribo
and Pernambuco in Brazil. Gables from
Pernambuco cross the south Atlantic
TO st. Vincent, Cape Verde islands and
from st. Vincent other cables extend to
Madeira, thence TO Lisbon, and overland
to Madrid There is also less direct
cable from Pernambuco to st. Louis, in
Senegal, Africa, and thence to the Ca
nary islands and Cadiz.
Beside myself there was but one other
operator in the Santiago office, Laurin
Merode a young Spaniard, who had
learned cable work at Lisbon. We
thought that 100 messages daily made
work enough, but over 500 passed the
day after the Maine was blown up III
Havana hGybor. -Four more operators
were needed, and we called to Havana
for help, but no notice was taken of
our appeal, and rather than desert our
posts and leave the company's business
undone we shaved night and day, al
ways hoping the pressure would moder-
ate.
One day we sent 10, TAG words in over
l,100 dispatches, yet we were two hours
black" at midnight, with Havana FUN
ing at us over the land wire, and still
hurrying messages through the Cienfue-
gos cable. There were Spanish govern.
ment cipher messages from Sagasta 10
Blanco, and Blanco cipher to Sagasta;
reams of bombast from the Cuban CORE
spondents of the impartial and Correo
for Madrid, followed by more cipher to
Weyler at Barcelona from his brother
officers at Havana, and then the bank
ers and merchants quoting, selling and
orderingl
To add TO our vexations the "moust
mill" of the siphon recorder gave trou
BILE constantly, and the clockwork that
carries the record tape broke down every
day or two. Now, a Spaniard is utterly
without native ingenuity. Merode was
tolerably good operator, but when Il
came 10 rectifying faults of the instru
ment he was an infant, and all suci
tasks fell ON me.
Anything like clockwork can link
err" but the mouse mill that works til,
siphon pen is a very delicate bit O
mechanism, which assists the faint cleo
trio impulses that come great distance
through the cable to move the ink poin
of the recorder to and fro on the tape
l suppose / had taken the record tap
clockwork and mouse mill apart 20 dit
ferent times and on the evening OK tn
I'd of April, after Merode relieved me
] set to work to wind IA new motor col
for the mouse mill, which had worke
SO very badly all day that rather tina
struggle with it longer had determine
TO sit up all night and build neN
mill.
lonesome place, particularly at night
but Spanish sentinel was supposed
: pass the door every three minutes
These poor fellows were rarely pait
and often looked in at the door to beg
cigarette. So when the outside doc
opened behind us that evening | SUI
posed the incomer was the sentinel, an
i did not even look around till a
: amused voice exclaimed, AHA, senor
buenos noches
A Spanish sentinel begging a cigarett
!, does not speak in that tone, so Meroc
y and faced round with jump. Thel
u stood rather tall, good looking your
u fellow, in white duck suit and viii
: cap, regarding us keenly, and step b
l. hind him was typical Cuban rebel
y sombrero, long mustachios, broad bel
u long boots, revolver and machete
In an instant Merode was ON his fe
q and shouted, "SentinelaW at -whit
l. our unexpected visitors laughed goo
s humoredly, and the Cuban said,
o must beg the senior telegrafero not
d distress himself concerning the wortl
II sentinel, for that watchful soldier
!, now lying comfortably on his back GU
" side, with gag in his mouth, and h
hands are tied to his feet "
"Well, who are you and what do "
want herey' 1 exclaimed in Spanish,
II 1.-The young man in white du
"a laughed. "You are an Americana; an
l. body could tell that by your SPANS
20 Oh, | know about you. Speak English
III Certainly" l replied. what
you want here?'
OF "The news. "
~ "What news?"
&c care the Spanish warships, Vizca
a. and Oquendo, still at Porto Ricor II
the torpedo iotilla arrived there, or b