Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-25
The Stury Teller.
WHY | LEFT SANTIAGO.
From the Youths Companion.

months in the cable office at Santiago,
where I had been for four years. In
the early part of 1895 we seldom
handled more than 80 message day,
but after the insurrection began the
number rose TO 80 and 100 daily,
increasing a little every month.
The cable from Santiago to Spain
goes under the sea first to King
ston, Jamaica, thence to Puerto Rico,
thence to St. Croix, and from there to
Parmaribo 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 the St. Louis in Sene-
gal, Africa, and thence to the Canary
islands and Cadiz.
Beside myself, there was but one
other operator in Santiago Office, Lau-
rim Merode, a young Spaniard, who
had learned cable work at Lisbon.
We thought that 100 messages daily
made work enough, but over 800 pass
ed the day after the Maine was blown
up in Havana harbor. Four more op'
orators 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 slaved
night and day, always hoping the
pressure would moderate.
One day we sent 1912 words in
over LOO dispatches, yet we were
two hours "back" at midnight, with
Havana fuming at us over the land
wire, and still hurrying messages
through the Cienfuegos cable. There
were Spanish government cipher mes,
sages from Sagasta to Blanco, and
Blanco cipher to Sagasta; reams OF
bombast from the Cuban correspon-
dents 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 quoting, selling and ordering!
To add to our vexations, the "mouse
mill" of the siphon recorder gave trou,
BILE constantly, aud the clockwork
that carries the record tape broke
down every day or two. Now Span
lard is utterly without native ingenuity.
Merode was tolerably good operator,
but when it came to rectifying faults
of the instrument, he was an infant,
and all such tasks fell on me.
Anything like clockwork can
"tinker; :" but the mouse mill that
works the siphon pen is very delicate
bit of mechanism, which assists the
faint electric impulses that come great
distances through the cable to move
the ink point of the recorder to and
fro on the tape.
suppose I had taken the record
tape clockwork and mouse mill apart
twenty different times; and on the
evening of the second of April, after
Merode relieved me, set to work to
wind a new motor coil for the mouse
mill, which had worked so very badly
all day that, rather than struggle with
it longer, 1 had determined to sit up
all nig ght and build new "mill."
The cable-house at Santiago is a
most lonesome place, particularly at
night; but a Spanish sentinel was sup
posed to pass the door every three
minutes. These poor fellows were
rarely paid, and often looked in at the
door to beg cigarette. So when the
outside door opened behind us that
evening, I supposed the incomer was
the sentinel, and I did not even look
around till an amused voice exclaimed
"Aha, senors! Buenos noches J"
A Spanish sentinel begging a ciga-
rette does not speak in that tone, so
Merode and faced round with a jump.
There stood a rather tall, looking
young fellow, in a white duck suit and
white cap, regarding US keenl y; and
step behind him was typical Cuban
rebel -sombrero, long mustachios,
broad belt, long boots, revolver and
machete.
In an instant Merode was on his
feet and shouted, "Sentinela J" at
which our unexpected visitors laughed
good od-humoredly, and the Cuban said,
II must beg the Senor Telegrafero not
to distress himself concerning the
worthy sentinel, for that watchful
soldier is now lying comfortably on
his back outside, with gag in his
mouth, and his hands are tied to his
feet"
"Well, who are you, and what do
YOU want here" ] exclaimed, in
Spanish.
The young man in white duck
laughed. "You are an American ;
any body could tell that by your Span
ish. Oh, know about you. Speak
English"
"Certainly," replied. "What do
you want here ?"
"The news"
"What news ?"
care the Spanish war-ships Vizcaya
and Oquendo, still at Puerto Rico ?
Has the torpedo fotilla arrived there,
or has it gone to St. Vincest, at Cape
de Verde ?"
"It is contrary to the rules of the