The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-22
DIRE DISTRESS IN CUBA
Adventures of a Norwegian Sea
Captain on the Island.
BEGGED TO GIVE BREAD
Men, Women and Children In the Last
Stages of starvation-The Captain
and His Bride Finally Escape
From the Island Via Mexico.

New York. July 21.-On the Norwe-
gian steamer Tito, which arrived from
Mexican ports, were Captain Hans
Christensen and his wife and the mate
and seven seamen Of the Norwegian
bark Sterling, which was wrecked off
the Cuban coast on June 20. Three other
the rest of the bark's crew, en-
gagged berths on a sailing vessel at
Progresso. Captain Christensen said
that a Spanish schooner landed him, his
wife and his men at Batabano. on the
south sid of Cuba, whenc they were
carried by rail to Havana, where they
spent three days. They returned to
Batabano and put to sea on another
Spanish sailing craft. which made the
trip to the Mexican coast without sight
ing any American warships.
Captain Christensen declared that
supplies were reaching B~atabano from
Yucatan and were being shipped across
the island to Havana. h road over
which the provisions were sent was
guarded by attachments OF Spanish
troops.
Captain Christensen sailed from his
native land in the Sterling six months
ago.. The trip to Capetown, South Afri-
ca, was III WtduihS tOuA. i'o
his cargo, he started for Apalachicola.
Fla, where he intended taking a load of
lumber for England. In a dense fog the
Sterling was driven on the outer edge
of a series of reefs, five miles off the
southern coast of Cuba. The bark
pounded heavily against the reef n all
on board abandoned her in two lifeboats.
They sighted the Spanish cruiser Ro-
sario, well out from shore, and were
fakan on hoard and carried to Bata-
bano.
Misery and poverty were seen every
where in Batabano. Scores of men, wo-
men and children surrounded the cap
tain, crying for bread. Their clothing
was I'm rags m all ook as If they
| would become victims of starvation II
| food was withheld from them much lon
| ger. 1t was impossible to. heed the cries
of the distressed people, n as the cap
tain and seamen passed through the
streets the duplicating tones gave way
to harsh shouts of "Americanos."
Captain Christensen tried to take his
wife and his crew to Havana because
smallpox and yellow fever had become
epidemic and they were afraid of con-
tracing one or the other. At every sta
ton on the route were seen bodies OF
Spanish troops who peered into the
train.
Arriving in Havana on June %, Cap
| tain Christensen sought the Norwegian
consul, who told him that the blockade
was strictly enforced and his best
| chance to leave the island was from
| Batabano. Accompanied by a member
of the consulate. the skipper made a
tour of inspection about the capital
Business was dead and the necessities
of life were sold at outrageous prices
he said. Bread could not be had. In Its
place hard crackers were sold. Restau-
rants charged so cents for two eggs
Other provisions were even higher In
proportion. The streets were overrur
with troops and there was a drill every
day in the prado. Neither yellow fever
nor smallpox had broker out to any
extent in the city, but both were raging
in outlying districts.
Having once reached the Cuban coas'
from Havana in safety, the mall yes
sells Rugged the shore. the pilots using
their knowledge of the reefs and shoal:
to keep their craft where a warshiI
would be unable to follow. Another
Spanish sailing craft was found at Bata
bano ready to land Captain Christensen
in a Mexican port. 1t was accomplished
as easily as IL there had not been ar
American man-of-war within a hundreC
miles of Cuba. Before Captain Christen
sens bark went shore she was held III
by the auxiliary cruiser Yankee.