The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-08
A COOL RECEPTION.
Landing of the Wounded Heroes at
Kew West.

Key West Fla, July 1.-The 325 wounded
heroes of Santiago, brought here by the
| lroquois, are doing well. and no one is in
danger. They are distributed between the
Marine and Convent hospital and an UNI
used cigar factory, which had been pre-
Viously fitted up for such purposes.
All the officers and some of the men are
quartered at the Convent hospital. where
the nuns are doing fine service as nurses;
At all places the utmost care and careful
medical and surgical attention is devoted
TO the wounded men.
TheSe wounded warriors, returning to
their native soil af er he glorious achieve
ments IN the field. were. strange TO say,
received in rather cavalier fashion. Their
landlng would have been commonplace
nad IL not been grotesQue- The Iroquois
entered the harbor about O'Clock and,
through somebody's negligence, went
aground on sand bar, where she remain
eo Tor three hours, brace 4 government
tugs struggling 10 free her. while from
the rails of the stranded vessel peeFed
faces OF wounded men, anxious once more
TO step on American soil. Eventually the
vessel Siid off and was docked. News of
her arrival brought to the dock a motley
crowd of curious seekers mostly Cubans
mere was not sign of enthusiasm. even
among those persons for whom the dis
aoied soldiers had received their hurts
hot cheer. not a handicap. 1t was eX-
actly as If one of the regular line steamers
mad arrived on day trip and was dis
charging her ordinary passengers. There
Obliged TO Chamber down the ladders as
pest they could to get ashore.
All the ambulances in the town had
peen brought into service, but in spite of
tnelr frequent and hurried trips. the pro-
vision was entirely inadequate. In con-
sequence, many of the men had no other
recourse than to walk four blocks to the
morse car line, in which they were jostled
TO the hospitals at the other end of the
town.
A PATRIOTIC SIGHT.
The sight of the stalwart fellows, black
ened by the tropical sun, bruised and
scratched by Cuban jungles and wrapped
IN Dandages, which covered but did not
conceal their wounds, as they shambled
ana struggled along the rugged roads. had
IN IL much of pathos, perhaps tragedy.
IL was II o'clock before the last of those
able to keep their feet had been safely
disembarked. Most of these suffer from
ritie-shot wounds in the arms or hands.
About So others, whose injuries are in the
lower parts of their bodies, had to be
carried off on stretchers. Fifteen. who
are suner1ng from a mild attack of mea-
sizes were left on board the steamer, and
the IroCuois returns.
the debarkaticn was not completed TN
III early yesterday morning. Most of
these men laugh at their. wounds. They
want TO go back. tor they have tasted real
nghtins, and are hungry for more.
EAGER TO FIGHT.
1t is learned that as they fell in the
ilring at Santiago, the corpOrals hustled
them to the rear, but in nearly every
case, the moment makeShft bandages
were swathed about their wounds. they
pushed again to the front, until il event
ually became necessary to strip them of
their cartridge belts.
Said one OF them in telling this of the
others: Damn it; they had TO stay back;
they had nothing to night with"
They talk of the two days bloody bat
tie IN the most unconcerned way imagin-
able. one man was struck by a Mauser
bullet while in the act OF firing mis- re-
volver- The ball struck his right fore
arm between the wrist and elbow. IL went
straight through the forearm. then pene-
trated the upper arm, struck his right
out at the left side. Strange TO say. he
VIII not die, but he swears he will make
his way back to Cuba and score at least
ten dead Spaniards for each of his gashss.
All are loud in their praises o the night
ing qualities of the Spanish troops but
say their losses must be enormous. OF
our own dead and wounded, eNtravagant
figures are given by many, but cOnserva-
tive figures place the wounded for the
two days at between 1909 and 1900, per-
haps 3D of whom were killed.
AT the hospital, suits of pa iamaS were
served out 10 the soldiers. ana they lOunse
about the rooms in the airy garments,
reading the latest newspaper tales of
their own proves ana chatting each other
thereon Indeed, many of those whose
wounds are trifling have been unconcern-
eddy walking about the streets and renew
ms friendships at the - els, with no
other apparent clothes than these scanty
sleeping garments.
The lroquois will probably return to
Santiago within a Jay or two. and mean
while another ship, with a larger body of
more seriously wounded men is expected
to arrive here hourly.