Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-09-26

tion and the Spanish outposts. Ser
geant Welch, with Corporals Cox and
Johnson and Private Worcester had
charge OF this station. They were
alone with a guard of 200 CUbans. who
were sure to run at the first fire. who
were the greatest thieves in the whole
army and who had to watclhed aa
closely as the Spaniafds. This sta
tion was only a telephone nailed on q
tree.
The men at the front sent their mes
sages of the result of the firing of
SIMPSONS fleet to this station and Ser
geant Welch and his men wig-wagged
fleet was lying several miles off shore
and had to fire over the hills OF San
Juan into Santiago. By sending the
results of the bombardment of the
ships the sailors were better able to dl-
rect their fire, and while the lombard
ment continued the Maine men per-
formed this work. The stations ait the
front were very much exposed and
were under fire while the bombardment
lasted.
The expert telegraphers of the Maine
corps had their hands full in the vari-
Gus stations and were worked about
all the time. The miles Of telephone
and telegraph lines had to be patrolled
constantly day and night by the Signal
Corps men to repair breaks and keep
the lines in working ofder. The Span
iards now and then got into the lines
and cut these wires, the Cubans took
delight in cutting them and even the
American soldiers would tear the wires
down when they were in their way.
Captain Butler and his men were on
the jump day and night. They did not
have the experience OF regulars but
they brought with them Yankee brains
and ingenuity and what they Hacked an
practice they made up with their grit
and hard work. Soon 1.-THE Maine men
began to show the effects of hard work.
Many of them We're taken sick and sent
home and this made the work harder
for the rest of the men. FINALLY Santl-
ago surrendered but this did not end
the hard work. for the signal men were
busy after the guns had ceased to be
fired.
After many vexatious delays these
men were ordered North and reached
Camp Wikoff. From the Tropics they
were placed at once in the cold camp at
Montauk Point and then sickness came
for many of them. 1t was very cold at
Montauk and the men suffered not a
little from this cause. They were all
glad to- be moyed away from the place
for to them 1t seemed as bad. If not
worse than Cuba.
Captain Butler has many interesting
things ITO tell of the fights about Santl-
ago. While he did not witness many
engagements ne heard OF them from
the lips OF those who were in them and
on the spot. He says that the troops
stood the campaign we'll until after the
surrender and then they commenced to
go to pieces.
The commissary and quartermaster
departments has been criticized for
the way the men were supplied, but
Captain Butler says many Of these
criticisms are undeserved. The regi-
mental officers are to blame in many
cases for their men being starved and
Ill supplied.
The Maine men were well fed ana
supplied compared with the other
troops. The quarternaster sergeant
Of the command was jewel, according
to Captain Butler, andwhat he couldn't
secure for the Maine men could not be
had. OF course the Maine men were
widely scattered. and it took a great
deal of time and much hard work 20
supply them all. No wagons were to
be had but they succeeded in obtaining
enough pules to pack provisions On.
They had no pack saddles and were
obliged to tie the provisions on the
backs of the mules with wire and rope.
Many funny stories are told Of the en-
gagenents between the signal men and
the mules, but after while the men
from Maine became accustomed to tine
army mules and had very little trouble
with them.
The Kennebec Log Driving Compan,
Is at work on the ledge at the foot y
the sluice way through the dam. Ths