The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-08-27

WHY | LEFT SANTIAGO DE- CUBA.
BY A CABLE OPERATOR.


March, 1898, which were very busy
I months in the cable office at Santiago,
7 where ! had been for four years. In
the early part of 1895 we seldom han
died more than 30 messages a day,
but after the instruction began the
/ number rose to 80 and 100 daily, in
ACreasinga little every month.
The cable from Santiago to Spain
goes under sea first to Kingston, ia
maica, thence to Puerto Rico, thence
4 to st. Croix and from there to Para
marble and Pernambuco in Brazil.
Cables 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 a less direct cable from
I Pernambuco to st. Louis in Senegal,
Africa, and thence to the Canary ISL
snds 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 800 passed
the day after the Maine was blown up
4 in Havana harbor. Four more oper-
stors 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 COM
pany's business undone, we shaved
night and day, always hoping the
pressure would moderate.
One day we sent 10, 742 words in
over 100 dispatches, yet we were two
hours "back" at midnight, with Ha-
vana Tuning at us over the land wire
and still hurrying messages through
the Cienfuegos CABLE There were
Spanish government cipher messages
from Sagasta to BIauco and Blanco's
cipher to Sagasta; reams of bombast
from the Cuban correspondents of The
impartial and Correo for Madrid, fol-
lowed by more cipher to Weyler at
Barcelona from his brother officers at
Havana, and then the bankers and
merchants quoting, selling and order
ing!
To add to our vexations, the "mouse
milf of the siphon recorder gave
trouble constantly, and the clockwork
that carries the record tape broke
down every day or two Now a Span
lard is utterly without native ingenu-
ity. Merode was tolerably good OPP
orator, but when it came to rectifying
faults of the instrument he was an in
FAINT, and all such tasks fell on me.
Anything like clockwork I can
thinker" 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.
l suppose had taken the record |
tape clockwOrk and mouse mill apart
20 different times, and on the evening
OF the second of April, after Merode re-
lieved me, | set to work to wind
new motor coil for the mouse mill,
which had worked so very badly ali
day that, rather than struggle with it
longer, l had determined to sit up all
night and build new "mill."
The cable-house at Santiago is q
most lonesome place, particularly at
night; but 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, | supposed the incomer was
the sentinel, and 1 did not even look
around till an amused voice exclaimed:
"Aha, SENIORS! Buenos noches!'
A Spanish sentinel begging cigar
cite does not speak in that tone, SO
Merode and l faced round with q
Jump. There stood rather tall, good
looking young fellow, in white duck
suit and white cap, regarding us keen
y; and step behind him was a typi.
,al Cuban rebel--sombrero, long mus
broad belt, long boots, revol-
YER and machete.
In an instant Merode was on his
'eet and shouted, "Sentinela" at
which our unexpected visitors laughed
gOOd-humoredIy, aud the Cuban said:
II must beg the Senior Te!egraeero
lot to distress himself concerning the
worthy sentinel, for that watchful sol
iier is now lying comfortably on his
back outside, with gag in his mouth,
md his hands are tied to his feet"
swell, who are you, aud what do
7ou want here?" l exclaimed, in Span l
sh.
The young man in white duck {
aughed. 'You are an American; any
,ody could tell that by your Spanish. l
Oh, | know about you. Speak Eng c
ish." l
Certainly" I replied. "What do
'Ou want here?" Il
''The news" 1