The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-17
IN GUANTANAMO BAY.
Officers Of Che Fleet Chafed
Under Enforced Idleness
Splendid Water.

correspondence of the Associated Press.l
ON BOARD THE UNITED STATES
CRUISER BROOKLYN, GUANTANAMO
BAY, Aug. Il. lS9s.-The dreary length OF
time that Uncle Sam's .tQuaker-colored
war fleet has spent in this bay, awaiting
the outcome of the peace negotiations,
has given everybody and especially off
GERS, who chafe under the inaetion time
to reflect upon more peaceful things than
shooting the enemy's vessels into steel
fragments. The officers of the North At
lantic Squadron are becoming enthusiast
tic over the desirability of the United
States holding this bay as permanent
naval base. 1t is generally agreed
that on our own Southern coast
and in all the West Indies
there is not an anchorage that can
compare with this one. HNre Is a bay
with a soft bottom in which an anchor
finds good hold, thus preventing
chains fouling. There is a splendid en-
trance fully a mile broad between the
hills that protect it, and with the danger
Gus West Indian reef minimized as to It's
destructive tendencies by being located
only on one side, to the west. The hills
at the entrance are high enough for all
purposes, such as the placing of light
houses and the erection of earthwork
fortiffcations With lights at the entrance
there would be no danger in entering the
harbor at night, and indeed, without
such guide, the big transatlantic liners
came in safely the other night The en-
trance could easily be mined for protec-
ton and al short notice.
Once inside the harbor its splendid
facilities are Immediately visible. It is a
broad expanse of water of great depth
and extending north into the island for
six miles. OF course the extreme depth
of forty-two feet does not prevail over
the entire length of the harbor, but at
this writing there are at least twenty
large vessels anchored in the deep ana
well sheltered portion of the bay and as
many more could find good anchorage.
The survey made by Captain Sumner OF
the cruiser Columbia which was stopped
in 1895 by the Spanish Government, shows
that there is about two and half square
miles of anchorage of depth of forty
feet or thereabouts and far enough in
side to be protected from any wind that
may blow Then there is about two
square miles of anchorage for vessels
drawing twenty-four feet or less. In
other words, the great battleships Iowa,
Texas, Indiana, Oregon and Massachu-
sets and the cruisers New York and
Brooklyn could be anchored in the first
place. while the entire remainder of the
American Navy could rest further UP the
bay. Torpedo boats and small gun boats
and converted yachts could move in any
portion of the immense bay.
There are good land points on small
bays where dry docks could be construct
ed and where coaling facilities could be
established. Fresh water is obtainable
at two places, the mouth of the Guam
tanamo River, mile from the entrance,
and the mouth of the Caymanes River,
six miles up the bay
The remarkably healthy character of
the place, considering the general super
stitions about the unhealthiness of The
whole island, is demonstrated in the en-
tire absence of sickness among the mar
ines stationed there With proper san-
tary precautions there need be no fear Of
sickness, and 1t is evident that sickness
among the resident population in the
cities near here is mainly due to the lack
of sanitary precautions and the filthiness
of the habits of the natives.