The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-06
OUR new YORK LETTER
HOW NEWS FROM GENERAL SKATER
REACHES THE UNITED STATES.
An Over-> orked Single Cable and the Dis
lance Between the Station and Military
Headquarters Cause Long Deiays-Cap-
tain Joshua slocum.

tain Joshua slocum.
NEW YORK. July Especial. ]--Some
surprise has been expressed that news
from Santiago de Cuba particularly def
mite news concerning the condition Of the
wounded should be SO slow In reaching
New York and Washington, especially in
view of the fact that the United States
government now controls a cable connect
ing directly with the naval and military
forces thereabouts.
But the fact Is that such news is re-
ceived much more promptly than might
with reason be expected, once the circum-
stances are fully understood. In the first
place, it must be remembered that there Is
only one cable, and that all the govern
ment dispatches relating to naval and mil
itary operations, all the newspaper dis
patches sent direct and all the private mes
sages between the United States and the
scene of present activity must be transmit
ted over that single wire. That is enough
of itself to cause great delay, and the table
of the operator in the little cable office on
the beach at Playa del Este Is undoubted-
ly piled high just now with messages
awaiting their turn. OF course messages
to the secretaries of war and the navy on
matters of vital Importance take prec-
edence over all others, and in some in
stances this must cause delays of many
hours.
Busy Dispatch Boats.
But there are other legitimate causes for
delay besides a clogged up cable office. For
one thing, it must be remembered that
General Skaters headquarters are at least
20 miles away from the office and that
until the completion of the new telephone
line the delivery of message to him in
volved the passage back and forth of a dis
patch boat covering mt least 40 miles every
round trip. This would require two hours
of steaming by tremendously fast boat;
in actual practice each round trip has
probably taken up three full hours and
possibly four.
To put a message like the one recently
sent by the secretary of war regarding
wounded correspondent through to Gen.
eral Shafter and secure the filing of his
reply would undoubtedly consume the bet
ter part of whole day without making
any allowance for unexpected delays. 1t
would involve at least 80 or go miles of
steaming by the dispatch boat and posi-
bly, good deal more since, while Shat
ter's headquarters is 20 miles from the ca
BILE station, the hospital ship Olivette, on
which the wounded lie, Is several miles
from headquarters, though just how far is
not known definitely either here or in
Washington. 1t is more than likely that
the Olivette is kept moving slowly at
least part of the time, and this would of
course render the distance over which the
dispatch boat would have to steam an un-
certain quantity.
In addition to all the delay involved by
10. ,iu ,ta axnlainaI ahnya tpan
mission itself is slow Every reader of the
newspapers must have noticed that most
published dispatches to the government
are dated at least "a hours earlier than
their reception in Washington, and have
! it on the best authority that the war de-
partment Is very well satisfied when 1t
receives an answer to given inquiry as
early as 43 hours after the question is ask
ed. Better time has been made in some
instances, but these have been the excep-
ton and not the rule.
Captain Joshua Slocum.
The arrival of Captain Joshua Slocum
at an American port after circumnavigat-
ing the globe in u craft only slightly lar
ger than q canoe brings to mind his first
voyage i'm small boat. 1t was made nearly
or quite ten years ago, and unlike the lon
ger voyage, which he has just completed,
was by no means premeditated. 1t came
about through his suffering shipwreck
somewhere on the coast of Brazil.
The captain $ luck at that time was all
against him. He not only suffered ship
wreck by going ashore, but what little he
managed to save from the broken vessel
was taken from him by Brazilian wreck
ers of the worst type. Had these thievish
gentry left him unmolested he might have
sold what part of his cargo floated ashore
for at least enough to pay the passage OF
himself and wife to "the States" but as
it was he was absolutely penniless, almost
without clothes and thoroughly isolated
from civilization on "a strange coast.
At first he appealed to the Brazilian
government but this resulted In nothing.
Then he tried as best he might to secure
assistance in pressing his claim against
Brazil through our diplomatic officers
there, but they pursued the do nothing
policy that has often characterized our
representatives abroad. Then he built
seaworthy boat out of virtually green
timber, having an AK for his only tool.
He named this boat the Liberdale, and,
though 1t could not have been more than
80 feet long and was of exceedingly rude
construction, he made 1t serve for voy-
age of months from the point of shipwreck
to New York. OF course he had to hug
the shore all the way, and he had to beg
at many port for enough to live on till
he should make the next. The story OF
this voyage has often been told in print
and hardly need be repeated here, but
there was one incident connected with his
landing at this port which has never been
| related.
The Captains New Start.
On arriving here practically penniless,
| hetied up his boat somewhere near the
| Battery and walked up Broadway to q
certain newspaper Office. Entering, he
asked to see the editor to whom he offered
| to sell a moro detailed story of the Liber-
dale's voyage than had yet been printed.
| 1t was good story, the captain said; be-
sides he needed the money. He could
write it himself or tell 1t to some one bet
ter qualified than he to WELD the pen.
The offer was accepted, and after several
hours of elaborate collaboration between
a writer and the captain story" was
| laid before the editor which he valued ut
L 49,