The Dickinson press., 1898-08-27

only q iQulnln0 pills ae proper times.
I slept under rather . leaky tent az
with Colonel McClerland, adjutant zen
eral on General Skaters staff, and
Colonel Derby, CHIEF Of engineers We
had rubber blankets, but Q rubber blan-
ket isn't much protection when the rood
leaks. The blankets have q way Of get.
ting wet on both Sides which. does not
tend to increase ones comfort. The
greatest discomfort I had was the lack
Of bathing facilities. There wasn't any
way to get a bath Or a shave most Of
the time"
Colonel Astor gave q very interesting
description Of the internal and external
arrangement Of the Spanish block
houses. "Those blockhouses are great
things" said the colonel. "Looking at
them from a little distance, it would
seem easy to hit their defenders and de.
molish them, but one sees only a part Of
the structures from the outside. Nearly
all Of them are sunk into the ground.
and the earth is piled up around them
in such q way as to permit the men
within them on the lower floor to fire
from portfolios about six inches above
the ground. There is q second floor,
which is also provided with portfolios,
and on top is the lookout tower. A
ditch runs around each blockhouse, and
outside Of the ditch are breastworks
crowned with a tangle of barbed wire
fences. The taking of a blookhouse thus
constructed and defended Is exceedingly
difficult and calls for a rare amount Of
courage. Barbed wire is {. great thing
in warfare, and the spaniards have learn.
ed how to use it. II we had had to take
Santiago by storm. many Of our men
would have lost their lives in getting
through the barbed wire defenses. I'm
glad General Toral surrendered when
he did, as there would have been terri
BILE loss of life had we been obliged to
take the city by STORM"
General Shafter directed Colonel AS
tor one day to convey those officers who
were prisoners Of war to General Duff
field at Siboney. eff they try to escape, I"
Colonel Aston asked General Shafter,
"shall I shoot them?'' ''Shoot nothing!'
said the general. "They won't attempt
to escape" The colonel took them to
Siboney, and when he arrived there
with them they were at once surround
ed by q number Of Cubans and some of
Dur sailors who were on shore leave.
But Colonel Astor had q number Of or
derlies with him, and he had no trouble.
'.The Spanish officers" Colonel Astor
said, "were very pleasant fellows, and
all Of them seemed to be gentlemen. ]
think most of them were glad that San
tiago was surrendered, for they had had
a hard time there" 4
Colonel Aston ia personally very
strongly in favor Of the annexation Of
Cuba by the United States. AFTER the
spaniards have left Cuba" said he,
''there will be only about 1, 600. 600 in
habitants left. Cuba is about four-ffths
the size of New York state and is mar
velously chand fertile, but very little
is in cultivation or has ever been, and
yet almost anything can be raised there.
I should say that not more than one
fifth Of the land in Santiago province
has ever been cultivated. If Cuba is
left to the Cubans, 1t will certainly be-
come a second Haiti. Itneeds American
farmers to develop Improperly. Il Cuba
should be annexed to the United States,
1t would eventually be the richest state
in the Union. The Cubans are content
to scratch; the soil withsa crooked stick
and good farming is practically I'M
known to them. I believe that many of
our soldiers now at Santiago will re-
main there after the war and finally
settle there with their families That
would be a beginning Of real prosperity
in that part of the island. OF course,
as an army officer, it would be highly
improper for me to c~ritioise the terms
of peace reported between the United
States and Spain, but, personally, !
cannot help being in favor of annexa-
tion. I think it would be a good thing
for the United States and also for Cuba
If it became part Of the Union. I should
like to see all of the islands in the West
Indies partaof the United States. Il
Cuba was owned by the United States,
the public lands there could be given to
the settlers, just as the public lands in
the western states were formerly given,
and in a very short time the island
would be great and prosperous,
II think this war will be very
good thing for the country. Its moral
effect on Europe will compensate
for what it has cost us. I think the
effect on. number Of Europeannations,
notably Germany. cannot be oyaresti.
mated. II we had a war with Germany,
I think we could wipe out the German
navy, although not as easily as we did
the Spanish fleets. Germany has ot
course a stronger army than ours, but
in case Of war,5asd I hope there will b.
none, she couldn't use her army against
us."-N. A. Jennings in New Yorl
World.