The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-21
THE FIRST ship TO LAND
Santiago as 1t Appeared In
mediately After Surrender.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS

SCENES AND INCIDENTS
The Voyage From New York to the
Fields of Battle at Siboney and
Ell Caney - The Washingtonian
and His Chickens The Rush of
Spectators - The Mine Owners.
Santiago de Cuba, Aug. 3.-The first
| passenger steamer to enter this port since
it became American possession was
the Philadelphia of the Red d line, char
tered for one trip only by the Ward Com
/ pany, whose own boats, which lately
| piled these waters. were purchased some
1 months ago by our Government. Natur-
| ally, the departure of the Philadelphia
created a ripple of excitement in New
York harbor. Hours before sailing time
| Il p. m. Saturday. July 23), so crowded
was the steamer that it appeared as If
several hundred civilians had taken ad-
vantage of this first opportunity of get
ting into Cuba.
The throng was largely of the Latin
race. Nearly every prominent member
of the Junta was on board. chattering
and gesiculating as only Cuban-Span-
iards can. Reporters interviewed reck-
lessly. Dusky-eyed senoritas wept upon
the bosoms of the departing. and thou
sand loving messages were dispatched to
| friends who yet remained in Cuba
Then what a skurrying over the gang
plank when the last W sounded and
| when the steamer finally slipped her
mornings and slid away from shore, amid
| cheers and tears and waving handker-
! chiefs it was discovered that but hand
| ful of the throng was booked for the
! passage.
| Nobody went for pleasure only on this
! long journey to the beleaguered seat of
war, but each of the forty odd passen-
| gers had mis- special, important mission
| For example. there was the elderly editor
! OF Ell Porvenir, the Cuban newspaper
/ published In New York, sent down by the
Junta to placate the disgruntled patriots
who are ar outs with their American
allies thus early in the game because
not permitted to lont and murder in the
taking of Santiago.
The TransatIantica,s Agent.
There was r. c. Smith, agent for the
Cehallos Company, of the compania
Transatlantica Espanola, which has Sc
cured the contract for transporting TO
Spain the army surrendered by Gen.
Iorai at Santiago going to complete ar
engagements for relieving Uncle Samuel of
1900 hungry boarders as soon as possible
There was W. a. Donaldson, of Far
Rockaway, who was last week appointed
by President Mckinley TO collect duties
at our new port, going to establish
United States
and revive in Cuba the tonnage tax, which
Spain long ago abolished.
Under Spanish rule, there has been a
tax of one dollar per ton on all cargo
loaded or delivered at any Cuban port.
the sole exception being in favor of coal,
which paid no tax. and iron ore, which
paid only five cents the ton. The depart
ment at Washington retains the latter
determinations, but has revived the long
abolished tonnage tax, fixing it at twenty
cents the ton, on the registered net tom
mage of all other vessels, TO be paid on
entering the harbor.
The Philadelphia also carried a dozen
or more engineers and mine owners,
American, German and Cuban. going to
reopen their iron and copper works in
the mountains around Santiago Phila-
delphia. Baltimore and New York are
especially interested in these mines, in
the order named. In times not long past
a great deal of Santiagos iron ore was
shipped to points along the line of the
Pennsylvania and Reading railroads.
These mining companies have two or
three short railroad lines running from
the port to their works in the Cobre hills.
Not least among their losses by the war
has been the dumping OF some rolling
stock into the bay. The Philadelphia
brought along a lot of hosting apparatus
with which to recover the submerged
engines The miners are jubilant over
the certainty of being able TO resume
work at once-not only for their own
interest, but because they can furnish
EMPLOYMENT to several thousand i'm
poverished Cubans.
Among the Philadelphia's passengers
was Mr. Kingsbury, from the Washington
Weather Bureau, sent TO inaugurate our
signal service in Cuba.
Lost His Chickens
Most prominent among the spectators
was the son of a well-known Washington
produce dealer, with several thousand live
chickens, in coops. slowed away some
where below. Having read that chickens
are selling in Cuba at IS apiece, the young
man invested in 'broilers. which bring
about Is cents each at home expecting to
realize an instantaneous profit of several
hundred per cent, at the least calcula-
ton.
It seemed pity to blight in the bud this
budding genius of American trade. The
poor chickens. crowded as closely togeth-
er as sardines in box and with almost
as little air, the coops being piled in py-
ramids from floor to ceiling of the lower
deck, suffering for want of primal ele-
ments of the uniyerse-earth, air. and wa
ter, as well as from seasickness, fright
and long confinement, died by the dozens.
especially during days and nights of
rough weather.
When the region of tropical sultryness
was reached, the odors from those coops
bore no comparison TO those of Araby the
Blest The passengers complained; some
of them in good English swear-words; the
captain threatened TO make ducks and
brakes of the whole investment by drop
ping it into the sea, and the young specu-
lators hopes fell accordingly, from IS
for the broiler to half that sum in the
lump. 1 may as we'll tell you the rest
of the story, while on the subject, though
somewhat out OF sequence.
The Arrival at Santiago
When we arrived in Santiago harbor
after six days passage, the remnant of
the fowls were so diseased and reduced TO
bones and feathers their owner concluded