Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-09
How the First Big Army Of Invasion
Left Tampa.
GETTING READY IN A HURRY
detained Just as Everything Was
Prepared.
A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE

quarters Boat, the segarsnca. the Morning Of the
Sailing Of the First Army Of Invasion.
Await further orders" The dispatch
which delayed the great army of invasion
was concisely and forcibly expressed in
those three words.
If General William A. Shafter, in COM
n:end of the 9Th Army Corps, had had two
hours more on Wednesday, June 8, the
great transport fleet would have been be-
yond recall by any message from Wash
irgton. All day Iorg from early dawn IN
til the sun went down in glorious colored
clouds. he personally directed the embar-
kation OF the last Of the troops. from an
improvised headquarters on Port Tampa
wharf made Of two cracker boxes for a
chair and packing cas- for table
When the message was lnded him, de-
laying an army which hal worked night
an0 day for three days, through broiling
sunshine and oppressive darkness, under
hurry orders, he merely put his teeth to-
gether and went aboard the Sesuranca
without word.
Wonderful days. of terrific activity. those
three days, Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-
day, and just as Interesting were the sue
ceeding days Of waiting, until MONDAY,
June Ii, when great army Of twenty
thousand men, for the first time in the
own shores. over the southern seas to
hberate an oppressed and anguished peo-
pie; carrying the olive branch Of peace
tightly clenched in the steel claws Of the
American eagle.
Thsee Days of Hurry and BustIe.
Os Monday the hurry order for smbar-
kaS } Of the troops at Tampa came, and
az Thours afterward regiment after regi-
NJ ! had struck their tents and "policed"
~
4 hporary shelters, and filing the sinks
hove, nothing but vexatious delays met
them at every turn. IN a few hours the
miserable singls-track road between
Tampa and the Port, zine miles away. Was
Blocked with cars. It seemed impossible
for the railroad TO supply trains FOR the
troops, and when secured, TO move Them
Entire regiments which had packed and
transported all their tentage, baggage and
commissary supplies to tbs tracks, waited,
without food or shelter for hours in the
Filling sun, or CROPPED about in the dark
cursing the delay. For three days these
scenes were enacted over and over again,
and only on Wednesday evening under the
most strenuous orders from General Shat
ter. did the last of the tired twenty thous-
and. by a phenomenal squirt, find them
selves alongside their transports
One regiment-the 9th L. g. Infantry
struck its tents at o'clock Tuesday night,
and waited until o'clock Wednesday at
Iddhpd D5IOTe II was moved. The yperi-
ence OF these men was particularly dis
courasfng Etnce they Travelled in a stock
train, standing for four hours in soft filth
while the cars were side-tracked and
fcsted about in the scalding midday SUM-
Hardly a murmur came from the men
when they were put aboard this nl-smelI-
Ing train. so great was the desire of every
man TO go to the front, 1t being understood
that the fleet would sail with the troops
which succeeded in getting down by sunset.
NewsDaper Men and Farei-n att.ct..
Tuesday night. at the great Tampa Bay
Hotel-which has been for weeks the head
quarters of the 5th Army Corps, the for
eign military attaches and the sixty OF
mora correspondents and artists-an order
was received to be ready to move aboard
the headquarters boat, the Seguranca, at
O'Clock in the morning. The excitement
which followed was tremendous. and for
the next few hours the corridors and lob.