The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-15
Washington Office of The Herald,
1415 G Street. n. W.

washington, ID. T.. Aug. 1.-Nearly al
the eastern papers have handsome edit
orials on the subject of the first American
battle in the Philippines. Several of then
allude TO the presence of Brigham Young.
grandson in command of the volunteers
as affording ample Illustration of the una
nimity of patriotic sentiment in thi:
country, extending TO all sections anC
pervading all creedS-
War department officials believe thai
the peace negotiations are now so far ad.
vanced that there will be no more fight
ing in the Philippines. But the Utah sol
diers have nobly stood their baptism OF
fire. and will return from Malaysia with
the honorS of battlefield veterans il
never another gun is fired.
| In this respect they are far more for
! tunate than their friends who started fol
the front with Colonel Jay L. Torrey
| accident will be the only startling eX-
perience of the Second volunteer cavalry
in the war. There seems to be no reason
to hope that either the Griggsby or Tor
| reg cavalry will see any active powder
! smelling service in the war, and RooSe-
/ velt's regiment will have all the exper-
fence and be the only genuine war-worn
! rough riders There is however. some
! prospect that these regiments will form
/ part of the army of occupation and will
be permitted to go 10 Cuba after the fall
! of the island. This will not be very salts
| factory to the enthusiastic boys who
/ compose the rank and file of the Volun-
teer cavalry regiments, but it will be far
better than no service at all. The most
! unpleasant feature of the business Will
/ be that if sent either to Cuba or Porto
Rico they are likely to be called on to
serve at least one full years enlistment.
I This is very different from what the boys
contracted for, but it is the best they
/ can hope to get.
! great many of the men from the
mountain states will be glad of a chance
I to investigate the mineral resources of
eastern Cuba. Copper is known to abound
there in great quantities, and there are
reports that gold may be found in richly
! paying deposits So there may be mil
/ lions in it,
Whatever may be the final details of the
peace conditions, there is not now, and
! has not from the first been any doubt as
! to the independence of Cuba, the annexa-
/ ton of Porto Rico and the disappearance
of the 'black-and-yellow flag from the
new world. All the matters that will be
: considered by the peace commission will
LadroneS, the Cuban debt and the trans
portation of the Spanish troops to Spain.
But Spanish sovereignty is known to be
at an end in the new world which she dis
covered and in which she has been such
a powerful factor for four. centuries. Co
lumbia at last comes to be the principal
governing power in the seas where Chris
TOPPER Columbus sailed his caravals and
, upon lands which he discovered.
The United States will become with the
acquisition of Cuba, the custodian of the
in Havana.
Both Cuba and Porto Rico were discov-
cred by the great admiral who gave Spain
the new world. Columbus was delighted
with Cuba. One could live here for
ever he wrote to his sovereigns, Ferdi-
nand and Isabella. dit is the most beau
tiful island that eyes ever beheld. full of
excellent ports and profound rivers"
This was written by the great diScov-
erer when he believed Cuba to be the
island of Cipango which Marco Polo had
brought to the notice of the European
world. Later he became convinced that
Cuba was the eaSternmoSt part of Asia.
and although he nearly circumnavigated
the island the great navigator died firm
in the belief that the Queen of the Antilles
was an Asiatic promontory
That part of the island now occupied by
the American troops was well known to
the admiral of the Indies. He was the
caraVals spent one night in the beautiful
harbor of Santiago de Cuba. from which
Cervera's squadron lately went forward
to destruction.
1t is an interesting fact that the noblest
of Cervera's vessels, named for the discov-
erer. was like himself an Italian. and
came from Genoa. 1t is also noteworthy
that the Cristobal Colon. rushing out of
Santiago bay. took almost the exact
course followed by the discoverer 100 years
ago. The Colon gave up the struggle at
Tarquino point, near the very headland
from which the admiral turned the noses
of his vessels for the blue mountains of
Jamaica.
Columbus was fascinated with Cuba. 1t
was the first great island thar he discov-
cred. He came to it a fortnight after his
landfall on Watling's island. He had
passed the intervening days cruising
among the southern Bahamas. Here he
first began to hear of Cuba from the ma
tives. He understood il TO be of great eX-
tent, Astounding in gold and pearls and
spices. and carrying on an extensive COM
merce in these precious articles. He at
once became impressed with the idea that
Il must be either the famed Ci9ango or
q part of the dominions of the Grand
Khan. and he sailed to the southwark in
search of it. He approached it west of
the modern Nuevitas. AS he neared the
noble island he was struck with its ma ni-
tude and the grandeur of its features.
Its high and airy mountains reminded him
of Sicily. He was enthusiastic in his let
tiers to his sovereigns upon Cuba's long.
sweeping plains. watered by noble rivers.
her stately forests. bold promontories and
stretching headlands.
Washington Irving says of Columbus
first landing in Cuba: He anchored in a
free from rocks and shoals. its banks
overhung with trees. He continually eulo-
gized the beauty and fertility of the
island. He was in mood to see every
thing through a favoring medium. His
heart was full to OVERCOMING for he was
enjoying the fulfllment of his hopes and
hard-earned but glorious reward of his
tolls and perils. Everything around him
was beheld with the enamoured and ex-
ulting eve of the discoverer where tri-
urph mingles with admiration. It is diff
fcult to conceive the rapturous state of
his feelings while thus exploring the
charms of a virgin world, by his enter
prise and valor."
The discoverer said: 1.-The serenity of
the rivers the clearness of the water. the
multitude of palm trees of various forms
the highest and most beautiful / have
ever Seen-and an infinity of other great
and green trees, the birds in rich plumage
M q 10 h
country of such marvellous beauty that il
surnasses all others in charms and graces
as The Gay doth the night in lustre Much
as | endeavor TO give a complete account
my tongue cannot express the whole
truth nor my pen describe it, and I have
been so overwhelmed at the sight of so
much beauty that have not known how
to relate it
From Neuvitas Columbus proceeded
westward atony the northern coast of
Cuba. putting in at various rivers. en-
deavoring, through his Bahama Indian in
tsrpreters, to hear OF the capital a CT
pango. He sent ENJOYS to the chief of an
interior village. called Cubanacan located
Of General Maxine Gomez. Gut he heard
nothing that he deemed 10 his advantage.
On his trip to the interior the Suaniards
gained their first knowledge of the new
world contributors TO the necessities ana
luXuries of the world-potatoes and tobac-
co. The first was "a humble root that
proved a more. precious ACQUISITION to
men than all the spices of the Indies
and tobacco came 10 be INDUCED to the
ends of the earth
Cape Palmas was Columbus ''frrthest
vest on the north COAST of the island.
Turning eastward from this point he sail
ed along the Cuban coast to the present
Cape Maysi. called BY him Cape Alpha
and Omega. which he believed ,to be the
hearing of another rich island to the east,
which he took for Cfpango, he sailed to