The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-24
SITUATION AT HAVANA.
Commissioners Do Nothing and Sol
diers Are Starving.

Havana, Sept 23.-The American
commissioners continue inactive. spend
ing their days at the Trocha hotel,
where, as far as can be learned, no
] official business is being done.
All are in excellent health. No cases
of fever of any kind are reported
among the members of the commission
or its staff.
Among the passengers who arrived
yesterday from Key West on the
| steamer MaScotte was Senorita Luisa
Noroda, widow of DR.. Hernandez. She
was known as the queen of Cuba and
| figured in the inSurrection, enllst1ng IN
General MaceOS command, in which
her husband was staff surgeon. Her
husband was killed in the war, and she
was taken prisoner by the Spanlards
near Sancti SpirituS and deported. She
returns to the island with the inten-
ton of actively resuming work in the
cause of the freedom of Cuba.
Reports from all points of the island,
besides confirming the statements re
garding the want and restitution eX-
listing among the Cuban soldiers, say
the health in their camps is very bad,
and that dysentery and malaria are
decimating the forces. Official returns
as to the mortality in the Santa cara
province during the month of July
ed from smallpox
Free soup kitchens are still open in
II wards, all the others being closed.
The American commissioners, in view
of the great number of American c1ti-
zens in the island who require aid and
have no American consul here to dis
tribute relief, have, according to report,
asked the Washington government for
a special credit to attend to these ur-
gent requirements.
According to information received the
commissioners have advised the gov
eminent that it will be very dangerous
to bring to Havana troops to be
housed in the existing barracks, as they
have become infected by overcroWding
with sick Spanish soldiers, and because
of the bad sanitary condition of the
whole town.
1t is therefore proposed that frame
barracks, ready to be put together.
shall be shipped from the United
States before The American troops are
brought here.
PORTER'S MISSION.
Mr.. Robert P. Porter was given
banquet by the leading club of Glen
fuegos while in that city. Mr.. Porter,
at the banquet, made a speech, in the
course of which he said that his mis-
sion to the island was purely that OF
studying the riches and resources OF
the country and the best means of de-
veloping the same and every branch of
industry and commerce, and that he
hoped he would find the Cubans ready
to help him to succeed in his mission.
He expressed himself as strongly in
favor of the free importation of cattle,
both for agricultural work and for
consumption, and also of the free i'm
portation of all material and nipple
a
He dwelt upon the necessity of CO.
operation of every man of property and
laboring people, both Spanish and
Cuban, to help carry out the plans of
the United States for the prosperity
Of the island and said it was well
known that annexation was no part or
the United States programme in
Cuba, but that if annexation should be
treated of eventually, the iniative step
should emanate from Cuba herself by
her asking the United States for an
neXation.
Silver is rising, owing to the fact that
bankers are buying large sums of sill
yer coin. Today silver was quoted at
67h on the dollar. During the block
ade it was as low as 81.
BODY OF COLUMBUS.
Captain General Blanco, in view of
the governments decision to transfer
the remains of Columbus to Spain, has
issued the following order:
F'irst-The monument containing the
remains shall be removed from its
mounting, leaving as it now is, the
base upon which it rests, and it shall
be properly packed for shipment.
Second-A commission, presided over
by the captain general and composed
of the bishop of Havana, the colonial
secretary of justice, the civil and mill
tary governors, the dean of the
the state architect and a
doctor commissioned by the board of
health, shall examine the niche con-
tanning the remains and adopt neces- !
sary measures for their prompt ship /
ment to Spain. The commission will !
meet on Monday, Sept. 26, at the |
The finance department
will appropriate s., 900 to defray the ex- |
penses of packing and shipping the |