Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-11
Sampson and Remey to Take Cuta
and Porto Rico.
Great Scarcity of Fresh Water at
Key West.
COSTS 10 CENTS A GALLON

KEY WEST. Fla. May 11-It is said here
that IL the report that the Spanish feet ha,
returned TO Spain proves 10 be correct an
active movement against Cuba may occur
within forty-eight hours. II Is possible that
ftear Admiral Sampson at Porto Rico aod
Commodore Remey here may strike stimuli
taneously.
III 1t were decided to land troops at Bahia
Honda, Matanzas or any other point, the
vessels here, together with the ships on the
blockading station. would have no ditficulty
In covering a landing with the aid of the
heavy armcred fighting ships The mon
itors, with their heavy nNns could stand
close IN and with impuhity proceed to the
demolition Of the fortificatfons, while the
gunboats and lighter vessels poured in their
shots from of shore.
Navy Could Reduce Defenses
Naval officers here believe the defenses at
any point except Havana could be reduced
by the ships now here and on the Cuban
station in half an hour.
There is no definite Information as to
when the troops at Tampa will be em-
barked.
The water problem is getting serious at
this place. Naval officers recognize II and
they are looking anxiously for the smoke
from the stack Of the big government con-
denser, which is promised to supply 5000
gallons daily, per contract. The plant
should nave started April %, but is not yet
In operation. The officers in charge of this
station are skeptical of the condensers abl-
ity to produce 2O0O0 gallons.
Key Vests water resources are most
primitive and limited The shallow wells in
town are all more or less brackish and un-
der suspicion of surface drainage. Two
companies at various times have drivsn ar
tesian wells 800 and 800 feet deep. but
they have never secured fresh water. The
town lives by cisterns and rain barrels. and
the latter are only a shade less insanitary
than the wells. These cisterns. filled during
the rainy season. usually run very low by
the close of the dry season, which is dus
row.
Water supply fs Short
This year, in addition TO the rains coming
very late, the town has had its population
doubled by the presence of troops, ships and
war vessels and the army of newsraper
correspondents and their tugs, which YES
sells take water by the thousand gallons,
not only for their crews, but for their boil
erE.
The war vessels and some of the hospital
and other craft have condensers, but the
draft on the towns supply is still abnor-
NAL. The torpedo boats are without con-
densing apparatus, and they have been
scouting for fresh water as keenly as buc-
cancers after Spanish galleons Every dis
coyery Of a fresh cistern is hailed like a
strike in the klondike, and every gallon of
water has three purchasers all with money
and anxious to outbid each other
Water 10 Cents n Gallon.
In these circumstances it is not astonish-
ing that water has advanced from IL cents
to 10 cents a gallon within the past two
months. All who can afford it uhat is 10
say, the newspaper correspondents and the
officers, drink bottled water, but a dearth
of this supply is approaching. Most OF the
unpretentious brands of bottled water are
81 gallon, and live water is fifteen
cents pint by the hundred bottles.
To make matters worse, the drug stores
let their supply of water run out before
teegraphng for more. and there is a cor
ner on water between the grocery store
hotel and Cuban Club.
The government reserI DIR at the naval
station, from which the engine roor. is
supplied, contains less than 2oGO gallons
of water, and it is reported among TIE d,s-
patch boats that there is less than 1.0DO
gallons of rain water available in .ogn,
and this of very poor quality.
Information has reached here of the land
ing within fifty miles of Havana of thu ex-
pedition under command of Captain Dors.,
4th Cavalry, which left Tampa yesterday
on board the transport Gussie.