The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-07-21
BRINGING THE SOLDIERS TO
NORFOLK.

Sundays Virginlan and Pilot gave
the following interesting description OF
the landing of sick and wounded Amer
lean and Spanish soldiers at the naval
hospital
''The Solace, the splendid hospital
ship of the United States government,
arrived at the naval hospital, this city,
yesterday at - 90 o'clock, having
passed in at the Capes at 30 in the
morning. There has not been
such spectacle presented In this Sec
ton for many long years. There we're
on board, under command Of Comman-
der Dunlap, fifty-nine Americans and
forty-seven Spaniards, most of the
Americans wounded being from the
band of marines at Guantanamo, some
of whom, being not much hurt, con-
versed with the newspaper men. Sey-
eral of them knew Lieutenant Neville
of this place, who is OF the Guantan-
amo command.
1.-THE ship lay out in the stream and
the tug Alice. from the navy yard, did
the transferring from the ship to the
hospital pier, where the men-those
too sick Or badly wounded to walk
were put in ambulances and conveyed
TO the hospital building. 1t was a sad
sight, indeed, it consuming several
hours to transfer the men, and there
was nothing but genuine sorrow and
sympathy expressed for the Spanish
prisoners, some of whom seemed to be
in dying state as they were lowered
from the ships side to the Alice and
again carefully transferred to the tug
and ambulances. Many men wore
empty sleeves, while others limped
around the deck, while still others,
more seriously wounded, were laid out
on cots. Some had lost leg, others
an arm and many with terrible bullet
wounds in their bodies unable to move
at all, and several others apparently
had no life at all in their bodies. Bare
footed, ragged and wholly Frustrated
did they seem to be. Some of their
clothing bore the marks of fire, being
burned and tattered.
"The Americans, too, bore evidence
OF hard service, yet their general APP
pearance was much better than that of
the prisoners, who presented wild and
ferociOus appearance, caused, no doubt,
by their intense mental and bodily SUI
ferings.
<'There was an immense throng pres
ent to see the sad but very interesting
sight presented, and occasionally a sad
smile would fit oyer the faces of the
more seriously wounded as some affec-
tlonate term would be addressed to
them. Among those wounded was
young Lieutenant Noval, OF the torpedo
boat destroyer Furor, who jumped over
board from his ship and was struck by
her propeller, having his leg cut off.
Besides him there were Capt. Concha,
commander of the Maria Teresa, with
a wound in his arm Lieut.. Fijano, of
the Pluton DR.. Nicholas, surgeon OF
the Vizcaya, and several other officers.
Many OF these men we're wounded in
the battle at Guantanamo, while others
were injured at Santiago. James
Burns, fireman ON the Brooklyn, the
only man wounded on our side in the
great naval engagement with Cervera,
is here shot through both legs, Woman
Ellis being the only man killed. The
men are cheerful and talk OF their bat
ties in Cuba.
CDR Hope, health officer OF the port,
boarded the ship and made an lnvesti
CATION. finding no yellow fever or any
other disease that would interfere with
the men being landed here"