Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-10-29
Miseellaneols &eaaing.
RAYS REGIMENT.


Many Have Had Yellow Fever, But Few
Died-Conditions In the City of Santia-
go-Cubans Are shiftless and Worthless.
From the Atlanta Journal
First Lieutenant Crenshaw, CON-
manding company A, of Rays regi-
ment of immunes, has returned from
Cuba on a furlough. He received a
sunstroke while in command of the
fever hospital, and his eyes were ser
iously affected. On that account he
obtained 80 days. furlough, with per-
mission to visit the United States. He
left Santiago on the transport Obdam
on October 2, and when two days and
half at sea the officers of the ship
discovered fire in the coal which had
been taken on as ballast.
The cause was assigned to spontane-
GUS combustion. The bulkheads were
almost red hot, and as there were ten
ten tons of ammunition on board there
was considerable uneasiness. The coal
was flooded and the ship put into and
unshipped the coal. After this was
done she again sailed for New York
and made the trip in five days.
Lieutenant Crenshaw says the regi-
ment has only lost, seven men by death,
and only four were dangerously sick
when he left. These four were suffer-
ing from malignant type of typhoid
fever.
Lieutenant Crenshaw says all the
men suffered from acclimation fever at
the start and during that period they
were very homesick, but most of them
are over it and they are we'll satisfied
and generally desire to remain.
Lieutenant Crenshaw said of the
regiment, Santiago and Cuba:
1.-THE regiment is doing well and
there isn't finer or more popular off,
Ger in the army than Colonel Ray.
There have been but seven deaths,
one of which was that of Florida
man, from the accidental discharge of
a gun. I suppose there were 20 men
on sick call with trihing complaints
not serious enough to excuse them from
duty.
"Rations are good and abundant and
there is always surplus, which we
trade with the Cubans for milk and
vegetables. Every vegetable you can
mention is abundant. The water
comes from a spring and is good, but
the men are not allowed to drink it
without boiling.
"The rations issued to the men con-
sist of Irish potatoes, canned beef, can
ned baked beans, coffee, sugar, rice,
bakers bread, side meat, canned sal
mon, canned tomatoes. The quantity
issued is always more than the men
can eat, and we trade the surplus with
the Cubans for yams, cabbage, greens,
milks, etc. There is no butter to be
had, but canned butter from the
States, which costs Is cents half
pound.
TROUBLE WITH THE CUBANs.
"The regiment is mostly occupied
with disarming the Cubans. They are
sullen and want money to pay off their
army. They predict trouble and de-
mand the right to govern the island.
Every Cuban general wants to be
president and his army supports his
claims. The Cuban General Perez, at
Guantanamo, is a ginger-cake colored
Negro.
"The United States authorities have
about 5000 Spanish cavalry horses
which are offered to Cubans who will
take them and 60 to work on the
farms, but few are disposed to work.
"a tramp steamer at Guantanamo
wanted men to load and offered 81 a
day for laborers, but the Cubans re-
fused 10 work for less than So per day.
The masses of the Cubans are trifing
and without principle. No man with
thimbleful of sense will say they are
capable of self,government. They are
mixed race, the result of intermar-
riage between Spaniards, Indians and
Negroes. The intermarriage of whites
and blacks there is common. A fair
complexioned young Frenchman at
Guantanamo married u Negress as
black as charcoal and secured million
dollar sugar estate, of which she was
the heir. She and the Frenchman
raised a family of mulatto children
and they live in elegant style at Guam
tanamo. They entertain freely and
are visited by officers of the United
States army.
TWO CLASSES OF CUBANS.
"There is a wide gulf between the
Cuban masses and the upper classes
who live in the cities. The latter live
in fine style, are cleanly in their hab-
its, refined in their tastes and hospita-
BILE. The masses are filthy and de-
graded and have no modesty. Their
costumes are startling to an American.
The first day we reached Guantanamo
we came to beautiful stream that
runs through the town and saw about
200 men and women of the lower class
in bathing together. They wore no
bathing suits of any kind, except that
which nature gave them.
THE COUNTRY IS FERTILE.
"There is no lack of food there.
Won ran raise a croD every 40 daVS,