The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-08
GETTING WAR NEWS.
Only Two Gables From Key West and
Scores OF Correspondents
Want Them.

KEY WEST Fla, May THE peculiar
difficulties attending the gathering and
transmission of news concerning the war
from this point to the various news
papers throughout the country have
never be. ore been encountered by this
generation of newspaper men.
However satisfactory Key West may
be to the United States Government as a
base of supplies for its fleet in the opera
tons against Havana, it is far from salts
factory as a base of operations, for the
correspondents In the first place, it Is
tucked away off from the mainland, with
but two cables connecting it with the
telegraphic systems Of the country.
This renders it impossible to handle
all the correspondence dumped daily
into the cable office without the most
vexatious delays, to say nothing OF the
added expense which the use of the cable
necesstates Were it on the mainland
additional telegraph wires would be
strung to accommodate the business, but
there is no disposition on the part of the
cable company to 60 to any increased
expense just at this time.
By reason of it's location, the NAL
facilities are likewise very poor. There
are only three mails week each way.
and the steamship runs to Port Tampa
and Manu. occupying So much time
that any news consigned to Uncle Sam is
stale almost before reaching the MAIN
land.
Still all this is just as hard for one fell
1,,,, 4 81,
for the truth about this war start out Just
even. When the principal squadron Of
the navy began rendezv, u ing here and
it became evident that war was in sight
newspaper correspondents began flockng
in here to be ready tor the harvest. The
destruction of the Maine increased its
importance as a new centre and upon
the day the fleet sailed away to blockade
the Cuban coast there were on duty hele
more than fifty ppor ers of the American
press
As Il matter of fact it had been very
dull in Key West up to this event. III g
newspaper men, the naval officers, al d
the army officers had hobnobbed in I'll e
hotel corridors and lecome acquainted,
but as for putting stuff on the wire
there was little to be done. Every one
was waiting for the fleet to sail. Occa-
sionally there were arrivals and depart
ures OF vessels to be recorded, accidents
to the machinery ON shipboard to be in
vestigated, the Qualifications at Fort Tay-
Tor to be watched, and few other routine
matters to be kept track Of but that was
all. Time hung heavily, and Key West,
hat ifn tol
plagued, was one big yawn.
The sailing OF the fleet wrought
change. The yacht Of the
which had been at anchor
in the harbor with the squadron,
steamed out with it, leaving men ON
shore to keep their eyes open and fight
for information. The war was on for the
CORES pondents before even the shores of
Cuba were sighted. The duty of the
men on the yachts was to follow the
fleet and report its movements, its cap
lures, and its battles.
But Key West must still be guarded. |
There might be an action at sea and
the news of it reach Key West by one
Of the speedy little torpedo boats long
before one Of the despatch boats could
'eturn. Prizes might be brought in at
my hour The despat ch boats might be
'iddled in an engagement or captured by
| Spanish gnnboat. Key West itself
night be attacked by Spanish men-of-
var. Therefore watchiulness was essen
ial at this POINT.
Thus there are two sets of men respon-
ible to their respective newspapers for
he news ut This centre, Now as to the