Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-06-21
EVERYONE WANTS TO FIGHT
STRATEGY BOARD COMES IN FOR
MUCH CRITICISM.
Blockade Duty Decidedly MOnOtOnous
and Uncomfortable I'm Seas
Where 1t Rains Every Day
and Heat Is Like That
of q Furnaee.
ropyrish.. 1888. By the Associated press.>

a majority of both Rear Admiral Sampson 8
and Commodore Schiey's sauadrons are off
the south coast of Cuba, and active opera
tions, so far as there is any activity in the
war, having been centered here. the public
is probably watching this section Of the
map with eager expectancy. As far as one
can judge, after playing pilot fish to the
squadron sharks for two weeks past, the
public may wait some little time longer for
startling news.
There is small variation from day to day.
Unlimited heat, almost unlimited rain. con-
stant watchfulness against torpedo attacks
at night. desultory firing at the Spanish
batteries during the day, these make up
the routine life on the blockade.
There are plenty of colliers coming and
going in the feet, but supplies of other
sorts appear to he very short. Press boats
are prohibited by the international law
from carrying official messages back and
forth, on their frequent trips to Hayti and
Jamaica with news. but there Is nothing to
prevent their buying onions, mineral water
and such necessaries for the officers cooped
up on the battleships. These small offices
are gratefully received. and go far toward
making the press boats located in the
squadron regarded with friendliness.
But nearly every boat In the press fleet
has been shot at one or more times at night
and one Of them has been hut. Fortunately,
there were no casualties. The higher naval
officials recognize the great service per-
formed by these boats in collecting and
handling the news.
When the press boat halls the flagship for
the last news before heading away for
Kingston, Port Antonio or the Mole St.
Nicholas, there is considerable excitement
on board the warship.
This Is a sample conversation yelled
| through the megaphoue at 200 yards:
Say, old, man, don't forget that loaf
sugar for the commodore, and the junior
| mess wants to know IL you can't get a
whole crate of onions. And don't, don't
forget the polly water. And say. forgot,
we must have some tobacco. What SORT?
Oh. anything that will smoke. Much
! obliged. Good-by.'
Perhaps the British empire, If 1t knew
might term this giving aid and comfort
| to belhgerents," but when the commodore
Is reduced to brown sugar for his coffee,
and the junior mess, who are very amiabie
young men. express fears of scurvy for
| lack of onions with their beefsteak and
when everyone is short Of tobacco. from
the focastle to the wardroom, how can a
war correspondent refuse these supplies
even If he does get shot at when he returns
to the fleet after sundown?
| 1t violates no confidence to say that the
! whole fleet is getting heartily sick of the
peaceful war; now being waged in these
| latitudes. Possibly the feet as a whole Is
| wrong and the strategy board is right.
| We blame everything here on the STRAIT
| egE beard, but with brutally hot weather
| and warm, sickly rains off shore, making
! the boats smell and feel like Chinese iaun-
dries, with weak Spanish batteries in plain
view on shore and growing stronger with
| each nights surreptitious work, with a
| fleet terribly anxious to fight and an army
| with transports chartered only three days
| distant TO back the feet, one is inclined
| here to side with the fighting contingent.
| However, before this gets into print, the
J wisdom of the Washington authorities may
have been proven and the conquest of Cuba
may be going forward as irresistibly as
| Fourth of July oration, but the above is
| the view of Santiago de Cuba
| Every day or two the army has been re-
| ported as leaving Tampa.
The Jamaica papers have landed 1t at
half a dozen points on the South coast
| but on this date the only landing, save
| Lieutenant Delehanty's two landings Of
! arms and supplies. has been that of the
! 100 marines from the Panther, who yester-
! day took peaceful possession of Fisher
| mans Point inside the entrance of Guam
! tanamo bay, and burned the hamlet as the
most prompt and efficacious way OF disin-
| fecting it. A landing in force. it was ru-
| mored was scheduled for this point, but
| the best information now indicates this as
| merely Il side move. Santiago de Cuba
which Is the only place short of Cienfuegos
that the American army would want to
capture, is forty miles by water from Guam
! tanamo bay and further by land.
The route. according to coast pilot re-
! ports. is across almost impossible swampS
/ with two small mountain ranges between.
| There is a railroad but it is largely trestle
work over the swamp land, making it
| impassble as a foot path for troops and
| without rolling stock to transport them by
| steam.
| The understanding now is that Guantana-
| mo bay. being the landing point of the
| Haytien cable, is to be held for future use,
| and that duty is now confined TO so ma
| rines on the coast of an island where Spain
boasts of 10000 loyal troops, 1000 Of whom
are reported at Santiago, only forty miles
| away. as already said.
In response to an inquiry as to what he
| thought Of fever, now he was landed, one
| marine replied. as he shifted his quid and
| his carbine: "Oh. To hell with fever, so
they give us some fighting
This enthusiasm voiced the general senti-
| r1ent The men had been cooped up six
| weeks on the Panther, and were delight
1 ed to stretch their legs on shore. They
| would have marched overland to capture
| Havana, without orders, with cheerful
| alacrity.
| They bathed by squads this morning at
| day light, and their camp on the bluff
| above the deserted cable station was d
| model Of neatness and comfort, the moro
| SO when compared with the brush novels
| Of the Spanish coast guard company that
| had deserted the point only a few hours
| before.
| How well American stamina. good food
! and cleanliness will stand on the Ills
| OF the Cuban climate will be settled be-
| yonG discussion by these same marines.
but, Notwithstanding that cleanliness and
| sanitary precautions are In their favor,
| they are likely TO have a severe trial.
| The heat OF the tropic sun, which is
| heartily uncomfortable on board ship. IL
| killing on the shore, and the brown linen
! campaign suits were soaked through with
| perspiration before the men had been an
| hour on land. The night winds on shore,
| drawn down cold from the tops of the
mountain ranges, chill the sweat-soaked
| workers to the bone 1t In from this the
| fever starts. II will depend largely upon
| the officers, and more largely on the men
| themselves. how well they combat these
] conditions. Proper precautions are trou-