The record-union., 1898-06-22
VOYAGE OF THE TRANSPORTS
Though Tedious, It Was Without
Special Incident.

WITH THE UNITED STATES
TRANSPORT SHIPS, OFF SANTIAGO
DE CUBA, Monday, June %, noon Via
Mole st. Nicholas. Hayti, Tuesday
June 21st, ! a. m.)-(Copyrighted, 1898
by the Associated Press)-The fleet of
United States transports having on
board 10000 men under the command
of General Shafter, arrived off Santiago
de Cuba at noon to-day, being exactly
six days out from Port Tampa
The army of invasion left Egmont
Key at noon on Tuesday, June 14th,
conveyed by the United States war
ships Indiana, Castine, Helena, Annap-
oils, Bancroft Morrill, and Hornet. The
passage was necessarily slow, as two
big water barges and the schooner
Stevens, also used for water, had TO be
towed
At Rebecca Shoals lighthouse the
fleet was joined by the United States
warships Detroit, Manning, Osceola,
Wasp and Ericsson.
When the transport fleet left Tampa
it was the intention of those in au-
thority TO take the western course,
around Cape Antonio, but later it was
decided to go via the Florida Straits,
that being a shorter distance.
After the fleet got into the rough
water OF the straits, the transports
We're formed into three lines about 900
yards apart. while 600 yards separated
the ships The easily advancing tran
ports presented a very impressive spec
tacle, stretching for miles over the blue
waters. 1t was one of the largest fleets
ever gathered together the grim look
ing men-of-war lowering like watch
dogs on the outskirts of the human
freighted ships.
At night every precautiOn was taken
to guard against any possible attack
No lights were allowed on the trans
ports, and the gunboats in the direc
ton of the shore were doubled in num-
Der, while at frequent intervals shift
ing searchlights swept the waters in
the direction of Cuba in search of hos
tile vessels. Throughout the voyage
not one Spanish gunboat or sign of
the enemy was seen.
On Friday the conveying fleet of war
ships was reinforced by the Montgom-
cry and Porter, off Puerto Principe
The voyage throughout was tedious
and embarrassing. To the weary SOL
diers life on board the transports is as
unwarlike as a journey on a freighter
| The spectacle of transferring the sick
at sea. was presented on Saturday. For
| four hours the fleet lay to, while the
ships carried fourteen patients to the
hospital ship Olivette. In the rough
| waters of the Bahama Channel this
work for the little boats was quite diff
ficult, and the hosting of the limp
forms to the rolling deck of the Oil
vette seemed dangerous. But it was
accomplished in safety.
The weather throughout the voyage
was excellent, and consequently there
was little suffering from sea sickness.
But fourteen cases of typhoid fever and
some measles developed, the former
being especially on the boats which
carried horses and mules. Surgeons,
however, say the health of the men is
unexpectedly good.
The first sight of land was obtained
in the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba, and
when the topmasts of the bockading
ships were seen they sent a thrill of en-
thusiasm through the soldiers, and they
are now eagerly awaiting the landing
in Cuba.
The men seem confident of a swift
and easy victory, but they seem rather
to hope for hard fighting.
The heat and long confinement in the
holds of the transports have told very
severely on the horses and mules and
many of them died during the last few
days of the voyage.