The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-12
SANTIAGO IS A
BACK NUMBER.
Dirty, Poyerty-Stricken Town, De-
serted and Rapidly 0ecaying,
CONDITION OF SICK SOLDIERS.
When They Come Into the City III and
Dying the Sight Was narrowing
aud Beggars Description-Old
Virginia Preferred.

An United States Army officer, well
known to many Richmond citizens. writes
an interesting letter from Santiago, to a
friend in this city, from which the fol-
lowing is taken.
Before going to Santiago he was az
MOntauk Point, and he says IN regard TO
the immense amount of work done there
in short time:
ION Sunday August 9TH, there was
nothing at Montauk but railroad station
and terminus OF u one horse railroad.
Six days later tie transports commenced
To arrive with the Firth Army Corps
from Cuba. By the end OF August tents
had been put up and floored for $500
men. wells dug with a capacity OF 10000
gallons Of pure water daily, roads made
through the camp, trackage for 700 freight
cars laid in the yards. one wharf, two
large storehouses lOOx3O and a postoliice
built and two old wharfs strengthened"
AS TO THE SICK.
AS TO the sick he says
Between August 18th and September
4th forty-two large transports Of the
sickest men | ever saw. some dying,
with many dead soldiers in rude caskets.
were unloaded. The sight was narrowing
and beggars description. These sick sol
dicrs were taken 10 the Detention or
Quarantine Camp and this was barbar-
Gus in the eyes OF many of the stays-at-
home. but what else could have been
done? No quarantine hospital in the
world could have held them all. Blunders
were made and many of them, but tho
task was herculean I'm the time allotted
and as the whole undertaking was for
the sick. the mistakes so far As ne could
judge were among the doctors. The sup
ply department had everything money
thing the sick soldiers wanted, and all
formalities and restrictions as 20 purchas-
ing, were waived.
The sick were supplied with rations
OF ice, eggs, fresh milk, pickle. jelly
wine whiskey. dainty soups and what
ever could tempt the appetite and bring
strength.
what would our sick Southern soldiers
OF 1S6l-1ss5 have thought Of such things?"
He was ordered from Montauk to San
tiago on September 7th reached his des-
tnation September nth. On October 3D.,
he was taken down with yellow fever and
removed 10 a lonely tent in a palm grove
up In the mountains. Immune nurses
graduates of the New Orleans school
were placed in charge of him. and in
twelve days he was back at his post,
but pretty weak and weighing thirty
pounds less than when he was taken sick
Quinine is taken regularly-the bottle sets
on the table with the pepper and salt
cruets, and a pill before each meal is the
rule.
SANTIAGO POVERTY STRICKEN.
OF Santiago he says;
This Is the oldest of the Spanish towns
I'm Cuba and consequently the drtiest
Some find II picturesque-the scenery Is,
] grant. but my imagination is not elastic
enough 10 embrace tire town-about 1900
population. IL is but the tumbled and he
cayed remains Of a once wealthy city;
narrow streets. Spanish architecture. de-
serted monasteries and dirty natives.
Everything and everybody about $50 years
behind the times When l drive I'm my
red wheel buggy with fai~ pair Of
horses. the boys, dogs and all follow, as
though / was n circus.
1.-THE poverty among the peasant class
cannot be described. Children go naked
grown people nearly So and all are walk
ing skeletons The government is feeding
thousands OF them and some are going
back 10 work on their plantations but
they have no horses. no stock no imple-
rnents-nothlng TO start life anew with.
Coffee, cocoa. oranges. lemons and
bananas grow wild and are as common
n blackberries I'm certain localities I'm old
virginia. Summer IS commencing and the
weather IS very trying. The nights are
pretty cool though. and we manage to ex-
ist. | would rather live ten years IN the
most obscure corners OF Virginia than
one day In this rotten. feyer-rdden
Queen Of the Antilles