Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-07-21
A DASH FOR NEWS.

was the only American operator in
eastern Cuba in February and March,
1898, which were very busy months in
the cable office at Santiago, where I had
been for four years. In the early part of
1895 we seldom handled more than 80
messages day, but after the insurrec-
tion began the number rose to 80 and
100 daily. increasing a little every
month.
The cable from Santiago to Spain
goes under sea first to Kingston, Ja-
maica, thence to Porto Rico, thence to
ST. Croix, and from there to Paramaribo
and Pernambuco in Brazil. Cables from
Pernambuco cross the south Atlantic
to St. Vincent. Cape Verde islands, and
from st. Vincent other cables extend to
Madeira, thence to Lisbon, and overland
to Madrid. There is also less direct
cable from Pernambuco to st. Louis, in
Senegal Africa, and thence to the Ca
nary islands and Cadiz.
Beside myself there was but ono other
operator in the Santiago office, Laurin
Merode. young Spaniard, who had
learned cable work at Lisbon. We
thought that 100 messages daily made
work enough, but over 800 passed the
day after the Maine was blown up in
Havana harbor. -Four more operators
were needed, and we called to Havana
for help, but no notice was taken of
our appeal, and rather than desert our
posts and leave the company's business
undone we slaved night and day, al
ways hoping the pressure would moder-
ate.
One day we sent 13, TAP words III over
1, 100 dispatches, yet we were two hours
back" at midnight, with Havana FUN
ing at us over the land wire, and still
hurrying messages through the Cienfue-
gos cable. There were Spanish govern
ment cipher messages from Sagasta to
Blanco, and Blanco cipher to Sagasta;
reams of bombast from the Cuban corre-
spondents of the impartial and Correo
for Madrid followed by more cipher to
Weyler at Barcelona from his brother
officers at Havana, and then the bank
ers and merchants quoting, selling and
orderingl
To add to our vexations the mouse
mil" of the siphon recorder gave trou-
BILE constantly, and the clockwork that
carries the record tape broke down every
day or two. Now, Spaniard is utterly
without native ingenuity. Merode was a
tolerably good operator, but when it
came to rectifying faults of the instru-
ment he was an infant, and all such
tasks fell on me-.
Anything like clockwork can "tink-
er, but the mouse mill that works the
siphon pen is very delicate bit of
mechanism, which assists the faint elec-
tric impulses that come great distances
through the cable to move the ink point
of the recorder to and fro on the tape.
suppose had taken the record tape
clockwork and mouse mill apart 20 diff.
ferent times, and ON the evening of the
I'd of April, after Merode relieved me,
/ set to work to wind new motor coil
for the mouse mill, which had worked
SO very badly all day that rather than
struggle with it longer had determined
to sit up all night and build new
mill
The cable house at Santiago is a most
lonesome place, particularly at night,
but q Spanish sentinel was supposed to
pass the door every three minutes
These poor fellows were rarely paid,
and often looked i'll at the door to beg a
cigarette. So when the outside door
opened behind us that evening / sup
posed the incomer was the sentinel, and
l did not even look around till an
amused voice exclaimed, AHA, senors
buenos nochesf'
A Spanish sentinel begging cigarette
does not speak in that tone, so Merode
and l faced round with jump. There
stood a rather tall, good looking young
fellow, i'll Il white duck suit and white
cap, regarding us keenly, and step be-
hind him was typical Cuban rebel
sombrero, long mustachios broad belt.
long boots, revolver and machete.
In an instant Merode was on his feet
and shouted, Sentinelap' at which
our unexpected visitors laughed good
humoredly, and the Cuban said, II
must beg the senor telegrafero not to
distress himself concerning the worthy
sentinel, for that watchful soldier is
now lying comfortably on his back out
side, with gag in his mouth. and his
hands are tied to his feet. .
We'll, who are you and what do you
want here?' | exclaimed in Spanish
"The young man in white duck
laughed. You are an American; any
body could tell that by your Spanish.
Oh, know about you Speak English. y
Certainly, | replied. What do
you want here
'.The news.
What news?;'
Are tho Spanish warships, Vizcaya
and Oquendo, still at Porto Rico? Has