The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-26

more to eat. and in the rainy season up
| to their knees in mud, and when they
camp will perhaps go from three to five
miles and back after some vegetables
They are doing this without pay and
without grumbling-for freedom. They
can never be conquered.
"There is very little actual starvation,
however, outside of the Cities. The fami-
lies of the soldiers are taken care of. The
Cuban civil government has appointed
projects or chiefs of townships, whose
duty it is to look after the women and
children and see that they are we'll Cup
piled with what they need. They also
look after the supplies for the army
Moreover, the government has established
plantations for raising vegeta bles for the
use of the army and the people, which is
resulting in plenty Of food. The Cuban
army does not move in large forces, but
in small detachments SO as not to exhaust
the supply of food in any one place. AT
the same time it has good system of
communication by horseback riders and
| can be concentrated in short time.
There is a scarcity of clothing, but more
| is going in than formerly. I knew of no
yellow fever where I was. There is good
deal of malaria, but plenty of quinine
and medicine. They need more doctors.
"The Cuban war is guerrilla , aria .,
and Gen. Garcia, under whom l served,
is an adept at it. He is a pleasant man
to meet and kind to his soldiers. He
travels all about with an escort of only
about 60 men. He has two sons in the
within six months.
tIn my work of blowing up bridges
l used from 20 to 40 pounds of dynamite
at a charge. The most exciting opera
ton of this Kind and the only one where
there was loss of life was the blowing up
of the big locomotive. We were ordered
to go to Gibarra, 81 miles from our camTs
to do it. We started at 2 p. m. in two
attachments of rs men each, Col Rodri-
guez being in command of the force and
I of the operations. We arrived after
nightfall and sneaked up to within a
mile and half of the city. There were
nine forts within a quarter of mile of
under the track and put in AZ pounds Of
dynamite. l made conduit for the
wires, put back the stone ballasting and
then brushed it off with branch. The
soldiers were hidden in some bushes. l
led the wires to large fallen tree and
place six dry batteries behind it. Then
lay and waited.
q 10 y
walker came along. He failed to notice
ANYTHING wrong At z O'Clock the whis-
tie blew at Gibarra, and at 720 a train,
consisting of the engine, one fort oar
filed with soldiers and passenger coach
with officers, came slowly down the
track. 1t was a terrible strain for few
minutes, but 1 pulled myself together
and fired the torpedo just as the engine
reached 1t. 1t was q terrific explosion.
The fragments fell all about us. The
engineer was killed instantly, but the
fireman was unhurt. The colonel sprang
from the bushes with his men, but the
fire from the fort car began instantly.
There were too many soldiers for our
force, and we ran back. We got away
safely and were back In camp before |
noon.
"On January 90 obtained leave of
absence and started for the United |
States. Two days afterward was taken |
prisoner by a Spanish column of 1000
men under Don Arsenic Lenares. My
horse was taken away from me and
had to walk the rest of the day. was
badly used up. Gen. Blanco was then at |
Gibarrs, and was eventually taken be- |
fore him. Before reaching him I had |
been promised freedom If would agree
not to fight Spain again. 1t was the
Spanish penal colony in Africa il did
not. When I was taken before Gen.
Blanco I forgot all the Spanish I knew.
1 was in his presence about five minutes,
and it was long enough. 1t ended in my
being shipped to Havana by boat and
then to New York. The Maine had not
been blown up when was in Havana
1 saw her in the harbor. I believe the
first explosion was from the outside, but
not the second one. From my study and
experience I consider it to be impossible
for any torpedo on the outside to have
done the damage to the Maine which was
done. shall not go back" Major
Fem hesitated moment and then added |
"unless the United States becomes en-
broiled."