Evening star., 1898-11-01
MAIL FOR SOLDIERS
The Postal Service in Santiago
Province.
REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT AGENT
Louis kempner Describes the
Work Accomplished
IN THREE POST OFFICES
REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT AGENT
IN THREE POST OFFICES


the postal service in Santiago province
prior to and since the military occupation
of the province. 1t covers a period from
June % to date and is an exhaustive docu-
ment.
Through Miss Clara Barton of the Red
Cross Society, Mr.. Kempner was able to
obtain transportation on the steamer State
of Texas. He arrived at Guantanamo June
%, where he learned that two days previ-
Gus MIR Eben Brewer, who had been sent
out by the Post Office Department as agent,
had established Military postal station No.
l, Cuba,' at Daiquiri The post office was
established in a neat house, occupied by
Spanish officers until the bonn uardmenI
commenced The opening of the post office
at Dalqulri was Immediately communca led
to all the regiments, ana the sale of post
age stamps and money orders iourished a
once. Tne soldiers, he said, had provided
themselves with stamps before leavng
home, but in the extreme heat and moist
ure were all spoiled by adhesion.
He reports an account of Agent Brewers
interview with Admiral Sampson, which
resulted in an arrangement that all naval
vessels going north should report at Dali
quiri and carry mail to the states. The
first mail was dispatched by the U. S. S.
Dolphin June 26. June 20 the first mail
from the United States arrived and con-
sisted of 29S pouches and sacks. Through
the kindness of Captain Mckay, in charge
OF the laborers who were unloading the
transports, the mail was carried to the of
flee. Fully one-ha4f of this mail was ad-
dressed to the volunteer regiments in the
9th Army Corps, namely, the Rough Rid
ers the list New York Volunteer Infantry
and the I'd Massachusetts Volunteer In
fantry.
Agent Brewers HerOism.
Mr.. Kempner then refers to the efforts
made by Mr.. Brewer to obtain transporta-
ton to carry this mail to the front. Major
Jacobs, in charge of the quartermaster's
department at Daiquiri, explained that the
army wagons and the pack mules at his
command had all they could do to move the
ammunition and commissary stores re-
CURED at the front; so for the time being
the military authorities were unable to
render the post office any assistance
Agent Brewer bought horse and hired
Cuban who owned a pony, and with Ser
geant Dawson and himself started to the
front, eighteen miles away, with all The
mail they could carry. He says he eau
toned Agent Brewer against the great
task he was undertaking, but that official,
alive to the situation simply replied:
This mail is needed al the front: it con-
ssts of official documents from Washing
ton, besides family letters that will be ap-
preciated. The Post Office Department
must not be charged with failure to deliver
mail matter properly Addressed
Agent Brewer returned from his first trip
July 1. Atterward he assisted in carrying
lIlc WOuHutu ana Killed soldiers on the nplI
of battle and assisted the surgeons in the
hospitals. Agent Brewer subsequently died
from yellow fever Mr. kempnar, in his
report, pays him this tribute
He was self-sacrificing on the field
of battle and in the discharge Of his duties
as postal agent the brave men he helped
during several days fierce fighting He
certainly was never the same man after
his return from this trip. For four days
he was exposed to all the dangers and dis
comforts of war. He acted ike patriotic
American in riskng his health and life for
his countrymen, although AS postal agent
he need not have done so. He gave I'D his
life assisting his brave countrymen."
Mail Sent to the Front. 5
During Agent Kempner's absence at the
front, Capt Smith of Gen. Skaters staff
called at the post Office, and after hay
irg his attention called to the large amount
OF mail matter still on hand, he obtained
one army wagon to carry the mail to the
regiments. Only twenty-six sacks of mail
were sent, but 1t was so arranged that
each regiment received a portion of it's
mail. Mail messengers from the various
regiments at the front, he says, came to the
post office with written orders for the mail
and in this way upward Of 100 sacks of
mail were delivered.
july u, the post office was removed to
SiEOney. All the mail which remained WIS
taken along, together with 200 additional
sacks just received from the transports.
This matter was assorted, and on the night
of July all mail matter on hand vas
called for by the regimcntal mail mess3n-
gers, and rothing remained IN the Office
except letters returned from the various
regiments as undelivered. July . Agent
Brewer was taken i'll and WAS sent 20 the
hospital.
Mr.. Kempner then refers to The extra
clerks who arrived and the good work
they did. July IL he says Capt. Graves, in
charge OF a detail of soldiers came into
the post office with an order from Mai. La
Garde to burn the building On account of
its Infection.
Burning the Post Office.
This was done, the mail being removed
during heavy rain storm. A few days
later he says rumor went the rounds
that mail in the post Office had been burned
by direction of the military authorities
This, he says, was absolutely without foun-
dation, and he thoroughly investigated the
report, but was unable to find its origin.
He says he makes special mention of this
incident, as the newspapers credited the
rumor and gave it wide publicity.
Yellow fever, he says, spread very rapidly
at this time, and Siboney was virtually cut
off from the rest of the world, to speak,
for thu naval vessels no longer called for
mail, and transports remained so far out
to sea that the post office officials were un-
able to reach them. In the meantime, he
Guiteras, Col Greenleaf and Mai. La
Garde, and it was decided to resume busi-
ness. A disinfectant was provided, how
ever and all mail disinfected During the
time yellow fever was at Its height no nail
was received or dispatched from July 10 to
July 20. Soldiers mail for the states kept
accommodating, and on July % the steamer
Concha took it to the states.
The Santiago Post Office.
Mr.. Kempner refers to the death of Agent
Brewer and his succession to the position
| July p he reported to Gems. Shafter and
| Wood, and was formally placed in charge
| of the Santiago post office 1t was agreed
| he says, that the director of posts Senior
| Cristobal de Latores, and his fourteen
clerks should remain at their pos.s ard CO.
| operate with him in the conduct of the Of
| flee. He says he found, upon Investigations
| that if these clerks were continued in the
| service at the salaries received by them, il
| would make the expense of the service
much in excess of its value. He held a
! conference with Gen. Shafter on the SUBJ
| ject and went over the matter carefully
| Mr.. Kempner says he did not feel justified
| in recommending that the department as
| srme paymsnt Of $40 $50 psr annum for the