The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-28
WarShipS In Front, and Insurgents
In the Rear.
ARMY PANIC STRICKEN
SPANISH SOLDIERS WITHOUT
CLOTHES OR AMMUNITION.
Coal Supply Is Nearly Exhausted,
City Is In Darkness, and Water
Scarce-Enormous Sums Paid For
Passage to Other Ports-Food Is
Scarce.

New York, May 27.-The Press says;
Among the % passengers which the
British steamship Arecuna, chartered
by the Ward line, brought here from
Mexican ports, were three families OF
refugees from Havana. With many
others they escaped from Havana to
/ Vera Cruz on the French steamer La
| fayette.
The refugees are Jose Otero, his wife
and five children; Alfredo de la Ferte
wife and two children, and Mrs. +. =
Demaranda. They say the Lafayette
I tried to purchase coal, but General
| Blanco would allow none to be sold. The
limited supply now there is being
guarded jealousy, and at night the city
is in complete darkness The electric
plant has been shut down, all factories
where coal is used as fuel are stopped,
and the gas and waterworkS are forced
to get along with as little coal as pos
sible For this reason water is scarce.
When the Lafayette sailed for vera
Cruz there was a stampede TO get out
of the city. Fully $1,000 Spaniards and
Cubans had obtained passports to leave
| but eXorbitant prices for passage were
demanded, and only a part OF them
could afford the rate demanded. AS 1t
was, the Lafayette took 1900 men, wo-
men and children away from Havana,
! all that she was able to carry. There
were thousands left who, although will
ing to pay the price asked, could not
get passports and they ran about like
madmen, offering the fortunate ones
twice the amount they had paid FOR
tickets.
A passenger named Xiques paid $1,4Oo
for passage for himself, wife and two
children. Many others paid as high as
l . rHAn ~
PEELED to sleep on the decks, or wher-
ever they could find room to lie down
Three miserable days were spent on the
| Lafayette, with only a scanty allow
| ance of food for each passenger. Nearly
all the passengers were wealthy Span
| ish merchants in Havana and other Gu
ban citizens.
INSURGENTS CLOSING IN.
Joseph Otero, who brought his wife
and three daughters to this city, was
formerly connected with the city gov
eminent in Havana. He said:
when L left Havana it was said that
the insurgents were only Is miles from
the city and at night the lights OF their
camp fires could be seen burning in the
hills. From fear of bombardment by
the United States warships and at
tack by insurgents the city is panic
stricken and a combined attack Is
looked for every hour.
Food is very scarce, and fresh meat
can scarcely be bought at any price.
THE blockade is felt more by the
poorer classes, and as they are the ones
who have been most loyal to Spain, the
suffering among them is the worst.
Mr.. Otero would say little about the
Spanish troops in Cuba under General
Blanco, but from other passengers 1t
was learned that the army is about as
badly demoralized and panic-stricken as
the civilians. Ammunition is scarce,
and many of the troops are clothed IN
rags and without shoes. Ratons are
being doled out to them sparingly, but
the soldiers watch carefully all places
where provisions are known to be
stored, and the authorities will not al
low private families to purchase sup
plies for more than one day at time.
Senior de la Ferte is Cuban of
French descent, who owns large
plantation near Havana. He said ne
had brought his family here for safety
until the war is over, but at the out
break of the rebellion, Eduardo Garcia,
the manager of his plantation, had
raised a regiment of 1.2OO men from his
and neighboring plantations and joined
the insurgents.
when the Spanish soldiers heard of
it" said Senior de la Ferte. they
marched upon my plantation, burning
and destroying everything above
ground We only got away with our
lives
Senior de la Ferte said he did not
think it was true that the steamer La
fayette had unloaded any arms or am
munition at Havana, or that some OF
her passengers were French gunners.
He said the forts around Havana will
be able to make a poor reply to bonn
bardment Although some of the guns
are modern and in good condition, the
supply of powder and projectiles is
short.
All the refugees were met at the
Ward line pier by Cuban friends living
in this city, and given joyous well
come.