The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-23
Especial War Correspondence
Camp Cuba Libre,
Near Jacksonville, Fla, July %.

morning III command of the THIRD Ne
braska regiment. He was met at the de-
pot by several of General Lees staff
officers, who accompanied him to the
General headquarters. After a short
stay there he went out to his own camp
ut Panama Park. In doing so he passed
through the North Carolina camp in n
carriage with General Lee and was Civ
en- tremendous ova ton.
Colonel Armfield and staff will go out
Sunday to pay Colonel Bryan and stat
officers a visit.
Typhoid fever claimed another victim
today. Edward X. Simmons, Company
*. Fourth Virginia, died this afternoon
at the division hospital. His brother also
now lies at the point of death The body
will be taken home tomorrow
For the past week the heat here has
been something terrible. The early
mornings and late afternoons are pleas
ant enough. and at night one sleeps
under a blanket; but the rest of the day
-whew. Along about o'clock old Gen
eral Sol has IA little opening skirmish
with the earth. BY II O'Clock he is
bringing up his heavy guns and Smelling
the mercury up into the COS. Now the
engagement becomes general and the
bombardment terrific, continuing with
out lull until o'clock, when a charge
OF cool air reinforcements from ocean
ward puts the heat to flight In the
meantime. however. it has Frustrated
many soldiers and destroyed innumerable
gallons of cold drinks.
Hot as the camp is. with its white
sand and whittier tents cleaning and
glistening in the fierce sunlight. it is
pleasant compared to the streets of
Jacksonville, with their brick pavements
and high walled buildings on either side
There the people are simply parboied
during the day. But the nights-they
are delightful and sleep is always re.
freshing. People here tell me the eli
mate is very much like that Of Cuba. ex-
cept that the humidity of the atmosphere
in Florida is not quite so great or the
sun SO powerful about midday.
While the mercury is playing around
among the three figured notches on the
thermometer. Jacksonville is threatened
with an ice famine. To properly supply
the city and camp with ice requires about
100 tons day. The combined ice
plants of the city. however. have n daily
capacity of only 20 tons. To supply the
deficiency carload of 80 tons is every
day brought here from Savannah. Ga
In consequence of this the price of ice
has gone, up from 40 to GO cents hun
dred pounds.
The improper enlistment of men in
North Carolina for the Hospital corps
of the Seventh Army Corps, is causing
no end of trouble here. As l have
stated before, the men are enlisted by
the Adjutant General in Raleigh as
pharmacists. When they reach here
they are made nurses a Pharmacists
salary is S54, a nurses is S21.6O.
OF course this has caused the greatest
dissatisfaction and the men have raised
mighty kick. They demanded that
they be released on the ground that they
had been fraudulently enlisted. When
the matter began To be investigated it
was also found that they had been enlist
ed for two years instead of three, as
they should have been.
This has displeased Colonel Maus. the
chief surgeon of the Seventh Aarmy
Corps. He says he authorized no such
enlistment and intimated that unless
the men here re-enlisted for the three
years service the men who first enlisted
them may have TO pay for his mistake
by reiinbursing the government for their
transportation down here.
The whole matter has been referred to
the Judge Advocate General of the
United States for his decision
In ease the men are released from the
hospital service, as Colonel Maus thinks
they will be. some of them will return
home, some will enlist in the First North
Carolina regiment as privates and one or
two will join the engineer corps.
Joseph G. Spotwood, kinsman of the
Pescuds in Raleigh. who died
in the hospital here Thursday. was
Il most remarkable young man. His vi
tally was something wonderful. He
has been sick ever since his regiment
came here, nearly two months ago. and
many times was thought to be dying
He always rallied though, and often he
became so bright and cheerful that hopes
OF his recovery were entertained. His
illness was caused by typhoid fever, but
recently blood poisoning set in. Though
the flesh dropped away from his bones in
places. he still held on to life with the
most remarkable tenacity. Wednesday
morning lust before his death he bright
ened M. recognized his friends and ask
ed for food, the first he has taken in
many DAYS. Soon after it was gwen nm
he was a corpse.
Hereafter by order Of General Burt,
there will be officers and non-commis-
stoned officers school on two days OF
the week only-Mondays and Thursdays
In order that the Seventh corps may
not be wholly without an enlisted fofce
having some instruction in the practlcal
duties required Of engineer troops, Gen
eral Lee orders a detail, consisting oil
one commissioned officer and twenty en-,
listed men. be made from each regiment
with instructions to report TO the chiei
engineer Of the Seventh Army Corps
for duty. The men detailed will be tenn
porarily detached from their regiments
and assigned to duty at corps head
quarters.
Mrs. III. S. Chadwick left last night
for her home in Charlotte. Mrs. Thomas
X. Robertson leaves tonight. 1t is Will
sincere regret that their friends here
see them go
Sergeant II. Il. Courts, of the Reds