The times., 1898-04-11
FROM HAVANA
American Citizens Again Safe
Under the Stars and Stripes.
WELCOMED BIZ THEIR FRIENDS
Happy i'm Their Escape From Tin.
PeriIs of Spanish Hate-SuiIcn An
ger and savage Brutality OF Toiun-
teers Greatly Feared-Au Outbreaks
MomentarfIy Expected.

New York. April 1O.-The Ward Line
steamer Orizaba, which arrived here
from Havana this morning, brough 125
Americans and Cubans as passengers.
They We're all refugees. The Americans
ale the last who left Cuba by a steam
ship bound for New York. They came on
the advice of Gen. Lee. The Cubans
came because they believed that when
Havana got too hot for Americans it was
too hot for them.
The passengers on the Orizaba were
hungrier for news when the ship was
stopped at Quarantine today than any
lot of travellers who have arrived here
by water in a long time They left Ha-
vana on Wednesday, when that whole
city was anviously waiting to hear of
the delivery to Congress of President
McKinley's message.
What the result of the message was
going to be nobody knew, but from the
suppressed excitement on all sides, it was
feared that there would be a serious
outbreak. Having had no news since they
sailed, and having passed two monitors
at sea, the passengers were anxious to
learn whether war had been declared or
not. They seized the newspapers that
were thrown up to them, and fought for
them good naturedly. Those who were
not able to secure papers offered s. and
So apiece to men in rowboats who hover
ed around the steamer. The boatmen
put to shore for more papers in a hurry.
but the Orizaba steamed away before
they had time to get back.
There were several hundred people on
the Ward Line dock here when the
! Orizaba came up and, from the demon
stration they made, it was evident they
] were glad to see their friends safely back
| in New York There were many women
! and children among the passengers.
Among the Cubans on the steamer were
! Jose Antonio Blanco and his family. Mr.
| Blanco has been a sugar planter in Cuba
: for years and has been in the United
! States several times. When asked about
! the situation, he said:
u have believed Americans were in per-
/ il in Cuba for a long time, and / would
/ not have been surprised to hear OF an out
/ break at any time. / have just heard of
/ Gen. Lees departure from Havana yes
/ terday, and l can only say that l am sor-
1 ry for any Americans who are there now.
| Lees departure has increased their dan
| ger. The worst to be feared is, Of course,
the volunteers. There are 1000 of them in
| Cuba half of whom are in Havana. If
they are turned loose they will make
| short work OF helpless Americans and
| Cubans who are in the city If they break
! out before the word comes from the au-
| thorities nothing can stop them. l don [
| believe there is force in Havana sufficient
| to control them, even If Spaniards were
| willing to fight Spaniards. which they are
! not.
when we left Havana there were about
FIVE hundred Americans still there. Four
| fifths of them were anxious to get away,
but were prevented either by lack oi
| money or by their inability to get pass
| ports in time. There was rush of eXiled
| Americans for the Orizaba the day We
| sailed They came out to the steamer
| in small boats and made frantic efforts
! to get aboard. Some Of them thought
| they We're lost unless they got off on the
| OriZaba The steamer was already en-
! gagged TO its utmost capacity and they
| could not be accommodated and were
| turned back / understand that the Gov
| ernment has seen to il that all Ameri
| cans, rich or poor. have had an opportu
nifty TO get away from the island. l hope
| this is true.
! AdoIph Helm Of Madison. y. J.. who ha
| been in the sugar business in Cuba 70
| thirty-eight years. was also a passenger
| He said:
Il have been for several weeks at Glen
fuegos. where my business interests are
| / had intended to come back later in tn
season, but the advice of General Lee &
| Americans to leave as soon as possible
| hurried me. At Cienfuegos ! was adviset
| not to take the railroad to Havana, be
cause Of the dynamite operations of tn
| insurgents. - TO disregard the ad
| vice in order to catch the OriZaba. Their
was much suppressed excitement in Ha
| vana when / left but no outbreaks of
serious nature had occurred"
a number of other passengers who wer
! questioned said that the insurgents wer