Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-16
CORRESPONDENTS
Are Not All Leading Lives Of
|d|eness and Ease.
Those With the Cuban Fleet Work
Under Great Difficulties.
Islanders Cannot at all Understand Their
Desire for Haste.

Boat Wanda, Kingston, ia, June b.
The war correspondent on the dispatch
boats meet with interesting expert
ences. Here in the West Indies thev
are constantly getting into odd corners
of civilization. Conditions are met here
which the average American could
hardly believe to exist anywhere IN the
world where Bibles and text books
have ever been seen.
Since the news center changed from
Key West to the southern coast of
Cuba, it has been necessary to cable
all matter from West Indian points.
The island of Jamaica is the nearest
point to Santiago de Cuba and most of
the dispatch boats have entered ports
of Jamaica with news.
The result is that the cable offices
have been swamped with messages,
and no matter how important the news
may be, nothing more than the briefest
bulletin can reach the United States
for from IS hours to one week after the
copy is filed.
For two days the Wanda has been
lying in the beautiful harbor of Kings
ton. Under the clear blue water. a few
fathoms beneath her keel, sleeps the
sunlen city of Port Royal.
More than two centuries ago, on a
June night & great earthquake shook
the island and the city went down. 1t
was the home of the old Spanish pirate
kings, and in the midst Of a night Of
revelry and debauchcry the sea sWal-
lowed them up.
Not stones throw from our boat
red bouy swings and rocks in the
moonlight. 1t marks the spot where
the old city's cathedral sank.
The tall spire still lifts its pinnacle
up into the sea. and the buoy is placed
there to prevent ships of heavy draft
from striking it. When the sunlight
penetrates the water at right angles
the mud roofs of the old city may still
be seen.
4 few hundred yards away is the
city of Kingston with its narrow
streets and picturesque people Its
population is 10000, only 5000 being
white The women carry most of the
city's supplies on their heads. The
buZzards are the scaVengers and aid
the street cleaning department. Just
back of the city tower the mountains,
and beyond them lies the interior With
its ancient villages and simple people
every inch of it interesting and his
torc.
If the American fleet were not hover
ing about Santiago de Cuba, only $50
miles distant, one would be content to
forget the modern world and study for
months this picturesque corner Of early
American history. But the outside
world is waiting for news, and that is
the one fact that the native Jamaican
tdIIpl Sttili ~ uIltit'i Sl'tIi't ne t'lii-
not comprehend why there should be
such a delirious hurry about telling the
world what is happening down here in
these placid seas.
The government. of course. is Eng
fish, and the Crown controls almost
everything. It is an excellent govern
ment, too, but for American newspaper
work the conditions are trying,
The main office of the cable line to
New York by way of Halifax is To-
Gated here. on the north side of tho
island and much nearer to Cuba is
Port Antonio. From Port Antonio It
Kingston is Il telegraph line running
over the mountains.
Frequently Il dispatch boat with i'm
portant news runs across from SANTA
go de Cuba to Port Antonio with The
hope of sending the story overland t.
Kingston. where it will be transferred
to the cable office.
If the boat is fortunate enough to ge
into Port Antonio before the Office
closes the story may go through Kings
ton. otherwise the news must wal
until the next day.
If correspondent however, expect
to have an important dispatch durn;
closed hours he may make written ap
plication to have it kept open, and. b,
paying CT an hour may secure the us
of the office until his dispatch is sen
to Kingston. When it reaches tn
cable office, however. it may be dplave
several days on account of matte
ahead.
The regular press cable rate fror
kingston to New York over tho \ype
India Cable Companys line is l6 cent
word. This is the lowest rate give
by any of the cable lines from the Yves
Indies to the United States.
Press dispatches sent over some
the lines cost more than n dollar