The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-25

troops now there are well provided
with tents and cots. The reason so
many troops must be kept in Cuba is
because the island is so poorly provid-
ed with railroad communication. Porto
Principe and Santiago are cut off from
all other parts of the island on account
of there being no railroads there. 1t
will be necessary to keep large forces
at all the ports, especially where there
are customs houses.
1T is hardly possible to compare the
Spanish and American troops. The
Spanish system of providing troops and
sheltering them is 50 .dissimilar from
that of the Americans that no COM
parison can be drawn. The Spanish
soldiers were quartered in vacant
houses In the towns, and those who
could not find shelter were obliged to
bivouac in the streets.
ut is interesting to speculate what
would have been the outcome Of the
war had not Cervera selected Santiago
harbor for his refuge" continued Lieut..
Read. IF he had chosen Cienfuegos,
for instance, the American troops could
not have taken that city as they took
Santiago. 1t was impossible for Blaneo
to send troops to Santiago to the relief
of the Spanish there because there was
no railroad from Havana to Santiago.
but it would have been different had
Cienfuegos been besieged. Spanish
troops could have been sent by rail to
Cienfuegos, and though Cervera's fleet
had been destroyed, the American
army could not have taken the city
With the force then available.
Nor could the American army have
taken Havana with man short of
100000. While the heavy artillery about
the city was disposed so as to resist a
naval attack, the city was surround
ed on the land side, with excellent en-
trenchments, which were so placed as
to protect each other. They were also
protected with net works of barbed wire.
The Spanish could have concentrated
100000 men in Havana, and. according
to the military rule, which requires the
besieging force to be at least equal on
in numbers to the besieged, the Amer
leans could not have captured the city
with less than 10C. 600 men.
While in Havana I inspected some
Of the ancient and modern fortifica-
lions. MORO castle is little more than
an outwork of Cabanas Cabanas is an
cording to the military principles which
prevailed two or three hundred years
ago. MORO castle is simply a signal
station on a rock. The reliance of the
Spanish was not on either of these for
tresSeS, but on the modern batteries
ABOUT the city. The Reina and Santa
Clara batteries are the nearest of these
to the entrance to the 4harbor, and are
provided with modern ordnance, as are
also several smaller batteries on the
same side Of the entrance, but farther
from the sea. Beyond these are two
other batteries, also supplied with mod
ern guns, of great power The CITY
presented a formidable front to an
enemy when the. Spanish were en-
trenched there
II have read in some American pa
pers that torture chamber was dis
covered in the house formerly occupied
by Gen. Parade. 1 did not hear any
thing of it while in Havana, and I be-
lieve the story is false. Gen. Parade
was the most genial of all the Spanish
officers, and [ do not believe he was
capable of torturing any ore. believe
the story decidedly untrue
Lieut. Read started back to Wash
ington last evening