The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-03-16
ROBERT E LAWHON
ON SHIP CHICAGO.
He Writes of Havana and
Cuban Filth,
THE WRECKED ''MAINE. y
The Prices for Food Very High in
Havana. The Gathering of
War Vessels.

Mr.. Robert Lawhon, on the BATTLE
ship Chicago" writes home as fol-
lows:
Havana, Cuba, Feb. 81, 1899.
| Dear Father AFTER stormy voyage
from New York down our Atlantic
coast and across the gulf, we reached
New Orleans in time to take in part of
the Mardi Gras festivities. What won
derful carnival this is, as gotten up by
New Orleans, with such complete
change Of program each year that old
people who have been coming hun
dreds of miles to attend it for half
century, will tell you that it is just AS
novel and full of surprises for them as
| fifty years ago. 1t is hard for me to
understand how il is that New Orleans
keeps SO far in the lead Of all other cit
les on the continent in getting up this
carnival, but one thing / am sure of,
and that is that thousands of the crowd
are drawn there by her splendid hospi-
tally, for in all my travels was never
so completely overwhelmed as by the
warm-hearted hospitality of those peo-
pie. Although an entire stranger i'm
that city, was invited to dine ashore
every day while there and in fact we
were literally deluged with invitations
to all sorts of entertainments, and those
whom it was my duty to show through
the ship were among the most elegant,
well-bred people / have seen in any city
in the world.
Well, we are here in Havana harbor,
moored to the same buoy which was
given to the Inflated Maine when she
arrived here. Little did her crew
think that just three weeks from that
night 266 of their souls would be hurl-
ed into eternity and their splendid ship
left a~hopless wreck by Spanish treach-
ery. 1t makes the blood of every
American seaman almost boil with
hatred towards the Spanish nation
when he thinks of the fearful fate of
those poor fellows. No one is allowed
to go near the wreck or take from it
the most trifiing article, though when
the assistant secretary of the navy was
here he gave my friend, Mr. George
Warford, what is called the signal
yard and he made it into walking sticks
and gave me one. I,prize it very high
+, ly MIR. Warford is the man who made
that splendid drawing of the Santiago
battle which l sent you.
In all my rowing about the world for
six and half years, have never seen
such filthy town as Havana. The
filth is at least foot deep in nearly all
the streets, and in places dirty, filthy
little children rolling and playing in it
like $50 many hogs sor mud turtles,
without stitch of clothing on The
wonder to me is that yellow fever or
some other plague has not killed all of
them. Prices on almost all merchan-
disc are enormously high, good beef
steak is 81 90 per pound, and eggs have
4 reached the high water mark at $50
per dozen. Even Havana made cigars
are high.
The battleship Texas" and cruiser
Brooklyn" are here and in few days
all the ships of the North Atlantic
Squadron will be here, and then we
visit two or three ports of the south
coast OF Cuba, then we go to Jaimaca,
Porto. Rico, Martinique. Barbados,
Trinidad, and two or three other ports
on the coast Of South America and then
back to New York Tt is understood
that British man-of-was will accom-
paiy the squadron on this cruise to
observe our maneuvering. They are
both here now. 1t seems since our war
with Spain even john Bull and the
French think it within the range OF
possibility that something might be
learned by keeping an eye on the
! American navy. Affectionately,
r. e. LAwHoN, JR.