Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-03
IN GOOD HEALTH.
First Maine Is. Remarkably
Fine Set Of Men.
Sixteen Of Them Allowed to Visit
Havana Every Day.
Gen. Ludlow Says They Are More Like Resu.
lars Than Volunteers.

leea' Nupd' reu' 'ope.
iai''-Ihe Maine batteries nave been II
camp on cuban soil a month. ana there
is not more healthy and finer looking
oody OF men to be found in the TN
Army Corps.
Although the temperature averages
ABOUT W IN the shade, the men do not
seem 10 suHer any from the heat. Tney
can nardiy feahze that the reports IRON
the states ABOUT the cold weather car
De true
AS nearly every third man IN the pat
tahon mas camera or some KIND, the
state OF Maine VIII be Hooded with pic
lures from Cuba. Some OF the men
nave some very fine views of the wreck
OF the Maine and few have succeeded
in Citing pictures OF FL MORO. Cuban
machettes are In great demand among
the men, for relics. and some have col
lections of different kinds of Spanish
military buttons which they put on
their belts making a very pretty orna-
ment.
Last Saturday evening most of the
men of the battalion attended a Cuban
circus a short distance from camp The
settees were not made as strong az they
might have been and as they became
filed they broke down, many of the
boys were slightlysinjured and one had
his leg brokers'. The remark was then
passed around that .sHjt took a strong
structure to hold the Maine heavies."
Many of the fAen have visited Havana
to see the sights Four passes are is
sued to each battery a day. a man in
uniform found on the street without
a pass Is arrested by the provost
guard. He is kept in confinement until
the following morning. and is then
tried and fined and sent to his company.
As the soldier's nav isSmall they do not
care to run the risk of losing much of 1t
in fines. M
About nine O'Clock Sunday night the
men were startled by the bugle calling
them to arms. It seems that a first
Texas man on guard III the circus tent.
spoken of in this article. tried to stem
some soldiers from setAlng In under the
tent, but not succeeding, he brought his
rifle to his shoulder and fired through
the tent and hit a soldier from the 49th
Iowa Infantry. in the leg. The COM
rades of the wounded man started after
the guard CRYING. Lynch him" but he
got away from them. but as there was
danger of a clash between the Texans
and Iowans. the batteries were ordered
out to prevent it, each man was issued
ten cartridges. The force brought
against the crowd was so strong that
the fighters dispersed.
AS some of the readers may like to
read about Havana as seen by Maine
man, l will give All account of four of
Battery A men in the city. AS the
camp is six miles from the CITY. the trip
is made on the F. C. Marianao Railroad
which runs through Camp Columbia.
After arriving in the city. we went to
Central Park. where rations were being
issued to the Cuban widows. each one
was so eager to get their supplies first
that the guards had difficult task in
preserving order among them. After
seeing enough of that. we walked down
to the Prado. Nearly every evening
band concert is given here. Seats are
placed all around and if anyone desires
to. sit down. they may have the use of
a seat for ten cents an evening. Fac
ing the Prado is the Ingletere hotel
where General Ludlow first established
his headquarters. 1t only costs the
small sum of % American dollars a day
to stop at this hotel. for the same ac-
commodations to be had in the United
States for four dollars.
Beggars are to be found in large
numbers along the principal streets.
They have learned the value of Ameri-
can money so well that they ask for it.
One corner of the city is known as the
fourth district and a soldier is not al