St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-06-14
LIFE IN CUBA.
As Told by n ST. Johnsbury Nurse who
HIND Four Months Duty There.

Miss Jessie E. Hiscock returned Friday
from Cuba and is now Mt her home on
Cliff street. Knowing that our readers
would be greatly interested in her exper-
fences, representative of the CALEDoN-
IAN asked her to tell about her army life.
Miss Hscock after leaving here spent
two months at Jacksonville and two
months at Savannah, at both OF which
places she saw more suffering than while
in Cuba. She was in Cuba four months,
returning to the states in April. She
started from Savannah December 18TH
there being 40 nurses and $50 men in the
hospital corps, also doctors and othcers
of the 1st division Of the 18th army corps.
The trip was taken on the hospital ship
Missouri. which was fitted out by Miss
Helen Could. The trip was very pleas
ant. sunshine very acceptably taking the
place of storms They were all one day
with Cuba in sight coming towards
them. showing its beautiful scenery,
whose bills reminded them Of the Yer
mont hills. except there were no trees
They arrived there Wednesday night at
: O'Clock, going around old Moro
into the harbor. They were anchored
within IS yards Of the wreck OF the
Maine. where they stayed over night and
next day were taken by tug up to the
wharf where they stayed on board the
boat until about 4 o'clock. Arrange
ments were then made for them to be
taken to the depot through the heart OF
Havana city, in old-fashioned Vctorias.
Immediately upon landing crowds OF
native women and naked children gath
cred to watch them gestulatlng and
talking in their own language, which
was of course uninteligible to them.
They made quite a procession going to
the depot, as only three or four could be
accommodated in carriage, and they
were followed by children talking and
begging for pennies. Many OF them
were bright faced, intelligent looking
children. The party was especially
interested in the oldness Of the buildings
OF stone that they passed, and where the
windows were barred, with no glass,
and all members of the family crowded
to them to see them pass. Women APP
peared on the streets generally barehead-
ed. but some with mantillas on their
heads.
At the depot they were passed by the
Spanish soldiers going to the boats on
their way back to Spain. They were a
ragged and thin looking company, but
smiled pleasantly on the nurses and
seemed to show no spirit of antagonism
The sick ones took the carriages vacated
bv the nurses. From the station tht
hospital party was conveyed in an ole
fashioned train with willow seats, ant
engines run with wood fires, eight mile
out to the suburban province of Havana
where the hospital camp was to b
situated No preparations had beer
made for their arrival and they wer
obliged to walk half a mile carrying
bundles containing their blankets ant
toilet articles. A few stones taken fron
stone wall let them into pasture wit
some COWS and there they ate their lunc
OF bread and butter which they ha
brought from the ship and which wa
the last bread and butter they had 10
about ten days. That night a regimen
near where they were they located too
their tables out OF their mess shack an
all OF the party slept there. During tt
night Miss Hiscock was awakened b
what she thought must be freshet br
which proved to be only drop Of de
that had fallen through crack into HI
ear. They washed themselves in Il
morning in water held in pint dippe
and under these disadvantages two {
three nights were spent before any bett
arrangements could be made. The
temporary tents were put up with /
floors and containing only two cots ar
no other furniture, for lack of room. TT
first night they were awakened by
guard calling halt three times, al
three bullet shots, which greatly alarm,
them as they did not know which VIZ
they were coming. No one was hur
however, and the disturbance WI
caused by some Cubans proving aroui
the nurses tents. This happened sever
times and proved as startling each tin
as they little knew what might be t
cause In few days larger tents we
erected but for four weeks no foo
were provided and spiders and insec
were free to occupy the tents with the
The food for ten days was very monot
nous, consisting OF hard tack and cof
for three days with no variation a
after that baked beans and "embame
beef added to their fare. They had
plates but used paper and ate with tn
fingers. They borrowed the boys Gu
provided by the government, for tn
coffee The boys OF the hospital COZ
slept on the ground with only tn
blankets for beds, In the mornings
nurses took delightful walks, but 81