West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1899-02-09

Americans and Cubans. buildings
and bridges were p ,iDted red. white
aud blue, aud SCI oil with wretths
AID bsqnels Of beautiful fIwvrs.
while quotations were mauy and
painted aud fixed up ~ f'ucy style.
Along in front OF the Plaza was
rla,f'rm Ric ~ arranged aud clAG.
orately decorated. BY eight 0 clock
IL was crowded BY many OF the
Cuban pAirio:s and y. 5. officers.
the most prominent being General
Wilson. Military Governor OF Ma
tanz rs Province, ard Gen. Sanger.
The exercise opened with ii process
sion consls ing Of some three or
four hsndred OF the most beautiful
girls and Young women we ever
saw. dressed in white and red .ps.
carrying Il ,gs made os silk aud
plush aud fruged with gold aud
sIVer, banners aud portraits. Then
came the fire department., consist
ing Of the best specimens of man
hood we have ever seen on tho
Island. Their uniform was simi.
lar To hose We have seen in the
States. Then came hundred or
more Of the citizens dressed in their
high hats, loCg tailed coats and
canes. Next came the ubin OH
GERS, to be pelsed with boquets,
amid one seemingly continuous
yell. They were followed by their
troops, making sight not easy to
forget. First was the infantry
marching in ones. twos, threos
and tours, armed with Remington
and M.user rifles, and wearing all
sorts Of uniforms. Following were
several cavalry troops on ponies,
armed with machetes and carbines,
Remington make. Some were mere
boys, others old men, some blind
IN one eye, some crippled, some
wore hats with the crowns out,
some with the brIms off, some with
blouses, some without, and some
barefooted. We think all the folks
witnessed the affair and gave the
boys u welcome the best they knew
how. The 9Th Massachusetts band
and one Of the bands Of the Cuban
troops, furnished the instrumental
music. The jubilee was continued
Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
General Wilson reviewed his own
troops in tho city.
The troops here now are the 1st
Battalion of Bird Engineers, Sth
Massachusetts, 18th New York, 3rd
Kentucky and 1st Battalion of the
160th Indiana. Also tho 1st and
2nd Brigade Hospital and Ambu-
lance Companies.
The health of our camp is sur
prisingly good. We hayo not had
more than SIX in our hospital at
one time, and some days but one
or two.
We have visited the sand bank
fertifications several times, and got
"A vertebr@ from the mule said to
have been killed by Sampson while
bombarding the Place last spring,
mud about which so many remarks
| have been made.
Every hing here is very dear;
money alone ls cheap. Eggs 81 20
per do2 N. and beef 90 C 3. 10. One
of our stewards paid 81 Yesterday
for chicken weighing less than
! hree pounds. One man wanted
81 for very small turkey. Milk
| 20 cents II quart. But one dollar
is now worth 81 40 Spanish any,
where. Sometimes we get $3.50
and SLIGO.
We have all kinds of mosquitoes
and h0as here. | have a nice col
lection Of preserved scorpions, tar
antulas. centipedes, fish, snakes,
etc. The other night while on duty.
we were sitting in the dispensarv
writing about eleven O'Clock, and
thought everybody was nslsep, when
Steward CullOn came bouncing in
with nothing on but night shirt,
and as he began to bandage his
ankles with linton gauze baudage,
he explained that he had been
bathing with a trickresol solution
to bnf1le the mosquitoes and fleas,
and it had taken the skin off. As
he went out he looked just like one
of the natives, who wears nothing
but shirt and cuffs a little low.
Senator Daniel, of Virginia, was
here during his visit TO the Island
to see his son, Lieut.. Daniel, First
Lieutenant of Company ON"
In front of the Colonel's quar-
ters is one Of the Spanish torpedos.
1t is conical shaped, the base being
some four feet in diameter. 1t was
found in the bay here, and loaded
no doubt for some fatal work. 1t
has been painted aud will be taken
to the States as a souvenir.
The Third Battalion, Of the Goth
Indiana, has just arrived. The
whole camp is yelling and their
band is playing america IT
makes times seem like the Fourth
OF July. and Of course we always
feel good on the Glorious Fourth.
We have received q number of
I papers and books Of lac from
friends m Preston, who have orr
thanks for same. Just how many
! fhaukq thov ,vt1l uavor Lr,,, an