The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-19
IN LEES CORPS CAMP
ANTS MUCH MORE TROUBLESOME
THAN MOSQUITOES.

Soldiers Tireless investigators and
ExpIOrers-Practice Marches DO
Little GOOd-Nature Has Provided
BOuntifuI supply of New Cen
eratiOn-WId Animals Are Very
scarce-Duzzards About the Only
Birds to BE Seen.
Camp Columbia Cuba, March i6.-The
soldiers OF Lees army corps are inquisitive
fellows. For two months 1900 men have
been camped within a radius of one AMI
a quarter miles from the headquarters at
Bueua Vista. They have had little work
or occupation, and it is not surprising that
/ they have spread over the country like
a vast colony of ants-and, by the way,
there are more ants and of more kinds in
Cuba than any other place on earth.
Across hills and through valleys the boys
have beaten path leading away to every
| point of possible interest, some losing
themselves in the hills. Half the corps
have crossed the province of Havana on
the practice marches exploring wonder
tul caves, while parties Of fortunate ones
have made excursions into other provinces,
some even getting by rail and water, TO
Santiago.
! The practice marches made by regl-
ments from this camp have been far from
| beneficial, while the object of them, when
| lt was generally known the troops were
about to be mustered out has yet 10 be
| appreciated by those who have borne the
| burdens. Since returning from the
| marches the sick list has increased TO an
alarming extent in more than one regi-
! ment. Slow fever is The prevailing sick
ness. This may be attributed 10 bad wa
/ Ter While on these marches, sleeping on
the ground after using cots for two
| months. eating everything on the way
ana 10 the men eXhausting themselves by
| exploring at night after a days fatigue
| "A regiment would camp in the evening
| within fYe miles of some little town
| Whlch would be overrun by soldiers that
| night The men would walk an additional
| ten miles, lose their sleep and march next
| DAY. An inexplcabe thing is how the
private in a foreign country, knowing
nothing of the language can locate the
towns ahead and get to them through a
strange country, on dark night and how
| MS sober comrades will drag and carry
him for miles 10 get him safely into camp.
But through all the province, outside
| the important towns, there is little pleas
ing TO the eye that is the work of man.
There is wealth OF land with poverty an
palling. The hills and valleys are as
frequent as the sWells and troughs in a
rolling sea
The breezes never die and In the
shade, on one of these hills. one need not
go further 90 find the garden spot of the
earth as God made 1t. Even within a few
miles of the great city of Habana. grass
grows in the valleys and sage and myr-
tie bushes on the hills Here and there
are cabins with litle patches about them.
but of prosperity that was, only one long
endless chain of ruins of grand mansions
pears witness. There does not seem to
be an intact estate In the province
The American who comes here expecting
to walk through orange groves and play
ball with lemons will be disappointed.
Years ago they say, lemons and lines
used to be banked up in stores in Habana
to be had for the taking. Now it is diff
cult to buy either. It is said lines are
brought here from Florida. 1 have been
IN the island nearly three months and
have yet to see a sweet orange tree.
There are quite a number of cattle in
the meadows, and around each cabin one
will find chickens and pigs, but they are
not for sale, except at prohbitive prices.
They are the stock from which the coun-
try IS to be supplied. Four years ago
ducks were worth so cents a pair. now
they are 50. Chickens, that on the farms
in the states that would fetch 80 cents
per pair, are here held at $50, with no
disposition to sell. Eggs are quoted at
60 cents dozen, but cannot be obtained
at that price, and milk from the milk pail
is held at 81 a gallon.
The few men in the country are max
Ing some attempt at farming. using the
most antiquated methods, the only i'm
provement on the ploW of the ancients
made from the crooked limb of a tree
is that here the point sometimes has an
iron tip. The plowman carries pole sew
en- feet long, one end with an iron spike
fastened to il, the other with a scraper
like miniature spade. The first is used
to prod the oxen and the other to scrape
the clay off the plow.
While the United States government is
feeding thousands of Cubans in the towns
there are many people in the country
who are starving, and death from starva-
tion has not yet been checked. Three chill
dren found in house near Maranao by
the side of their dead mother, who perish
ed from starvation, are being nursed back
to life in a hospital in this camp. When
the troops camped during their marches
through the province women and children.
VINO existed in little filthy dens made OF
palm bark, aocked to the camp to pick
up scraps that the soldiers let fall and
many were living skeletons, as awful to
look upon as the reconcentrados of eieh.
teen months ago. Doubtless many IN
worthy people are living on the charity
of the United States, but there are thou
sands in misery and want who have not
yet tasted oven bread. The country in
the war-ridden sections of the island is
still utterly paralyzed
Nature seems cognizant of the needs
of the country, or rather years ago look
ed into the future for almost every house
is alive with little children, and il is
probable that the first word many of these
uttered was Americana" They all know
the foreigner, and must have had good
reports of him, for all smile at the uni
form.
There are no wild animals hereabouts.
not a rabbit or a squirrel or a woodchuck
the frog being the only thing that trav-
els the earth with four legs. A few Jack
davis quail and doves are practically the
only birds except the ever-present buzzard.
Look where one will, in the heavens at