The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-19
HOW THEY FOUND PORTO RICO
SIXTH IMMUNEs' EXPERIENCES IN
UNCLE SANS NEW POSSESSION.

The People fFithhis ~ INV -
cans-IIabits and Customs of the
Natives-Americans Not FlOcking
TO the Island. and Few Have Gone
There so Far.
The Sixth Immunes had plenty of eNper-
fences in Porto Rico. The accounts given
by some of the officers and men are in
terestlng and show an intelligent observa-
tion Of the conditions that surrounded the
troops while they were in the island.
The regiments quartermaster sergeant
is one of those whose impressions are OF
interest and who got a fund Of informa-
ton out of his stay in Porto Rico. There
is much about the country TO commend
ii T." he said. 1.-THE men Of the regiment
are glad TO get back, but / think this is
not due merely to any desire they may
have had 10 get away from Porto Rico
They liked The country and its people and
1t was only that sense Of homesickness that
made them want TO leave. Porto Rico suit
ed them as well as any other place away
from home, and ] am sure few of them
have anything 10 regret in their experience
'Well, yes" he said, the weather was
very. pleasant while we We're there. It
rained good deal We arrived Oct. 10.
and for the rest OF that month the weather
was bright and clear Then it began TO
rain, and we were told that November
was always a rainy month, though you do
not hear IL said that there is a wet and
dry season there. In December it rained
still more, and We were told that Deem
Der is the rainiest month they have IN
Porto Rico. This sounded all right, and
we were hoping for better things in jan
uary, but it rained constantly then, and
they said January is also a rainy month.
guess they have two seasons in the
island all right II is, OF course, winter
in the island now. We did not have
very hot time OF It while we were there.
In the middle of the day it was rather
warm but hardly a 5 hot I should say, as
it is in the South during the summer. The
nights were cool, sometimes cool enough
to Steep under a couple of blankets with
comfort.
mo, did not see any great evidence
of an army Of American investors and
spectators following that of invasion.
There Is an American newspaper at San
Juan that kept as pretty well posted On
current events 1 believe there have
been only eight or ten plantations bought
by Americans. Coffee, sugar and tobacco
are the staples of the island. and it Is
these products that are raised on the PLAN
tations We had a lot of work to do
guarding some of these plantations and
the buildings These were the plantations
of those who had sympathized with Spain
during the war 1t did not follow that
these sympathzers were necessarily
Spaniards because of their sympathies
with Spain. II was often the case that
native Porto Ricans sided with
the mother country. The lower classes
entertained great aversion to these
Spanish sympathizers, and they wanted TO
show it by burning their houses or as
sau.ting them.
IN this work of looking out for the per-
sons and property of planters our regl-
ment formed a great many pleasant ac-
qualntances and friendships. When It
was desired to have a guard posted a a
plantation one, two. three. or more, men.
as the case might demand. were sent out.
These guards We're placed for ten days
usually, and carried their ratiOns with
them for that time. They turned their
Fations over TO Ite man whose property
they were to guard. and he looked out for
them in most cases until they were re-
Aeved. Often the soldiers We're taken in
TO the homes of the planters, and moth
ing was too good for them. Such was
the case among the Porto Ricans goner-
ally. They seemed to think nothing too
good for the Americans, and they were
ready 10 oblige them in every way. The
people are hospitable, and took delight in
doing what lay m tlrr power, for the en-
tertainment of the troops.
This feeling for the soldiers is more
general among the lower, that is. The m
educated, classes. These people are almost
a unit in their sympathy with the United
States. 1 should say the educated class
is about evenly divided In its sympathies
Those who stood for Spain In the strug-
gle are still Spaniards, and they show a
remarkable patriotism. Their love for the
native country Is unbounded, and thew
do not hesitate to show it. Yet these same
people received us without the least show
of luminosity, and I and many others felt
as much at home with them as with the
American sympathizers.
There was not much sickness among
our men. There was no yellow fever on
the island that we ever heard Of. In the
matter of health l guess Porto Rico is
better off than Cuba.
The morals of the people are not of the
best though their social laws are some
what different from ours. Their immor-
ality is widespread, but ii obtains princi-
pally among the uneducated. But one
thing that would impress any visitor is
the vulgarity of even the educated.
Speaking Of sickness reminds me of a
trouble that existed to a great extent
among the men of Company A. This COM
pany was posted in an old building in the
outskirts of Arecibo and about half the
men got worms in their feet This Is a
strange affection, peculiar. 1 suppose. TO
Porto Rico. When we first reached the
Island We noticed that the feet of the un-
shod poorer classes were frequently nearly
twice their normal size This naturally led
TO questions and we were told the cause
and what treatment should be adopted II
seems that little insects, worms. | NAV
call them, though they have no distinctive
shape, bore into the feet through the soles
or the big toe. They reach the bone. nm.
less their course is stopped, and then the
trouble becomes great and the Swelling
reaches proportions that double the size
OF the feet The old house In which Com.
pany A was posted seemed 10 be infested
with the Insects. They showed as great \
fondness for American as for native feet
and in thew went The hove w.. -,