The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-05
THE MICHIGAN BOYS IN CUBA.
4 Brief Account of Some of Their
Experiences There.

little sketch Of the camp of the four
batteries that came here on the transport
Michigan from Savannah. We are camp
ed three miles out Of Havana at town
called Vedado, lying right on the ocean
front. The camp ground is just above the
town on the hill overlooking the ocean,
and about five minutes walk to the hotel
where Gen. Brooke has his headquarters.
Vedado is one of the prettiest towns
on the island of Cuba, with very wide
streets, having shade trees on each side,
with it's groves of banana trees, orange
trees. and many other fruit trees grown
in the island. The town is far ahead OF
many of our American towns. The houses
are beautiful, with large yards OF hoW-
ers all about them, where the fragrance
Of the flowers are waited in the breeze as
you pass along The houses here, as in
Havana. are all built of stone, and are
very strong
Those who came here thinking they were
coming to a part of the country where
they would suffer with the heat have, l
am happy to say, been mistaken in a great
measure, as there is a delightful breeze
nearly all the time and, while ! am writ
ing, an overcoat would feel good II docs
not require much of an effort for it TO
rain. as we have had rain nearly every
day or night thus far. There are, indeed
more queer freaks of nature about the
camp ground in the way of caves ana deep
holes in the earth. The ground and rocks
all about here have the appearance of a
tremendous volcanic eruption at one time
as if the whole island has been heaVed
up from the bottom of the sea- and was
at one time a burning mass. All the
stones and rocks show that they nave
all passed through fire
There are five batteries of the Second
Artillery in camp here, three are together
while Batteries ! and G are camped about
a mile away. There are two companies
of the engineers within stone throw of
US, while four troops of the Seventh cav
airy are a quarter of a mile on the other
side of our camp, making in all nearly
2,000 men camped here. This is as healthy
a spot of ground as can be found for
a camp, and the views around are grand
to look upon. Just back of us is the large
Spanish and Cuban graveyard, where the
bodies of those who lost their lives at the
time of the destruction Of the Maine are
sleeping. We have a very nice spot OF
ground for our Y. NJ. G. A. tent in the
midst of the camp, but owing to the great
need of lumber we have not yet been able
to put up the large tent but will in two
or three days. The colonel gave me
small tent where l can keep our writing
paper and envelopes and room enough for
ten or a dozen of the men to write at
time. Friday was the first day we gave
out any paper, and though the tent is
small, up 10 to-day there have been 300
letters written by the men and taken from
the tent. AS soon as ! get our large tent
up we shall hold services three nights in
the week, and one weekly entertainment
for the men who are so DESTROYS of having
the Y. M c. A. with them that they are
putting down their name for Is cents each
month to keep up the work. The one
great need is that of reading matter If
any of the liberal minded people OF Sa
Vannah only knew now hard it was for
us to get anything to read, they would
never regret at if they would send us
two months Subscription to some good
paper or magazine. Simply addressed to
Y. NJ. c. A. tent, Battery d, Second United
States Artillery, Havana, Cuba. The Sab
bath here is hard TO be distinguished from
any other day of the week. All the stores
are open, and if one is not on his guard
he will find himself doing those things that
he should not do on that day. The first
Christian service ever beheld
in the town of Vedado, Cuba, will,
l think, be held in our Y. Nj. c.. A.
tent this coming week There are some
great curiosites for The men to see here
Right back of our camp is a large hole
in the corner of the grave yard where the
human bones and skeletons are fifteen feet
deep, lying there open to all, while some
bodies are lying in boxes with the flesh
(what little there was on them at time of
DEATH is dried 10 the bones. When the
Cubans die they are taken to the grave
yard and buried, and after five years, if
the grave is not paid for they are taken
and thrown in this hole. The greatest
ciobf I he. h
been the starving Cubans, of which we
have heard so much. Al times you can
see between 200 and 800 of them in the
camp after their food like that many
crows about some old dead animal, each
one trying to get a mouthful, sometimes
almost taking ii out of the mouths of the
Men. Men, women and children of all sizes
ages and color some of them nothing more
than a mere walking skeleton, with the
skin drawn over the bones 1t is a sad
sight indeed. TO see the poor. mortal thing
about the tent like so many chickens
about a basket of corn, after they had
been shut up for a week without anything
to eat. Some of the readers of your paper.
who will read this article, will say l have
exaggerated, but If they could see the con-
dition of things as l have seen them the
past two or three days they would say
that pen cannot begin 10 describe it. They
will have TO see it, as l have, to fully be-
lieve 1t. Let me leave this one earnest re-
quest with the Christian readers of your
paper: 1t is for the united prayers of all
of them for the success of the work here
in this God-forsaken land.
II. A. Howell.
RAISES HOGS AND HOMINY.