Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-03
CUBA NOW A NATION
CUSTOMS oFFIcERsFoRBID LAND
ING OF GEN. WOODS EFFECTS.
Require Compliance With Regulations
Payment of Duty or Certificate
of Free Admission.

The United States lighter Williams hav-
ing aboard the personal effects of Gen.
Wood and other American officers who
lately returned from Cuba, came into por;
here Sunday evening. but X was nearly
noon today before the first package OF
freight was removed from the hold of the
vessel. The delay was occasioned by the
custom house authorities here. Yesterday
morning early, while preparations were
being made to unload the ship. Mr.. J. Z.
Willett, an inspector for the customs au-
thorfties announced that he would not al
low piece of the freight to be moved until
duty was paid upon it or the Treasury De
partment ordered its admission free of
charges and not then unless other neces-
sary formalities had been complied with.
Mr.. Willett was on duty all of yesterday
and was on hand early this morning keep
ing guard. while messages regarding the
Williams and her cargo passed between the
war department and the treasury officials.
Orders were given this morning for the
admission of the goods, but it was after IL
o clock before the necessary papers were
prepared and reached the wharf and
put in the hands of Mr.. WiIlett. Capt l..
ID. Dare of the depot quartermaster's office
had been on hand for several hours and in
a short time after the papers reached the
wharf he had the steam winches hosting
the cargo from the hold of the vessel and
placing it on the dock, to be loaded on the
wagons in waiting.
Besides the property of Gen. Wood the
personal belongings of Maj. c. b. Baker.
who was chief quartermaster at Havana;
Capt. H. l.. Scott, Lieut.. NJ. E. Hanna,
Lieut.. f. Mccoy. Lieut.. Edward Carpenter
and Messrs. W. ]. Matthews and w. NJ.
Whitmen are also aboard the Williams.
These effects will be taken in charge by
Maj. L. T. True. the depot quartermaster
here, and will be turned over to their re-
spective owners. 1t is expected the un-
of hn tx,ill ha tod .k,i
evening or early tomorrow morning, and
she will shortly leave for New York. where
she has been assigned to duty in the quar-.
termaster's department there.
The Williams is under the command of
Capt. Frank Hail. and while all her officers
are Americans. she carries a crew of Span
ish and Cuban sailors and orders are
mainly given in Spanish She is now I'M
loading at the wharf foot of Sth street but
soon as discharged will be anchored In
the stream while awaiting sailing orders.
Another Lighter Coming.
The steam lighter Kearney. another of
the freighters of the United States army
quartermaster's department, is expected
to arrive here from Cuba within the next
few days with other property of the re-
turned American officers aboard. The
kearney has been doing duty at Cienfue-
COS for the past year or two, but has now
been assigned to duty on the Potomac. I'M
der the direction of the battalion of engi-
neers stationed at the arsenal. AS soon as
she discharges her cargo she will be turned
over to the engineer corps, and will have
her headquarters at this city. She is a
wooden hull, copper sheathed, propeller
vessel of 1So tons. and is 112 feet long, 20
feet wide and with eight feet depth of hold
She was built at Boston in 1881. and was
purchased by the army during the Span
fsh war. She was formerly the American
steamer Bessie. 1t is understood she car
ries a crew of Spanish and Cuban sailors
These will be replaced by Americans when
the Kearney goes into commission on the
Potomac.