Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-06
LIFE ON ARMY TRANSPORT.
FOUR DAYS BY SEA TO PORT
OF HAVANA.
An Ideal Ocean Voyage How DAYS And
Nights Are Spent-What Pas.
sengers DO To Pass
AWAY Time.
-speciaI ICorrespondenee Q Eyenlng CapItaD

| special Correspondence TO Evening Capital
Havana. Cuba, Feb. 2S, 1907. When
the Army of Cuban Pacilication was
| ordered 10 the Island about the mid
die OF October, il was necessary foI
the Army to maintain a transport
service between some point in the
States and Havana. Cuba. the prin-
cipal harbor Of the Island, and its
capital city.
Several vessels were hired by the
government for the transport service
and have been brought into use ever
since. The point from which the
Army transports leave in the United
States is Newport News, and the prin-
cipal transports now engaged in this
| service are the Sumner and the Kilt
patrick. The latter ship made her
last trip from Havana about February
~ or Is, and was sent TO New York
/ for repairs. The Sumner expects TO
be laid up for repairs when she makes
her trip from Havana March I, and
| the Fitzpatrick will take her place
| temporarily until repairs are completed
and the Summer is in commission
again.
only Army and Navy people and
/ those attached TO the service of the
| Marine Corps travel on the Army
| TRANSPORTS. Others come TO Cuba by
| the Ward Line steamers from New
| York or from New Orleans or Miami.
The trip on the Army transport is
| about four days, sometimes little
| longer. The ship sails from Newport
/ News the first and fifteenth of each
month and always brings large
quantity of supplies and usually en-
| listed men for 1.-The Army or Marine
Corps to relieve those on duty on the
Island.
The L. S. Army transport Sumner
| sailed from Newport News on Fri
lay, February 15 with the following
passengers Capt. John G. Macarthur,
L. S. A., 2Sth Infantry, bound for
Matanzas; Lieutenant Pike, L. $.
A., Mrs. Pike and two children, bound
| for Cienfuegos; Mrs. Bartlett, wife OF
| Surgeon Bartlett, II. :. A., maid and
two children, bound for Camp Column
| bia, Miss Minnie Brown and Miss
| Anna May Brown, of Washington, ID.
c., sisters of Capt. Philip Sheridan
| Brown, L. S. NJ. C., bound for IIa-
| vana; Mrs. Williams, wife of Captain
| williams, u. $. M. c., and her
| mother, Mrs. Morris, both of New
York, bound for Havana To visit
Mrs Morris son, in the U. S. Geo
d-tie Survey here: Lieutenant Nc
| Neil, u. S. Nj. G., with 50 men, 81
OF whom were marines and 23 en-
| listed men in the Army from League
Island, Pa, for Camp Columbia;
Mrs. Teller. wife of Major Teller,
auditor of the U. 5. Government at
| Havana. Miss Teller and Miss Mary
Cushing, of Washington, and Mrs.
| Emma Abbott Gage, of Annapolis,
pound for Havana to visit her broth
or, First Lieutenant j. T.. Abbott, u.
$. A., at Camp Columbia.
The ships Army representative is
Lieutenant Spiller, who is the quar-
termaster, and of whom none is better
fitted for the service. The position is
not an easy one to fill and carried with
| ii much responsibility, yet Lieuten
ant Spiller fills the bill to n nicety,
and his capability and efficiency none
may gainsay. He has as his assist
| ants clerk, Mr.. Jollie Allen, of the
Quartermaster Department, L. s. A.,
and n eommissary, Mr.. Simonds, who
works harmoniously and are capable
auxilieris to the quartermatser. The
ships captain, genial and affable
| gentleman, is assisted in his line of
| transport service by n first, second,
third and fourth officer, and the trans
port has the usual crews compile
ment.
The Sumner is not a large ship, as
| ships go, but is comfortable and well
| equipped. She measures 1863 feet in
| length, aal is AZ feet b'am. Her
depth is 30 feet and she has 23 feet
draft. Her gross tonnage is 3, 455 and
net tonnage is 2, 1872. She has first
| class passenger accommodation OF
| 81, and hospital accommodation of
/ 40. The total number of troops the
| Summer can carry is 9lS. Each state
room is fitted with two berths, an up
per and lower, locker, a dresser
and writing desk, stationery, wash
stand, two mirrors, steam heating coil
| and camp chair. Bright red tapes
try for window and door aud carpet of
a corresponding shade give the room
a CHEEKY effect.
The transport is as neat as a new
pin. 1t is Kept spick and span by
constant scrubbing of decks, polishing
brass and cleaning woodwork. No
battleship could be more perfectly
kept than the Army transport Summer.
Life on the transport is marked by
L stitl Amy uASCt-
pline, as 1t were. As breakfast is at
z, il means that one must rise at 6 a.
m. if one wants to get a salt bath in
one of the commodious bathrooms for
ladies below deck.
The rising gong, however. is at
6. 30, when all aboard shin are expect
ed to tlfn odl. Coffee aud toast,
sometimes All Grange, are brought to
the room at 6 n. nj. if desired, and
fruit is usually kept in the stateroom.
The more energetic of the passengers
aim to see the sunrise, and almost
everybody takes n spin around the
deck before breakfast.
Like all the meals breakfast is a
wholesome, substantial repast. The
passengers are seated at long tables
and when they go aboard are given a
seat corresponding to a number at
table, which they occupy until the
voyage is completed. After breakfast
one usually lounges in n steamer chair
on deck reads, talks or visits friends.
Later in the day the Quartermaster has
gathering in his apartments and en-
tertains with the graphophone, or in
his own inimitable fashion TO the de-
light of his fortunate guests. The
morning passes all to swiftly, and at
noon luncheon is served. After lunch
sn, as though anticipating the Cuban
custom of a siesta after the second
1 Ia r,F - II a.