The Washington times., 1920-05-06

Juan Hill. 500
Through Tsrtuous Channel.
Just before dark. reaching the
entrance to Santiago Harbor. the
yacht entered the extraordinary
dusky channel at twilight, so mar
row and crooked. and overhung
with such lofty fortified clins that
we marveled anew at Hobson's feat
in trying to block II. His deScrip-
ton OF the moment OF the sinking
OF the Mefrimac gives viva ldea
OF that remarkable adventures; Ihe
firing suddenly ceased. The vessei
lowered her head like falthtui
animal, proudly aware OF lts sacri.
nee, bowed below the surface ana
plunged forward. The stern rose
and heeled heavily; 1t STOOD TOT a
moment. shuddering. then startea
downward. righting as IL went
great rush of water came up the
,S,aner-av. seething and Gurgling
out on the deck. IL seized us
an threw us against the buiwarks,
then over the rail. A sweeping vor-
tex whirled above. We charged
about with casks, cans and spars.
The life-preservers stood us
in good stead. preventing chests
from being crushed for
snars came. end on, like battering-
rams" Hobson was picked up by a
launch on which was Admiral Ger
vera himself. and imprisoned In the
MORO.
The channel opened suddenly into
a CLASSY, landlocked bay, with a
town In the distance, its twink
ling lights scattered over a sloping
hillside. The peaceful. sheltered
harbor was very welcome after our
stormy cruise.
The next morning the yachts
cook was i'll; moreoverA we had just
come from Jamaica, where there
was yellow fever. SO tho doctor
promptly put us in quarantine. For
a time II looked as IL the harbor
might be all that we should see of
the place. However, one of the fire-
men put his collar bone out OF
Joint, and when the doctor came
back to attend to him he found the
cook so far recovered that. con-
GLIDING his illness was not danger
GUS, he allowed us to go ashore.
Santiago was q very clean VII
lage. Since our occupation most OF
the streets had been covered with
asphalt and small sidewalks laid.
Older than time itself seemed the
MORO. built on several different
levels and looking as II 1t were
clinging precariously to the clin.
A dougherty hauled US UP the hill.
while gorgeously colored land crabs
scuttled away before the horses.
A sharp turn. and we came unex-
pectedly face to face with the mill
tary quarters, where our men. still
in possession, were stationed to
guard the prisoners The officers
received us very Hospitality and
treated us to refreshments and a
band concert. The interior Of the
fortress was so immaculate that one
could hardly imagine what its con-
dition must have been when Hob
son was imprisoned there, though.
at best his cell was small and mus
ty and badly lighted.
Battlefield Of San juan.
General NVhitside very kindly
took us to see the battlefield of San
Juan. The brown, rolling country
had low hills lying along the hori-
zor line: everything was covered
with long, dry grass, save for a few
shrubs and one or two big trees.
A mile and a half from the town
where the Spanish army surren-
dered we came to the historic cot
tonwood tree, with circle of
white-tipped palings around it to
mark the spot where their !nfan-
try had piled its arms in token Of
submission. Getting down from
the wagon, we went to sec the
trenches from which the Spaniards
had fired and the blockhouse they
had abandoned in their headlong
flight. The hill WITCH our men
had climbed in the face of a de-
vastating fire was very steep. Be-
low It lay broad plain. with
river which had to be forded. The
wonder was that they had not all
been killed crossing the wide ex-
panse. A short distance away was
Kettle Hill, and a farmhouse which
the Rough Riders had charged.
Over on San Juan Ridge we could
see gaping holes in the earth where
our dead had been buried after
the battle-later to DO sent back
to lie in their own land. On the
Generals stan was Captain
Whitehead who had seen action in
the fight, since he belonged to the
Tenth Cavalry. and he explained 1t
all to us very wildly. In the dis
lance we caught sight of an artist
working at an easel, and the cap
tain told US it was Vereshchagin
making studies for a battle p cture.
1t must have been a most gallant
spirited victory. The charge
stright up the steep hill under
rapid fire from hidden and en-
trenched Spaniards, far outnumber-
ing our attacking force. was moth
ing short of heroic. One Of our
officers, an aide named Dennis
Niche, spared the life OF a wounded
Spaniard. only to have him turn
and kill him from behind--a species
of treachery which apparently the
Germans did not originate. AL
though the military captured scores
of prisoners, our forces suffered
more killed and wounded than the
enemy, but that was inevitable
where infantry did the charging
and carried earthworks with the
aid OF dismounted cavalry.
Wars Stern Realities.
In spite OF the general hcroism.
there were. of course, lapses OF
courage, and skuikers who had to
have the fear OF God put into them.
This WIS true oven In the Great
War. 1T would really be good
thing in many respects" an army