The Semi-weekly leader., 1921-06-11

How many people In the United
States know what the Guantanamo
base-the southern winter cruising
harbor-looks like and isf How many
know. that the United States has q
plant Of extraordinary e0iciency thereI
How many know what 1t means to the
north Atlantic feet each Year, writes
Herbert Corey I'm the Chicago News.
dtdn't. I'll ceAfess II. There was
seme vague idea In nay mind that the
feet came down here each winter to
q sand-bordered beach, on which the
men played ameng cactus and sand
neas and that from time to time they
went outside for battle practice. Ne
thought that pleasure might bs found
here came to me. Iknew there were
couple Of tiny towns noarby-Cai.
manera and BucoroA-in which rum.
roulette and damnatiOn might be
found at q price. Bat the background
to the picture was always bare. white
sand and cruelty hard sunlight and
scrubby busheA witA Q restless surf
beating at an inhespitablo strand.
That 10 wrong. Utterly wrong.
What Guantanamo Day 10.
Guantanamo bay lies at the south.
ern tip Of Cuba--a tip that Is for the
most part utterly arid and therefore
useless for farming purposes-and
consists Of body Of water, almost
completely land-locked, covering about
10000 acres. All around 1t Is a circle
Of low, brown hills, covered by mes
quite scrub, and into which long. mar
row valleys THRUST like the out.
stretched nngers Of hand. The wa.
ter's edge IL bordered by the vivid
green Of the mansTove-ths only bush
that can grow in salt water-except
that here ana tA@e warm, sandy
beaches invite the swimmers.
Here the UAited States has rented
from the Republic Of Cuba ''for 50
long time as Il desires" an area Of
10000 acres, In which the bay 10 In
cluded. and wAich completely incloses
II, except for the narrew entrance
way. A rental Of 5000 annually 10
paid to Cuba, although this territory
is Of no possible valus for ether pur.
poses. The two little towns previous.
ly mentioned have grown up here
since the feet began 10 pay itS winter
visits and now have reached some lit.
tie commercial Importance as sugar
and salt exporting points. At nrst
they were wet-nursed By the fleets
business but new they can look after
themselves.
Rifle Ranges q Feature.
At the station there are about 1,1O0
men, under Commandant J. J. Hanni.
gan. There are a sufficient number Of
marines to preserve srdsr and to act
as a reserve force In the event Of any
nearby trouble which might demand
hasty action. and the remainder are
laborers Of the various 'tropic sort. Te
the visitor the striking features are
the rife ranges, which have a capacity
Of 264 rife targets and 80 pistol tar
gets, up to 1.00o-yard range, and which
can be expanded indefinitely. II is
said that this Is the largest and finest
range in the United States or its de-
pendencies Each range lies up one
Of the fingerlike valleys, which stretch
out from the palmlike basin near the
beach. In a months time 10000 fhsH
could be drilled in rife shooting each
morning and afternoon.
There are ten baseball diamonds for
the use Of the men Of the feet, and
= y -
ers will be laid out as fast as they are
needed. There are tennis grounds and
handball courts and recreation build:
ings and all the architectural features
needed in an establishment which Ii
designed not only for the tralning Of
$4,000 to 10000 seamen annually, bat
also for their recreation.