THE CUBA REVIEW 



The Cnba Ret'iew is inclchtod to a contri- 

 butor, who requests that liis name be with- 

 held, for the account that follows of a journey 

 through the Eastern part of ("uha(hn-ing the 

 recent jiolitical (listur])ances. The ilUistra- 

 tions on i)age (i give a very striking impression 

 of what occurroil in tlie town of Xucvitas. 



JOURNF.Y FROM HABANA TO GUANTANAMO 

 MARCH. 1917 



Started by rail, as usually the entire journey 

 is (lone by rail in twenty-four hours, ^i'rain 

 stopped eight hours after leaving Habana 

 because main line bridges were all down l)e- 

 yond Santa Clara. Train made a detour ami 

 finally landed us at Caibarien March 3(1. 



Next day secured a motor boat with which 

 to continue the journey from Caibarien east- 

 ward on the north coast. Railroad bridges 

 and plantations near Caibarien were being 

 biu-ned that day, as we could see. There we 

 were urged to start at midnight, the owner 

 of the little motor boat fearing that rebels 

 would prohibit our starting next day. 



Motor broke down after one hour. iVIade 

 repairs as possible and proceeded. Reached 

 Punta Alegre, a new sugar mill, 38 miles from 

 Caibarien, in 19 hours. Spent the night there, 

 making further repairs with help of sugar fac- 

 tory mechanics. 



Started again 5 a. m. next day. Covered 

 about 80 miles, reaching a narrow passage be- 

 tween islands by 5 p.m. Grounded — -water in 

 the place being only 15 inches, while our motor 

 boat drew 23 in. Another sloop grounded at 

 same place and two small open cat-boats an- 

 chored at sunset, fearing that they could 

 not pass the narrow channel at night. 

 Lucky for us there was a group of boats to- 

 gether there. 



During that night, by full moonlight, 6 sail 

 boats and 2 motor-boats full of rebels came 

 through the channel, going westward toward 

 Caibarien, probably fleeing from Camaguey, 

 which the (Jovernment had just captured. 



Next morning deserted the motor boat, 

 hired one of the little cat-boats, got through 

 the passage and by 2 p. m. reached Punta 

 Piloto, landing place of " La Gloria," an 

 American fruit colony. Met a four-horse 

 American Studebaker wagon bringing down a 

 load of 5,000 oranges for shipment by cat-boat 

 to Caibarien. Got driver to take us inland, 

 but were stopped after four miles by Ameri- 

 cans from "La Gloria," stating further pro- 



gress impossible, on account of a band of 250 

 armed rebels blocking the road from "I^a 

 Cdoria" to Camaguey City, our destination. 

 Were driven back to the coast. Sjjent night 

 in the kitchen of the orange shipper at Punta 

 Piloto. 



Next morning secured another little boat 

 and .sailed to a point two miles from Xucvitas, 

 walking then to the cit}', where we found the 

 rebels had devastated buildings and stores 

 and destroyed railroad station, so that the 

 place looked as if it were in Belgium today. 



March (jth, went on a mihtary train sis far 

 as Minas Station, in the district of Camaguey. 

 Were ordered off the train there. Spent the 

 night at a large sugar mill near Minas. Un- 

 derstand the two rear cars of the train, only, 

 got through to Camague}'. the two first cars 

 having been dynamited after we left the 

 train. 



Saw about 9,000 acres of sugar cane fields 

 completely destroyed by fire at this planta- 

 tion near Minas. Next morning returned by 

 military train to Nuevitas on the north coast. 

 Hired a small motor boat and started at 

 4 p. m. for Puerto Padre, the next large 

 harbor toward the east. This time had to go 

 right out to sea, but, finding it too rough, the 

 captain of the little boat imdertook to take 

 us through the reefs and succeeded in getting 

 through by moonlight. Could go no further, 

 therefore anchored from 9 p.m. till 6 a. m. in 

 a smooth spot between the reefs — a most un- 

 pleasant and dangerous night. 



At 6 o'clock next morning started for Puerto 

 Padre and arrived there 5 p. m. On the way 

 saw some canefields burning at Manati, a large 

 sugar mill on the north coast. Passed the 

 night in hotel Chaparra. 



Next morning, by courtesy of the Chaparra 

 Sugar Company, were taken by their inspec- 

 tion car to the east toward Santa Lucia Sugar 

 Co. Arriving ■ there, found factory and of- 

 fices deserted; owners and managers all fled 

 before the rebels, who attacked and de- 

 stroyed a good deal of their property on the 

 7th. 



Next day Government troops came in to 

 guard the property, and the factory and 

 oflSce staffs returned to work as well as they 

 could. 



At this point succeeded in engaging passage 

 to Guantanamo by a sugar cargo boat. 

 Reached Guantanamo 6 a.m. March 13th. 

 Our steamer, proceeding as usual, was brought 

 to a stop by three whistles from U. S. Battle- 



