THE CUBA REVIEW And Bulletin. 



19 



HOLGUIN CORRESPONDENCE OF THE ARMY AND 

 NAVY REGISTER. 



The reconnaissance work assigned to 

 this battalion is completed and the men 

 are now enjoying a little relaxation from 

 field duty. They have been constantly at 

 it for the past three months, and the coun- 

 try for a distance of fifty miles has been 

 thoroughly explored and mapped. 



A new baseball park is being erected in 

 front of the soldiers' barracks. The entire 

 grounds are to be enclosed and a fine 

 grandstand erected. 



Eighteen hundred troops were reviewed 

 late in March at Camp Columbia, by Brig- 

 adier General Thomas Barry, U. S'. Army, 

 who was accompanied by General Rodri- 

 guez, commander of the Cuban Rural 

 Guards. The soldiers also marched past 

 Governor Magoon. A large number of 

 persons went from Havana to witness the 

 ceremony. The stands were filled with 

 American officials, attaches and numerous 

 ladies. Colonel Pitcher commanded the 

 troops, which consisted of two battalions of 

 engineers, two battalions of infantry, one 

 regiment of marines, a squadron of cav- 

 alry, a battalion of light artillery, two 

 battalions of mountain artillery, two cotn- 

 panies of the hospital corps, one company 

 of the signal corps and a full equipment 

 of transportation. 



The field wireless outfit assembled by 

 the army signal office is realizing the ex- 

 pectations of its designers. The system has 

 been tried under practical conditions in 

 Cuba, where seven sets are now in place, 

 and additional sets are destined to be 

 shipped, until the entire island, so far as 

 the military occupation is concerned, will 

 be fitted with the means of wireless com- 

 munication. There are regular messages 

 exchanged between the wireless station at 

 Camp Columbia in Cuba, and the naval 

 wireless station in Key West. The outfit. 



consisting of two sets, is so arranged that 

 it may be packed on the back of three 

 mules and carried over all sorts of coun- 

 try with the greatest facility and least loss 

 of time. It has abundantly proved its use- 

 fulness, and every effort will be made to 

 hasten the time when it will form a part 

 of every independent cavalry command. 

 The wireless communication in Cuba has 

 been under such conditions as are calcu- 

 lated to test the accuracy, efficiency and 

 durability of the mechanism, and no fault 

 has been found with the apparatus. There 

 is no trouble in exchanging messages any- 

 where from 30 miles up to 125 miles, while 

 it can be unpacked and set up ready for 

 operation inside of four minutes, which 

 is in all respects a creditable demonstra- 

 tion of practical usefulness. 



Holguin is a town which has about 8,000 

 inhabitants, and is one of the oldest on the 

 island. It was a concession to a dis- 

 tinguished Spanish officer. Captain Hol- 

 guin, of the engineers, from the Spanish 

 crown, in the beginning of the sixteenth 

 century. It has many evidences of its 

 ancient lineage in the form of several old 

 churches and houses that have been patched 

 and thatched to keep the semblance of their 

 originality. There are many beautiful 

 homes and the people seem to enjoy a 

 degree of prosperity that would astonish 

 our people at home. The inhabitants seem 

 to pay little attention to the outcome of 

 the coming elections, believing that which- 

 ever way it goes their prosperity and easy 

 mode of living will remain undisturbed. 



THE MARINES TO LEAVE CUBA. 



The government has decided to order 

 all the marines doing duty in Cuba to 

 their proper stations on board ships and 

 in barracks, believing that there are suffi 

 cient troops of the cavalry, infantry and 

 artillery commands to cope with any 

 situation which is likely to arise. 



Commercial 



HAVANA CIGARS IN GERMANY, FRANCE, ENG- 

 LAND AND THE UNITED STATES. 



During last year there were exported 

 from Cuba the enormous number of 256,- 

 738,029 "Havana" cigars. Contrary to 

 the general idea, however, that America 

 gets the bulk of this trade, only about 

 30 per cent, came here, the total pur- 

 chases amounting to 79,483,125 cigars, 

 while England took 92,459,687. Germany 

 buys from twenty-five to thirty million, 

 and France ten to twelve million. One 

 reason for the larger sales to England 

 than to the United States is the fact 



that America buys a large amount of leaf 

 tobacco, which is worked up here; last 

 year twenty-five million pounds were 

 imported, while England took only 

 twenty-five thousand pounds. But few 

 Cuban cigarettes come to this country, 

 most of the manufacture going to South 

 America. Although two hundred and 

 fifty million cigars — ^the number we re- 

 ceived from Cuba — ^would appear to be a 

 considerable stock, cigar dealers' cases 

 would soon be empty if that were the 

 only source of supply, as America 

 smokes some 8,ooo,ooo,coo cigars annu- 

 ally. — Scientific American. 



