ACROSS THE EQUATOR WITH THE AMERICAN NAVY 



591 



tip of the Island of Cuba — a tip that is 

 for the most part useless for farming 

 purposes. It consists of a body of water 

 almost completely landlocked, covering 

 about 10,000 acres. 



Not far away is the harbor of San- 

 tiago, where Admiral Cervera's fleet was 

 crushed during the Spanish War. Some 

 of the rusty hulks still lie in the water's 

 edge. 



Around the bay is a circle of low, 

 brown hills, covered by a mesquite scrub, 

 into which long, narrow valleys thrust 

 like the outstretched fingers of a hand. 

 The water's edge is bordered by the vivid 

 green of the mangrove, except that occa- 

 sional warm and sandy beaches invite 

 swimmers. 



Now and then the sharp fin of a shark 

 is seen. Pelicans drift overhead with 

 their air of aldermanic dignity. Fish- 

 hawks are forever circling against a sky 

 of almost incandescent blue. 



THE FINEST RlELE RANGE USED BY THE 

 UNITED STATES 



Here the United States has rented 

 from Cuba, "for so long a time as it de- 

 sires," an area of 30,000 acres, in which 

 the bay is included and inclosed. A 

 rental of $2,000 annually is paid. 



At the station were 1,100 men at the 

 time of the fleet's visit. There is a 

 sufficient number of marines to preserve 

 order and act as first aid in the event of 

 any near-by trouble, and the remainder 

 are workmen. 



The striking features are the rifle 

 ranges, which have a capacity of 264 rifle 

 targets and 60 pistol targets up to 1,000 

 yards range, and can be expanded in- 

 definitely. 



This is the largest and finest range 

 used by the United States. In a month 

 ranges could be placed up these narrow 

 valleys, against the background of the 

 soft brown hills, in which ten thousand 

 men could be taught sharpshooting each 

 day. 



Once there was a golf course, but it 

 has been made over into a landing ground 

 for the ship-planes that were forever 

 maneuvering overhead. They are to be 

 carried on especially built vessels, and a 

 maximum of skill will be required of the 

 flyers to get away from and return to 



these moving platforms without acci- 

 dent. Hence the continual acrobatics in 

 the air. 



LIGHTNING PLAYS HAVOC WITH BALLOONS 

 AT GUANTANAMO 



There is a balloon school, too, in which 

 observers are taught to ascend in captive 

 balloons — the "sausages" of the war — but 

 Guantanamo's neighborhood seems to be 

 dangerous to these craft. Last year 

 three were brought down by lightning. 



There are hospitals and club-houses 

 and canteens. 



On the flat land ten baseball diamonds 

 have been laid out for the use of the 

 fleet, and ground has been cleared for 

 others. There are tennis grounds and 

 handball courts and all the features that 

 are needed in a plant which is designed 

 not only as a training ground for 15,000 

 to 20,000 seamen annually, but to pro- 

 vide for their healthful recreation. 



The wild animals of the hills have 

 learned that this is sanctuary, so that one 

 sees deer now and then and kicks flocks 

 of wild guineas from beneath one's feet. 

 The commandant has built good roads 

 and pleasant walks and charming gar- 

 dens, but the principal attraction — as soon 

 as the gobs hear of it — is the pig-pen. 



Officially, this pig-pen is accounted for 

 by the best of utilitarian reasons. Fig- 

 ures prove that the animals earn hun- 

 dreds of dollars for the government an- 

 nually. But I shall always believe that 

 the originator of the pig- farm was a 

 Middle Westerner with fond recollections 

 of the old farm. 



There is something homy and comfort- 

 able under this Cuban sun about the 

 grunt of a Duroc Red lady whose small 

 children are gathering sustenance while 

 she sleeps in the shade. Sailors are al- 

 ways standing about regarding this spec- 

 tacle wistfully. 



The corporal of marines who is the 

 official custodian of the pigs has the air 

 of proud importance which might befit a 

 beefeater guarding the Crown jewels in 

 the Tower of London. 



CAIMANERA AND ITS ONE THOUSAND 

 ASSORTED SMELLS 



And there is, of course, always Caima- 

 nera. One thousand assorted smells as- 



