1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
633 
The War. 
BRIEF NOTES FOR BUSY PEOPLE. 
DIARY OF THE WAR. 
Continued reports of the lack of necessities in 
Camp Wikoff and the southern camps. Men com¬ 
ing north from southern camps complain of 
starvation and unsanitary arrangements, which 
complaints are borne out by their condition. The 
Red Cross Society isrelievingdistress in Havana. 
Spain asks that Spaniards now in the Ladrones 
may leave the islands, as they are in danger from 
the natives, Saturday, August 27. 
The Czar of Russia issues an appetfl to all the 
powers for the maintenance of peace between 
nations, urging a cessation of armament. While 
the sincerity of the Czar himself is not doubted, 
it is thought that Russia’s financial condition is 
largely responsible for this appeal, which has 
caused a profound sensation throughout Europe. 
Sagasta asserts that Spain may resume hostili¬ 
ties if not satisfied with peace negotiations. The 
President and Secretary Alger are both impressed 
with the fact that Camp WikofT should be aban¬ 
doned, the general plan of bringing this great 
body of ailing men together having been another 
mistake, Sunday, August 28. 
The Seventy-fir it New York Volunteers marched 
through New York to their armory, receiving a 
grand ovation. Business was practically sus¬ 
pended, and the city was finely decorated. 1,443 
men marched away when this regiment left New 
York; 331 marched back, fever and starvation 
proving more fatal than battle. Nearly 400 mein- 
bers of the regiment are on.furlough from wounds 
or sickness; 140 still in hospital. Complaints 
concerning Chickamauga continue. Men from 
Camp Thomas, sent home as convalescents, 
travel without food or medical care, some of them 
too weak to walk. Gen. Merritt leaves Manila 
to confer with the Peace Commission in Paris, 
Monday, August 29. 
An alleged interview with Gen. Miles, published 
in a western paper, criticises the War Depart¬ 
ment severely, and has excited much comment. 
Dr. Senn asserts that if the troops are not soon 
moved from Camp Wikoff an epidemic of typhoid 
will result, as conditions are ripe for it. More 
than 100 Red Cross nurses are at work there, and 
the number will be increased. Sickness is in¬ 
creasing among troops in Porto Rico, and better 
shelter must be given them, Tuesday, August 30. 
The cattle transport Allegheny arrived at Mou- 
tauk with the greater part of the Ninth Massa¬ 
chusetts Volunteers in bad condition; 14 men 
died on the voyage. Two more hospital trains 
from Chickamauga arrived at Jersey City. Or¬ 
derly Robert Stanley charges that the surgeons 
at Camp Thomas are dissecting the soldiers’ 
bodies. W. H. Harrison, master of trains of the 
Plant System, declares that army officers, and 
not the railways, were to blame for the delay and 
muddle at Tampa. The hospital ship Olivette 
sank while at anchor at Fernandina, Fla.; no 
lives lost. The cause of the accident is unknown, 
but will be investigated. The Rough Riders will 
be mustered out at once. The Committee for the 
Protection of the Soldier has resolved to ask the 
President to investigate the alleged needless suf¬ 
fering of troops during the Cuban campaign. 
The controversy between Red Cross agents and 
Surgeon-General Sternberg continues. Bids for 
three new battleships have been received by the 
Navy Department. Some of the volunteer regi¬ 
ments, anxious to be mustered out, assert that 
their officers misrepresent their feelings, be¬ 
cause, as officers, they wish to continue in the 
service, where they receive a higher salary than 
in their customary callings. At Camp Black, 75 
men are ill with fever, Wednesday, August 31. 
Major-Gen. Shatter arrived at Montauk. Cap¬ 
tain Eulate, formerly of the Vizcaya, arrived in 
New York to make arrangements for the trans¬ 
portation of prisoners. The ambulance steamer 
Shinnecock brought 271 sick soldiers from Camp 
Wikoff, to be distributed among the New York 
hospitals. Dr. Bryan, of Gen. Lee’s staff, .asserts 
that soldiers in southern camps are dying for 
want of nurses. The entire male department of 
the Bellevue training school volunteered to go 
South. Secretary Alger says that no action will 
be taken against Gen. Miles for recent comments 
on the War Department, an attempt being made 
to stifle the disagreement, Thursday, September 1. 
The New York Naval Militia men from the 
Yankee and Nahant, now mustered out, marched 
through New York, and received a grand wel¬ 
come. Miss Clara Barton telegraphed that she 
had been unable to land relief supplies at Ha¬ 
vana, and would return at once. The War De¬ 
partment ordered that 19 volunteer regiments 
and two troops of Ohio cavalry be mustered out 
at once. Four train-loads of sick soldiers from 
Montauk were distributed among the city hos¬ 
pitals. Scarcity of water causes alarm at Camp 
Wikoff. President McKinley arrived from Can¬ 
ton, Friday, September 2. 
Havana is still short of food. The 
city is full of beggars, who accost 
strangers at every turn. A loaf of bread 
costs SI, meal is $1 a pound, a roll costs 
10 cents, and the flesh of cats and dogs 
is sold for food. Great changes have 
been made in the fortifications, and it is 
the opinion of experts that the city 
would have resisted a strong assault. 
The Naval Reserves, who are now be¬ 
ing mustered out, are usually in fine 
health, and appear to have enjoyed 
themselves in spite of hardships. One 
real privation was the lack of fresh 
water for bathing purposes. Salt water 
merely set the dirt. It is reported that 
any man who acquired a whole pailful 
of fresh water felt like a millionaire. 
First, he used it for his hands and face, 
generously allowing some of his friends 
to use enough to make a lather. Then 
it was used for a bath, and after that 
the same water was used to wash small 
articles of dress. There is a marine soap 
which lathers freely in salt water, but 
our amateur Jackies were not provided 
with it. 
The situation in the Philippines is a 
difficult one, and is likely to open a good 
many vexing questions. Admiral Dewey 
shows great determination and self-con¬ 
trol, and has displayed much tact, but 
he has doubtless been under a continual 
strain for the past four months. He has 
asked for reenforcements to his squad¬ 
ron, and the Oregon is likely to be sent 
there. The status of the religious orders 
in the Philippines will be a troublesome 
question. 
At Camp Cuba Libre, near Jackson¬ 
ville, Fla., where the Seventh Army 
Corps is stationed, company commanders 
have been instructed to recommend for 
discharge on surgeon’s certificate of dis¬ 
ability, all cases of chronic alcoholism in 
their companies. The intention of this 
is to discourage whisky-drinking. Alco¬ 
holism is rated as a disease not incurred 
in the line of duty, and a certificate of 
discharge on that ground would not form 
a basis for a pension claim. It is not a 
discharge which any soldier could regard 
with pride. 
The formal transfer of the Hawaiian 
Islands to the United States took place 
at Honolulu on August 16, when the 
Hawaiian Hag was lowered from the Ex¬ 
ecutive Building, and the Stars and 
Stripes substituted for it. It was a 
solemn occasion, the natives generally 
showing great grief at the loss of their 
identity as a nation. Many refused to 
be present at the. ceremony, and the oath 
of allegiance was refused by some of the 
National Guard. The impression is given 
that the heart of the people is not with 
the annexation. 
The capture of the Ladrone Islands 
on June 20 was not without some amus¬ 
ing features. The Charleston entered 
the harbor of San Luis d’ Apra, Island of 
Guam, and fired at the small fort there 
without response. They were then 
visited by the Spanish port captain and 
health officer, who politely stated that, 
being without proper guns, they were 
unable to return the salute. Capt. Glass, 
of the Charleston, explained that he had 
not tired a salute, but was on a hostile 
errand. The Spaniards were astounded. 
They knew nothing of the war, having 
no news later than April 9. They are 
visited by steamer from Hongkong only 
once in two months, so at the time the 
island was seized, they were not even 
aware of the battle of Manila. There 
was no possibility of resistance on the 
part of the Spanish, and within a short 
time, the Spanish officials were prison¬ 
ers, and the Stars and Stripes waved 
over the old fort. These islands, called 
Ladrones by Magellan, in recognition of 
the thievishness of the natives, and later 
renamed Mariana Islands in honor of a 
Spanish queen, are 15 in number, but five 
of them now being inhabited. The popu¬ 
lation is about 26,000. The islands are 
all of volcanic origin, and some of them 
still possess active volcanoes. They aie 
very fertile, and the climate is more 
salubrious than that of the Philippines. 
The people consist of Chamorros (the 
native stock), Spanish, Tagals and 
Malays. At the present time, the islands 
are, perhaps, the only part of Uncle 
Sam's territory entirely free from tax¬ 
ation, for Spanish rule is abolished, with¬ 
out any substitute being given. Spanish 
rule taxed the Chamorros every time 
they turned around, and they appear 
very ready to describe themselves as 
“ good Americanos.” 
POTATO CROP PROSPECTS. 
TYPICAL STATE REPORTS. 
There are very few early potatoes for sale in 
this section, as seed was scarce last Sprint;, and 
what few were planted turned out poorly. Of 
late potatoes there is a better showing. The 
acreage in this section is double what it was last 
season, and the prospect is for a fair yield. A 
number of pieces of Carman No. 1 are blighting 
quite badly. Other varieties are exempt so far. 
I can see no reason why the quality should not 
be good, unless the rot or scab set in. The 
greater portion of the potatoes are usually sold 
from the field. At 50 cents per bushel, I think al- 
The lamp-chimney Index 
is worth some dollars a year 
to you — free. 
Write Macbeth Pittsburgh Pa 
most all the farmers would sell from the field. 
Under that price, probably more or less of the 
crop would be held. w. a. b. 
Farmer, N. Y. 
Our crop in this section is very short; I do not 
think that we have a half crop of late potatoes. 
Early potatoes gave a fair crop, but all are dis¬ 
posed of. The quality of late potatoes is good, 
but tubers small. I think the crop of this section 
will be disposed of from the field. e. e. b. 
Marion, O. 
The crop of potatoes here will be below the 
average, the quality good. Not many are raised 
here for shipping, even when the yields are larg¬ 
est. Our farmers raise enough for their own use, 
and a few bushels for home market. I think the 
price will be satisfactory; 50 cents is thought to 
be a gcod price, and they are now worth 60 cents. 
Bristol, N. H. o. e. K. 
The crop is a little below the average. The 
quality is excellent. The rust has struck most 
of the potatoes, but not very hard. The tubers 
have not yet commenced to rot. I think farmers 
will hold on for higher prices. j. r. 
Madison, Me. 
PUTNAM COUNTY FAIR. 
The 19th annual fair of the Putnam County 
Agricultural Society was held on the society’s 
grounds, August 30 to September 2. This fair is 
held in the midst of the dairy section which pro¬ 
duces the milk for making the leading brands of 
condensed milk. The milk producers complain, 
with some bitterness, of the arbitrary rules of the 
condensed milk company, such, for example, as 
the examination of their cattle and farms by the 
company’s veterinarian, and the necessity of 
complying with his instructions, even though it 
necessitates the killing of cattle or rebuilding 
barns or cow sheds. These rules, however, are 
in the interests of the consumer, and must react 
beneficially for the farmer. The price now being 
paid for milk is 1?<£ cent per quart, delivered at 
Brewsters. 
The fruit exhibit at the fair occupied a prom¬ 
inent place in the main building. The exhibit of 
apples reflected the condition of the crop, which 
is only about half that of last year. Pears are 
a fairly good crop, and the exhibit was very cred¬ 
itable. Some Hue peaches were shown. The 
vegetable display included some fine pumpkins 
and squashes, green corn and musk melons. The 
melon exhibit would seem insignificant at the 
southern fairs, but a few fine early watei melons 
were shown. The cattle exhibit was a disap¬ 
pointment. The exhibit of flowers and plants, 
together with the products of culinary art, were 
tastefully arranged on one side of the main 
building. Their chief merit consisted in the ap¬ 
parent fact that they were home products, the 
bread, cake and pies coming from the kitchens, 
and the flowers from the window shelves and 
gardens of Putnam County. The absence of 
fakirs, and the general good management are 
increasing the exhibits and attendance at this 
fair. g, 
It is altogether admirable 
when a man, by dint «f 
sheer will, wrings a for¬ 
tune from niggardly 
circumstances. The 
world is full 
of instances 
where men 
have done this, 
but never in 
history was this 
accomplished 
by a weak and 
unhealthy man. 
Ill-health not 
only weakens 
every physical 
,function but ev- 
I ery mental fac¬ 
ulty and every 
moral quality. 
If a man will 
stop and reason 
for a moment, 
_ he does not 
have to be a physician to understand the 
causes of impure blood, or its far-reaching 
effects. When a man’s digestion is disor¬ 
dered, his liver sluggish, his bowels inac¬ 
tive, the blood is deprived of the proper 
food elements, and the sluggish liver and 
bowels supply in their place, the foulest 
of poisons. The blood is the life-stream. 
When it is full of foul poisons, it carries 
and deposits them in every organ and tis¬ 
sue of the body. Bone, sinew, muscle, and 
flesh-tissue, the brain cells and the nerve 
fibres are all fed upon bad, poisonous food. 
Serious ill-health is bound to result. The 
man is weakened in every fiber of his body. 
He is weakened physically, mentally and 
morally. He suffers from sick headache, 
distress in stomach after meals, giddiness 
and drowsiness, loss of appetite and sleep, 
bad taste in the mouth, shakiness in the 
morning, and dullness throughout the day, 
and lassitude and an indisposition to work. 
Sooner or later these conditions develop 
consumption, nervous prostration, malaria, 
rheumatism, or some blood or skin disease. 
Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery is 
the best of all known medicines for ambi¬ 
tious, hard-working men and women. It is 
the great blood-maker and flesh-builder. 
It makes the appetite keen and hearty, and 
the digestion and assimilation perfect, the 
liver active, the blood pure and rich, the 
nerves steady, the body vigorous and the 
brain alert. Where there is also constipa¬ 
tion Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets should be 
used. Both of these great medicines are 
for sale bv all medicine dealers. 
mr 
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