1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
665 
Diary of the Week. 
The Empress of Austria was assassinated by 
an Italian anarchist at Geneva, Switzerland. 
The empress, who was accompanied only by a 
lady-in-waiting, was walking down a quay to 
take a steamboat, when a man apparently 
stumbled against her. She continued to walk 
about 50 feet farther, when she swooned, and 
died without knowing the cause of death. She 
had been stabbed through the heart with a small 
file. The assassin is an Italian of low class, who 
is actuated solely by hatred for all persons of 
higher position, and by greed for notoriety. The 
death penalty does not exist in the canton where 
the crime was committed. Numerous arrests 
have been made, and concerted action against 
the anarchists throughout Europe is projected, 
Saturday, September 10. 
Natives in the Caroline Islands revolt against 
Spanish rule, driving out the garrison. The city 
of Westminster, B. C., totally destroyed by fire. 
Camp Wikoff to be abandoned by the end of the 
week. Preparations are being made for antici¬ 
pated trouble in the Philippines, Sunday, Sep¬ 
tember 11. 
Project of a great parade of the troops in New 
York abandoned. Race war between whites and 
negroes at Tecumseh, O. T., results in lynching 
of Judge Prouty, of the Federal Court, by negroes, 
and further trouble is imminent. Revenue cutter 
Bear reaches St. Michael, Alaska, with 105 ship¬ 
wrecked whalemen, whose vessels had been 
crushed in the ice. The assassin of the Empress 
of Austria continues to glory in his act, and 
special action against anarchists in all parts of 
Europe begins, Monday, September 12. 
The mustering out of the volunteers will be dis¬ 
continued, and there will be no further reduction 
of the army. Those volunteers retained will be 
brought under the same discipline, so far as 
possible, as the regular army. The Spanish 
Chamber of Deputies has adopted the peace pro¬ 
tocol, which was adopted by the Cortes several 
days ago, Tuesday, September 13. 
A great hurricane swept over the Windward 
and Leeward groups of the West Indies, render¬ 
ing 40,000 people homeless; loss of life unknown. 
The storm was accompanied by a tidal wave. 
Kingston, the capital of St. Vincent, British West 
Indies, is totally destroyed, 300 lives lost, and 
several large vessels are stranded. The Turkish 
government refuses to remove its troops from 
Crete. Senator Iloar has refused the ambassa¬ 
dorship to Great Britain. Gen. Wheeler favors 
the enlistment of Cubans into our regular army. 
Gen. G. W^" Wingate deprecates the tendency to 
shift blame for the camp scandals from the War 
Department to the volunteer organizations, Wed¬ 
nesday, September 14. 
Filipino congress meets at Malolos, opposition 
to foreign protectorate being discussed. Our 
Peace Commission has decided on terms which 
are said to include the cession of Luzon and the 
future control of the entire archipelago. The 
eruption of Vesuvius is increasing in volume and 
intensity; three large streams of lava are now 
flowing. Transport Concho arrives with 600 
soldiers from Porto Rico,Thursday, September 15. 
The Prince of Naples, on his way to Vienna, 
was attacked by two anarchists. The Shinnecock 
arrived from Montauk with 316 sick and convales¬ 
cent soldiers. The Alamo arrived from Ponce 
with 500 enlisted men and officers, who ccmpla'ned 
that they were half starved on shipboard Fifty 
Cubans who were sent from Santiago docks to a 
place where the work was lighter, but where 
they were unable to steal, went on strike, but 
were discharged, Friday, September 16. 
AFTER THE WAR . 
THE SOLDIERS IN CAMP WIKOFF. 
[editorial correspondence.] 
A small steamer from a nearby town 
was tied up to the lighter, and the wo¬ 
men aboard were distributing all sorts 
of eatables to the apparently starving 
soldiers. Those who claimed to be 
well were so weak that many of them 
staggered as they walked. They said 
that they had had, for days and 
weeks at a time, nothing to eat but hard¬ 
tack and bacon, the latter, which they 
call sow belly, often being half spoiled. 
For days at a time they were not per¬ 
mitted to have any fire, and the only 
way they could eat this stuff, was by 
putting the raw bacon between two hard¬ 
tacks, and making a sandwich of it 
Coffee was sometimes served out to them, 
but it was in the berry, and they had no 
means of grinding it, to say nothing 
about steeping it. Some of them soaked 
it in water, then chewed it. Some 
made it into cigarettes and smoked it. 
The way they devoured the eatables 
passed among them on the lighter, 
showed their famishing condition. If 
many of them were not made sick, it 
would be a wonder. The women meant 
well enough, but such things as cake and 
doughnuts are poor st uff to feed a man in 
their condition. One soldier was going 
around with two or three great, fat, gin¬ 
ger cookies in one hand, and a big dough¬ 
nut in the other. “ I tell you,” said he, 
“ these are enough to make a man home¬ 
sick.” One company of this regiment 
brought back with them 17 men. They 
had only four killed. Disease has killed 
at least 10 times as many, in this war, as 
were killed by the Spaniards. 
Camp Laborer s. 
Not far from the station, is the camp 
of the helpers and laborers, those who 
are supposed to do the manual work of 
building hospitals, making roads, help¬ 
ing to unload the transports, etc. A 
large tent under which were a number 
of tables, was the dining-room for these; 
back of this was the office and cook 
house. One man was making coffee in 
three big stove kettles that would hold 
three or four barrels apiece ; a little way 
distant were three more similar kettles 
in which the meat was cooked. The coffee 
maker said that he had to make those 
kettles full of coffee three times each 
day. I asked him whether the laborers 
were as good workers as eaters, and he 
said, “ Not a bit of it ; they crawl off in 
the shade and go to sleep, every chance 
they get.” Judging from the movements 
of some of them that I saw, I think he 
was about right. 
The Hospitals. 
There are three hospitals on the hill, 
several miles away from the landing 
place. One to which the troops are first 
taken, is the detention hospital. They 
are kept here for several days, to see 
that yellow fever or typhoid fever does 
not develop. No visitors are admitted to 
this hospital, except by special permis¬ 
sion. On another height, one of the 
highest points of ground, is the general 
hospital, and nearby, the Red Cross 
hospital. In these hospitals, at the time 
I visited them, were about 1,700 men, 
among whom were several deaths daily. 
At that time, the hospitals were, appar¬ 
ently, in pretty good condition, though 
well filled. This is more than could have 
been said of them earlier in the history 
of the camp, when soldiers sick unto 
death were compelled to lie on damp 
ground with nothing but a flimsy tent 
over them, with a single blanket for 
covering. Most of the sick soldiers 
had cots, but many of them were yet 
without these, and were lying on the 
floor with only a blanket for a bed. The 
greatest lack, after things were in work¬ 
ing order, seemed to be sucb delicacies 
as very sick men crave, milk, and a suffi¬ 
cient number of efficient nurses. In such 
a land of plenty, it seems scandalous that 
there' should be a lack of any of these 
things. After days had passed, arrange¬ 
ments were made by which a milk com¬ 
pany in New York City shipped 10,000 
quarts of milk daily to the camp. This 
would give, divided equally, only about 
a pint a day to each man in the camp, 
whereas, it was said that some of the 
sick should have had more than double 
this quantity. 
Inexcusable Delay. 
One trouble in the beginning was that 
the decision to move the troops to this 
place from Cuba, was made hurriedly. 
Still, it is said that the War Department 
had decided upon the location for this 
camp, at least 10 days before a move 
was made to put it in readiness for the 
reception of the troops ; then there was 
trouble with the contractors ; strikes 
among the workmen ; delay here, delay 
there, delay everywhere. There would 
seem to be no reason why a sufficient 
force of men could not have been put on 
to build at least the hospital tents, in a 
week's time; still, the making of a 
camp, building roads, etc., when every 
stick of timber, all the camp equipments, 
everything must be hauled by teams for 
many miles, is a tremendous undertak¬ 
ing. There were many difficulties in the 
way. 
The Mule Teams. 
One of the interesting sights around 
Camp Wikoff, was the mule teams. Few 
of them were of two animals, some four, 
but many were made up of six animals, 
two abreast, the driver, a happy-go- 
lucky, colored individual, riding the near 
hind mule, and guiding the whole half- 
dozen with one rein, which he held in 
his left hand, while with the right hand 
he controlled the brake on the heavy 
army wagon by means of a piece of rope. 
It was wonderful to see how skillfully 
these teams were driven around corners, 
dodging other vehicles, turning in small 
compass, and in every way getting 
around as handily as an ordinary two- 
horse farmer’s team. There seems to be 
a good understanding between the driver 
and his long-eared friends, for they work 
together amicably and patiently. 
Dividing the Rations. 
I was interested in watching one cav¬ 
alry company dividing some rations that 
had just been issued to them. Not a reg¬ 
ular army ration of hardtack and bacon, 
but a good hind quarter of fresh beef, a 
big sack of potatoes, rice, beans, bread, 
etc. There were three messes in the 
company, and one man who seemed to 
be an expert with a butcher knife, 
divided the beef so accurately that the 
pile for each mess contained its right 
proportion of the better and the poorer 
pieces. Another man divided the pota¬ 
toes into three piles, and each mess 
selected a pile of these for itself ; then 
the rice, the beans and some canned 
goods were divided in like manner. Each 
mess is supposed to have a cook from 
among its number ; each soldier is ex¬ 
pected to take his turn at this work, but 
they told me that this was not carried 
out in practice, some of them not being 
very expert cooks and, probably, the 
mess would be willing to let some shirk 
this duty rather than to eat their cook- 
ing. 
The Tents. 
Few of the tents had floors. I asked 
some men if this were not likely to be 
rather Uncomfortable in case of heavy 
rain, as the water running down the 
sloping hillsides upon which most of 
the tents were located, would be likely 
to run under the tents. They said that, 
usually, they trenched around the tents, 
thus turning away the water which 
might otherwise run under. The tents 
for the different regiments are arranged 
in what are called company streets, in 
long rows, and when all are in good 
shape, make a very neat appearance. 
While these tents may be all right for 
warm weather, they cannot be very com¬ 
fortable in rainy weather, and certainly 
will not be fit for human beings to live 
in, in this climate, in Winter. But, by 
the time this paper reaches its readers, 
it is probable that there will be few 
left, and that Camp Wikoff will be a 
thing of the past, as most of the troops 
have been ordered away already. There 
has been some talk of making this a 
permanent military encampment, and it 
may possibly be done ; but if so, a great 
deal of work will be necessary before 
the troops can inhabit it the year ’round. 
Taken from Life. —The pictures 
shown at Figs. 304 and 305, page 661, 
are from photographs taken of the troops 
after their return from Santiago. They 
are true to life. Thousands of the sol¬ 
diers presented just that wretched, 
ragged, unshaven, unshorn appearance. 
No words were needed to tell what they 
had endured and suffered. Some of them 
were not so fortunate as to be able to 
ride to their camps, but weak as they 
were, were obliged to march with all 
their heavy equipments. The dog shown 
at Fig. 305 was picked up by the boys 
when at Camp Black before leaving for 
Cuba, and went through the whole cam¬ 
paign with them. Nearly all the troops 
have some kind of a mascot, often a dog, 
or goat, sometimes a pig, a cat, or parrot. 
F. h. v. 
A man may talk of disdaining 
physical strength and prowess nntfl 
Doomsday, but the fact 
remains that he cannot 
look at a picture of an 
old-time knight, magnifi- 
\ cent in his physical pro¬ 
portions, dauntless in 
his physical courage, 
and armed, ready 
I and eager for a contest 
I to the death with any 
\ comer, without a thrill 
of admiration. 
Mental superior¬ 
ity is desirable 
and admirable, 
but is the “game 
[worth the can- 
die,” when it is 
won at the ex- 
pense of phys¬ 
ic a 1 health and 
strength? 
I The unhealthy 
l man may gain the 
pity and even the admiration of men and 
women, but it is a question whether such a 
man ever thoroughly gains their respect. 
The man whose arteries bound with the 
rich, red blood of health carries with him a 
force and an intensity that command re¬ 
spect, even though he be slightly inferior 
mentally to the weak, nervous man. While 
no medicine in the world will add an inch 
to a man’s stature, there is one famous 
medicine that will fill the veins and arte¬ 
ries with the rich, red, bounding blood of 
S erfect health. It is Dr. Pierce’s Golden 
fedical Discovery. It is the great blood- 
maker and blood-purifier. When the blood 
is pure and rich and red and plenty, and 
filled with the life-giving elements that 
nourish every tissue of the body, it is im¬ 
possible for a man to suffer from ill-health 
of any description. When every little 
blood-vessel in the lungs quivers with the 
rush of healthy blood, it is impossible to 
have unhealthy lungs. When the walls of 
the stomach are nourished with healthy 
blood, dyspepsia and indigestion are im¬ 
possibilities. When the liver is supplied 
with healthy blood it is bound to be active. 
The skin that is nourished with healthy 
blood will be clear and fresh and glow with 
health. “ Discovery ” is sold by druggists. 
Mr. Isaac E. Downs, of Spring Valley, Rock¬ 
land Co., N. Y., writes: “ For three years I suf¬ 
fered from that terrible disease, consumption, I 
had wasted away to a skeleton. To-day I tip 
the scales at 187 , and am well and strong. The 
* Golden Medical Discovery ’ cured me.” 
FRAZER 
AXLE 
GREASE. 
BEST IN THE WORLD. 
Its wearing qualities are unsurpassed, actually 
outlasting three boxes of any other brand. Not 
affected by heat. m~ GET THE GENUINE. 
FOR SALK BY DEALERS GENERALLY. 
Cover Old Shingles 
at Small Expense. 
Have 
A roof 
Water 
and 
Wind 
Proof. 
Easily Applied. Lasts years. 
The roof will be as tight as a drum. 
MEDAL BRAND 
WIRE EDGE ROOFING. 
Put over your old shingles will save 
you money and give you a comfortrblq 
dry house. 
Send for Free Illustrated Booklet, 
Mica Roofing Co., 100 William St., N.Y. City. 
,V\A\VVVVVVVVVWVVVVWVVVWVVV'WV\ - 
“Cold Hens Never Lay” 
Poultry-houses that are lined with 
Cabot’s Insulating: 
are wind and frost-proof. A scientific insula- ] 
tor, ten times as warm as common papers, and , 
costs only about one cent a foot. Equally good' 
for dwellings, stables, etc. 
Send for a sample. 
SAMUEL CABOT, 81 Kilby St, Boston,Mass. 
WWWWVW'VWWVWWVVV'W'VW'VVW'^ 
Fire-Woather-Llghtning Proof 
Black, painted or galvanized metal ROOFING 
and siding; (brick, rocked or corrugated) 
METAL CEILINGS AND SIDE WALLS 
Write for Catalogue 
Penn Metal Celling & Rooting Co.. Ltd., Philadelphia. 
CVCLONJ 
, 60 » 
, high, 
controlAeprt, - & BEAVER FALLS, P&f ° 
BRANCHE5:ff NORTH OIICAGOJLL 
THE CHEAPEST,MOST 
RAPID AND PERFECT 
HAND CULTIVATOR 
ON EARTH. 
Does the work of three men. A lady 
can use it with perfect ease. Used 
as one would a scouring broom. Abso¬ 
lutely destroys the roots of grass and 
weeds. Price, $1.00each. Agents write 
for state and county rights. 
LIGHTNING HOE CO., Box 803, OCALA, FLA. 
Before Buying a He w Harness 
• to the consumer at Wholesale prices. 
1100 STYLES TO SELECT FROM 
We manufacture our own work and 
"can wave you money. 
KING HARNESS CO., 82 Church St., Owego, N. Y. 
Or. HAYES, 
Bultalo, N.Y. 
ASTHMA 
Cured to 
Stay Cured 
Permanently cured by neing DR. WHITEHALL’S RHEUMATIC CURE. The surest and the beet. SarepL 
oent free on mention of this publication, THE DR WHITEHALL MKGRIMI.NK CO., South Bond India**. 
