1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The War. 
BRIEF NOTES FOR BUSY PEOPLE. 
DIARY OF TIIK WAR. 
Captain Charles V. Gridley, commander of the 
Olympia, Commodore Dewey’s flagship, and one 
of the heroes of Manila, died at Kobe, Japan, on 
his way home. He was injured in the battle at 
Manila, and had been “ invalided.” Sunday, 
June 5. 
Forts at Santiago, Cuba, bombarded 7:30 to 10 
a. M., by Admiral Sampson’s fleet, and silenced 
without injury of any kind to the Americans. 
The monitor Monterey and the collier Brutus 
sailed from San Francisco for Manila. Monday, 
June 6. 
The former dynamite cruiser, Nietlieroy, of the 
Brazilian navy, purchased by the United States, 
and to be added to our navy as the Buffalo, 
arrived at Norfolk. She Is a most powerful ves¬ 
sel. A part of the American squadron shelled 
the forts at Caimanera, Guantanamo Bay. The 
Spaniards made a desperate resistance, but were 
forced to abandon their position, and flee to the 
town. Caimanera is a small town on the south 
coast of Cuba, 40 miles east of Santiago, the ter¬ 
minus of a railroad running through the center 
of Cuba, and which runs a branch to Santiago. 
Tuesday, June 7. 
Expedition said to consist of 27,000 troops, com¬ 
manded by Gen. Shatter, sailed from Tampa for 
Cuba. Destination supposed to be Santiago, but 
not known definitely. Report of the killing of 
Capt. Philip, of the United States battleship, 
Texas, denied by the Navy Department. The 
crews of the life-saving stations along the 
coast went back to duty after having been off 
duty eight days. They will patrol the coast 
looking for Spaniards instead of having a vaca¬ 
tion until August 1. The hospital ship, Solace, 
sailed from New York to join Admiral Sampson’s 
fleet. The Queen Regent of Spain is reported in 
ill health. Capt. Gen. August!, of the Philippines 
warns the home government that -he cannot 
maintain his position much longer. He is be¬ 
tween two fires, the native insurgents and the 
Americans. Wednesday, June 8. 
The papers report that Spain is about to ask 
the European powers to use their good offices in 
her behalf. It is said that move than half the 
Spanish guns of Santiago have been dismounted. 
Fighting has occurred among the United States 
troops in Florida, and several men are reported 
killed. Spanish cruisers are reported off Cuba 
apparently waiting for transports carrying 
American troops. This may delay their depart¬ 
ure until warships can be brought to protect 
them. Thursday, June 9. 
United States troops still at Tampa. A strong 
squadron will guard the transports. Naval 
authorities displeased at the slow movement of 
troops. "Admiral Cervera has been notified that 
if he destroys the Spanish ships in Santiago har¬ 
bor, Spain will be forced to pay additional indem¬ 
nity. Hurry orders have been issued to Gen. 
Merritt to hasten shipment of troops to Manila. 
Political affairs in Spain are reported shaky. 
Prime Minister Sagasta is likely to fall. It is 
believed that Captain Glass of the United States 
cruiser' Charleston has captured the Ladrone 
Islands, which lie 1,000 miles east of the Philip¬ 
pines. Friday, June 10. 
The Germans are ag-ain finding- fault 
with American meats, claiming- to find 
trichinosis in many samples. 
The French ambassador has taken 
pains to assure our Government that the 
Spanish talk appearing- in French papers, 
does not express the sentiment of the 
French government and people. 
Admiral Dewey has had various hon¬ 
ors heaped upon him, but now some one 
has named a new dance, “ The Dewey.” 
The New York Herald says of it : 
We have not the details of the step, but can well 
imagine that it combines something of the 
sailors’ hornpipe with a swift advance, a sudden 
broadside by the partners a-nd a whirl about, re¬ 
peating the same tactics on the reverse until the 
band is silenced from fatigue. 
A Massachusetts man is out with the 
suggestion that the Government enlist 
100,000 negroes who are to form the 
armies of occupation in Cuba, Porto Rico 
and the Philippines. After the war is 
over, these men are to be encouraged to 
stay and help colonize the islands. He 
argues that negroes would be safer 
against yellow fever and similar diseases 
than white people and that they are the 
best of fighters. What difference does 
it make, anyway, whether the American 
idea is to be sent to these islands in a 
black frame or a white one ? 
Almost every dispatch from the seat 
of war contains an account of fortifica¬ 
tions “ on Morro,” and there have been 
various meanings assigned to this word. 
The Spanish word, moro, means moor, 
but morro signifies a round-shaped pro¬ 
jection, or a round fortification. Most 
of the Spanish harbors have as a part of 
their defense a fort built on such a bluff 
or projection, and the word results from 
this fact. 
When the price of wheat went to SI.70 
a bushel, the price of flour was also in¬ 
creased. The bakers in the writer’s town, 
met and agreed to advance the price of 
bread one cent a loaf. Now both wheat 
and flour- are considerably cheaper but 
441 
that cent still clings to the loaf of bread. 
We shall probably hear of pi-ompt in¬ 
crease in the price of tea, in consequence 
of the war tax. Who is to pay the cost 
of the stamp on patent medicines and in¬ 
surance policies ? 
Latest reports from Manila state that 
beef is held at $ 2.50 per pound ; there is 
literally no food procurable except rice. 
The rebels have cut off land traffic, while 
Dewey’s blockade prevents ocean traffic. 
Until the Charleston reaches them, the 
blockading squadron is dependent upon 
Hongkong for fresh supplies. 
Reports from the hotels and cottages 
along the shore indicate that people are 
not much afraid of Spanish gunboats. 
At the same time quite a number of peo¬ 
ple who formerly went to the shore, will 
undoubtedly go to the farms or the 
mountains for this year’s vacation. 
While the Summer hotel men put on a 
brave face, it is evident that this is to be 
the farm boarders’ year. 
Much indignation has been expressed 
over the fact that volunteers from New 
York State who have gone to the front, 
received no pay, although New York 
State appropriated $1,000,000 for war 
pui’poses. Various excuses have been 
offered, but the fact seems to remain 
that the men were not paid when they 
should have been. It is a disgraceful 
thing that these men who were called 
together at short notice, many of them 
giving up profitable work, should 
not be paid for their services. Pay 
them at once, and stop the scandal! 
The Revenue Bill, as it comes from 
the Senate, imposes a duty of 10 
cents a pound on tea. It is thought 
that this would yield $10,000,000 
revenue. The Japanese minister at 
Washington strongly opposes this 
tax, but it will probably go through. 
Tea merchants appear to think that 
the tax will not make much differ¬ 
ence in the price of the higher 
grades of tea, but that lower grades 
will be increased in price at once. 
A tax of 10 cents a pound on coffee 
would yield a revenue of $50,000,000 
a year, but it was argued that tea is 
a luxury, while coffee has become 
practically a necessity. 
New York dairy farmers have 
adopted a resolution asking the 
Government to use more cheese in 
the army rations. They argue that 
good cheese will give a better fight¬ 
ing ration than salt pork, and if 
Uncle Sam will buy cheese enough 
to feed his soldiers at the front, he 
will certainly do a great thing for 
the dairy business. 
When the Spanish Admiral Cervera 
sent out word that Lieutenant Hobson 
and his crew were safe after sinking the 
Merrimac, Admiral Sampson undertook 
to order champagne for the Spanish 
officer who brought the news. It was 
found that there was no champagne on 
board. Yale University graduates 
bought two guns to be used on the new 
cruiser, Yale ; one is named Eli, and the 
other Handsome Dan, and it was thought 
necessary to bathe them in champagne 
before they were fit to uphold the honor 
of the university ! 
" GOING TO THE FRONT.” 
exercising for the war. 
On May 16, after camping in the rain 
and mud at Camp Bushnell, Columbus, 
0., the welcome order came to move to 
Chickamaugua. The citizens of every 
town through which we passed turned 
out in full force to see us on our way to 
the front. The train was composed of 
14 cars besides those carrying baggage, 
though but eight cars of the artillery¬ 
men came from Ohio. At Cincinnati, our 
train was transferred without change 
from the Rig Four to the Queen and Cres¬ 
cent, and our journey through Kentucky 
was pursued after nightfall. Shortly after 
the Tennessee line was crossed, we found 
ourselves in the valley of the Cum¬ 
berland. Although the altitude of the 
adjacent mountains is medium, their dis- 
It was a singular whirl of fate 
that sent a Spanish lieutenant 
named Farragut to the Philippine 
Islands, where he was captured by 
the Americans. It seems strange 
that one with the name of one of 
America’s greatest admirals, should 
now be found in the ranks of the enemy. 
It appears, however, that Admiral Far¬ 
ragut is of Spanish descent, and traces 
back to a good Spanish family. Several 
generations of American life will do 
much for any family, even a family of 
Spaniards. 
Secretary Gage has decided to make 
his issue of bonds a popular loan. It will 
be issued in small amounts, and bankers 
will have the last chance to purchase the 
bonds. Here will be a good opportunity 
for some of the western farmers to in¬ 
vest a little of their wheat money, in¬ 
stead of using it to buy more land. 
There is much complaint about the 
food served to the United States soldiers, 
and the man who goes to war expecting 
to receive roast turkey and plum pud¬ 
ding is bound to be disappointed. War 
is serious business, and not by any means 
a picnic. The Union soldiers during the 
war did good fighting on hard tack and 
“salt horse.” Many Confederate soldiers 
fought and marched on dried corn. There 
is no excuse, however, for the Govern¬ 
ment to feed its soldiers in Florida on 
pork and beans, while within a few 
miles of the camps, farmers are receiv¬ 
ing starvation prices for fruits and vege¬ 
tables. 
Only one American warship is using 
smokeless powder. This ship is the New 
Orleans, which was bought of the Brazil¬ 
ian government and was built in Eng¬ 
land. Smokeless powder is said to be 
superior in every way to the old-fash¬ 
ioned brown powder. For a 12-inch gun, 
425 pounds of the brown powder are 
needed for one charge, where only 167% 
pounds of the smokeless powder will give 
an even greater force. The brown pow¬ 
der gives out so much smoke that, on 
quiet and cloudy days, it is impossible 
for the gunners to see their mark. This 
country is far behind Spain in its use of 
smokeless powder. 
This map shows the harbor of Santiago, which is now 
the chief point of interest in the war. The Spanish fleet 
lies inside, about where the stars appear. The land 
surrounding the channel is rough and high, and the 
batteries are in strong positions. The wreck of the 
Merrimac lies about where the star is shown in the 
channel. Good naval authorities now question whether 
this exploit has given our fleet any practical advantage 
except to discourage the Spaniards. On the hills 
around Santiago, the Cuban insurgents are gathering 
for a land attack, and both city and Spanish fleet are 
doomed. 
tance apparently diminishes their height. 
The white fog which had risen from the 
valley in the morning, however, still 
lingered about their crests as we passed. 
The journey was not without many 
amusing incidents. At nearly every 
station and hamlet where the engine 
took water and fuel the boys would ex¬ 
change souvenirs with the residents. In 
some instances they took souvenirs with¬ 
out the formality of exchange. If any 
luckless lass should happen to get close 
enough to a car window some michievous 
rogue would deftly clip a flower or a rib¬ 
bon from her hat. Sometimes they stole 
hat, ribbons and all. We stopped op¬ 
posite a train on an adj .ining track 
where some carpenters were at work re¬ 
pairing a bridge. We came out of the 
transaction two saws and a wrench 
ahead. Another handsome souvenir in 
the shape of a typical southern razor- 
back pig was captured alive from a farm¬ 
yard. The capture of the pig reminded 
somebody of a story about the way the 
union soldiers had to test the availabil¬ 
ity of razorbacks for food. A foraging 
party would surround the porker, and 
after capturing him alive they would 
run a bayonet through his ears and 
elevate him to the shoulders of a couple 
of stalwart privates. If the head and 
snout overbalanced the hind quarters he 
was considered unfit for use, and al¬ 
lowed to go on his way without further 
molestation ; but if the hind end went 
down, then Mr. Hog was shot and dressed 
for the mess. At about 9:30 o’clock some 
one in our car shouted that Lookout 
Mountain was in sight. We all jammed 
to the side of the car from which it was 
visible, and gazed at the historic land¬ 
mark while we traveled toward it. It 
must have remained in sight while we 
traveled a distance of 20 miles. Having 
arrived at Chattanooga we remained on 
our cars the remainder of the afternoon. 
At about 9 o’clock we were removed to 
Sytle station where we remained over 
night in the cars. The next morning, 
bright and early, we marched to our 
present encampment at Chickamauga. 
Ohio Artillery. j. d. 
THE WAR REVENUE BILL. 
The new revenue measure, as finally 
agreed upon by the committee, would 
fill several pages in The R. N.-Y. Briefly 
stated, it provides for the coinage of not 
less than 1,500,000 silver dollars per 
month. It also provides for what is 
known as a popular loan of $400,000,000. 
This loan is to be in bonds of $20 or mul¬ 
tiples of that amount, and sold as far as 
possible directly to the people. There is 
a tax of $2 on beer and similar fermented 
liquors, and taxes on tobacco are in¬ 
creased. Bankers and brokers are taxed 
according to the capital invested, but 
savings banks are exempt. Proprietors 
of theaters, museums, bowling alleys 
and billiard rooms are to be taxed from 
$5 to $100. Stamps varying in amount 
must be placed on bonds and legal docu¬ 
ments. State, county and municipal 
bonds, and bonds of cooperative building 
and loan associations are exempt. All 
bank checks, drafts or certificates of de¬ 
posits, not drawing interest, or orders 
for payments of any sum of money, must 
carry a two-cent stamp. Telegraph and 
telephone messages are taxed one cent, 
and one-cent stamps must be fixed on 
express or freight receipts or bills of 
lading. Life and fire insurance policies 
are taxed varying amounts, usually 10 
cents to each $100 of the amount insured. 
Proprietary articles must carry a stamp 
of a value regulated by the price of the 
article. Inheritances are taxed, an ex¬ 
emption being made in the case of prop¬ 
erty passing by will or by laws of State 
or territory, to husband or wife. 
Many of the North American Indians 
were magnificent specimens of physical 
manhood. This was due, largely, to their 
active out-door life. Nevertheless, they 
had the wisdom to know that an active life 
in the open air alone, would not keep a 
man healthy. They nad their medicine¬ 
men, who gathered herbs from field and 
forest and brewed decoctions to assist the 
natural processes of the various vital 
organs. 
Modern civilized men do not as a usual 
thing recognize the same necessity until it 
is too late. They ignore medicine until 
they are within the grasp of some serious 
or fatal disease. The time for a man to be¬ 
gin taking medicine is when he begins to 
feel out of sorts. If a man is thoroughly 
well and healthy he does not feel that way. 
If he does feel that way he may be pretty 
sure that he is half sick. When he is half 
sick it does not take long before he is 
“whole-sick.” Dr. Pierce’s Golden Med¬ 
ical Discovery is the best medicine for a 
man when he is sick or getting sick. It 
puts him all right all round. It puts his 
stomach right to begin with, and that is the 
most important point It puts his liver 
Hght, and that is the second most import¬ 
ant point. It purifies his blood and fills it 
with the life-giving elements of the food 
he eats, and that is the third important 
point. It drives out all disease germs and 
impurities of every discription. It makes 
the appetite keen and hearty. It is the 
greatest blood-maker and flesh-builder. It 
c . ure * 9® P er cent, of all cases of consump¬ 
tion, weak lungs spitting of blood, obsti¬ 
nate coughs and kindred ailments. Thou¬ 
sands who were given up to die have testi¬ 
fied to their recovery under this marvelous 
medicine. An honest dealer will not urge 
a substitute for the sake of a little extra 
profit. He gives you what you ask for. 
tX°vHAY FEVEl? 
CURED. Dr. Hi YES, Buffalo, N.y. 
RHEUMATISM 
Permanently cured by using DR. WHITE!! ALL’S Rll EU.M ATl^CURE/ The unroot and the beHt. Samnln 
sent free on mention of this publication. THE DR. WHITEHALL MEGRIMINK CO., South Bend Indiana! 
