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Page 5
When this unpleasant news was communicated to General Weyler, he cabled
to his agent in New York, asking him to send a dredging-machine over to
Havana immediately. To the General's mind the whole affair was simple
enough: he would get a dredging-machine, scoop out a channel, and have
the dock in place in no time.
He was therefore much angered to receive a reply that there were several
kinds of dredging-machines, and that to send him a machine that would do
the work properly it would be necessary to know the nature of the soil
of the bottom of the bay.
Now no one has ever dredged Havana Bay since the city was first founded
in the sixteenth century, and there are no means at hand of obtaining
the desired information. There will therefore be some delay before the
required investigation can be made.
Added to this, the New York firm sent him word that a special machine
will have to be constructed to dredge to the depth required by the
floating-dock, that it will take six months to build such a machine, and
another six months to dredge the bay. This makes one year before the
$900,000 floating dock now on its way to Cuba can be of any use to
Spain.
It seems a cruel waste of money at an hour when Spain is so poor.
* * * * *
The election of Se�or Domingo Mendez Capote as President of the Republic
of Cuba has been confirmed. Bartolome Maso was made Vice-President, and
Cisneros, the ex-president, was made leader of the Congress.
General Gomez was appointed Minister of War, and General Garcia
Commander-in-Chief of the army.
The report says that at the commencement of the election it seemed as if
there would be some trouble between the various candidates for office.
Realizing that it would be fatal to the cause to have any bad feeling
among the leaders, General Gomez proposed Se�or Capote as a man who
would be acceptable to all parties. Every one saw the wisdom of Gomez's
suggestion, and Capote was elected.
It is said that the new President has done a great deal to get the laws
of Cuba in proper shape.
All the Cubans seem to be satisfied with the result of the election.
* * * * *
The British have met with serious reverses in their frontier war.
They were successful in relieving the forts in the Samana Hills that
were attacked by the tribesmen, but two days after this work had been
done they were forced to retreat.
They were attacked by a large body of natives, who surrounded them, and
but for a timely charge of cavalry would have routed them. As it was,
the British retreat was orderly, and they lost none of their guns or
baggage.
The natives are delighted at their success, and especially because the
troops they attacked were a portion of the force sent out to punish them
for their rebellion.
The Government in England is much distressed that the check should have
occurred. For the sake of England's position in India it is necessary
that the British should sweep all before them, and show the tribes that
they are not to be trifled with. That the punishing expedition should
have been beaten and forced to retreat will make the work England has to
do in India still harder for her.
The tribesmen are alive to the value of their victory, and have
continued to attack the troops with the utmost persistence.
The Haddah Mullah, the priest who has been so active in raising the
rebellion, is again leading the tribes, and has roused his followers to
such a pitch of enthusiasm that they do not show the slightest fear, and
perform the most daring feats.
On one occasion the British were drawn up in battle array, and had
formed into the square, which is considered an invincible method of
receiving an enemy. The Haddah Mullah and his followers attacked three
sides of the square at the same time. The rebels were repulsed, but
their wonderful courage was commented on by the British, who, after the
engagement was over, found their bodies within a few yards of the
muzzles of the guns. Such people are hard to defeat.
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