Show TORALS APRIL fOOL JOKE Spanish Commander Had Laugh On American Commander Santiago de Cubs Curious System of Waterworks Next to the observation balloon the cutting of the water main supplying Santiago tiago was the greatest fizzle to use a homely Americanism of the late Spanish American war When Inspector General Breckenndgo writes his book on the humors of the Santiago campaign ho intends in-tends to devote a goodly snare of one chapter to that highly ridiculous episode It lurnishcil the enemy with much food for mirth at the time and it will doubtlessly i doubt-lessly be laughed at by Americans when they know tho truth As Captain Lee I i A the British expert present during the I war espressel himself I was a good strategical seen circumstances movo wasted through untore I When the American forces left the coast on its way to attack Santiago It was understood un-derstood that one of the most Important I items in the scheme of campaign was the speedy cutting off of the capitals rgw I water supply It was generally known that this supply was obtained from a dam 1 somewhere up in tho mountains and that the water was conveyed through an iron pipe in tho vicinity of El Caney but just where tho pipe could bo found was a mystery A dozen different Cuban scouts were interrogated and a dozen totally different dif-ferent answers secured Each brown skinned ally was positive in his assertion but none offered to lead the Americanos to the spot Finally after the third days battle u party was sent out from our lines to locate tho pipe and cut It at all hazards Shutting oft their supply of water will have moro effect that a ten days siege with heavy artillery remarked one of f I I 9 Sf 42it SANTIAGOS WATEBwOBSS j General Shatters aides The beggars are not very partial to water as a rule I but they must have something to drink APRIL FOOL ON THE AMERICANS I Tho party returned and reported that 1 after many perilous Incidents they had succeeded in breaking the main about I four mile from the city Two days later I several refugees who had made their escape es-cape from Santiago were taken before General Shafer I How about tho food supply In the city he asked Very poor senor was the reply The Spanish soldiers are eating horsemeat horse-meat There is Hour bread meat no no no rice riceHum Hum And the water Plenty senor General Shatter stared at the speaker Incredulously Plenty he echoed Why thats ira possible We cut off the cupply day before be-fore yesterday Nevertheless there Is enough In the city to last a month Almost every house has a cistern or tank sqiior They are all full Our waterworks fail very often and we keep a supply on hand in case of emergencies General Torah knows you cut the pipe and he laughs very much fool He says what you call in America April foolWhat What General Shafer said Is not recorded re-corded but the refugees words spread through the trenches and to this day visitors to Santiago arc taken out to the spot where the break was made and told spt story of General Torahs April fool NO BEER NO WATER The local records of the city contain another instance of tho violent cutting of the water main In its general bear Ing the incident Is almost a humorous as the firs In the later part of AU ust when affairs wero becoming settled lii the city the restrictions guarding the conduct and liberty of the American 501 diers on duty around the town were practically prac-tically removed and the men were glveu permission to absent themselves from camu while off duty A strapping private of one of the Immune Im-mune regiments took a stroll ono afternoon after-noon and after visiting a number of rum shops dropped Into the Cafe de Favorite on Cello Santo Tomas HI was much the worse for wear and lost no time In tme I suimeiuy declaring to the occupants that one American soldier was worth ten Spaniards and three dozen and odd Cubans To prove his assertion he cast I his campaign hat into the middle of the floor and otherwise stripped for action He was finally pacified but when he gavu an order for several bottles of American orer was politely but firmly refused i r t l = I < r I I required the efforts of live waiters to eject him after that I No beer eh lie shoutod back through the doorway You hid refuse an American gentleman a drink do you Ill fix hie you for that If I cant have beer you shant have water See i Ho lurched down the street and finally disappeared in the direction of the mule corral back of the Spanish barracks How ho secured a mount is not known but a half hour later he was riding past i the Bull Ring over a road leading to El Cristo That evening shortly after dark word was hastily sent to the palace that tho water supply had suddenly and unaccountably unac-countably failed Men were sent out with lanterns but It was an almost impossible task totraco tint pipe line at that hour and they returned re-turned In disgust The following morning at daybreak another search was made About three miles from the city at a spot whero the pipe crosses a low meadow upon masonry supports 3 great jagged hole In the pipe was discovered The eleveninch main had been smashed near a joint and the water was fast forming a I lake In the vicinity Not far from the break one of the searchers found a blacksmiths black-smiths sledgehammer with the handle shattered as if from a powerful blow 1 was evident the private of Immunes had made good his threat He was arrested and charged with the deed but tie stoutly maintained his innocence and the case was finally lropped for want of direct evidence However when inebriated American troopers demand beer in Santi ago cafes nowadays they are promptly served senc ONE PHILANTHROPIC SPANIARD The most remarkable thing about the Santiago water system beside the fact that ot is almost wore than useless Is that I was constructed free of charge and donated to tho city by a Spanish colonel of artillery Prior to 1840 tho citizens oC Santiago city mind you several con tunes old and containing a population es ceeding axono were compelled to depend upon cistern and tanks for their water Although there was plenty of water bade in the mountains six or seven miles dh tant nothing was done by the Spanish government to convey i t the city Colonel Manuel Alvarez generous of gneru9 heart and plethoric of purse sent of Madrid for private engineers and begin the construction of a dam In tho Sal Juan hills six miles from Santiago Tho material was brought from Spain but I the ordinary laboring work mw done bv Cuban prisoners and peons I was a task l of long duration Roads had to b built and material hauled by os teams from the city wharves The creek to b utilized util-ized was small and it ran down the mountainside I moun-tainside through a tungled jungle of tropical vegetation Nowhere was it moro than a dozen feet In width A limestone wall twentytwo feet high and five feet thick was thrown across 1 little gorge then an oblong receiving tank hardly larger than thoso supplying the ordinary American hotels was built at onside on-side The Spanish engineers labored fmm day to day throughout the year and about twelve months after the commencement commence-ment told Colonel Alvarez that the won i djrful dam was ready 4 I HOW WATER PIPES WERE LAID 11 Now came tho question of laying tao L pipe line The stretch of country betwf n I the hills and the city was rough inl r broken A rather high hill Interposed in the direct line and it would be necessary to skirt Its base for a couple of miK Then there were two rivers to b crossM and to be SuranRo ad a deep gully spanned Strangf to say neither the colonel nor his engineers engi-neers had gone over the ground befon the construction of the J They knew that water could be had in the mountains moun-tains but they forgot that a pipe lin over a broken country was a rather stu pendous problem I looked a this st d L of the game as if tN > worthy citizen Santiago would either h < w to go hk > their cisterns or vlac haul water from j dam by ox teams A year passed and then tb btne > t Spanish colonel resumed the tak F 1 various reasons the MZO of the pip v reduced to eleven inch s and it wa tiered lad under ground wh < T pr j ticablo and above ground n othr Dltcnes were dug ma nry suIl l rand > r-and aqueducts construt t < J and 1 tho pip line crawlel It way IT > city amid the che rs f th f > Smaller mains were laid puo uj station reeled in vinous par i town and a supply e iual t > aww g i dailv delivered to th i luzfn U w llzn barely sufficient for their eeds a days and now with the great mor of population the ft il ppy f for only six hours of the two ntyf > ir It Is a serious question 111 Sara 15 question beside wnich th mihtij 1 political aspects are as nothing T health and sanittr > welfar of tjc > depend ui on the supplis if pUT w < I to the people and strenuous itfors now bimg made by th tndetut = i governor General Leonard W x > l t si 1 the problem before the irmal of tle n sickly season I Uimitr ti entirely ifv lam and reservoir will tie needed hut f r the present several tmmi will lv c structed city an a series of wells dug nr ta cityThe The old pipe Ini will soon have rn lived its usefulness hut it Trill rrra i long in the memory of tliose who mal h > 1 with Shafter before Santiago as G nerJ Torahs Apr fool HENRY HARRISON LEWIS |