M. until twelve midnight, and sometimes one and two in the
morning, I did my work. My own long experience as a practical
telegrapher stood me in good stead and when any direct work was to be
done with the White House in Washington, or any especially important
messages were to be sent, I personally did the telegraphing. At the
Executive Mansion was Colonel B. F. Montgomery, signal corps, in charge
of the telegraph office, so when anything special passed, no one knew
it but the colonel and myself.
The Tampa Bay hotel was at this time the scene of the most dazzling and
brilliant gaiety. Shafter's 5th Corps was preparing for its Santiago
campaign and each night many officers and their wives would meet in the
hotel and pass the time away listening to the music of some regimental
band or in pleasant conversation. Men who had not seen each other since
the close of the great civil war renewed old acquaintances and spun
reminiscences by the yard. Military attaches from all the countries of
the world were daily arriving, and their gaudy uniforms added a dash of
color to the already brilliant panorama.
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