Even in its schools Key West is peculiar.  The schoolhouses are built like cigar factories, and each has mounted upon the roof the bell of an old locomotive.  When the school bells are ringing it is easy to close your eyes and imagine yourself in one of the great railway depots of the north.

The first authorized expedition.

Prior to the commencement of our war with Spain the United States authorities kept a close watch on the Cubans in Key West, and made every effort to prevent the shipment of supplies to the insurgents.  But as soon as the conflict was begun there was a change in the policy and the government assisted the work in every possible way.  The first expedition was a failure.  Under command of Captain Dorst of the United States army the transport steamer Gussie sailed from Key West with two companies of infantry on board, in charge of 7,000 rifles and 200,000 rounds of ammunition, intended for the insurgents of Pinar del Rio.  The supplies were to be conveyed to General Gomez by a force of insurgents encamped three miles back from the coast.

But the cargo was not landed, for the reason that the insurgents were unable to meet the landing party at the rendezvous, and Captain Dorst was compelled to return to Key West with his cargo.  The second attempt was more successful.  Nearly 400 men, with a pack train and a large quantity of arms and ammunition, sailed on the Plant line steamer Florida from Key West, on the night of May 21.  These men and the equipment constituted an expedition able to operate independently and to defend itself against any body of Spanish troops which might oppose it.

The expedition was under the command of Captain Jose Lacret, formerly insurgent commander in Matanzas province.  He assumed the direction of affairs immediately on the landing of the expedition.  Until then General Joaquin Castillo was in control.

In the landing of the expedition the United States army was represented by Captain J. A. Dorst, and Tomas Estrada Palma was represented by J. E. Cartaya, who has been the landing agent of nearly every filibustering expedition for more than a year.  Messrs. Castillo, Cartaya and Dorst returned to Key West.  General Julio Sanguilly, on his way to report to General Maximo Gomez, was also on the boat.

Most powerful of them all.

This was the most powerful anti-Spanish expedition sent to Cuba up to that date.  About 300 of the men were Cubans, the others Americans.  The engineer corps of the expedition was composed entirely of Americans under Aurelian Ladd.

The men were dressed in canvas uniforms furnished by the United States government, and the commissary department had rations enough to last fifteen days after the landing.  The pack train consisted of seventy-five mules and twenty-five horses.  The expedition carried 7,000 rifles and 3,000,000 rounds of ammunition for General Calixto Garcia.