The Saint Paul globe., September 10, 1898, Image 1

About The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
VOL. XXI.—NO. 253.
LETTERS FROM THIRTEENTH REGIMENT BOYS.
Story and Incidents of the Long Trip on the City of Para from Honolulu to Manila — With the Exception of the Death of Fred
Several hundred Minnesota homes were gladdened yesterday by the receipt of letters from Manila. The first mail from the
members of the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment in the Philippines reached the city yesterday morning and in it was the first direct
news the people at home had received from the absent soldier boys. While the letters were a month old they were none the less
welcome. They had been mailed Aug. 2, 3, 4., 5 and 6at the substation of the San Francisco postoffice which had been opened
near Manila and were all marked "soldiers' letters." The Globe was the recipient of two letters describing in detail the trip from
Honolulu to Manila. These, with a number of the private letters, arc herewith published. It was a few days later that the Thir
teenth had a chance to display its fighting qualities, which it did with honor.
DROVE DULL CARE AWAY
The Poys of a Literary and Musical Turn of Mind
Furnished an Occasional Break in the Dry
Monotony of a Long Voyage.
CHEERED BY THE SIGHT OF LAND
(Written for The Globe by Corporal E. E.
Schooley.)
As our reception in Honolulu ls prob
ably pretty well known to the friends
et home by this time I will pass over
that and try and give The G 1 o*b c
readers some Inside of military life
aboard ship.
After a stay of three days in Hono-
C^. XT** .
X _ I <£- /
O -*>* J *_: _
. r O^ . /
X-*. * _ "*_?_*_. _> (
/ <_*• * % . v
( % B/a y/J/g -. -
/ •• **>_*,* »
V .. . 1 1 1 1 1 1 af?
T_. *- __ 3£ ci _J Nj VtAiAjjNr /A'r/?£//c.f
mV _— tr_ VI __
Ifl tlk I ** §* * pBSSS&«^
G£* tfSM/rr 111 |||||j?t\ S C;^ x )
\ «* _*. em*** _f_y^w
(Sketched by Charles French, of Company D, and received by his brother, I. Fenno French, of the Boston. What is denoted
the inner harbor ls where the Spanish flteL was cornered and destroyed.)
lulu we sailed out of the harbor on the
morning of the Bth of July, and when
the Newport and Valencia had joined
the fleet we were no more than fairly
Started when the Indiana's machinery
broke down, and we were compelled to
return to the outer harbor and "lay
to" for repairs, the Newport, Gen. Mer
ritt's flagship, going on under full
steam. The repairs caused a delay of
twenty-four hours, and we didn't really
get away until Saturday afternoon of
the Dth.
Just before leaving the Hawaiian
government tug came out, "double
time," to our ship, with one poor, lone
private aboard, who had delayed too
long ashore and would have been left
entirely only for this one of the many
courtesies of the government. When
we arrived at Honolulu we had among
our sick ones Band Leader Watson,
who had spinal meningitis, and was
too 111 to be moved when we left. This
caused general regret in the regiment,
as Watson had endeared himself to
everybody in a social way, ln addition
to being able to furnish excellent mu
sic
While we were still waiting for re-
TOJ _\Y'S BULLETIN.
Page.
I— News From the Thirteenth.
2— Minnesota's State Fair.
B— G. A. R. on Pensions.
Miles Says SoldleTS Are Needed.
4— Editorial.
No Fusion In Nevada.
6— Sporting News.
Saints Lrcte to Brewers.
Future of Hawaii.
•—Weekly Market Reviews*
Bar Silver, Co%c.
Cash Wheat, 63% c.
7 — Minneapolis Matters.
News of the Northwest.
B—Mrs.8 — Mrs. Yarnell Arraigned.
Big Peace Jubilee Crowd.
THE ST. PAUL GLOBE
Buckland There Was Little Sickness on the Trip==-Diary of the Voyage Written for The Globe.
pairs a little ripple of excitement was
caused by the appearance of a shark.
The officers tried their marksmanship
with revolvers on the maneater, but
this proved to be bad, and the shark,
after swimming about a few minutes,
disappeared.
Next day being Sunday some of the
boys performed the unusual operation
MAP OF MANILA HARBOR.
of arising at 4 a. m. and indulging in
a shower bath with the hose at the
stern of the vessel. But as the tem
perature down In the berth deck Is
somewhere near 120 degrees and the
port holes closed, when the waves are
too high, sleep is practically out of the
question, the boys getting up early
for a chance to refresh themselves with
the salt water. Most of the boys sleep
on the upper deck under the awnings,
but as we are not allowed to bring our
mattresses up a single rubber and wool
blanket is hardly sufficient to make a
comfortable bed, and then we have to
get up at 4 on account of the crew
coming up to scrub the deck. Break
fast at 7, of bean soup, hardtack and
coffee. Services were held in the main
saloon at 10:30 by Chaplain Cressey;
also in the evening in the bow by the
Christian commission. Back on the
stern of the vessel is the popular
lounging and sleeping place for the few
who are fortunate enough to secure a
place; also a place for a little foraging
for fresh vegetables which are stored
there.
All the ships have had more or less
trouble except our own. Considering
everything the good luck of the Thir
teenth regiment so far has been re
markable, especially when one consid
ers the number of our regiment, and
the various other ways in which the
number appears. For Instance, at
Camp Ramsey we had thirteen posts
for guard mount, the same number at
Camp Merritt, and on pay day the
captain of each company received thir
teen $20 gold pieces. On board ship
the guard was again divided into thir
teen posts, and has been so during the
trip so far. And still not an accident.
The health of the regiment has been
as good, if not better, than any of the
fleet, there being at present no serious
case of illness on board.
On Wednesday the 13th the regiment
gave a musical and literary entertain
ment ln the dining room. Following is
SATURDAY MORNING SEPTEMBER 10 t 1898.
the programme, every number of which
was rendered in a creditable manner,
under the management of Capt. Mc-
Wade, of Company A:
Selection Male Quartette
Surgeon Ritchie. Sergeant Bach, Corporal
Humphrey, Hospital Steward Miles.
Recitation Corporal Humphrey, Co. E
Song; Private Kamp, Co. D
Recitation Musician Capser, Co. D
Dance Private Mac Arthur
Music— Mandolin and Guitar club, Co. C. and
G.
Song Private Burton, Co. D
Recitation Private Beck. Co. I
Song Private Power, Co. B
Recitation Private May, Co. I
Wing Dance— "Snowball," Co. A'a colored
mascot.
Song Private Anderson. Co. A
Oration Musician Force, Co. A
Recitation Private Varney. Co. B
Dance Private Sheeberg
Music Banjo and guitar
Selection Male Quartette
Pritchie, Bach, Miles, Humphrey.
Speech Col. Reeve
On the 14th the flag on the Ohio was
placed at half mast, which indicated a
death. The fleet stopped and the man
was buried at sea. He belonged to the
Idaho regiment, but his name and rank
could not be learned. In the evening
at 6 o'clock, we passed the .80th
meridian and we experienced tha nov
elty of having to drop a date from the
calendar, and July 15, 1898, was there
fore a blank to the third expedition to
the Philippines.
We have been going along at a speed
of about 235 miles per day, and at this
rate we shall reach our destination
about Aug. 1.
At present there are only eight mem
bers of the regiment under the care of
the surgeons and none of these are
serious. Three were slight operations.
The second issue of light clothing has
been made and the boys are feeling, if
possible, a little cooler thereby. Guard
mount is now done by company instead
of by detail from each company as has
been done heretofore, and the time for
duty is twenty-four hours Instead of
twelve as before.
Tuesday, the 19th, the fleet made an
other stop and the Morgan City signal
ed "man overboard," that he was a
fireman and that it was probably a case
of suicide, the man being delirious from
working in the terrible heat down ln
the boiler room.
This same evening the Christian com
mission held a eong service in Company
D's quarters, which consisted of both
religious and patriotic songs. Another
concert was given in the saloon Wed
nesday evening of the 20th, the pro
gramme being practically the same as
at the previous concert lt will hardly
be necesmry to repeat lt entire here.
Among the features was a selection by
the band — and our band ls second to
none ln the army.
Then came a song by Dr. Ritchie's
"Quinine quartette," which was well
received. When lt comes to singing or
sawing off a leg the assistant surgeon
is right ln it. Sergeant Bach, of Com
pany D, has a rich tenor voice, prob
ably the best ln the regiment. Corporal
Umphrey, of Company E, sings well,
but handles the Dutch dialect better.
Private Powers, of Company B, the
other member of the qus_rtette, appear
ed to better advantage ln a solo later
on the programme. Probably his best
effort was the encore, "Wedding of the
Chinee and the Coon."
Private Burton, of Company D, sang
ln a good baritone voice. Private Cot
ton, of Company C, ln his recitation of
"Old Mother Hubbard," struck a popu
lar chord. When he reached the point
ln the sermon. "If there had been a
leg of mutton, a loin of beef, or even
a little hard tack, 'red horse' (corn
beef), or bean soup in the cupboard,"
he was greeted with a storm of ap
plause. Instrumental selections were
given by Companies C and G's Mando
lin club, also by Sergeants Shaw and
Rasp.
Lieuts. Trawbridge and Fitger
ald can play the cornet— if anybody
should ask you. Their duet on the pro
gramme was also a feature.
Privates Ney, Burton and Atkinson,
of Company D, are engaged in solving
the problem, "Will a cannon ball sink
to the bottom of the ocean." As there
has been no practical demonstration of
the question as yet, the solution still
remains a deep s«a mystery.
Private Keough.of D, says government
rations are good diet for one training
for the prize ring, and he don't mind
training for a middleweight class, but
objects to coming down to a bantam
weight.
Jack Bennett, who came 400 miles to
join the army, has been commissioned
"the Patriot" of the regiment.
It ls rumored there are to be two i
new corporals appointed in Company I
D, and all signs point to "Patriot" j
Bennett and Private Proctor as the
lucky ones. Both are good men, hay- !
ing had previous experience in th? !
national guard of Minnesota and Wis- 1
consin, and will wear the stripes with j
honor to themselves and the regiment, i
The greatest hardship for the boys
on board is the scarcity of cool water,
all the fresh water we get being warm
and sometimes hot. There is no ice to
be had, except what Is manufactured
and that only in limited quantities.
The only way we have of getting a
drink which will satisfy the thirst is
to fill the canteens with the warm
water and hold it, in the salt water
for a time, which has a slight cooling
effect, and, with the aid of a little lime
juice, the water is ..rendered palatable.
On the evening of the 20th it wa3
reported a num her cf the signal corps
had died from the effects of heat pros
tration and were buried at sea.
L _ut. Kerr, of the engineer corps
on the Indiana, died on the 21st of ty
phoid fever. He was a recent gradu
ate of West Point and stood near the
head of his class. He was buried next
morning with appropriate honors.
Private Stevenson, of Company C,
says he sleeps well and eats three
times a day and relishes "red horse"
and bean soup. He says Tom Galvin
is the life of the company and keeps
the boys "on the move."
Company H was detailed for guard
duty on the 19th.
Private Ney, of D, spends his idle
moments trying to master the Spanish
language. Friends at home need not
be surprised if they hear of his being
among the flrst to capture a fair se
norita.
Today, the 23d of July, is the thir
teenth day out from Honolulu, and we
seem to be getting along better than
any previous day.
Lou Delaney and Charier. Nathorst,
of D, have studied the signal code un
til they can now take a message as it
is passed from one vessel to another.
That the boys are hungering for
news is evidenced by the sight of Ser
geant John Krch, of D, eagerly read
ing The Globe of June 20, advertise
ments and all. We have had no news
from home later than June 24.
On Saturday evening, the 23d, we
passed the Island of Pojavas, which
from the ship seemed to be nothing
but a volcano. The island is said to
be uninhabited. The volcano is a small
but active one, Its fiery crater making
a beautiful sight to one who had never
before witnessed a volcano In action.
The island Is said to belong to Spain,
is about eight miles long and the moun
tain about 1,500 feet high.
Private Jim Hartley, of D. is devot
ing his idle moments to reading "Uncle
Tom's Cabin," and says it is the best
novel ever written for a purpose.
On the 24th the third man was buried
from the Ohio.
The Young Men's Christian associa
tion, of the Thirteenth Minnesota vol
unteer infantry was permanently or
ganized on the evening of the 25th,
and the officers elected were: William
Celley Fitch, Company D, president;
Fred E. Schacht, Company M, volun
teer secretary; H. N. Hatton, Company
E, assistant secretary. The officers are
elected for the terjn of one year. The
association starts out with bright pros
pects, having nearly 100 charter mem
bers.
Bugler Fred Buckland, of Company
E, died on Wednesday afternoon, July
27, of rheumatism of the heart. He had
been confined to the hospital ward but
a few days before his death, which oc
curred at 4 o'clock, and in just one
hour from that time the remains of the
"little English bugler," as he was fa
miliarly known in the regiment, hav
ing been previously sown up in the
customary canvas for sea burial, was
placed upon the slab, and after the
burial service by the chaplain and
"taps" were blown by the bugler, dis
appeared beneath the waves. It seemed
a heartless funeral to most of us, who
had never witnessed a sea burial be
fore. But it was necessary, and as
this Is war we must become accus
tomed to such scenes. Fred Buckland
was an Englishman, and, I might say,
a soldier by birth, ha\ ing been born on
a British troopship in the Mediterran
ean sea and had been honorably dis
charged from service in the English
navy. He had also just completed a
term of service and had his discharge
papers from the United States army
when he came to Camp Ramsey and
enlisted in Company E of the Thir
teenth Minnesota regiment as bugler.
He was a quiet, unassuming lad, and
one of the best buglers in the regiment.
None of the boys of D company will
admit being homesick, but just the
same some of them have changed the
words to the old war cry, and now it
is:
"America! America!
The land for us all.
To h— l with the Philippines.
Take us back to St. Paul."
The sketches for this letter were fur
nished The Globe by Private Charley
Baker, of Company E. They are good
Illustrations for pencil work, and rep
resent life aboard ship as it really is.
This afternoon, Saturday, the 29th of
July, the ships of the fleet sailed with
in hailing distance of each other, and
as the flagship Indiana came opposite
the boys of D, just as a reminder of
what we are here for, flung out a 20
--foot Old Glory, and no sooner had they
done so than a mighty yell rent the air
from the flagship and the Ohio. This
day finds us sounding the upper end of
the Island of Luzon, and making tho
grand finish to our long and weary
journey across the Pacific, being the
nineteenth day out from Honolulu, and
we hope by the next twenty-four houis
to complete the trip and touch terra
firma once more.
We arrived opposite the harbor of
Manila this morning, July 31. at 10 a.
m., and are now awaiting orders.
— E. E. Schooley.
COMPANY DS QUARTERS ON THE CITY OF PARA.
(Skelched for The Olobe by Private Charlie Baker, of Company B.)
PRICES TWO CENT3H_-vTO;_.-
DIARY DF ENTIRE TRIP
Daily Record of the More Important Incidents From
the Time the City of Para Left Honolulu Until
She Arrived in flanila Harbor.
BUT LITTLE SICKNESS ON BOARD
(Diary £ept for The Globe by Austin
Ward, Hospital Steward.)
July 7 (at Honolulu)— Our boat pulled
away from the wharf tonight about 6
o'clock, having finished coaling, making
room for the Newport, which came in
early this morning. The Valencia came
ln about midnight, the Hawaiian na
tional band meeting it on a tugboat at
the entrance of the harbor and escort
ing it in. All the boys were given
shore leave until 10 o'clock, and
there were very few who did not take
advantage of it. The people here have
shown every kindness that is possible;
(Sketched for The Globe by Private Charlie Baker, of Company E.)
besides giving a banquet to all the
companies in a body, many have in
vited the men to their homes and en
tertained them royally. All Minnesota
boys have been made at home by Mr.
and Mrs. Hall and their daughter, Miss
Charlotte Hall. Mrs. Hall was for
merly a Minnesota woman, and many
university people will remember Miss
Charlotte Hall, who spent two years in
the literary course. Mr. Hall occupies
one of the principal business corners ln
Honolulu, with a large stock of hard
ware, bicycles, etc. Their home ls one
of the oldest and most beautiful in
the city, and the lumber from which
the house was built, came from Bos
ton, Mass. It is needless to say that
they are very anxious to become citi
zens of the United States.
The officers were well taken care of
at all times while on shore by the offi
cers of the national guard of Hawaii,
who had quarters arranged for the
purpose on the palace grounds, where
entertainments and refreshments were
furnished whenever they desired either.
July B— We were piloted out of the
harbor about 5 o'clock p. m., expecting
to go to sea at once. The Indiana,
THINKING OF HOME.
Ohio and Morgan City having already
passed out. The Newport and Valencia
came after, and the Newport steamed
away to the southwest and passed out
of sight. Just before dark we were
signaled from the Indiana that some
of their machinery had broken and to
await further orders. The other boats
also came to anchor. No shore leave
was given, so the men had to satisfy
themselves by making plans for a good
time on their return from Manila.
Many of them have made up their
minds- to make Honolulu their home
when they have finished thoir term of
enlistment. Five men were left ar the
hospitals. Watson, the band leader;
Quartermaster Sergeant William
Hatcher, of Company F; Privates
Boynton, of Company A; Budge, of
Company B, and Sullivan, of Com
pany L.
July 9 — Col. Reeve visited the Indiana
this morning and found that they
would be ready to move about 2 o'clock
p. m., so he, together with several
more officers, went ashore. A native
boatman wanted a dollar and a half
each for the trip, and thoy had quite a
time getting him to accept a reason
able amount. He finally agreed to take
them for $10, making it $1 each, as
there were ten ln the party, the boat
being to small to accommodate more.
They returned at about i o'clock, and
at about 2:30 the fleet turned toward
the southwest and steamed away. Ev
erybody watched the land dii
from view ln the distance, as they
izod that it would be many days before
they would see any more of any size.
We saw several large schools of flying
fish. As we steamed out tbey
from the water in front of the boat like
a covey of prairie chickens, anil would
go quite a distance before again drop
ping into the water. While the I
were lying outside of the harbor sev
eral good-sized sharks were seen
around the boat, but they w«
driven out of sight by being shot at
with revolvers.
July 10 — We could see a small i
Island away to the right of our course
this morning, one of the outlying isl
ands of Hawaii.
At noon we had made 205 miles since
Cunt I lined «*_ Fourth Page.