The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-26
LETTER FROM CAV|TE
A UTAH SOLDIER GIVES HIS I'M
PRESSIONS.
The Trip From San Francisco Was
Hard One-Primitive Conditions
Obtain On the Islands.

DR.. ]. E. Jennison has received the fol-
lowing letter from c. L. Sandberg. one
of the Utah soldier boys on the Philip
pine islands:
Military Station No. 1. Cavite, Philippine
Islands Aug. g. 1898:
l promised you I would write to you
when l arrived at Manila, but as We won't
set in there for some time yet L viii let
you Know a little about this place. We
let frisco June 18th, arriving at Homo
Iulu the night of the 23rd. Here we We're
given nne reception, in the park in
front of Queen LIS old palace We left
there the 18th under sealed orders bound
Tor the LadrOne islands Here we were
70 get our convoy, but failed, so pushed
on 10 Manila. When two days from
I Manila the Boston, from Dewey's fleet,
came out TO meet US. We arrived in the
harbor of Manila the 18th of July. after
a voyage OF 81 days. 1t was about as
hard trip as l would care to take. There
We're four deaths and three burials at
sea One lieutenant died, but being an
officer, they took him to land The grub
wasn't nj for dog to eat.
We had fine weather, so very few got
seasick until we reached the China sea.
II got rough there. Our vessel was SO
feet long by 81 wide with speed of IL
knots.
So much for our trip. now I will tell
you little about this God-forsaken cOun-
try. In the harbOI are lying about 10
vessels. Some from all nations. Germany
has q fine feet here. We lay on the boat
two days before landing on the 18th they
landed within four miles of the old walls
of Manila. Lyman and myself We're sent
70 the general hospital mere. Iney nave
taken the Spanish officers club rooms for
hospital 1t is a large, two-story stone
building, containing 10 large airy rooms.
One small room which they used for
dining in. has marble floor This We
use for an operating room. Our only
water supply is rain. The roofs are made
from corrugated iron so fixed that all the
water is run into large stone clsterns. All
water used is boiled, but still there are a
number of cases of dysentary. Here is a
list of diseases we have to contend with:
Measles, typhoid fever, spinal meningitis,
eye trouble. blood poisoning, rheumatism,
peupiguS and pareplegia.
MORLEY HASSARD SICK.
Morley Hassard. one of Utah's crack
bicycle riders, has spinal meningitis. He
wasn't expected to live some days ago,
being in a cOmatose state, but is improv-
ing nicely now. Lyman is nurse and gets
along fine. 1 am in charge of the dis
pensary and also help out in the operating
room. We get an operation or two every
morning. We have either Spanish or
American funeral every day for a
change. This place is surrounded by a
stone wall 80 feet square, mounted by
guns of the 18th century. The town is
made up of low stone buildings; the side
walks are about two feet wide and the
streets six. The streets are so full OF dogs
one can hardly pass The only American
merchants are two saloonkeepers- The
rest are Chinese and natives All you can
common drink is called anlSeI. II IS a
good bit like gin, only tastes like anisseed-
You get this for two cents a glass ana
three or. four drinks constitute a Jag
Everyone drinks from the same glass, as
there is but one to a saloon.
The village outside of the walls IS made
of bamboo huts covered with long grass.
They are raised on stills about eight feet
from the ground. TIE native women don
have as much clothing on as an Indian
All smoke cigarettes and cigars. am
disguised with the whole lot.
RELICS OF THE BATTLE.
strewn all around the shore are the
remains of Dewey's battle There are
ten sunken Spanish men-of-war. SIX OF
them lie within boats length OF each
other showing how terrible the battle
must have been. There are number of
large buildings around, completely wreck
ed from shells. The natives have looted
and destroyed everything they could lay
hands on. There is fine large church OPP
posite our hospital that they have de-
Stroyed. A number of Spanish ofncerS
were buried under slabs in the floor. These
they tore up and scattered the human
bones all over. When the first expedition
arrived they found human heads lying all
around the arsenal. The insurgents have
15OO half-staryed Spanish prisoners. The
first expedition captured 80 privateS, the
officers and the governor of Guam, La
drOne islands. These they make do police
duty. They make them haul the am
bulance around. The horses are so small
that they are of no use. For heavy work
the water oxen are used. Every native
from ten years old up carries arms of =
some kind. They fight every night across
the bay. They are poor marksmen. so do
little damage There is a fine machine
shop here that is run by Dewey now. He
uses native wOrkmen. paying them in
Mexican money. The night of Aug. l. the
Americans and Spanish came together.
There were ten killed and 80 wounded Of
the Tenth Regular Pennsylvania. A num-
Der of men from the Utah battery We're
wounded 1t is reported that they will
Manila tomorrow. If they do you
will know it before this reaches you
Yours respectfully, -
c. L. SANDBERG.
P 81 think. perhaps, we will go
around the other way coming home; that
New York. 1t will be a fine trip.
LUD.