Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-27
HAD YELLOW JACK,
And Suffered on the Transport Oonohoi
But Pulled Through 1t All, and
Is Home Safe,

Frank D. Fries, of Troop E, is glad to
get back home. He has had a good
ever since he landed in the United
and eastern people treated him
and the other troopers right royalty.
He says the general expectation at Tam
pa was that Havana would be the OBJ
%jective point, but Cervera's feet got bot
tied up in Santiago harbor, and Admiral
Sampson sen word for the troops to
make for Santiago instead of Havana.
Mr.. Fries came through the conflict
unscathed, except a scratch from a
piece of flying shell on the thigh; but he
had a slight touch of the yellow fever
and spent some time in the division
hospital. His narrative of the fighting
corroborate the tales already told in the
New MEXICAN by returned troopers,
and as to the men being without food so
long in the trenches, Fries says that the
roads were such that it was almost
impossible to get things out to the
front. When he was being taken to
the hospital in an ambulance, the wagon
upset three times Ell route with the sick
men in it, and the smoothest part OF
the road was a terror. As far as he
knows there were but two batteries in
action, Grimes and Capron's except
the dynamite and rapid fire guns of the
''Rough Riders The roads We're Sc
vile and the landing so dangerous thai
it was impossible to get the siege guns
up to the front from the transports.
Trooper Fries returned to this cOun
try on the transport Concho, of such vile
reputation, and he was one of those I'M
%fortunates who suffered such horrors
enroute. The water, he says, was three
weeks old, and had to be boiled before
drinking, and even then was unfit tt
drink. Then, the mush that was served
had worms in it, and turned the men!
stomachs. The meat was so tough
that it could not be chewed, and had tt
be made into a soup, and it made hor
rible soup at that, which also turned
the mems stomachs. There was Onl,
| hard tack for the sick, and lei will
| typhoid fever are not in a condition t.
relish hard tack. So, many OF then
died. There were Red Cross nurse
along, but they had nothing to worl
| WILL. ullu COilu w buU iiUult. "i' ~
did not go to Montauk Point until tn
mastering out, but was pleased with tn
place. lie was mnch impressed witt
the dynamite shots from the Vesuviu
which shook the earth clear up to wher
the United States troops were en-
camped. The firing of the fleet in TIL
fight with Cervera also seemed to be
succession of earthquakes.
Mr.. Fries enjoyed himself in Ne>
York where entertainment did not COS
anything. although the boys had none
and were willing to pay. He tells 9
how an Arizona member of the regimen
took his stand in the door of Il barbe
shop and pulling his six shooter, gave
out cold that every bald head in TIL
establishment would have to take
shampoo, and every body did, while tn
trooper paid for the same. A lot OF tn
boys took possession of the Hotfma
house bar-room n night and carrie
out Il big war dance to the amusemen
of the vast crowd that packed til
spacious place from wall to wall.
lot of the boys hired horseless carriage
and had Il great time riding about tow
and whooping things up from way bacl
Then they owned Coney Island Will
they were down there. and did not hay
to pay for anything.