The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-26
ANACONDA NEWS,
HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS
Montana's Soldiers Suffered Fear
fully on the Voyage to Manila.
THE FOOD WAS MISERABLE
"A Writer Describes It as "slumgullion
That Could Be Smeiled for Miles"
The Sight OF Land Is Hailed
With Delight.

The mail from Manila, the first that
a been received from the Montana
boys since leaving Honolulu, arrived
yesterday. The following are extracts
from a letter written to the Standard:
To the Editor of the Standard.
ON board the Pennsylvania, Aug. %.
ls9S.-l write his on board the Penn
sylVania as she is skirting the coast
OF Luzon island. We will be opposite
the bay of Manila tomorrow evening
thank God. Our long trip from San
francisco has been one of misery and
distress, and it is only due to a kind
providence that half of us are alive.
However, we did not lose a man. How
we escaped so fortunately is beyond
my comprehension. / never witnessed
such a condition of h~ardships, hunger
ana misery. Starvation was the pre-
dominant feature of the voyage. The
1000 we had was miserable, and IL is
beyond my power to describe it.
ON the voyage men often prayed
that the ship would sink when trying
TO swallow the slumgullion that was
dlshed up. The stuff had such an aw-
full odor that ii seemed as though IL
could be smelled for miles. We had
to eat 1T standing up, as there was no
room to sit down.
az AOdlNh a u ITOm Cdn
Francisco mutiny was practically de-
clared. Five hundred men swooped
down on the officers and demanded
something to eat. They threatened to
break down the doors TO the store
rooms n help themselves. Some of
the men were in favor of arming them
selves and compelling the captain of
the ship to turn about and head for the
Golden Gate.
Finally the quartermaster, Seadorf,
was dethroned and Major Miller sue
ceeded him. The quality and ouantity
of food improved slightly until Homo
lulu was sighted. Since then, however.
1t has been damnable. A detailed
statement of the scant quantity and
poor quality Of the food, would only
make people think / am exaggerating
the state Of affairs, so 1 will dispense
with it.
DO you wonder that the men hail
with delight the sight of land after
such a trip of hardship and distress?
ON the second day u from San
Francisco we counter a heavy,
rolling sea. Twelve hundred men be-
came sea sick, and there were not more
tina 200 fit for duty. The waves
washed the deck, the boat rolled and
pitched; the matches and portfolios
were closed and all of the men ordered
peiow' Few and lubbers opened port
holes, n water poured in, covering
two lower levels, where men were hud-
dled together like so many Chinese.
The rolling ship knocked knapsacks.
haVersacks, canteens, guns n cloth
ing from the fastenings and hunks.
me LOO sick men vomited on the floor
ana altogether IL was a hard night. AT
y O'Clock | made a tour of the shin and
found canteens and other equipment
scattered about the noor in a confused
mass. AT 10 o'clock the stencil was
something frightful. A few incandes-
cent nghts gave a weird aspect to the
that I shall never forget.
or the third day out the weather
claimed and it was delightful sailing
until yesterday, when we again ran
INTO bad weather. Since leaving Homo
iulu, the trip has been a good one, ex-
always the food.
Still. Notwithstanding all of these
hardships and suffering. the bows are
In as much of a fighting humor as ever.
soon as land was sighted, one would
think the earth would be rent asunder
with shouts of Remember the Mainer
Their spirit canno be broken: the
American people are great.
Aug. 24-What a glorious view II is.
as we are sailing into the harbor of
such a beautiful p~rofusion of
trees and flora. Our eyes are sore from
gazing at the landscape. In
Dne hour. anchor will be let go.
Aug. 26-We are once more on land,
came ashore Aug. "a, and landed at
Cavite. We are occupying the Spanish
Ten of the Spanish vessels
n by Admiral Dewey are within a
stones throw of our quarters. He lust
an them into this position in the bay /.
md gave it to them. Nothing is visible
)ut their funne and bulwarks. shot
o splinters. 1t is a grand thing to hear
'ome of the American tars here tell
bout the battle.
w were sure of a fight as soon as
We disembarked. News came to us
hat three of our men had been shot {
nd that the insurgents were making s
aid on our quarters. h battalion I
vas halted, guns unslung and forma- ]
ion taken. Upon further investigation, i
IL was found that the affair I
only a drunken sduabble. a
Will crossing the lire of the insur- \
'ents. we see them encamped all about
IS. They threaten to make trouble. !,
are dangerous, but we are on the
lert. =
The first night in camp. our bat a
alton was doing coast guard duty. :
Jensen of Company Z was Of !,
Ger of the guard. He heard ham ;
lering out on the Spanish wrecks. and
aking eight men in a boat. he dis
overed the insurgents removing VAL
ables from the wreck. Two of them r
'ere shot while diving into the bay. 8
hey were found next morning.
we have received no word from the
Inside world except the news of the