The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-26
Especial correspondence.l

n great DAY Tor the soldiers IS TINS pay
Gay in the army. It is now nearly
four months since they enjoyed any OF
the pleasures of civilization. Therefore
1t is not odd that they should be wild
to have some sort of pleasure with the
pay they have earned killing Spaniards
in the field before Manila.
The great event was celebrated Sat
urday morning at 1890. The paymas-
ter arrived under heavy escort, and
among the guards were Ray KenneI
and Frank Anderson of battery A
They are rough-riding cowboys from
the southern counties. After each man
had received his $31 he sought the ser
geant OF the guard for a pass. With
many cautions as to what would hap
pen TO him if he came home drunk, he
was allowed to have a few hours OF
liberty among the ancient shops OF
dreamy Manila.
Before evening Manila was a IVelier
town than it has been for many year.
Yankee energy and Yankee beer acted
TO stir things up generally, especially
the prices, which jumped up 300 per
cent in few hours. Almost every ma
tive in town suddenly turned blind or
lame, and came forth to be upon the
street corner. Scores of them block
aded all the paSsageways, and reaped
a bounteouS harvest, for a soldier is,
above all things else, generous and free
with his money. The Soaniards were
treated to good square meals, and their
pockets filed with copper coins. These
coins, by the way, are about the size
and weight Of an American soc piece.
BY 10 o'clock the good time was over.
The , per cent of the batterymen who
indulge in liquor were lodged in the
guard house. The rockies - who didn't
know enough to come back when their
passes ran out were in the company of
the DRINKS
Sunday gave the boys time to think
of ways in which to spend the bulk of
their money. There was over 81, 900
given to the battalion. Many sent con-
siderable home to the sisters and moth
ers. Others invested in oriental curios.
mostly silks, hundreds of pieces of
which go home by this mail. The finest
silk handkerchiefs cost only 25c Amer
lean money, and large shawls are as
low as $3.50.
TRIP TO CAVITE.
A large crowd of boys, including my
self, spent Sunday visiting the Spanish
wrecks. Cavite and our war vessels. 1t
was a trip none of US will ever forget.
We left camp at daylight, making our
way down an old narrow cObblestone
paved street. to where the ferry boat
leaves to cross the bay to Cavite. The
street was typical of old Manila. The
buildings would resemble the temple
wall in Salt Lake. with a little square
door cut through every rod or so. Win
d0ws and window glass are not to be
seen. One has TO enter the store, con-
sisting of q loW-roOfed square room, to
find what the Chinese owner has for
sale. Whatever else he has he is sure
to possess a case Of American sham
jewelry, pocketSnives, scissors, etc.
There are many ferryboats which go
to Cavite. but we chose an old side
wheeler. because chances are not offer
ed every day to ride on these primi-
tive old steamships. We made our way
out of the river. passing fine steam
ship with the striking name Of General
Weyler To our great pleasure painter
was at work blotting it out. In the
mouth of the river workmen were busy
raising two Spanish gunboats. Their
huge derrick had lifted the deck of one
of them clear of the water line, and
Workmen were boarding her to pump
out the water in her.
Passing close alongside the Monte
rev, Raleigh, Powerful and Olympia,
the wheeler finally chUrned her
wav over the ten miles of ripping sum-
mer sea to the slumbering city OF Ca
vite.
CHURCHES WRECKED.
Cavities old churches are marvels. No
longer can the world say Uncle Sam
has no ruins in his land. As We enter
ed the door of one which bore the date
of 1913. we were surprised to lind II
totally wrecked. Curio hunters had
done il; soldiers in search of relics.
A fine wood carving of the Savior
had been thrown from its pedestal and
-, olrac on, 10 floor.
It's head had been sawed off and carried
away. The altar was torn down and
lsv sec trered about. Even the marble
memorial tablets. which formed the
fsnor. we're pried up and the bones re-
moved from beneath them.
Eat the same old bells which tolled
the meeting hour while our Puritan
Screfathers were erecting their crude
loe churches in New England, still
cnrae merriIy away, and every day the
frray-haireG hump-back native who
Vas deacon before the war, takes MS
old form into the denuded church and
makes the old bells sing out the pass
ing hours
The cobwebs Of centuries hang over
TIE town: its buildings are low and
their walls are built to forever with
stand the destroying hand of time. In
one of the more modern houses num-
Ter OF natives were dancing to the
;rEilsic OF a large orchestra. The natives
arr. fond of music, and their band made
nearly as much harmony as could a
couple of strong-lunged Yankee Thorn
as cats on a summer evening.
A SUBMARINE FLEET.
Hiring q native canoe, we made our
way out to the Reina Christina, one Of
SPANS splendid submarine fleet. she
i'm an Improvement on the Monterey,
for the iatter's deck is on the water
line. while the Maria Christmas deck
is submerged some 10 feet at high tide.
The natives were diving down into
the ship in search of plumber. They
lowered themselves by climbing down
long bamboo poles. After remaining
under nearly four minutes. one came to
The surface, bringing a Mauser rifle,
which was so burned that IL had Dent
into a semi circle; a lamp whose CHM
pey had melted and run down over the
metal work encasing ii in glass, and
a one-Dound Spanish shell which had
exploded on deck. They readily gave
these to US when we asked for them.
This was the first time l had ever
known p native TO show the least evi-
dence Of generosity, and / was surpris
ed not To see him put uD his finger TO
indicate three times how much he eX-
pected Cor them. The reason for this,
however, soon became evident. We had
hardly cleared the ship when q shot
from the Petrol sent the native canoes
scGrrying away like chickens when a