Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-09-01
COMMUNICATIONS FROM PORTO RICO.
Soldier Boys in Midst of Fine Scenery and
Tropical Fruit Fields. VIII Be Glad
to Get Home. However.


to Get Home, However.
Letters have lately been received
from Chas. PodaWiltz, Second regiment
| Wisconsin volunteers, and Carl Bande-
lin, musician Third regiment band, and
we have kindly been permitted to pub
lish paragraphs therefrom. According
to latest dispatches the Second and
Third Wisconsin regiments have orders
to return to the United States for mus
tering out purposes, but reports are
conflicting. The letters were written
before such orders were received.
From Mr.. PodawiItz' letter we take the
following:
Here in camp, one mile east of
COama, is indeed a haven of beautiful
scenery. The island of Porto Rico is
all mountains and has palms trees as
thick as bees in q hive. Fruits in
abundance and many kinds [ never
hear d Of before, but we have eaten
very little Of the strange fruits because
the doctors advised rs not to try 1t until
we became, e,acClimated here Of bananas,
cOcOanuts, lemons and oranges we get
our fill
'"The ranks of our company have
been thinned out perceptibly since
leaving Camp Thomas, Chickamauga
There we had recruited up to 1O6 men
-Four men remained in the hospital
when we started, ten more were left at
Charleston hospital, one died aboard
snip and several were sent back sick;
others were taken sick at Ponce, until
now we have only 81 men able for duty.
On. this is not such q good thing.
Was over to see Parker, Bandelin
and Beadle this morning. They are in
capital condition. Bramsted and Lar
annie are fine and for myself am always
looking for something to eat Tell
George Davis the only kind Of candy
we get now is Cocoanut and sugarcane,
but cigarettes are II for 5 cents and they
are all tobacco. Cigars cost from } cent
to cents for the best. Bread and flour
is away up. Our hardtack sells to
natives at three for cent. They put
them down on bills of fal as American
biscuits The favorite dish here among
the natives is rice ana meat. Coffee is
very strong, we have to dilute the stuff
bv adding two cups of water TO one of
the mixture before we can drink it.
Water here is very clear and pure"
FROM CARL BAEDELIN, MUSICIAN 3RD RECT
BAND.
eve are camping about one mile from
this place and [ am enjoying the best
of health. The trip from Charleston to
this island didn't make many of our
boys sea sick. | fed the fish only once.
Saw a few sharks and many flying fish
coming here. You have undoubtedly
read accounts of our landing and about
the surrender Of Ponce and COama, so
won't write about it.
owe had a good time in Ponce,
always managed to get out of camp and
take III the city. Company A Of Marsh
field guarded the city for about one
week, so / saw, Podawiltz, Bramsted,
Laramie aud Houston quite frequently.
hospital work. We are left behind
when the regiment goes into battle.
The day of the fight at Coamo, some of
us followed the regiment near to the
lighting grounds, then climbed big
mountain and took in everything.
tell you it's exciting fun to see a cannon
shoot shells, and the boys in our artillery
are poor shots-I don't think. They
get the range down pretty quick, then
the old shells blow everything to --.
''Saw the wounded man from the
Sparta company just after that Spanish
shell burst among them. The doctors
took out a piece of metal from his
lntest!nes the size Of an egg. He died
soon after. Our battery dismounted
the Spanish guns in that engagement
several times but the Spaniards always
managed to get the irons back in shoot
ing order again. Our artillery ran out
of ammunition and came home.
1cf,1 Z Cf l. Il,
through the shirt from the Spanish
outpost. The bullet only grazed his
flesh. Was talking with one of The
Sparta boys who was on guard the day
of the fight and he said it was lucky for
us that the shells used by the Spanlards
were defective or the whole regiment
would have been killed. The outpost
guard must take the greatest care in
regard to exposing themselves TO the
enemy. Both sides Use smokeless
powder now and it is hard to kill a man
unless one sees him. Volleys Of shots
are fired on both sides sometimes fer
the purpose of locating the enemy. One
can hear the bullets Whizzing near, but
1t is hard to locate where they started
from as no smoke can be seen.
I'VE are all debating now as to when
we Will be taken home. Some say
lnlSe or lOuf months, OtnerS say less.
am in hopes of reaching there by
Christmas. The members of the band
are now in good health. Chas. Parker
was sick for few days, but is himself
again.
The climate of this island is fine
The days are warm but a good cool
breeze always seems to blow so we
don't mind the heat any. The nights
are fine and cool and we sleep in our
tent without any covering until about
/ a.. and then we cover up. Fruit is
plentiful but | can't go it much, would
rather have our fruit in the States
Mangroves, bananas, cocoanuts, and
several other kinds of fruit are plentiful
understand that oranges are plentiful
also but they are not III season yet.
Wines, runs, cigars and cigarettes one
can buy for nearly nothing. American
money is worth double that of Spanish
here. Muskmelons grow nearly as big
as Watermelons in the states.
eff you learn how long we are ex-
pected to stay here | wish you would
write. News is scarce and trashy,
unfounded rumors are too numerous"
A dispatch from Ponce says that on
Friday the Second Wisconsin had COM
menced its march from Coamo to that
place, preparatory to its return to the
| nitpd States atpr n ChicaoO 1>aDpr