The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-11-30

IN THE philippines.
Private Andrews on Climate, Sol
dierinq, and Funerals. i
Under. date of Manila, Philippine
Islands, Sept. 18th, Private T. w. An
drews oil; Co. 6, 14th U. S. Infantry,
writes his mother and sister at. Nor
ton as follows: !
The whole army is afflicted with
colds. This climate beats everything
I ever heard of for ailments. Some
thing is the matter all the time. A
person will take coli here easier than
they will back there where it is 40 de-
grees below. I used to imagine it
could rain in California, but this place
excels anything. on earth. It will
cloud up and rain while you are going
block. and I actually believe per-
son could drown if he we're caught
out. I was guarding few residences
the other day when thunder storm
came up. and in three quarters of an
hour the water was standing two feet
deep just as far as you could see. In
six hours afterwards the streets were
almost dusty. The natives seem to
take no notice of wet weather. A ma
tive will start to town and if q rain
comes up he simply takes off his
shirt and sits on it. After the sun has
dried him off he puts on his shirt and
might say that he has had bath, and
at the same time pressed his clothes by
sitting on them.
I am learning Spanish. It comes
easy when one understands Latin. As
soon as 1 become we'll enough versed
in Spanish so as to enable me to con-
verse with the better class of people,
I am going to begin to inquire into
the country's prospects.
Afternoon, 1916. Just back from
our Sunday spread. 1t consisted of
prunes, rice, pork and potatoes. I
used to kick when I had to eat at
cheap restaurants but if live through
this army life, think I will be con-
tent to eat anywhere and any old
thing. saw Will Hinman the other
day. He told me that he had been
sick for long time. However he is
feeling we'll now. I wish [ could
get some of the furniture that is being
destroyed here back to the United
States. 1t would be worth its weight
in gold almost. The soldiers are very
careless and especially the volunteers.
Everything is made out of mahogany
here. All of the Spanish Officers
houses have to be guarded as the peo-
pie have "vamoosed," and of course
when we have post like that we are
all right, but when it comes to some
old fort I would rather go to Jail.
The arrival of the mail steamer yes
terday served to revive somewhat the
dropping spirits of hundreds OF young
men, whose restless activity and con-
tinuous visits to the beach indicated
home sickness in mild form. We
have few cases of smallpox in the
general hospital, but as the strictest
precautions have been taken to pre-
vent the spreading of any contagious
disease, it is not at all likely that we
will lose many men from that source.
A soldier in this country we'll earns
all honor and glory for which be en-
dured 1000 miles of sea sickness to
obtain. 1t takes a soldier who keeps
himself in good healthy condition
about half of his time to laundry his
clothes and the other half to bathe,
and to cook what few delicacies which
the doctor allows them to have on the
side. We are allowed to fry bananas,
eggs and chickens. Bananas are six
cents per dozen. eggs, thirty cents and
chickens fifty cents each and hard to
get at that. Of course the above
prices are quoted in American money.
We have the monetary standard
here. A Populist would be in bis
glory if he could be here and enjoy
the blessed privilege of carrying sew
eral pounds of silver around all the
time. The copper pieces here are
called "centabas" aid are similar to
our copper cents only they are the
size of an American half-dollar. Pay
day in the First Brigade was celebrat-
ed week ago last Saturday and as a
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