Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-08-22

Aug, 9Th, 1898.
Dear Sister,
Your letter of July Goth received yes
terday and will try to write you Jew
lines in reply to it to day. 1t will be just
one month to day at 3 y, IN. since we lett
Camp Thomas Ga, and Is days since
leaving Charleston, S. c. On our trip
from Charleston here was quite interest
ing 10 some respects, On thenight OF the
goth of July we went abroad OF Tran
sport, No. 80 and laid i'll Charleston har-
Dor until 8 a. IN, of tbs DIST Thesights
in assing ont of the bay were all OF his
toric interets, and some sights such as
Fort Sumpter and one other old fort that
/ nave forgotten the name OF will never be
forgotten. After getting out into the
oceen and the Pilot had left US it was
only short time before all sight OF land
had disappeared, and our greatest inter-
est Was III looking for othervessele but
we only sighted four on the whole Jour-
neg except the Dntchess q transport that
carried the End Wis. 1.-THE Duchess and
No. 80 made the trip together from
Charleston to Oretta our first landing
and from there to Ponce after getting
well along to the east end OF the Island
Of p r. we met the war-sllip Columbia,
which gave us our Instructions where to
make a landing On the first and second
day out the greatest sights Of any interest
was watching flying fish and (sea liogs)
Porpois flying fish are a small fish that
raise out OF the water about 10 inches to
two feet and sail along from a very few
feet to two or three hundred feet.
Our quarters on the boat were very
poor as there were were too many men
for the amount Of room to be used there
was 1900 men. 38 horses, 10 days travel
ingrations and 40 DAYS camp supplier
besides hay and ammunition. but we got
through with very little sickness OF any
kind, and the sick list would have been
much less had the stencil from the horses
almost suffocating, but that does not
make much difference now as we all came
through alive.
What | have seen and heard OF the Is
land | believe that there is no placein the
world that can compare with it. From
now until about the first OF Oct. is sup
posed to be the worst time Of the year.
When one is ont of the wind it is terrible
hot, but during the day and night there
seems to be cool sea breeze SO thatone
in the dav time can be outin the sun and
not feel the heat as much as ycu wonld
in the north, and at night IS gets cold,
some nightscoolen enough SO that blankit
is not uncomfortable.
Fruits of all kinds are plenty and very
cheap, Coconuts to cents each green
coconuts 3 cents and the water is all
that is used and it is very fine too,
AS far as we can learn the Island is
covered with creeks and springs, and
good drinking water. At camp we are
using DOtl spring anu CREEK WdteT, ~ ID
not as cold az the water in wisconsin,
butis nice tasting and one can drink all
he wants and it will not hurt him in the
least no matter how warm one is. |
can not begin to tell you all the kinds Of
fruit we can get here, and sugar cane is
pIeanty. have been on two differ
ent plantations, to get sugar for camp
use, what we got is dark butmuch nicer
than any thing we get III wisconsin.
/ do not know, but believe the days
are much shorter here>tllan at Eagle, at
noon the sunis nearly strtight,over our
heads.
AS ever.
4 I