The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-17
Six of the First Montana Rsgi-
ment Have Died.
MANY ON the SICK LIST
The Conditions at Manila Described by
Lieut.. Homer Rickards-The Gil
mate Is 50 Hot as to b
Unbearable.

unteers, In which the writer states that
disease is spreading rapidly in the regi-
ment. The latest letter Is dated two
weeks after the arrival Of the regiment
at Cavite. and says that In that time
six of the soldiers have died and over
100 were on the sick report. many OF
whom could not recover. Captain Dun
can and Lieutenant Paxson. Lieutenant
Richards says, are so low they will
have to come home IL their lives are
saved. The climate is said to be SO hot
as to simply unbearable. and the water
so bad IL has to be boiled before IL can
be used. Lieutenant Richards says the
country Is a long way from being what
IL is cracked up to be and that he does
not think there is a soldier on h island
who would not welcome an opportunity
to get back to America. Lieutenant
Richards has been transferred from
Company f and Is now Major Byron
Cooks adjutant.
Jack Macpherson. an old popular
football player. writes as follows to a
friend in this city:
"Cavite, Sept. 2.-Dear Tom: We
are still stationed at Cavite. but
I think We will be moved over to Ma
Mia by the latter part of next week.
The health Of the regiment has been
good since we left Montana. We have
had only three deaths. The last &C.
Cured last night. A Great Falls man
died from typhoid fever. He Is to be
buried this afternoon. We play at his
funeral. We. the quartette. a V been
having grand times since coming here.
We have been out twice singing for the
insurgents up at their headquarters.
We 60 out to Dewey's feet tonight to
sing. They are to send a steam launch
for us. Dewey was in our quarters the
other day, so we had a good look at
him. He Is not the mar / imagined
him TO be. For one thing, he Is so
much below medium height. Four OF
us went out to the Point, where the
big Spanish guns We're, yesterday. i
gathered a fine collection of shells, and
/ managed to get a small steel wedge
of the gun with which Dewey killed 40
men at one shot.
THE Notifications around here look
just like a stone quarry. Large pieces
of masonry are carried as much as so
yards away from the walls.
THE more N sees of the natives
here the more he abhors them. They
all smoke and chew. The women chew
a combination of the betel nut and to-
bacco wrapped up in some kind OF a
leaf. and it discolors their teeth so that
they turn a brownish red.
81 was away out in the country the
other day.. and you should see the huts
they have. 1t puts me in mind of the
pictures you see In biographies OF AZ
RIGA. The huts are built up on poles
about four feet off the ground and are
all matched. The natives are always
almost nude. 1t Is terribly warm to-
day. We had an electric display last
night that was something grand. The
lightning would light up the heavens
in various beautiful colors. 1t was
worth coming a long way to see. The
sunsets here, too. are beautiful beyond
description Last night after the storm
the mosquitoes were so thick that they
actually kept us awake. and II was al
most impossible TO see the moon
through them. We have to sleep under
mosquito netting. and then they man.
age to get through. i am sending with
this letter an order written by a Span
ish commander. II is quite a souvenir.
! have never felt better in my life thar
l hav since coming here. Yours.
JACK MACPHERSON"
Mrs. c. p. Brinton OF No. 322 South
Jackson street has received the follow
ing from her son:
"Cavite, Sept. Dear mother: II
is hotter han blazes here. which
is the only way IL a be expressed.
We did not LAM until two days after
the othtI CoInpdhltc, put thdN - jill
Company BIS luck. We had to stay
on board and unload the cargo. We
had a nice breeze then. which we didn't
get on shore. We landed at IL O'Clock
moor on the 26th and had to walk about
six blocks to our barracks, m then
had to work like the dickens to get
things in order by night. The buildings
we sleep in are in pretty fair condition
and have at one time been used as a
Spanish prison. Tuesday ! had to GO
on guard. I got charge Of an outpost
at an old Spanish commissary depot
which had been captured by the nsu
gents and turned over to the American
forces. In the cellar i found a bottle
Of French cognac 200 years old. 1t was
so old that the cork had rotted and fall.
en- down in the bottle. n the labeI
could scarcely be read. 1t bore a sea
stamped Bordeaux. 1702. and was un-
doubleday genuine. The cognac was
Just like oil when II was poured out.
we have to drill twice a day. from
6 to 7 in the morning and from 5 to 5:4:
in the afternoon. Have rolI-call at
a. m. Have to get up at 4:45, when II
is barely daylight. During the day We
have to get wood and water, which ha,
to be hauled about a mile. / am now
second ranking corporal. as one cor
poral was promoted to sergeant. From
where / sit I can distinctly see Manila
hich looks like a white city. as mos
all the houses are whitewashed. Thu
South Dakota troops are camped In Z
church which had already been ran
sacked by the insurgents and Is nov
used as barracks by the soldiers. w
use mahogany for firewood. Mabogan,
Is very common, and all the franz
houses. barns n sidewalks are bull
OF IL. 1t Ia used all over the island To-
firewood. We have several pieces o
furniture In our quarters which ar
solid mahogany.
Sept. 4.-Since writing the above WI
have moved quarters and are now sta
toned almost in the heart OF the city
Yesterday I made a visit to the hospita
and saw the sick Spaniards. They ar
terribly emaciated. I hope ! may neve
see my worst enemy In such a condition
We have very poor water here. 1t al
has to be boiled. We have very goo,
grub now. as we have a o from !
company cooking for US. Your lovinl
1 ann