The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-10-14

| From ille OwossO P.ess.
The following Is taken from letter re-
ceived last week by Mrs. j. ). Colby from
her brother who Is lst sergeant, Go. G.,
10th In antry, which was statiored at
Fort Wayne, Detroit, when the war
broke OUT
Camp near Ponce, Porto REQ,
Sept. Is, 1898 !
Tonight in my faraway home, sitting
in my tent | am writing to you. Am ]
contented? No. Am l cheerful? Yes,
as cheerful as one situated as l am can
be. Tonight it is raining and has rained
all day by spells, most continuously since
noon. o, life is pleasant in tent.
We are in camp about two miles from
Ponce. We changed our camp few days
ago from the town out here for sanitary
reasons, 80 many of the men were sick.
Very little if any change for the better so
far is noticed, Dysentery and fever are
the principal diseases. 1t is rumored
that yellow fever is also one of our foes.
was well and hearty up to August 81.
Ny company clerk was taken away,
thereby throwing extra work on me just
in my busy time. was taken violently
i'll with vomiting and dysentery, and As
hours of such nearly got the best of me.
About that time an order permitting sur
geons in charge of hospitals to give sick
furloughs to those sick but able to travel
was issued, and was the first TO head
the list of about fifty of our men. Sept.
Sd we were loaded into ambulances and
with Godspeed shouted after us by our
comrades we started, homeward bound.
Going down II miles to the landing, We
embarked on board the lighters for the
good ship. Well, to make long story
short, the surgeon major in charge would
not receive us for lack OF room, and on
the grounds that he had not been con-
suited, etc. We were compelled to re-
turn, disembark and 60 back to camp.
At O'Clock the same evening We were
informed the trouble had been satisfacto.
rily arranged and our departure was sure
the next morning, Sunday, Sept. 4, and
again we started. After waiting at the
landing place for two hours we were or
dered back to camp, as only forty of
party could be taken and they would
be volunteers. So we came back again,
with promises that in As hours it would
be sure thing. So it has gone from day
to day. Every day there are rumors of
when We will leave, ETC., but they have
all failed to materalize and we are still
waiting. Just think OF the disappoint
ment of the sick soldiers.
We have never had any fighting, and
our company has been fortunate in not
having had any field service Several of
the other companies have had some hard
field service marching up in the noun
tains. We live very good considering
the situation. We have very little fresh
vegetables. The potatoes and onions
spoilt in transit, and to buy costs 8 cents
a pound. haven't spent So since left
Tampa, Fla. There is nothing to buy; no
butter, eggs are scarce and worth FIVE
cents each, and the milk | am afraid of.
No one can talk English, and the style of
living is 80 dirty that one turns against
eating anything. We have plenty of
canned tomatoes IN lieu of potatoes, and
plenty of native fresh beef; but / am
afraid of the beef. The weather is so
evenly warm that the meat does not have
time to cool property killed at p. m.
and issued the next morning. Ice is so
scarce that It cannot be had for cooling
purposes. We have been trying to get
cold storage beef shipped. 1 presume
that after few months better arrange
ments will be made for better supply of
all necessary comforts.
We expected to 90 into the Spanish
barracks but yellow fever put stop to
that, and the troops already in were or
dered out and the barracks closed and
sealed. So we are camped on a sugar
cane field. We have to carry all our wa
ter up greasy hill about $50 yards. Our
stove and fuel are out in the rain and the
mud four inches deep. The wood lie
spongy, soft and wet Just imagine the
poor army cook, getting up from his wet
bed, blanket on the ground, at A o'clock
in the morning with everything wet pre-
pairing breakfast for over 100 men, and it
must be done and ready to serve by mess
at 6:15 a. m. Then imagine the soldier,
with his tin cup and plate lining up to
take his turn for sumptuous breakfast,
and then wonder why the soldier is
Disconnected
We have many other things to annoy
us, among them ants so numerous that
they run all over the beds and desk-lit-
tie fellows but their bite is very power
full. They soon FL to overlooking any
thing in the line of food. Then there is
the deadly centipede. So many that they
get in our pockets. They are from four
IL - l.