The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-03
Order Received CONCERNING the Ones
Hundred-and-Fifty- Eighth and the
One-Hundred-and-Fi
KNOXVILLE SUITS THE BOYS
CHAPLAIN WEAVER, OF THE 150TH.
TELLS Of CAMP ALGER.
Col. Gunder's Men Dispirited ana
Ready to Come Home-DetaiIs OF
the Soldiers Camp Life.

A letter has been recently received by Mr..
and Mrs w. III. Cooper from their son, VIZ
r. Cooper, who is member Of the Twenty
seventh Battery. The letter Is dated Quay
amo, Puerto Rico. Aug. 81 and is as folowss
To-day is Sunday and Is one of the pret-
tiest days we have had since we have been
on the island. l am sitting in my tent writ~
ing and can hear the chimes in the Catholic
Church ringing in the little town OF Guay-
amo, which is about one mile from our
camp. Some of the boys have gone to
church this morning, but went last Sun-
day and could not get away to-day. George
Carlon came into camp one week ago to-day
and was glad to be with the boys again.
We have lots of the boys in the hospital,
but am glad to tell you that l have not
been sick one day, and that Is saying a good
deal, because many night l have slept in
the rain all night and got up in the morn
ing wet through. You know this is tha
rainy season here, and it is raining almost
all the time. We went five nights without
a tent.
II Will try to tell you what we have been
doing since / wrote to you last We woke
! up at 4:SO a. m., on Aug. 8. to find that we
had run coral reef about 100 yards from
the shore. You can guess how we felt. It
was the first time that the captain of the
boat had been TO this place. and all he had
to go by was the map. That was the reason
he ran the boat on the reef. He did not
know the waters. The captain sent up rock
cts and then we knew we were in danger
and were looking for the ship to go to
pieces. AS the waters are full of sharks. we
thought that little hope was left. Weswere
looking for the Spaniards to come over the
mountains. One shot could have made us
put up white flag. We were in that Sit
uation until p m. Our rockets were heard
at Ponce and they sent two transports and
the cruiser Columbia to help US. After get
ting off we pulled to the haTbor of Guaeeia,
which had been taken the day before. Here
we anchored until 4:04 a. M, Aug. 4, when
we sailed forty miles to Ponce where Gen.
Miles was in camp We arrived there at 10
"a. m. and received orders to go to Arroyo
to unload. On the way there we stopped
four hours at Guayamo. Some of the ma
tives came out in boats to sell us fruit and
cigars-cigars at two for cent. We at last
reached our landing point at 4 p. M. but
stayed on the boat until a. M, Aug, s.
Then came the little tugs to help US unload.
We were three-quarters of mile from
shore, and it took us all day to unload the
horses. That was job. The boys who
were left at Newport News were already
there, having arrived the day before.
LEARNING TO TALK SPANISH.
Il was one of the first on shore. We put
the first section horses on flatboat and
tug pulled us to the shore, when we had
about forty horses off the boat We marched
about one mile from Arroyo and put up a
picket rope for the horses. The men that
came with the horses had to stay with them
while the men who remained OH board the
boat did all the work. I went up Town
about 1 o'clock and l tell you it is a sight
to be with people you cannot talk to. They
make all kinds of signs and / guess we
do the same trying to make them UNDER
stand. But | am learning Spanish very fast
and / think if we stay here a year 1 viii
be able to speak the language. Our tents
were put in the bottom of the boat, where
we could not get at them, and we had to
sleep without them. Ed Brennan and / put
our blankets together Just think of us
sleeping on the ground and hearing the in-
fantry boys shooting at the spaniards not
more than a mile away. and there we were
without round of ammunition / think
they wanted US to get killed, but by good
luck they did not come our way. The only
thing we could have done would have been
to run. We woke up about a. m. on Aug.
s to find it raining and our blankets wet
through The most OF the men had TO go
and get the rest of the baggage. but no
tents came All of our horses were in camp
and tied to the picket rope about one square
from the place we were sleeping.
AN ALARM IN THE NIGHT.
'T thought how the Spaniards could come
and kill and get all our horses when
fell asleep. was awakened about IL o'clock
with some one calling, Run for your
lives heard dozen shots and was soon
on my feet. had revolver but no carl
ridges. / heard rumbling sound and saw
what / thought was a cavalry charge conf
ing through our camp. Then some one
shouted that there was stampede just as
the animals got within fifty feet OF our
camp they changed their course and stopped
not far from there. They were pulling the
picket rope with them. Some of the mules
broke away and went through an infantry
picket line. Then we heard some shooting.
but none OF the animals were killed. We
worked about two hours putting up a new
picket rope and then laid down to Sleep
We woke Zip the next morning. Aug. z. at
4 a. m, to find it raining and Of course we
were wet through Most of the baggage
came from the boat and our tents came with
them but even in the tents we were wet
through.
zone Of the infantry boys was killed last
night We did not do anything but lay
around until the 9th. when We had our first
target practice. Each battery fired ten shots
at target one and one-half miles distant.
Aug. 10: Had target practice to-day. Il
lasted about five hours. We are doing our
own cooking back Of our tents. Herb Full
mer. Bookwalter. Stanton and are messing
together. Aug. IL: We took the horses down