The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-13
TIRED OF HOUSE-CLEANING
FLEAS ANOTHER BANE OF
THEIR MoNoToNoUS LIFE.
Soldiers Expected to Be Sent Home
When Ordered From the Preside
interesting Story of the Troops
Daily Life, Its Pleasures and
Duties-A Wreck at Night.
Especial Correspondence.o


orders to leave the Preside and come
to Angel island. For weeks we had
lain around in the dirt of the Preside,
suffering from colds contracted in the
damp. dirty tents and doing nothing
but fatigue and drill.
Finally, one evening, it was whis-
pered that we were going home. But
we dare not give vent to our pent-up
feelings until the good news had been
confirmed The captains orderly came
up and summoned the non-commission-
ed officers to his tent. As the captain
started to speak we held our breaths
in anticipation of the joyous news.
"Well' said the captain, the order has
come, and we are to go" We, that is,
most Of us, felt like giving three cheers,
but restrained ourselves. Yes, we are
to go to Angel island, be armed with
carbines and remain there until further
orders"
At first the men were very much dis
appointed, but upon its beng explained
they, too, realized how much better it
would be. Nothing more was heard OF
the intended move until a day or so
later, when Lieutenant Stacey and one
man were ordered to report at Angel
island. On Monday morning l was or
dered to take Corporal Doyle and Is
men and report to Lieutenant Stacey
at the island.
UNIQUE NIGHT DIVERSION.
We were assigned to eat with COM
pany I, First Washington volunteers,
and had the school room in which to
sleep. The Washington boys expected
to sail the next day for Manila, so that
they kept the post wide awake. They
sang discordant songs, shouted and
ended it all by rolling cannon balls
down the stairs in the quarters. On
hnx
marched aboard the Mcdowell, and as
they drew away from the wharf, to the
strains of tfeir band. the boat whistled
three times and we replied with sa-
lutte ired from our one brass cannon.
Then came work for US. We mounted
guard, supplied a baker. teamSters,
clerk in the commissary and took
the remaining men on a foraging trip.
We went through the kitchens Of all
of the barracks, and through the cell
lars. The result was that we collected
about 500 pounds of good onions, bar
rel Of flour, one-fourth of q barrel of
oatmeal, several pounds of tea. case
of canned salmon, several pounds of
coffee and sugar, about 100 rations of
fresh bread, two gallons and half of
syrup and some other small articles.
About 100 in the afternoon the re-
mainder of battery c arrived. The de-
parting troops had left the place in a
horrible condition. Everywhere was
dirt and filth. In nearly every kitchen
or cellar were found old rotting vege-
tables, and in one or TWO cellars there
were about 200 pounds of ribs of beef
" rotting on the floor. The stencil from
this was terrible, and millions of worms
were crawling upon this decayed mass
and upon the floor. Outside the kitchen
doors the ref0se Of the tables had been
thrown and the odor arising from il
was sitting.
FILTH EVERYWHERE.
Inside of the barracks the floors were
covered with broken bottles, papers,
clothing of all sorts, and rubbish with
cut end. What struck US with most
force was the number OF open love
letters found on the floors.
Our boys only made a few very I'M
complimentary remarks about those
who had left the letters, and consigned
them to the fire. We made short work
of the litter and in the course of TWO
or three days had the whole post clean
and looking greatly improved. The post
is q beautiful place, built on the side
of the hill, the parade ground running
down to the waters edge. We are
situated in such a position that the
Golden Gate and San Francisco are in
plain view. Only one boat calls at the
island to carry passengers and freight.
1t is the little steamer General Nc
powel. This boat makes three trips
daily. bringing mail twice.
AN HOUR OF. INTEREST.
When the Mcdowell arrives at the
wharf, a On-commiSsioned officer of
the guard and three privates are pres
ent and no soldier is permitted to go
aboard without q written pass and no
unauthorized person is allowed to land.
The arrival Of the boat is announced
by boat call blown by the trumpeter,
and a great many Of the boys go to the
wharf to watch its arrival.
One day it pulled UP and we saw
some long wooden boxes aboard,
marked, From Benicia Arsenal -
They contained our carbines. Next
morning they were issued to Us and
drill commenced. We have only SO to
our Jos men, but with two men to a
carbine We ought to do deadly work.
! We also received a number of old
sabres and pistols for the non-commis-
stoned officers. There was one salts
Nfaction, however. We had. arms suf-
ilcient to arm our guards and do away
with the ridicule with which our Senti-
nels used TO be greeted.
About a mile from the post near the
southern end Of the island. is stationed
our outpost. consisting OF a corporal
and three privates Of the guard. This
is for the purpose of guarding the new
eight-inch gun cnplacements now be-
ing completed there. The place is on
top Of = hill overlooking the bay. From
the number of old mortars which used
TO be in place upon the hill it is known
as Mortar hill, and no one is allowed
to enter the enclosure.
WRECK At NIGHT.
A few nights ago a stranger came
galloping into the post and notified US
that a steamer had been wrecked off
the southern end Of the island The
boys were quick TO respond and nearly
all went over to render what aid was
necessary, while The boat crew made
the run from here to Tiburon. a dis
lance Of over q mile, in IA minutes
Here they sent a telegram for the
wrecling tug.
The wreck proved to be the steamer
]. D. Peters. which carries passengers
and freight between San Francisco and
Stockton. She had been run down by
a collier and Immediately began to
sink. The hundred or more men. wom-
en- and children aboard were taken to
the shore in small boats. where the
Utah boys did all in their power to
make them comfortable. 1t was a
strange sight, for men and women
were landed from the boats, some of
them in their nightrobes.
Soon after a tug came up and most
n of the passengers and crew were taken
aboard. There were some, however,
VINO had gone into the post and there
remained all night, quarters being
fixed up Tor them. None Of the pas
sengers We're drowned and only one
man hurt, he having his head badly
cut
We arc now comfortably quartered in
barracks, with tables at which to eat
and heavy china dishes. But the f1eas
here are nearly eating us up. Their
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