The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-03-17
LIFE ABOARD SHIP,
An Intensely Interesting Letter From
lloiIio in the Far Pacific.
A SOLDIER BOYS DIARY
Private Foderberg of the 5lst Iowa
Writes of the Routine Transport
Life.
On BOARD THE PENNSYLVANIA,

since we came aboard this transport at
Frisco and its hard to say how much
longer we are to Stay on here.
| The 5lst Iowa has done something no
other troops have ever done. They
have broken the record slick and clean.
No other troops have ever been known
to be on board transport as long as we
have at one time, and it's possible that
we will make a record for being on
board transport, that will not be
broken for years to come by volunteers.
We went on board the Transport
pennsylvania at Frisco November 3.
1888, at 2p. M, with 1854 officers and
men; steamed away from the docks at
4:l5 p. m. Arrived at Honolulu, II. l..
(U. 5. Az November IL, 1898, about
dark, pulled into the docks Saturday
morning, November 70, took on coal.
water and fresh meat; Wednesday.
November l6, at 1915 a. m. steamed
out to sea once more.
Wednesday, December Z, 1898. enter
ed Manila Bay early in the forenoon:
at II a. M dropped anchor about a mile
out from Manila, here we lay for sew
eral days awaiting orders to land in
Manila. AT the end of two weeks il
became almost settled fact that we
would not land at Manila, but would
be sent to Iloilo instead.
Monday, December 26, 1898. got or.
ders early in the morning to go to Iloilo
Immediately At 10 p. M. steamed
out "f the bay in Il fleet of tive boats.
the U. :. Cruiser Baltimore, TRANSPORTS
| Pennsylvania. with the 5lst Iowa Vol.
the Arizona with the 18Th Regulars
the Newport with Gen. Miller and =
| battery of HE 9th Artillery. and dis
patch boat December %, the trans
ports stopped out at sea about thirty
miles ont from Iloilo. The Baltimore
went on ahead; December 80, 1898.
steamed i'm close to he city and anch-
ored. The Spaniards had left the CITY
anu the Insurgents had control. The
insurgents refused to let armed troops
land. When we left Manila it was SUP
posed that the Spaniards held the CITY.
but not so, the Spaniards had left the
city SATURDAY,, December "a. and the
insurgents took possession December
%, the Gay we left Manila. Had the
opanlards had the city we would have
landed either peaceably or by force
Gen. Miller had orders to that effect
but ne did not have orders to fire upon
the natives. Consequently after he
mad had AN Interview with the chiefs of
the Insurgents and they had refused TO
let him land his men under arms and
he would not land them without arms.
ne had to send back to Manila for
further orders. There is only one way
OF communication between here and
Manila and that is by way of dispatch
boat which takes four days to make the
round trip and it seems like the orders
IN this case OF the insurgents having
possession, could not be given at Man
ia, bat had to be received direct from
Washington and that would take abou.
live days more. We are still WAITING
There is ALWAYS more or less red-tane
about these orders They are given at
one time and before they can be execu.
ted they are countermanded, at least
that has been our experience 1t NAV
have been different in other wars. L
can't say AS to that as this is nv first
eXuarinuca i'm u,orfaro
There is no bay here, simply strait.
The climate out here on the water is
llne, nice and cool all the time. There
IS scarcely an hour in the day that the
wlnd don't blow; there is considerable
rain 100, 1T rains nearly half the time.
never hard, just slow drilling rain.
enough though to make it unpleasant
and agreeable out of doors.
Just got in from rowing. There is a
detail OF live or six men from each
company to practice rowing four hours
every Gay unless the water is too rough. i
L am on that detail The object of this
rowing detail is to get some OF the men
~ SouuIUiOll W uduulo DOAG because
there is no landing here for these large
ships and the troops will all have to be
taken ashore in these small ship boats
we have great times with our boats
when the wind is high and the tide
swift. Today we did but little rowing
This forenoon we did not go out at all
aud were out only an hour this after
noon; the water was too rough. came
near getting turned over two or three
times and got good and wet as it was
Wien we came here two weeks ago
tomorrow, Jan. 12,there were two men.
Of war in the barber. a Spanish cruiser.
Ihe German cruiser. Irene, one or two
llspath boats and a Spanish merchant
vessel besides the natives sail vessels
md canoes or small boats. Friday
December 30, the next day after we ""
lnchored here. the English cruiser
came. There are great
of =