The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-02

very hot one. This island is very noun
famous and looks like the Rockies ex-
cept in the color of the vegetation, a
dense growth of which covers every
thing. Our ship has been surrounded
all the morning with canoes filled with
natives peddling fruit of all kinds. |
bought 5 cents worth of bananas, and
they were delicious, small but sweet.
I eat sparingly of all fruit, as they all
say 1t Is dangerous. There are some
fine looking buildings in sight and the
city extends along the water front for
several miles, but there are no wharves
or piers for ships to load or unload,
and everything has to be brought off
in long native canoes or barges, which
are about IL feet wide, feet deep and
60 feet long, and the small native ca
noes that are hewn from logs.
We arrived on Dec Z and three
days later, the 10th, we came ashore
and have the finest barracks in the
town, a tremendous tobacco warehouse
right on the waters edge in good part
of town. Our battalion is by itself in
this building and not a man of Us
is SICK and the heat does not bother US
at all yet, After we got settled. a cou-
pie of the boys and / took q stroll across
the canal into the park, which Is in the
better part of the town. Being Sunday,
the drives were filled with carriages
full of people out for drive.
1.-THE natives and laps are very small,
and the carriages are also small, low
wheeled and look more like Shetland
pony rigs than anything else. The pom
les are none of them very big, but how
they do pull The rigs are nearly all
for one horse, and when four big Amer
lean soldiers get into one the effect is
ridiculous There are some very fine
two horse rigs. phaetons and the like.
Tell the boys that they are mistak Ten,
and that someone has been telling them
yarns about the ladies not having to
hold their skirts up when they cross
the streets, for they do with all the
grace imaginable. I saw Marshall HUFF
fine yesterday and he says Montana
boys are doing very well. 1 had a S.
gold piece when I arrived, and now
have nearly $40 in silver. They use the
Mexican silver coin and our money is
worth a little more than double of it,
and the natives use one and two cent
pieces in copper. Oranges are worth
two cents apiece, and bananas one cent.
The people here seem to be quiet, peace
able and honest, and experience has
shown that If we treat them kindly and
honestly they will do the right thing
by us. Our quarters are first class, and
a thousand per cent better than they
were in San Francisco.
Our baggage was hauled to the bar
racks on two wheeled carts drawn by
water buffalo. one buffalo to each cart.
There is a steam railway running by
our quarters, but l don't know where it
goes, and there is also horse street
car line up town. Meals at the, hotel
cost 81 in Mexican money. and I think
an American restaurant would nav well.
This is going to be a great country for
American capitalists as labor Is cheap
and always will be. There are no whites
to speak of in theislands. It is not the eli
mate that hurts white people here. but
the Intoxicating liquors which are said
to be terrible in their effects. Ordinary
care, common sense and decency are, /
believe, all that is required to keep
health. If one has it to begin with,
Dec. IA, / was cleaning up my gun
Yesterday when someone said Hello.
Rene and / looked up and saw Bob
Sprague, of company c. Montana. and
Joe Morgan, of the same regiment, and
I was awfully glad to see them. / went
right back to their quarters and saw a
lot of nv old comra des of the Bozeman
company, Major brennan and Captain
Keown and others, and they were right
glad to see me. r anshan is first dl1ty
sergeant, and a great favorite with the
major. / also saw Oscar Failang and
Briggs. both well known in Bohemian,
both OF them being several pounds
lighter than usual on account of typhoid
fever. / am writing this letter by the
light Of large arc light we being the
only company that is furnished with
electric light. managed IA 90 I'M to
the nostoffice the other day .bl,t don't
know whether 7 could get there again
mr. NOT I houpbt a fine ahonv yalstnp
stick for 40 cents and think viii IN,
vest in several more before I come home
The natives are great musicians thew
are ali musical and some IF thar, are
exce1lant Tn-nipht T heard an orc,,as-
ira thai wonld nlease anv American
andience II was con,nosad Of a within
two GUITARS and mando,in and thay
nlaved selections from "Trovatore, ana
+ was fine T visited a SMEAR factory
TODAY and saw them getting a cargo
of or1,da s,,par sh;nned r. T.nndon Thev
used tha same figures az va IA Int I
cnnl1n,t pst IN to their mode ~ cal
cn1atinn We have nrettv good tim.
not r,cb IA do excent ,i3tIe straat
natroi and On have NOT n,ch IN corn-
piain of
A blizzard ragged the GREATER mart of