The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-15

| might properly be called "a war of
| words" In the war I am about to de-
| scribe billets were substituted for bull
let's. and in some instances with almost
as fatal results. and with the billet as
| we'll as the bullet. If any failed to reach
the desired end the blame attaches to
! the poor aim of the sender and not, ex-
cepting in rare instances, to the equip
ment provided by the government. The
Spanish-American war marked new
| era in postal progress and our great
| postal system demonstrated anew that
it is entitled to be considered to be the
| most perfect system of the kind in the
| world. With the breaking out of hos
| tiltieS, the heads of the postOffice de-
partment prepared plans for the estab-
liShment of postal stations in every
military camp as soon as the tent
stakes should be driven. Before congress
| could pass the bill providing for This
| service our armies had begun to gather
and the officials of the department took
| immediate action in anticipation of ia
vorable action by congress. You are
| all familiar with the story of how our
| thoroughly organized forces of the rail-
| way mail service-the most efficient
| branch of the government service, in
my opinion-handled the mails on the
Atlantic coast and now I am asked to
| tell something about how the mails for
the Philippines were handled.
On the 9Th of June congress passed
the bill authorizing military postoffices,
and late that same afternoon l received
| at Portland, Ore, a dispatch to go to
| San Francisco that night, as it might
be necessary to send me to the Phil
| ippines. BY great good luck for mel
this telegram was received one hour
after the train left and I so wired the
!. r 11nt
| the next day, but would have to return
to Portland to close out personal AT
fairs if 1 was to go to the Philippines.
| At $50 a. m. the 7th, received tele
! gram to start at once for the Philip
| pines, and took the train at p M,
| having sold out my furniture and house
| hold effects during the day.
| The transport on which 1 was to
leave was delayed somewhat. and on
| the 18th of June / left San Francisco
| with the second expedition consisting
of four ships. George F. Conway of
the San Francisco postoftlce accom-
| companied me to act as superintendent
| of the money order, registry and stamp
departments, and with him was Ed
ward Kelly of the same Office as as
| sistant.
| The business Of the new station real
| ly began at Honolulu, at which point
mail was collected from all the
ships of the fleet, placed in
pouches addressed to San Fran,
cisco and left to be forwarded
by first dispatch. At midnight, before
our day of departure from Honolulu,
a Pacific liner arrived from San Fan
cisco with late mail and anchored in
the outer harbor Although it was
raining and the water very rough, l
secured a whaleboat and managed to
transfer the army mails to my own
ship, where they were sorted, and those
for the members of our expedition de-
livered early in the morning.
Arrival at Cavite.
We arrived in Cavite harbor the aft
ernoon of July 16, and then ensued a
tedious wait for two weeks before we
| could get our postoffice supplies land
ed Everything large enough to be
used for any purpose had been seized
by the quartermaster's department, and
we were completely at its mercy so far
as moving our equipment was con-
cerned. While we were waiting three
mails were made up on the ships and
dispatched to the states. On July 20
our stamps and supplies were landed
and we opened up postoffice In Cav
lite in what had been used by the Span
iards as a store house. Workmen in
the navy yard built some equipments
for the Office and detail of three SOL
diers from the Second Oregon volun-
|
There We're but few regiments there at
that time and we managed very well
| with our crude furniture. 1t was try
ing on the nerves to distribute ncom-
ing mails by the light of half dozen
| candles stuck around on the cases and
racks. and still more trying to work to
the accompaniment of the singing of
thousands Of mosquitoes, but We lived
| through it and can now afford to laugh
at it all. Among the soldiers detailed
was an Irishman with brogue thick
| enough to trip man, and it was side
splitting to hear him, with feet elevated
on the table, answering the queries of
the guard, or some colonel as to the
mails. He was even not averse to
sounding them on proposed army
moves and not afraid to express an
opinion now and then as to what ought
to be done. And then the dinner, con-
| ssting of one can of tomatoes, eaten
| at Camp Dewey after having been six
| hours on the top of case in the broil-
ing sun and then landed dripping wet
| Thorough the surf. AS l look back at
| it think I never more enjoyed a meal,
| although up to that time l had never
relished tomatoes.
Establishing the First Postoffice.
We remained at Cavite until the
morning of Aug. 10, when l secured
deck space on the transport that was
to move the I'd Oregon over to Manila
From this boat l saw the preparations
made by our navy and the evolutions
of the fleet While our boats were bonn
harding the Spanish trenches there was
some subdued excitement for fear that
there might be some slip in the ar
engagements and the big Spanish guns
open fire upon US After the Capitula-
ton. the transport carrying the Ore
gonians headed for the city water front
and struck on the bottom. While the
officers We're making arrangements to
land the men I hailed boats crew
from the Mccullough and they kindly
landed me, with three paymasters, on
the city front. We walked up and into
the walled city and had the satisfaction
| of knowing that we were in town an
hour or so ahead of the soldiers. I do
not mean this last as any reflection on
the three majors who were with me-
After watching for a time the crowds
of natives and Spaniards who thronged
the streets constantly increased by