The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-05
CLUTCH|NG The NIGHT
How Big War SearchIights
Play in Harbor of Manila.
LIKE ARMS OF MONSTER
Wichita Boy Writes His I'm
pressions of War Dogs

Fred Marshall, son Of A. W. Marshall,
as a member of the Thirty-second infan-
try has arrived in the Philippines and has
been in action.
Fred, who used to live in Wichita and
has many friends here, gives pretty
description Of Manila bay by night in
letter to his folks, which is given here:
Manila, P. l., Oct. 30, 1899.
ITO All the Dear Ones at Home:
Have you got your ears at the long
distance telephone? If you have, listen.
arrived safe and sound, right side up
with care, and in perfect health, mere
last night at about 1850 p. m. Our Voy-
age was a remarkable one in that it was
without a single blow or hard sea IN a
voyage of about 5000 miles. Think OF It,
The boys are in the best of health and
spirits; am so myself. Now, how are you
all getting along? 1 expect that the nrst
letter I get from you will tell me any
way, but 1 must sort Of ask as II L was
talking to you. How's May? Want TO
hear from her and expect to inside OF a
week You folks must write once a week
any way and I'll send another one chas-
ing this one before it gets very far out
at sea- That is, if can get to mail we
haven't been ashore yet The haroor IS
alive with shipping and vessels of all
nations are lying at anchor all over the
bav. Especially noticeable are those
grim, determined looking veterans of the
p
wearing the Ieaden gray paint, while
grouped all about it at different places
are those great white vessels with the
red, white and blue bands around their
smoke stacks which tells the initiated
that they are Uncle Sans soldier trans
por :.
But as I write the scene is peaceful
and beautiful in the extreme. 1t is early
evening, the busy little tugs have nearly
all steamed off to anchor for the night.
There is not a breath to ruffle the sur
face of the harbor, which reflects the out
line and rigging of each great silent YES
| sci so faithfully that you can almost
| trace each rope, and the stars shine so
bright and the harbor is all twinkllng
with lights from the mastheads that you
forget that you are in the midst of sleep
ing monsters with terrible power at their
command (Which, should occasion arise,
could in five minutes time change this
peaceful scene into one that would take
a better pen than mine to describe), and
you fall into pleasant reveries Of home
and friends and familiar scenes so far
away.
But to disarbuse your mind of the idea
that these dogs Of war are sleeping. you
have only to try to slip into the harbor
at night without being seen, or do as we
did last night, come in from sea at night
without any secrecy. You think you can
steam quietly in and drop anchor and
| give them a surprise in the morning, but
while you are still miles up the bay sud-
denly you see long white arm shoot
out across the sky, then down to the sea
level, travelling with uncomfortable swift
ness, seeming to feel along as if search
ing for something Then as 1t strikes
you it suddenly stops. You are blinded
by perfectly white, dazzling light, and
you stand perfectly revealed, hull, rig
ging, spars, men, everything, and you
know that sharp eyes behind powerful
glasses are taking in every detail which
stands out so distinctly in the night, fol-
you are in the rays of a powerful
searchlight on board one of Uncle Sans
sleeping watch dogs
'"Then you realize how utterly impossi
BILE it was for Cervera, bottled up in San
tiago harbor to slip out unobserved t
either attack or fly from these same bis
fellows.
There is no dock, so we will be takeI
off tomorrow in lighters. Don't know
: how long we stay in Manila. Native
come out in their peculiar boats to sci
US vegetables and fruit, but don't ca
any of their fruit but those I know or
= all right, such as oranges and banana
, and cocoanuts. Their cigars are cheat
' and detesta-ble and if they don't improv
I stand in good way to quit, for
Y don't like their native tobacco a little bit
+ Don't cry, though I'll get some NOR
t when I get back to the States, so don
e sympathize too much.
e 1.-The best news We have heard yet wa