Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-09-15
TRIP ON THE GRANT.
Mark Yeater of Company A, Describes
the Trip from Manila.

Manila is given by Mark Ycater of
Company A, who writes:
We left Manila August 1, just a
year to the hour from the time we
landed, and the Valencia, which car
ried us over, arrived in port just a
few hours before we left. We came
back on the government transport
Grant and had much better accommo-
dations than we had on the Valencia.
The Grant is 1872 feet long, has a soft.
beam and is capable Of carrying 1000
men.althOugh there We're only LOO
OH board, SO w were not ut all
crowded. Then we had good canvas
hunks to sleep in and could turn on
Il stream of hot or cold air according
to II needs, and as we went pretty
far north the hot air was in demand
most of the time. We had tables to
eat at, Willie on the Valencia we got
our grub in our tin pan or hat or
something else. and went on deck and
ate it any place we could find room.
The Valencia was crowded with six
companies, While we had plenty of
room on the Grant with about twenty
four or twenty-five companies. The
grub was nothing extra but We didn't
kick much as long as we had Il good
place i'll which to eat it. and Il decent
place to sleep. The Valencia had
but II berth deck and that was clear
down next to the hold or cellar-as we
called it ut the time. She had no
ventilation and was so hot and close
that we had to sleep on deck most of
the time. l only slept in the hold
three nights and that was before we
got to Honolulu. Then another great
advantage of the Grant was the light
she had Il good electric light plant.
while on the Valencia we never saw
daylight until we came on deck. where
We were to be found most any hour Of
the day or night. The Grant had
two berth decks. and we We're in the
upper II and had plenty of sunlight
in the day time, although the lower
berth had to depend on electricity ut
all times. Our deck on the Grant was
perhaps fifteen feet above water.
While VIC slept under water on the
Valencia or would if we had slept in
our hunks. The hunks on the Nalcn-
cia were Of wire springs. while we had
good canvas hunks on the Grant.
There were three layers of hunks ON
both ships-the first one about a foot
from the floor and the rest about two
feet above each other. They were
about two and one-half feet wide and
were two together, with Il gangway OF
about two feet between.
Very few of the men We're seasiclk
as the sea was smooth when We
started. and the ship, owing to hcl
size, doesn't rock much anyway in III
ordinary sea-. We lost four men or
the ship, who died, besides one Graz,
! man who wanted to get off and walk
!. 81 jumped overheard before w,
: reached N%agasaki. suppose he diet
> too.
We reached Nagasaki on the :1tl,
were there two days while the shi]
was taking OF coal. The coal wa
loaded from barges and the work wa
done by women-with men. of course
for bosses. We had shore leav
both days and had a good time. Th
. educated Japs are Il fine lot OF peopl
e and were very kind in their treatmen
) Of the foreigners-as they called us
d We I'LL felt kind Of queer ut Dein,
. called foreigners. We took on
pilot ut Nagasaki and enjoyed some {
the finest scenery in the world on on
trip through the inland sea. At Kob
some Of the officers were going 10 &c
Off and travel overland to Yokaham:
but the quarantine officials would no
allow them to land without Il tlloroug,
examination Of the boat, and rs tina
! would cause 4 delay of six or cigll
hours, the captain of the Grant woul
not wait. so the brave officers had t
satisfy themselves with the sam
transportation as the men. We rcacle
! Yokohama about the 10th and pulle
up to the dock about daylight. Ma,
, White, who left Manila several day
ahead of us on the Sherman, met II
at the docks. We We're lined ND o
the dock and marched up past til
: American cOnsul's office in Il brigad,
The American women had Il goo
lunch for us when noon arrived, an
$ it was much enjoyed by the men. w
: were I'LL broke when we landed-as n
good soldiers should be-but Buc
Firm. Company AS lucky man. yer
kindly advanced Il little wad to eac
man Oh the strength Of the next pa
day. so we all. had a chance to tax
in the town. On the second day mos
everybody took the train and wer
to Toxic TO see the Mikado. but all W
saw of him was the top of his paluc
). inside a wall bigger than the Oh
a around Old Manila.
When WI got back to Yokohama RI
first news that greeted us was til;
5 the ship had been %Quarantined, S
{ everybody stayed on shore as long Il
they could as it was their last chanc
to get off. We all had to be on boar
by 8 o'clock, however, and that nicl
from the deck of the Grant we wi,
messed the biggest fire that Yokoham
had ever seen; about a square mil
Of the residence portion was swer
clean. The next morning we foun
ourselves miles from the city, at til
quarantine station. and that day W
We're all taken off to a large buildin
and fumigated. while the ship receive
the same treatment. We were all pr
in a large tank full Of hot water IN
boiled down for about half an hou,
? while our clothes We're put in a sac
and put through some kind of Il prc
cess that left them all wrinkled II
and faded; the wrinkles were NJ
there to stay and are there vet. w
wore only enough to cover us; afte
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