El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-13

great postal system demonstrated q
new that it Ia entitled to be considered
the most perfect system of the kind II
the world. With the breaking out o.
hostilities the heads of the Postoftice
Department prepared plans for the es
tablish Dent of postal stations In every
military camp as sOon as the ten'
stakes should be driven. Before con
gress could pass the bill providing fol
this service our armies had begun &c
gather and the officials of the depart
ment TUX mediate action in aotici'
patton of favorable action by congress.
On the 9Th of June congress passed
the bill authorizing military postoffices
and late that same afternoon L receiv-
ed at Portland, o., dispatch to go to
San Francisco that night, as it might
be necessary to send me to the Philip
pines. By great good luck for me this
telegram was received one hour after
the train left, and l 30 wired the de-
pArtment, adding that 1 would have
the next day, but would have to return
to Portland to close out personal At
fairs, if was to goto the Philippines.
At $50 q. M, the 7th, 1 received q
telegram to start at once for the Phi
lippines, and took the train at 6 p. m ,
having sold out my furniture and
house nold 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 postoffice accompsnie d
me TO act as superintendent OF the
money order, registry and stamp de-
partmeuts, and with him we're Ed
ward Kelly of the same Office, as as
sistant.
The business of the new station
really began at Honolulu, at which
point mail was collected from all the
ships of the feet. placed in pouches
addressed to San Francisco, and left
to b forwarded by first dispatch. At
midnight, before our day of departure
from Honolulu, Pacific liner arrived
from San Francisco with late mail, and
anchored in the outer harbor. AL
though it was raining, and the water
was very rough, l secured whaleboat
and managed to transfer the army
mails to my own ship, where they were
sorted, and those for the members of
our expedition delivered early in the
morning.
We arrived at Cavite harbor the af
ternoon of July 16, and then ensued q
tedious wait for two weeks before we
could get our postoffice supplies landed.
Everything large enough to be used
for any purpose had been seized by the
quartermsster's department., and we
were completely at it's mercy so far as
moving our equipment was concerned.
While we were waiting three mails
were made up on the chips and dis
patio ned to the states. On July 20 our
stamps and supplies we're landed and
We opened up q postofice at Cavite in
what had been used by the Spaniards
rs a storehouse. Workmen In the
navy ward bull: some equipments for
the office, aud detail of three soldiers
from the Second Oregon volunteers
was secured to assist in the work.
There we're but few regiments there at
that time, and we managed svery well
with our crude furniture. It was try
ing on the nerves to distribute incom-
ing mails by the light of bali dozen
candles stuck around on the cases and
racks, and still more trying to work to
the accompaniment of the singing OF
thousands of mosq uitoes, but we lived
through it and can now afford to laugh
at il all,
ESTABLISHING THE FIRST POSTOFFICE.
We remained at Cavite until the
morning of August Is, when 1 secured
deck space on the transport that was to
move the Second Oregon over to Ma
Mia. From this boat l saw the prepar-
atioas made By our Iavy aud the evOlu-
tious 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 arrangements and the big Spanish
guns open fire upon US. After tee cap
itulation the transport carrying the
Oregopians headed for the city water
front and struck on the bottom. While
the officers were making arrangements
to land the men, / hailed boats crew
from the Mccullough and they kindly
landed me, with three paymas on
the city front.
After watching for time the crowds
of natives and Spaniards who thrOnged
the streets, constantly increased by
troops marching in and after stacking
their arms disbanding. I made my way
to the post" flee.
When introduced myself to the Of
fcials of the Manila postoffice on the
afternoon of August 49, at about the
time the Spanish flag was being hauled
down In the walled city, my purpose
Was to at once seize the stamps on hand
and whatever funds there might be. L
was received by the postmaster geuer-
al of the Philippines and the post
master of Manila, and very courteously
shown through the Office. but could see
no stamp department., ana Wnen M
ally made inquiry regarding it. 1 was
in TO med that no stamps were sold in
the postoffice. This seemed to be very
pc culiar, and I confess that thought 1
was being made the victim of Spanish
duplicity, until foreign consul ex-
planned to me later in the day that, un-
der the Spanish system, all STAN ps
were sold by an officer corresponding
to our collector of internal revenue, at
a discount to private individuals, who
n turn sold to the public at face value.
One of these contractors had little
booth in the rear of the lobby of the
pos.office, and when his place was
,losed, as il very frequently was, the
Id hea 1a;lrch of q b 70,