Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-03-16
ANOTHER LETTER FROM nOlLO.
Will Wilson Tells Professor Hooker
of Soldier Life I'm a Tropical Cline.
On Board Transport Pennsylvania"
OF Iloilo, January 10th, 1899.

Off Iloilo, January 10th, 1899.
DEAR PROFESSOR:
AS there is China Mail Steamer in
now and will undoubtedly leave for
Hong Kong tomorrow l will try and
write you few lines. / think Clyde
wrote you from Manila, so you know all
about our trip from Frisco as far as
Manila. And he told you all about
Minila also suppose.
We spent Xmas in Manila Bay, and
merry Xmas it was for the St. Paul had
just arrived with Xmas boxes for us.
Although we didn't see any Santa Claus
or any Xmas trees or any snow, we had
a good time any way. The Chaplain had
Xmas services up on the hurricane deck.
We have church mp there every Sun
day and the band plays every evening,
SO you see we have places to go and are
not as dead or discontinued as you
would maybe think we would be after
being on ship board seventy.fv days.
We all want to land bad enough but
can't very we'll. We have orders to land
if we can land peaceably, but there is
not much consolation for us in such
orders for the natives seem to be in
scrapping mood. But we hide our dis
content as much as possible and appear
to be the best contented fellows there
are.
Our trip from Manila down here was
the incest of our whole voyage. We had
plenty of beautiful scenery all the way
down here, being in sight of land all the
way. No sooner would one island disap-
pear from our view than we could look
ahead and see another. We are lying
now in the straits between the islands of
Panay and Irene. The only ships here
now are the Baltimore and "Petrep
from Dewey's feet and the Arizona,
with the 18th Regulars on board, the
Newport" with the 9th Artillery and the
pennsylvania" with the 51st Iowa.
There are also few English and Ger
man ships here. The city Of Iloilo lies
off to the north west of us on the island
of Pauay. Most Of the city is hidden
from our view. We can only see fort
with some sentinels pacing back and
forth on the walls, and some low build
ings which may be barracks.
Every island we have seen is covered
with trees and bushes so thick that it
looks from distance to be impenetrable
l suppose there are agood many wild ami
mails on these islands and L understand
that the Philippines are the home OF the
The natives all speak Spanish and now
it is that am sorry / never took Latin
while in school for could learn Spanish
very much easier il only knew Latin.
We have picked up some Spanish by
our conversation with the natives OF
Manila and will be able to talk it in an
off hand way by the time we get home.
We got mail the 18th, Of this month,
the latest news being Nov. 9th. We
are only two months behind the times
you see. 1t rains good deal here, but
we like to see it rain. This is supposed
to be winter here now, but il it is, its the
hottest winter / ever was in. The mir
does not appear to be so awful but the
sun is A big per cent of the natives
wear no hats though. | understand that
we are to be armed with the Kragg
Jorgesen rife but we would lots rather
keep the Springfelds. The natives are
afraid as death of the Springfelds for
they think the bullets explode. Some
of the boys landed on small island
north east OF here yesterday and brought
back bananas and cocoa nuts which
they said grew wild up there The boys
said they saw some wild goats but didn't
get shot at them.
Our Regiment, as a whole, has been in
better health since leaving San Fran
cisco than it was before. While there
we lost man by death once n week on
an average, but we haven't lost man
since leaving there. We left about
twenty sick at Honolulu and few at
Manila, but no deaths have been re.
ported. Elwood, from Audubon, was
left at Honolulu. noticed the day be-
fore we arrived there that he was not
looking well, but didn't think any more
about him until the night before we left
and it was then too late for me to see him
as he had been conveyed to the hospital,
am sorry Henry did not get to come
with us for he has missed seeing good
deal. wouldn't have missed the trip
for any thing, although | would like to
see old Audubon again, but / am going
to see all can and have rs good time
as can while over here for | may not