Arizona republican., 1899-10-14
LOSS OF THE MORGAN CITY
Sergeant Charles E. Baofh Describes
 the Wreck of inc Transport.

Sergeant Charles E. Booth of the
 signal service, who was until recently
 stationed at Fort Grant, was a pas
 senger on the United States transport,
 Morgan City, which was wrecked on an
 island off the coast of Japan, Septem- | Der ?. The following letter, written on
 the beach the next day. was intended
 for Mrs Booth, who is now at Fort Ma son, Cal, but before proceeding far
 with the account the writer decided to
 make it general and to send it to the
 Wilcox News for publication:
 Inoshima Island, Japan, Sept. g. 1S99 My Dear Wife: Wrote you from Kobe but was just about a minute too late. Well, I am having my moneys
 worth with a vengeance, a grand ex-
 perience, for which I would not grudge year of my life. As sit on my trunk thirty feet from the ocean waves, I look out and see first the grand old Morgan City with nothing
 but her foremast and a few feet of her bow showing. We have been ship wrecked, but in spite of lots of push and excitement the troops were never in danger of loss of life. The ship struck a rock which knocked a forty two-inch hole in her bow way below the water line. In about half an hour after she struck they managed to back her off as she was rapidly filling. The captain, who by the way, was at his post continuously and who is in no way responsible for the accident, headed her for the beach about a mile away. She struck the beach head on at just 5:3S a. n1., Saturday. September ?. IT,. usual and the real condition of affairs had been so we'll concealed that nearly all partook of a hearty meal, your humble servant not included. The ships boats, which the crew had been quietly preparing, were lowered and our commanding officer. Major Wittick, called out: Companies 1 and ashore, taking mess kits and blankets. All otehr stuff will be saved afterward." The work of disem barking was begun at o'clock sharp and such scramb- ling amongst the farmers and Indiana boys was never seen before. Hun dreds stood on the rails looking over board, their mess pans in one hand, the life preserver trailing behind from the other. (The mess pan had the precedence during the entire trip) For myself I managed to get the mess kit
  ing into a telescope and prepared to jump two or three times, as I knew that the water struggle of 700 men massed would result in great loss of life and I wished to be a few feet in ad- vance of the main body; still I did not want to precipitate the movement. In all this sadly grand performance there was an extremely ludicrous other side. Personally I heard one Indiana boy say, "I wish I was back with Aunt Kate" Others heard the remark which was taken up and passed from [ stem to stern, and then it was that American nerve and indifference to danger came to the front. No man showed fear. Even the Aunt Kate" | man caught the infection. There was no rush to get ashore and no display of selfshness that came to my notice. i Hundreds of hospitably disposed Japs | with their junks swarmed about, anx- . ious to render aid. The work of disem ! barking was completed in one hour and . fifteen minutes, after which naked men i went into the water-logged hold and began the work of unloading the cargo . stored in the forward hatch. The ship . had about 15 degree list to port and was going down at the rate of about three feet an hour aft and one and one half forward. Sugar, flour, beans and | rice were hoisted from the hatchway ten sacks at time and allowed to slide down the deck into the water, where hundreds of naked soldiers got behind | them and pushed them ashore. Pota- toes and bacon in crates were dumped