West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1899-05-25
FIGHTING THE FIuP|NOS.
4 Graphic Account OF the InSufsent
Outbreak at Manila, and the
Capture OF llOnO.
An 'Ateresti1e Letter From an pld
kingwood Boy New in the Far
Away Philippine Islands.
Co. 4. ,sr TsSN. REGr, US. V.
homo, ISLAND or PANAY. P.L
March i6tb tSoA


1LoLo, ISLAND or PANAY, PL
March 10th, IsOa.
DEAR EDrroR AND FRIENDS IN pars.
TON nv previous letter was at "A
loss To know whether my letter would
oe OF interest from the fact that cur
other Preston boys tShaw and Engle-
hart. Co c. 10th Pa.,) had preceded me
and had written of their trip 20 and
stay at Honolulu. In a letter nom
home since learn they had Since that
time SO many things nave occurred,
We have had SO many experiences that
perhaps, in attempting TO tell few
things, Iwill get them 20 mixed up, they
will be uninteresting.
Our trip from Honolulu was little
more eventual. When about a week
out we passed the Indiana, carrying
tive battalions of the 2Oth Kansns
boys. Our vessel was a faster running
shiD ana after sighting the Indiana
about noon, IL took till eight o'clock
that night to catch up with her II
was quite "a novel experience TO run by
vessel when SO far from land Az
the vessel rose and fell on the swell.and
the band played patriotic airs, the
boys OF the two vessels made the stiIl
night air ring with cheers. We were
out few moneRts leaving the
Indiana. and few of the bows who
dien.t think of how long IL would be
before they could see another vessel.
We passed through the northern end
of the Ladrone group We went about
two miles south of the island of Farra
Lone de Pajara
AS most OF us had never seen an
active volcano, the smoke and vapor
and dry, dead sides OF the island, was
/ quite an interesting sight to- us. Per-
haps the best description could give
/ would be TO say IL is a cone about a
mile in diameter with height OF 2. 600
feet, the sides being perfectly dead and
! dry-seemingly covered with cinders
and ashes, and from the apex an i'm
/ nense amount of smoke and yapor
| pouring, being carried up by the wind,
causing great many clouds off from
the volcano. Perhaps to some Of my
West Virginia friends. il would be
more suggestive of huge smoke stack
OF some large iron foundry.
Everything moved along quietly and
uneventfully till. when about two
days from the China Sea. storm
struck us But by this time we had
become quite sea-farIng and were
ANXIOUS to have something to brea /,
the monotony, for a voyage over the
J Pacific certainly does become uninter.
csting
One morning went mp on the hur.
ricnne deck to watch the waves and
see the vessel pitch about. | hadn't
more than gotten out OF tie hold when
"a large wave struck the vessel nrnids hin.
completely flooding that portion OF the
decks and going clear oyer the smoke
stack. Maybe the boys In that viciui-
ty didn't scamperl Later in the day
the vessel took "A plunge and our only
dog went overheard. IL took the
boys ali day TO get over the loss OF
| "Cy."
Thanksgiving. 1898. 10 the boys who
came to Manila on the Lealanda. will
ever be remembered. The sea had
been unusually calm for about a week.
Thanksgiving morning the sweils were
getting larger and larger and by noon
the waves were breaking against the
sides of tic vessel in good shape Early
in the day we were told that we would
! be treated TO n Thanksgiving dinner.
We should have delicacics ia the wav
Of lemonade. Oirae juice), cakes light
bread and a few more dainties. Some
Of us got together what strH ne had
on hand and could buy out Of the
| commissary ,andwe had a"swell dinner.
! Perhaps the menu would be OF interest
First course, hard-taelS, then bre ad
canned peaches, apricots, jam, beef.
sardincs. pickles, cbow-chow, and last.
but BY no means least. turkev. Uhe
/ PIcrURE of one). IL is needless 10 cay
we enjoyed our repast But how the
/ boys wished that IL was at home in
I stead of way out on the drearv sea
IL was tbeu at least, that tine most
! prOiigal looked back on his past ex-
periences and recOiiected former
Thanksgiyings. Perhaps not ono Of
as would have beRrudged months
salary could we haYc but stepped in
home aud enjoyed the good things our
! mothers cooked. After ou. feast we
ad picture OF sine crowd and Of the
iagments that remained.
Novcm Der 27th we come iu sight OF
lmd,th northeast OF Luzon. What 70
wdcOme sight after such long
o'age Coming along the northeast
cost through thc channel into the
China Sea, then down The west coast,
most of The time in sight OF lana.
About sundown November 18th. we
sighted the lighthouse ON Corrcpidor
Island, ~ The entrance OF the BAY.
We all ciinbe as high ia the rigging
and as far out on tue bows as the
sailors would allow. We entered the
/ Bay through the left hand channel
/ just about dark, ana by the time we
/ got into the harbor at Manila il was
p ono afa1..I.