The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1899-07-19
Our Nc Makes History.

1--WE followed the troops" said First
class Sergeant Tom McKinstry, "and
We had to keep pretty well to the front
all the time. Yes; we we're under fire,
but after a while We got so used to 1t
that we did not mind it, and no one Of
the boys Of our company was killed,
although two OF them died OH the run
from Honolulu to Manila.
"Onr first real experience under fire
was after the attack on Pace Church.
The artillery cut our wires Oyer the
Paco bridge and We had to climb NJ
and fix them. There were four of US
in the crowd-Corporal Inman, Shalds
and Logan. On either side of us were
The Filipinos peppering us from nipa
huts. The soldiers were on the bridge
banging back at them, while We were
open targets.
1.-THE first work We had to do was to
follow the army into Manila. We ear
ried our wires right behind the army,
and it was over our line that The news
OF Manila's downfall was was sent to
General Merritt. About two days after
that we had connected the cable which
Dewey had cut. All we had was a
common rubber insulated wire, but it
lasted for two weeks. Before it gave
way we had run the cable from Manila
to Cavite, and that held until the
proper wire had reached us from this
side.
cat first We were the only company
over there and had TO do all the work.
When the Filipinos broke out VIZ were
sent on the south side Of the Pasig
with General King and General Oven
shine. We had to have the instru-
ments at the front all the time. Gem
eral Otis was in Manila, and as o o
as the position Of the army was ad-
vanced the General was put in iume-
diate connection with it. The work OF
stringing wires had to he done, no
matter what the danger. During the
Santa Cruz campaign we strung up
thirteen miles of wire. The Filipiuos
used TO cut down the wires and then
we had to go back and repair them.
There was where the danger came in.
1--WE we're behind Lawton's flying
brigade on the way to Laguna de Bay.
There WAS ONE hot work. The troops
would go right through and we would
be IN the thick OF bullets.
There wa one thing occurred to us
which we thought, AT the time was
funny. We were completely cut off
from Lawton's brigade. There were
nine of US. We knew the Filip,nos
would fall in behind our troops and
get between them and us, but we had to
go on, and in fact our work kept us
too busy to think what the natives
were doing. We saw lots Of them, yet
they never attempted to harm US.
When we came back that way Law
toms men had TO 6gth their way
through the same insurgents they had
fought before. We learned afterwards
from friendly natives that the Filipi-
nos were afraid of our wires and in
struments. They thought that we
could tap the wires and bring re-en-
iorcements at any moment.
"Perhaps n occurrence gave them
this idea. Four OF the boys of the
Nineteenth Signal Corps we're hemmed
in by a large force of Filipinos. The
latter plugged away at them and call
ed upon them to surrender. The boys
gave a yell Of defiance and blazed
away. They let them have their forty
FIVE rounds and then went for them
with their reviewers. Meantime one
Of the boys slipped out and got re-
endorsements. Ten dead natives were
found in the bushes. Obi there was
excitement enough for everybody.