The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-02-24
LETTER FROM MANILA.

Private Norman Bats Tells of the Trip
Across the Ocean, and Other Things.
The HERALD is permitted to take
the following extracts from a letter
written by Private Norman Bats, of
Co. B., First Tennessee, to his
father, Mr.. j. Il. Bate, at TimmOns,
from Cavite, p. l., dated January |:
"Dedr Fdther:-I received your most
kind and welcome letter to-day, and
was very glad indeed to hear from YOU
and to learn that all was we'll. 1t found
me all o. k, and also on guard.
"Well, you wanted to know about the
people over here. The natives are of a
mulatto color, and go about half dressed.
When the soldier boys first came here
the children went naked, and some of
them do until yet. You cannot un-
derstand any of their talk. The towns
are all filled with old churches and
priests and prisons. They have their
prisons made together with their
churches, and also bury their dead un
der the floors. The town looks like it
is about 80 years "behind times" com
pared with our towns at home.
"Little did | think when | was at
home last Christmas that | would spend
this Christmas in a foreign land, under
banana trees and cocoanut trees, doing
military duty.
"The land is of very rich color, and
looks as if you could raise almost any
thing upon it.
1--WE are now at Cavite Station, in the
Navy yard. Dewey's fleet is anchored
due south from us, and about one mile
| distant.
at is very interesting to see how
everything is carried on here. 1t is a
trip of lifetime, and, while we have
to undergo many hardships, | would
not have missed it for anything in the
world.
"You wanted to know about our trip
across the ocean. The first day ont the
water was very rough indeed, and by II
o'clock there were more seasick boys
than you could hardly count. Some of
them begun to think that they were 60
ing to die, but they say sea sickness
never kills anyone. The doctors were
all sick, too. They had no advantage
over the privates in that regard. We
landed in Honolulu all right, stayed
there three days, and then resumed our
trip.
"We did not get to see land until tif-
teen days later, when we sighted the
volcano called Farallon de Payaros. 1t
looked like the top of it was about 40U
feet above the water, and we could see
the smoke boiling out OF the crater
"The next night we passed the Kan.
sas boys on board the Indidnd. They
looked like they were standing still in
the water. Their Goat left Honolulu
three days ahead of us.
"We sighted the Ladrone Islands
and then passed into the China Sea
There we struck rough water, and the
next morning we had somewhat of 8
gale. The old boat rocked from one
side to the other, as if she was going tC
sink every minute. Some of the boy:
; Jump overheard. The water sometimes
rolled over the deck, and came dowr
through the skylights into our hunks
Things looked very scarry, indeed, for {
while.
"We finally dropped anchor in Manilt
harbor, with everything on board al
right. We were paid off on board the
boat, but were not allowed to go ashore
for several days. The natives, how
ever, would slip around with theil
boats and some of the boys would slir
off and go to town.
"When we all got ashore we pitched
our tents in Manila and stayed ther'
about two weeks, and were then moved
over to Cavite and put in barracks.
: "This is Sunday morning, and every
,, thing is mild and pleasant. We have tt
, go without our coats here, while yOr
are now having cold weather at home
81 think we are going to have troubl
l with the insurgents, from all that
: hear.
Give my love to all, and tell the boy
| am having good time in the army
"Your son, at. n. BATS"