The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-01-13
FROM FAR LUZON
Lew Cofiield, Private Co. /, Twentieth
Kansas, Writes the Register
an Interesting Story of
the Long Journey.

from shore,) December LIST, 1893.
Dear Bert:-I can hardly realize
that | am nearly 10000 miles from
home tonight, but it must DO the case
for we have finally reached "the
promised land" after tresome vOy.
age of one long, hungry month. We
left Frisco Oct. 9th, had storm the
first night out which scared me out of
a years growth, arrived In Honolulu
Nov 9th, stayed there four days and
took in all the sights; held our cleo
ton on the 9Th aud voted my first
state ticket took shot at Bro.
Leedy) and sailed for Manila on the
morning of the 9th. The election was
q hot one; some Of the officers tried to
run the thing, hut got turned down in
good shape. 1t was as exciting as
the Gas Bond election in lola. We
ran into Manila Bay and anchored at
1890 last night two miles from the
City of Manila and don't know when
we will land, but are all anxious to
get on the mother earth once more in
a hurry. We had a pretty hard tri
and have had enough of the ocean 10
last until time for the journey back to
the United States. We were better
off than a good many of the regiments
that came before us, for we never lost
man and had very little sickness on
| hoard Wa wara cauoht in "a otorn,
on last Sunday, which lasted two
days and drfted us 30 miles out of our
course. 1t was pretty severe storm.
| cav waves run over the hurricane
deck, which the sailors say is little
out of the ordinary. Il thought so at
the time.) They have lots of fun
with us and think that the soldiers
are "bloomin' foolsn because they
don't know anything about "a ship.
They are a jolly good set of fellows,
however, and would always divide
their dinner with sick soldier who
could not stand Uncle SANS bill of
fare. Quite number of the boys
would get sea sick every time the sea
would get rough enough to rock the
ship and after the two days storm
abated they were sorry looking lot,
and then we ran through the straits
into the China Sea, which is always
rough, and they got it again and look
now as if they might have been on a
jag for two weeks.
never got the least bit sea.sIcll at
any time and rather enjoyed seeing
two or three hundred soldiers haug-
ing over the rail heaving Jonah at
the came time and wishing the ship
would go down or blow up or some
thing like that. There are four trans
ports in the harbor today and none OF
them seem to be able TO land their
troops. Some of them have been
here tor two weeks and are still on
board. The lst Washington on
board the "Ohio" was in Honolulu at
the same time we were. | saw
Charlie Perkins there. They beat Il $
in here nearly week. We could not
go ashore today, but have had lots OF
visitors from the regiments already
here, who came out to get the latest
news from home. | wish | could
paint picture or write description
of the scene here tonight, but can
never do 1t. The bay is smooth as
glass, there is "a band playing a con-
cert on the deck of one of the trans.
ports near us, the lights of the ships
in Admiral Dewey's fleet Off to our
left look like a good sized town, and
as the moon shines down on the wa
ter, making it as light as day, | can
see the hulls of four of the ships In
the Spanish fleet that Dewey sunk,
which have been raised and are now
floating on the surface, where they
went down seven months ago today.
The LIST Nebraska Regiment band is
out in a steam launch serenading the
transports, and paid us visit haitian
hour ago. They have gone over to
the Ielanpia to play Dixie" for the
Tennessee boys, The moonlight on
the water, the music and the lights of
both the city IN the distance ana of
the ships around US go to make up a
scene that / cannot begin TO describe,
aud one that is well worth travelling
| 10 900 miles to see.
Well, l must try to write some
more letters tonight. for the mail
leaves at a. m. tomorrow, so Will
have to bring this to a close. We
hear that the news has been cabled
to the Associated Press that we were
lost at sea, (its all II mistake) and if
such message was cabled to Ameri-
ca and you don't learn any different
before you get this letter, will you do