The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-29
American Soldiers Cared for by
Providence.
'SED MANILA DIRTY AND HUNGRY
In the yst Hold of Storm Tossed Transport
iney Worked in Four Feet
of Water

! stopped. The officers then held a council
and found that there were APO people on
board. with liteboat accommodations for
2lS. In the meantime the men below. ig-
norant of their peril, were passing buckets
and singing What the He'll DO We Care
while the ship moved heplessly on the
ocean. with matches closed.
/ The heat was intense until the typhoon
passed, and when the Pekln. which had
retraced her course about seventy miles,
rame alongside the Mananeuse, which
was rolling so heavily that the solder
in the hold could at each roll see the Pc
kin through the matches overhead. Colo
mel James S. Petit, commander OF the
| Thirty first volunteer regiment, ordered
the Mananeuse to proceed to Gaum and
await relief. The captain Of the Manan
euse demurred, the officers say. because
che government rented the ship for $500
per day Through the remainder OF the
voyage the engines of the Mananuese were
repaired at intervals. Then the vessel
would proceed again for q few hours
The meat and vegetables ro,ted because
of the failure of the refrigerators and
were thrown overheard.
a.Cer the storm the water supplied TO
the ship al Honolulu had to be used for
the boilers aud there was little or none
for drinking, In fact IL Is ASSERTED that
during the last week of the voyage the
men lived almost entirely on whisky, beer
and hard tack.
The officers and soldiers were utterly
exhausted when they reached Manila
They declared the eng neeas were gr,s ly
incompetent The officers ais say thai
The behavior of the troops was be ono
praise. For days they were In the dark,
suffocating hold with water sometimes up
10 their shoulders and planks wishing
about in a manner dangerous 10 life and
limb The officers took the lead in bail
ing and encouraged the mon.
The captain OF the ship promised the
men 25 cents a day for hailng, but he
now promises to pay them st,5O. The SOL
diers talk of attacking the ship.
The regiment win proceed 10 Gambia
nonga on the Pekin to garrison several
ports on the island OF Minandnnoa.
San Francisco, November 2s.--Trsnsport
officials at this port are at a loss to ex-
plain the alleged unseaworthness OF the
transport Mananeuse, whose arrival al
Manila was reported today. a reporter
of the Associated Press interviewed u
number Of officials today and N efe.y ia
stance the alleged uuseaworth.n M
dermanned and unprovisioned conli,io OF
he vessel was ridicued. IT was stated
that the Mapaneuse was In first-ciass con
dition when she left this port October 20.
Her engines had been thoroughly over
hauled and were in the bes of condition.
She was thoroughly proylsloned In the
cabin and had enough supplies for the
soldiers, and the officials are a. a loss to
explain the alleged shorenss of the food
supply. 4 nat she was undermannet is an
solutely denied because had she been,
clearance papers from this port would not
have been issued. As general rulo
transports leaving this port are. II any
thing. oversupplied with fixing crews
Regarding the alleged unseaworthiless
of the vessel 1t can be stated tina, she
was thoroughly inspected by the treasury
department and was passed as in first
class trim. Lloyds local Inspector. Captain
Metcals. also inspected the vessel and
passed her. The local inspectors OF hulls
and boilers made thorough examination
and found her engines in excellent condi-
tion and in fact the Mananeuse was gen
orally credited with being one of the best
vessels in the transport service. The, only
foundation for the report that shel was
under proysioned may have been with
regard 10 her supply OF fresh meats, OF
which she took good supply with her. |
but which may have been spoiled by some
accident to the refrigerating plant. which !
gave some trouble at Honolulu.
II the typhoon through which the Man |
aneuse passed was a severe one. 1t Is no, |
at all unlikely that some accident might |
have happened to her machinery necessl-
tating its shutting down for several days, !
so that repairs could be effected. This Is
the only explanation obtainable regard ng
the reported rotten condition OF her ma
1t Is even argued here that the
fact that the Mananeuse lived through |
the typhoon is enough to contradict the
story OF unseawort!ness