The evening times., 1900-01-24


was with Lieut. Col. Webb Hayes bat
TALON of the Thirty first. which was car
ried TO Manila on the transport Manuense.
and which had such a narrow escape from
being lost in a typhoon. Walcutt has writ
ten to friend in Washington, describing
the terrible voyage. His letter. dated Ma
Mia. November 2S. is as follows:
Guess you think it a long time between
letters but when you hear how near /
came 10 never writing another, you VIII
forgive me We got in this morning. four
DAYS over time, with battalion of the most
thankful. tired-out, bruised, and burnt men
that ever entered the harbor We have
certainly had the narrowest escape on rec
ord. and a voyage that will never be for
gotten. We were given up for lost, con-
seouently we met with a grand reception,
and when the commanding general was
told Of cur trip and what we did, he or
dered salute fired in honor Of the he
roes OF the Manuense.'
My God! it seems like horrible night
mare TO lock back upon our experience OF
the past week and think of the deeds Of
daring and self-sacTiice We Witnessed. 1t
seems incredible that men did dare to DO
such things The boat We came on is an
inferior vessel. and is known as the Roll
ing Moses of the Pacific. but is q good
sea boat, as you may imagine.
we arrived in Honolulu December 3,
and stayed until the 9th.
The first night from Honolulu our
troubles commenced. The electric light
not hr Gvn
We had no light except lard oil lamps. that
only seemed 10 intensity the darkness. We
had good water, so we bore this small
trouble without kicking. Next, bang, went
the ice machine. so overheard went the
meat, spoiled. Ice water was a thing OF
the past. We condensed our drinking va
ter from salt water. and had to drink ii
hot from the condensers: my. ii was hor-
rIble stuff. but that's another small matter.
FINALLY one of the condensers broke.
and that cut our water supply in two, so
We got about a half pint of water day,
hut these trifing inconyeneineces we bore
with complacence. Then a few DAYS later
it was found that the vessel had left Homo
lulu with a short crew. The captain of the
vessel employed about twenty soldiers 10
assist in fixing the boilers. etc. From day
to day the engines broke down. and would
delay us for few hours until fixed. and
now begins. what in my life shall always
be known as a chapter Of horrors
The boat sprung leak. and It was rec
essary TO detail . company each day 10
bail the water ont OF the boat: this old
death trap had not even a suction pump
on board, and the water had 10 be hosted
in buckets. bur. as the weather continued
good and We held the water down. VIC felt
but little uneasiness.
'On the night Of the 22d we nit ty-
phoon. or rather il hit as and 1t was
something terribly. terribly awful Waves.
mountain high, We rode in safety but the
boat seemed to be standing on its head
and upside down. all the time. Al mid
night a new leak sprung. and hundred
men We're called up and put TO work 10
keep the ship ailoat. Our company was 10
90 on al : O'Clock the next morning, SO We
did not 60 on that night The next morn
ing at o'clock, the engines broke COM
pletely down. and We were at the mercy
OF the waves. no way on earth 10 steer
the boat we were helpless.
The firemen deserted their posts, as
The water was up 10 their waists and
gaining Only few of the soldiers stayed
by the boilers. At : O'Clock Captain Gil
more came down stripped to the waist.
and told us how things were. He said:
Boys il looks like il is all up with US.
but there may be a fighting chance. The
iremen have deserted the fires. and say
it is death 10 go down in the hold. but l
am going and | want all of you TO come
with me-
To a man they responded: we crawled
along the deck. holding TO the ropes, rail
ing and down into the hold. The water
was four feet deep and so hot we were
blistered all over. 1t dashed from side TO
side. knocking us over and over, and
through all of it we handed coal in water
buckets TO the boilers. while others with
ropes and buckets hauled up water. Dan
te's Inferno could hardly surpass the
scene. Great kissing boilers, the red glare
of the fires wet and shining bodies of the
boys as they struggled TO hold on TO a
piece of rope and hand a bucket along the
line.
Now and then a loose board would
strike man. or one would be overcome
with heat. All we could do would be TO
drag the injured back to the coal bunkers.
We had no time 10 take them upstairs,
for that would stop the line of buckets.
The wind in the rigging aloft moaned a
requiem. and you could see by the tight
drawn faces of the men that in spite of
their working like demons they were
thinking Of home, sweet home, and tears
were standing in their eyes.
Il cannot depict the scene in way that
would give you any idea of it. For six
long hours our company worked; then we
were relieved bv others. Once the water !
got so high as to put out three of the four
fires but inch by inch We would gain. then
lose. then gain again. The storm subsided |
and we got little advantage Of the wa
ter but night and day since we bailed
water.
The boat with the other two battalions
aboard (the City of Pekin) was close TO
us during the storm. but could do nothing
but circle around us: a lifeboat could
never have lived a minute: they only
hoped 10 pick up q few of us, by throwing
lines after our boat went down. but it is
cnly a very few of us she would have
saved.
ave go to the Island Mindano. about
4CQ miles from here. where there is con-
fighting. The firing line. south
of Manila. is only seven miles away. We
can near our cannon booming, and the boys
are anxious TO get into it: but We are not
in fighting trim by a whole lot-loss of
sleep, excitement. etc, bruises, burns,
broken arms and legs. demand a few days
quiet, and then we will be ready.
The English captain of the ship paid
US a very queer compliment Said he:
Major, | have carried many soldiers TO
Manila, but your command is the Quietest,
behaved set OF men i ever saw, and
they sang when my heart %as In my
throat They went down into that hold
when my sailors would not have gone for
love nor money. and said not a word.
Your soldiers are beyond my comprehen-
sion. Nobody but a damn fool would have