Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-07-12


MRS. CHAs. Ross,
Buckwalter, Pa.
DEAR AUNT:-Your request through Bro. Ed
for a letter has reached me and will try to com
ply with the esteemed request. 1t is a hard mat
ter to find subject of interest to you, but one
which think will riost likely interest you is that
of our trip, which / will briefly outline from
home to Manila, with a few sights en- route, and
a short sketch of Army life. Also describe its
people, customs, fruits and climate.
left home Aug. 4th, enlisted at Willamsport
Aug. 5th 1S99 was sent to Harrisburg, then to
Columbia Barracks, Columbus, Ohio and stop
ped there nearly two weeks and tLen went across
continent to the Preside Barracks, San Francisco
Cal, and was there long enough to explore the
world.famous city with its China town. It's a
sight worth seeing but far behind some have
since seen. On Sept. I'd we went on board the U.
S. army ira ansport warren" We left on Sept
Sd at l O'Clock, a. m, and my first awakening on
board ship was out the briny ocean thirty
miles from land, thus leaving my home, my ma
tive land while asleep and unconscious of my
surroundings
For nineteen days and nights the good ship
went on her way without n sight of land, two
days in terrible storm. On the 22d land was
sighted and Sept. 23d we were lying in the beau
tiful harbor of Yokohoma, Japan, where we were
anchored two days loading coal, during which
time I spent running around on shore One day
| went out to the Capital of Japan, Toxic or
Yeddo, eighteen miles journey, or two hours ride
on a cute little railroad running from Yokohoma
to Yeddo then to Nagasaki on the west coast, the
only railroad in Japan. The Capitol is a city of
a million people, built on the tops of seventy
hills Its one-story, thatched roof buildings
look, at distance, like field of toad stools; the
fifteen hundred church steeples look like so many
straws sticking up through the toad stools. This
was my first impression ofJapans Capital. They
are queer people, small but very active on their
feet. One thing particularly noticeable in Japan
is that there are never any beggars The women
running around look like little girls and wear
their hair neatly done upin knot on top oftheir
heads. Japan is exquisitely beautiful in its en-
tirety. Green fields of rice and tea, and flowers
everywhere.
We left Japan after passing through the inland
sea and stopping at Nagasaki and proceeded on
to Manila, arriving there Oct. 5, 1899, at II D.
m, and our first night s sleep Manila soil was
on the "real thing'-the ground. On the 9th we
were martialed out of the walled city and divided
into companies. | joined the artillery, and on
the 9TH of Oct. was sent forty miles north by rail-
to San Fernando where my battery stationed.
On the 10th we marched north, passing through
Mexico, Santa Anna, and had fight at Arayat
on the 18th, another at San Isidro on the 18th,
and at Santa Rosa on the 29th. Bullets whistled
close and had many narrow escapes We kept
on the northern march, fighting our way until we
reached Began and Lewog, the latter town is at
the norte-west end of the island over 200 miles
from Manila. We marched over 300 miles all
through the rainy season with mud and water
nearly waist deep all the time. There we stayed
until the 1st of January when we marched back
to Dagupan and there took the train for Manila,
arriving on Jan. Sd, 1900. Here we received our
pay and on the 9th started south through Cavite
Province, had fight at Innes and stopped at
Dos Merenes. Feb. 1st we ordered to move
back into Manila, where we remained until Feb.
11th, when we left on transport for the Southern
end of the island, arriving here on the 2sth, and
had an all day fight with nggers with bows and
arrows. and have been quartered here ever since
with the exception of a trip into the interior for
12 days from the 18th to 9th. On the 18th, ult.,
we had two fights at Palanka, and on the 20th
we had six hot fights within ten hours; captured
MANY prisoners and guns and killed many more.
One fourteen pound shell shot from the gun
with killed SO instructors at Camalaiga on
March 20th. We went on to Legaspi returning
the same way, and on the 22d had two more short
fights Since then we have done nothing but
represent and scorch in the sun. We have fine
quarters in q large building. / have fine, large
canopy topped mahogany bed to sleep in as also
have others of my comrades.
Last Sunday soldier of the 18th infantry had
his head com petely cut off by boo man. The
bolo men more dreaded than any Others
They slip upon person through the long grass
or in the night and bolo you. The Bolo isa large
curved knife very heavy and sharp, about two
feet long, Sometimes as many as two hundred
go together, band stealing and killing.
The climate here has been warm all the time
since the rainy season. The wet season begins
about the middle of May and lasts until the mid
die of November, during which time it rains al
most constantly, all the low lands being inundated
by about two feet of water. Mud, of course, is
plentiful and drinking water very poor and
warm.
Tropical fruits abound and can be had for the
asking, such as bananas pine-apples, cocoanuts,
puppois, bread fruit mangols and guavos.
Sweet potatoes, onions and cucumbers are found
in some places they having been brought here
by the Spaniards. The people here is mixture
of nationalities and about every nation is repre-
sented The religion is strictly Catholic, and
churches are found in every town and built of
stone, some of which finished off inside far
more beautiful than our American churches
The people here live mostly on rice and fish,
and many of them have fine houses horses and
carriages and money to burn. All smoke cigar
cites, men, women and children. Bamboo is the
principal wood used although many expensive
woods grow here, and money is plenty.
Your Nephew,
A. B. BELDIN,
G. 81 Mt. Artillery