The true northerner., 1900-03-15
COUNTING DASH.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS PAW
PAW BOY HAS DONE IN PHILIPPINES.


have been detailed with the regiment
al quarter master and have been with
the quarter masters department more or
less ever since have been with the reg
iment and am now permanently de-
tailed-not as store keeper as 1 expected
to bel hardly know what you would
call it; guess must be shipping clerk.
At any rate, have the shipping OF ordi-
nance supplies, forage and quarter
masters material to look after All of
the supplies are sent by water from
Manila
After was discharged from the hos
pital, reported to the regiment at Mac.
/ was there but few days when l was
ordered to report to Capt. Simpson. l
did so, and he told me | would be put in
charge of the forage for horses and car
ibous. The latter are what are some
times called water butfalos and are used
for transporting supplies, drawing water,
etc. Before receiving my instructions,
he asked me to come with him. Fred
Chandler, soldier from Hartford, accom-
panied me. We went into the old stone
seminary there, which is now used for
barracks by the American soldiers,
through couple of arched stone sally
ports and into little room where there
were several sacks. He told US to take
one of them, which he indicated, and
follow him. Chandler took one end of
the sack and the other and we had a
load. We carried it to the colonels head
quarters, put it on table and then com
menced to count the coin which the sack
held. There were just S752.50, all Mexi-
can coin and all in half dollars, contained
in the sack, which, with several others,
was captured with the town. Just think
of it! S752.50 making a load for two
men. That is the way it will be when
Bryan is elected. You will have to take
lumber wagon when you go out collect
ing 1t takes two of their dollars to make
one of ours. If man gets five dollar
gold piece changed here, he has load.
Things are higher here, as rule, than
they are in the states. A great many
things, to be sure, are very cheap.
Cigars for instance are not only very
cheap but very poor also. A meal OF
victuals costs twice as much here as it
does in the states. You can ride in a
carriage all day for $500 Mexican or
81. 30 American coin. The price of cloth
ing is about the same: silks, which | eX-
pected to find very cheap, are nearly as
high as at home. You do not want free
silver nor free trade, either. One can
see the workings of both here, even now,
and it is nothing as compared with what
it was before the American government
took the reins in its hands. The people
are now more prosperous and better pro-
vided for than they ever were before;
the tax collector is not now at every door;
the poor old woman, with her basket on
her head, can come in from the country
now and sell cocoanuts, oranges, bananas,
ornaments or laces, as the case may be,
without being molested by monks, or by
any one else. Their goods find ready
sale, only meager license being required
at the beginning of the year, while they
were formerly compelled to give here
and there, until about every three cop
pers out of five went to the priest or tax
collector. Some of the natives had never
seen white man before the army struck
the town. They seemed to think their
old pieces of copper to be the only money
that was worth anything, and some of it
looked as if it was cut out of an old cop
per boiler with a cold chisel.
My work consists mostly of superin-
tending the loading of the supplies of
the regiment. | have from ten to twenty
Cinnamon to do the work and, as can
not talk their language very much,
point out to them what to do.
Mac is fine place for the boys, for
they Immediately took possession of all
the bamboo shacks they needed, so that
they have good quarters. Our store
house is one of the numerous barracks
built by the Spanish government. We
have a large room for regimental sup
plies, besides an office, sleeping room and
bath room. We do no cooking at ALL
but eat elsewhere in the same post, SO
you see | have nothing of which to com
plain.
Manila is an interesting place. Every
thing is ancient, but substantial. Every
nationality is represented here and in
|
for labor, there is not thing done here
that would come under that head, by
any people but Chnos and natives. They
do the work just as it was done in the
year one; no modern ways or means are
used. Only when a boss takes club
and spends about half day hammering
one of them over the head, can they be
made to change their ways. For in
stance, in building work, the mortar for
laying the walls is mixed with the hands
and feet and it is made of ground shells
instead of lime. The brick is carried up
a ladder in baskets hung on the ends OF
bamboo poles. which are placed on the
shoulder. Cane baskets are used for
carrying both brick and mortar They
look like lotof brownies while perform
ing task as it takes so many of them
to do so little, but when it is done, it is
done for keeps.
wish you could take a carometto
ride with me this evening. Wewould get
in on the Escolta, cross the bridge Of