Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1900-02-15
FROM THE PHILIPPINES.
Letter From W. c. Ellis, Co. G, 44th U. 8.
v. Inf.
JARo, PANY ISLAND, P. l.
January 7, 1900.
R. WELL DIGGER Jay,

from home. 1t was the first mail
we got since we left Frisco, and to
be plain about it we were d. glad
to hear from home.
Well, as you said in your letter
about US being out on the rolling
deep, we sure were at the time you
wrote your letter, and sea-sick-O,
it was h. There were over 1000
of US soldiers on this one boat and
about 900 of them were sea-sick. 1
was sick 3 days, and you had the
unlimited gall to invite me to your
Thanksgiving dinner and 1 noticed
it said that if 1 didn't want to be
there, could just drop my bucket
out of our old boat and drink brine.
About that brine, 1 tell you 1 got
my belly full oft. Between Frisco
and the Hawaiian Islands the water
was so rough that the waves would
wash over the deck and wet every
devil of us clear to the hide. l will
tell you and your DR.. all about it,
and that is, never start across the
ocean for a pleasure trip. If you
can see any pleasure in throwing up
all the stuff for a month back, why
then take the trip. Oh, we are hav
ing a h of a time here, nothing to
do but little outpost guard duty,
and keep our guns clean. We are in
barracks and they are fine buildings
too. They are old Spanish barracks
and are all rock and two stories high
with great high porches all around.
1 got letter from Sam Fox yester-
day and he is awful sick about not
coming to war. He says he wishes
he was with us. Oh! kid, l wish you
were here. There are some of the
grandest sights 1 ever saw or ever
expect to see, right here on this lit
tie old island. 1t is about 400 miles
from here up to Manila.
We laid in the bay at Manila E
days and then came on down here.
We saw the Spanish fleet that old
man Dewey sunk there, right in
side the entrance to the bay. Just
the smokestacks of the ships stuck
out of the water. The United States
have got men working on them try
ing to raise them. They have got a
big frame built over one and will
soon be ready to raise it and divers
are working on some of the others.
The battleship Oregon, Brooklyn,
Boston and New York were all an
chored there in the bay. That old
Oregon is a mean locker. 1t has
got big old guns sticking out all
around the sides.
We were on the transport Han
cock Sc days, were only 23 days
making the trip from Frisco to Ma
Mia, that is 22 days travelling. We
layed at Honolulu from Nov. 20 to
Dec. 8, taking coal and supplies.
We were 7 days going from Frisco
to Honolulu and IS day from there
to Manila and ~ from Manila
down here. Then we laid here on
the boat for three days before we
got off. Buis, Painter and old Pete
are in the grid battalion. They went
on down to Negros Island about $50
miles still south of here. Cos. 1, K,
L and M make the grid batsalion. 4
Companies make battalion and 3
batalions make the regiment. A, B,
c and D are the companies of the
1st battalion, they went to some 9th
er island but I don't know what one
it was. Bob Crawford is the only
one from Meade who is in the 1st
battalion. Walt Smith, Frank Wal
tiers, Sam Block, Russell, Griggs
and myself are in the end battalion.
Griggs, Walters and myself are in
Co. G. Tell DR.. Fee that 1 will
compose little song of our trip
and will send it to him. I am near
ly done with it now but will add a
little more and send him a copy.
Tell him to h with his brandy, we
get all the beer we can drink for IS
cents per bottle. Well, I must close.
When you write again use pen and
ink as lead pencil rubs out coming
across the water.
w. c. ELLIS,
Co. G.. 44th U. S. V. Inf.
We notice by the MedfOrd. Ok.