The Opelousas courier., 1900-04-14
UNLOADING A TROOPSHIR
How Uncle Sam Gets Soldiers and Bag
gage Ashore.

To the many thousands who have seen
the government transports leave the
San Francisco docks loaded with men,
horses and mules and supplies for the
American army in the Philippine Is
lands it may prove interesting to know
how they are landed at Manila, writes
the war correspondent Of the San Fran
cisco Call. l say Manila, because up
to the present time all transports have
unloaded their cargoes at the capital
city Of the island of LuZon. In the fu-
ture they may go to ports south of this
point.
The vessels anchor in Manila bay,
from one to two miles outside the city.
AS soon as their arrival Is made
known a government tug, towing four
or five cascoes, is Immediately sent
alongside and made fast. The troops
first disembrk, taking with them their
light baggage and only sufficient ra-
tons for a meal or two. The cascoes
are towed up the Pasig river about half
a mile from its mouth to the foot of the
lunet, the city's main driveway, where
the men first set foot on u new
possessions in the Orient. Generally a
casco is assigned to a company, and all
the men and property of that organi-
cation are put ashore before it becomes
available for another company. II
properly managed one trip is sufficient
to land each company, all its baggage
and equipment.
l have seen an entire regiment, with
all the personal property Of the officers
and men, regimental baggage and
camp equipage, landed in a few hours
In fact, l remember one instance
where a regiment was ordered to the
front five miles from Manila. 1t com
menced to disembark at noon, and two
of it's batalions, eight companies, ate
supper the same night on the firing
line.
The horses and mules are loaded by
means of cages from the transports te
q large vessel similar to a ferryboat
All animals are unloaded at the foot
Of the luneta. The little ferryboat
If we may call it such, will carry about
fifty animals, and these are led ashore
through q chute.
I was present at the unloading Of
the first lot of horses and mules receiy
ed at Manila from the United State!
on the transport Tacoma, and thos'
who were there at the time will bai'
me out in saying that a finer VT O.
horses and mules were never reeeivet
at any point Of destination.
The horses were Immediately turnet
over to the use of the Fourth oalvalry
The mules were kept in the nUaarter
masters corral for a day or two Nan'
then performed excellent service.
Right here I might say that a drov'
Of 200 elephants going up marke
street could not attract more attention
than. these eighty-one horses and Ill
mules did to the Inhabitants of Manila
The natives stood with open mouth
and gazed at them as they were le'
through the streets to the corrais
Directly opposite the luneta, and on tn
opposite side Of the River Pasig, ar
located the large quartermaster an
commissary storehouses, in which ar
stored the supplies for the Eight
Army Corps. These supplies are ful
nished under contract, and mostl
from the United States. They are ais
unloaded from the transports by mean
OF canoes.
1t may be said to the credit of thes
two staff departments, as we'll as a
other staff departments Of the arm
in the Philippines, that not a call q
demand has been made upon theI
! that has not been filed.