Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-08-13
LETTER FROM PHILIPPINES
Written by Sergeant Doyle, Who IL
a Wheeling Boy.

q wheeling BOY.
The Register is in Receipt of a very in
teresting letter from Sergeant John H.
Doyle, Wheeling boy, who is with Co.
L. Thirty-frst U. S. V. L., stationed at
Mndanao P. L., in which he writes as
follows:
"Being from Wheeling, 1 am going to
write to pour paper, giving you some idea
of life in the Philippines. Our regiment,
the Thirty-first u. S. V. l., is stationed
on the island of Mindanao, next to the
largest of the Philippines, Luzon being the
largest. The capital is Zamboanga, where
the headquarters of the regiment is sta
toned with one battalion, the rest of
the regiment being distributed around
the island. Our Company L was sent to
this small town of Matti, 300 miles south
of Zamboanga, or about 900 miles south
of Manila We arrived in Manila from
San francisco on the 2Sth of November.
after a terrible voyage We were only
out from Honolulu four days when our
engines broke down, which showed plainly
that the ''NIanuense" was an unseaworthy
ship. After nearly whole days delay
we were under Roadway once more. only
to have the electric light plant and also
board went the fresh meat now really
fit for fertilizer. The water supply was
then found TO be short and the wea-
Their, which had been the very finest up
until this time. was very hot. Then came
a change, the engines broke down and
terrible typhoon struck us Tl@ ship
sprung a leak and the men were detailed
to bail out the water. The pumps would
not work and the men had to stand in the
water waist deep and nearlX. scalding and
pass buckets from man to man, officers
working as well as men.
1t was almost impossible to stay in the
hole" more than twenty minutes at a
time, on account of the terrible heat and
motion of the boat. The water for drink
ing was now entirely gone and the boys
were living on beer, whiskey and hard-
tack, but good thing can't always last,
so with the storm. After four days of this
terrible experience, the storm began TO
subside and the next day the sea was
again calm and the engines were again
repaired, and on the 18th of November
we arrived in Manila, the most begrlmed,
scalded. burned, hungry-iooking set of sol
diers ever landed at that port, / know.
We have been here over six months and
the climate is indeed the most charming
and salubrious in the world. l believe the
majority of American people think that
the Philippine islands are nothing more
than large, unhealthy swamps, but never
was greater error made. 1t is not nearly
so hot as one might think, being only
about six degrees north Of the equator.
but 1 suppose this is owing to the breeze
coming steadily from the Pacific. our
regiment has had but one small sized
scrap and that with the Morros, OF
whom I Will say something later, in which
there We're eighteen Moros killed and six
or seven wounded 50 they are aow my
bueno Amigos"
There are two other native races here
| beside the Filipinos. one the Moros and
the other the Mindias. who look very
much like the American Indian. and also
have many Of the traits peculiar TO this
race. The Moros somewhat resemble the
African negro wearing large ear rings and
they have a substance with which they
paint their teeth black as ebony. which
with their long bushy hair looks very
hideous indeed.
| Lieut.. II. c. Preston, whom the boys Of
| Capt. Franzheim's company will remem-
Der was Captain of Company N, of the
/ Fourth Immunes. is now First Lieutenant
OF my company and is also from West
Virginia
| Mexican silver is the money used here
/ and is valued at dos peso Mex porf luna
peso Americana
i I don't know. but hardly think wd viii
be back for the Presidential campaign.