The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-02-18
A QUEER COMPLIMENT
ENGLISH CAPTAINS TRIBUTE TO
AMERICAN GRIT.
HIS CREW BEING AFRAID, STAYED AEOvE
While The American Troops Went Into the lh-
ferno Of the Hold and half Submerg-
ed in ScaIding Water Work
ed Like fipnds
Greensboro Telegram.l

Carroll ". Walcutt, private of Com
pary J.. Thirty-fl-st Regiment Nolun-
taels, was with Lieut. Col. Webb Hayes
battalion Of tile Thirty-frst, which was
carried 10 Manila on the transport
Manuense, and which had such mar
row escape from being lost in a typhoon.
Walcutt had written to friend in
Washington. describing tie errible
voyage, dated Manila, November y. Is
as follows:
Guess YOU think il a long time be-
tween letters. but when YOU hear how
near | came to never writing another
YOU will forgive me. We got i'll this
morning, four days over time. with j
battalion of the most thankful, tired
out, bruised and burnt men that ever
entered the harbor. We have certainly
had the narowest escape on record and
voyage that will never De forgotten.
We were given up for lost, consequent
ly we met with n grand reception, ana
when the commanding general was told
of our trip and what we did, he ordered
n salute fired in honor of the heroes
Of the Manuense.'
My God. it seems like a horrible
nightmare to look back upon our expe-
rience of the past week, and think of
the deeds of daring and self-sacrifice
we witnessed. 1t seems incredible that
men did dare to do such things. The
boat we came on is an inferior vessel.
and is known as the Rolling Moses
Of the Pacific. but is 4 good sea boat
as you may imagine.
1--WE arrived in Honolulu December
8, and stayed until the 9th.
"The first night from Honolulu our
troubles commenced. The electric light
plant broke down. and could not he fix
ed. We had no light except lard oil
lamps. that only seemed to intensity
the darkness We had good water, so
we bore this small trouble without kick
ing Next, bang. went the ice ma
chine. so overheard went the meat, spoil
ed. Ice water was a thing Of the past.
We condensed our drinking water from
the salt water and han TO drink il hos
from the condensers: my. it was horri-
bic stuff, but that's another small mat
ter
FINALLY, one Of the condensers broke.
and that cut our water supply in two,
50 we got about half pint Of water
a day, but these tritiing Inconvenience
were borne with complacence.
Then few days later it was found
chat the vessel had left Honolulu with
short crew The captain of the ves-
sci employed about twenty soldiers to
assist in fixing the boilers, etc. From
day to day the engine broke down. and
would delay us for q few hours until
fixed, and now begins. what in my life
shall always be known as chapter Of
horrors
The boat sprung leak, and it was
necessary to detail company each
day TO bail the water out of the boat:
this Old death trap had not even a sue
ton pump on board, and the water had
to be hoisted in buckets, but as the
weather continued good and we held
the water down, we felt but little I'M
casiness.
"On the night Of the 22d we hit Il
typhoon. or rather it hit lis, and ii was
something terribly. terribly awful
Waves mountain high we rode in safety.
but the boat seemed to be standing on
its head and upside down. all the time
At midnight q new leak sprung, and d
hundred men were called up and put
to work to keep tie ship aHoat Our
company was to go on at o'clock the
next morning, 80 we did not go on that
night. The next morning at o'clock
the engine broke completely down, and
we were at the mercy Of the waves; no
way on earth TO steer the boat. we We're
helpless
The firemen deserted their posts az
the water was UP 10 their waists and
gaining. Only few OF the soldiers
remained by the boilers. At { o'clock
Captain T.. l.. Gilmer caaile down. strip
ped to the waist. and told rs how things
were He said:
Boys. it looks like ii is all up
with us, but there may be fighting
chance j lie fremcn have deserted the
fires, a.d say it il death 10 90 doYn
IN the hold hut ] ana going, and | winr
all ii you to come with me.
To Il man they responded. We
cluwled along the dects. holding 10 the
ropes, railin.s and down Into The hold
Thu water was four feet deep anI 50
bot we were biistercd al over. It
dashed from side 10 side, knocking u
over and over. an1 through all of II
we banded coal III water buckets up to
the boilers. wl.ilc others with ropes and
buckets hauled up water. Dante's Infer,
no could hardly ~urpass the scene. Great
ms sing boilers. the red glare OF the fires,
wet and shining bodies of the boys, as
they struggled to hold on 10 piece OF