The evening times., 1900-01-24

pGmy l., Thirty -hrst Regiment Volunteers /
was with Lieut.. Col. Webb Hayes bat |
TALON of the Thirty first. which was car
rieA 10 Manila on the transport Manuense,
and which had such a narrow escape from
being lost in a typhoon. Walcutt has writ
ten to a friend in Washington. describing
the terrible voyage. His letter. dated Ma
nila. November 2S. is as follows;
Guess you think it a long time between
letters. but when you hear how near
came to never writing another. you will
forgive me. We got in this morning. four
days over time, with battalion OF the most
thankful, t!red-out, bruised, anL burnt men
that ever entered the harbor. We have
certainly had the narTowest escape on rec
ord, and q voyage that will neye be Tor
gotten We were given up for lust, con-
sequently we met with a grand reception,
and when the commanding gens sral was
told Of our trip and what we die, he or
dered salute fired in honor Of he he
r0es Of the ManueEse
My God! it seems like a horrible night
mare to look back upon our experience OF
the past week and think OF the deeds Of
daring and seIf-sacrihce we witnessed. ii
seems incredible that men did dare TO DO
such things The boat We came Oh is On
inferior vessel. and is known as the Roll
ing Moses OF the Pacific. but is good
sea boat as you may imagine.
I'VE arrived in Honolulu December ),
and stayed until the 9th.
THE first night from Honolulu our
troubles commenced. The electric light
plant broke down. and could not be fixed
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 kicking. Next, bang, went
] the ice machine. so overheard went the
| meat spoiled lee water was a thing or
4 the past. We condensed our drinking va
/ ter from salt water. and had to drink IL
/ hot from the Condensers. my. il was hOr-
rlbIe stuff. but that's another small matter.
/ FINALLY one Of the COndensers broke.
! and that cut our water supply in two, 80
/ we got about a half pint Of water day.
hut these tTifling inCOnvoncincCes We bore
| with ComplacenCe. Then a few days later
| Il was found that the vessel had LEFT Homo
| lulu with a short crew. The captain Of the
| vessel employed about twenty soldiers 20
] assist in fixing the boilers. etc. From day
TO day the engines broke down, and would
delay MS tor a few hours until fixed. and
/ now begins what I'm my life shall always
/ be known as a chapter OF hOTTOrR
The boat sprung a leak. and it was rec
( essary TO detail q company each day TO
bail the water out OF the boat. This old
! death trap had not even a suction pump
on board. and the water had 20 be hoIsted
in buckets, but. as the weather continued
good and we held the water down. We felt
but little uneasiness.
ION the night Of the 22d We hit a ty-
phoou. or rather 10 hit us and it was
/ something terribly, terribly awful Waves.
mountain high we rode i'm safety. but the
/ boat seemed to be standing on its head
/ and upside down, all the time. AT mid
. night a new leak sprung. and a hundred
men We're called mp and put 10 work 10
keep the ship aflOdt. Our company was 60
20 on at O'Clock the next mo. ling. so We
did not go on that night. The next morn
ing at 6 o'clock The engines broke COM
plctely down and We were at the mercy
Of the waves; no way on earth TO steer
the boat we were helpless.
The fremen deserted their posts, as
the water vas up TO their waists and
gaining Only a few OF the soldiers stayed
by the boilers. At O'Clock Captain Gil
more came down. stripped to the waist
and told ms how things were. He said:
1 Boys &C. looks like il is all up with us
but there NAV be a fighting chance. The
fremeu have deserted the fires. and say
10 is death TO 90 down i'm the hold, but
with me-
To a man they responded. we crawled
along the deck. holding TO the ropes, rail
ing and down into the hold. The water
was four feet deep and so hot we were
| bIistered all over. II dashed from side u
side, knocking us over and over, and
through all Of il We handed coal in water
buckets TO the boilers. while others with
ropes and buckets hauled up water. Dan
Z ~
scene Great kissing boilers. the red glars
Of the fires. wet and shining tvdies Of The
bows. as they struggled TO hold on TO
piece Of rope and hand a bucket along the
line.
Vow and then a loose board would
! strike a man. or one would be overcome
with heat. All we could do would be e
drag the injured back TO the coal bUnkers
We had no time 10 take them upstairs
for that would stoD the line of buckets
The wind in the rigging aloft moaned I
requiem and YOU could see by the tight
| drawn faces OF the men that in spite o
their working like demons they wer'
| thinking OF home sweet home, and tear'
were standing in their eyes.
81 cannot depict the scene in a way tha
would give you any idea OF it. For si'
long hours our company worked. then W.
we're relieved by others Once the waite
, / fires. but inch by inch would gain. thel
lose. then gain again The storm subside'
and we got little advantage OF the wa
ter. but night and day since We bale
water.
The boat with the other two battalion
aboard (the City OF Pekin) was close [
| US during the storm. but could do uOthin
but circle around us. a lifeboat cCTl
never have lived a minute: they on
: hoped 10 pick up a few Of US, by throwin
lines after our boat went down. bUt it
only a very few OF us she would nav
saved.
! 1--WE 90 to the Island MindanO. aboI
- 4G0 miles from here. where there is cor
siderable fighting The firing line -uJt
OF Manila. is only sc zen miles awa1 y
can near our cannon looming, and the boy
are anxious to get into It: but We are NJ
in lighting trim b. a whole lot--oss
sleep, excitement, tic, bruises, burn
broken arms and legs demand a few da!
= quiet and then We will be ready.
Tho English captain Of the ship pa
us a very queer compliment Said b.
NJ Major, I have carried many sold ers
Manila, but your command is the iietes
hest-behaved set OF men l ever saw. az
n they sang when my heart "as In n
1T | throat. They went down into that no
IN | when my sailors would not have gone f
h love nor money. and said not a wOT
Your soldiers are beyond my CONF rehe