Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-02-23

---DihcNiheh IN WetAAhk the hON "
OIoogopO.
OLoNGoPo, PORT OF SUB1G, P. l.,
Dec. 80, 1899
have moved from Cavite, and in fact,
have been on the move all the time since |
wrote last. On Dec 10, our company was
placed on the flagship Baltimore, and sent
to Subg Bay TO make a landing and capture
the navy yard. 1t is only 60 miles from
Manila aud we arrived before daylight
next morning The battleship Oregon was
there to assist us in case they had any
heavy guns mounted We found that the
army had crossed the hills the day before
and entered the yard, so we had nothing to
DO hut to garrison the place and relieve the
army.
This is the yard Dewey intended to cap
ture from the Spaniards. The insurgents
had a modern gun mounted on a hill back
Of the ward several months ago, and the
! Charleston shelled the yard and destroyed
| the gun Since then no one had been in
| the place until we were sent to capture it.
| This place is admirably situated for a navy
ward. 1t is in a small bay, the entrance of
which is protected by a small island in the
centre. and it is surrounded by high noun
| tains that would do credit to some peaks
| in the Rockies. Some of them are covered
with fine timber, and others are quite bare.
| On the low land on which the yard is To-
Gated is fine bunch grass about four
! feet high, and it looks like q fine cattle
country. We are not troubled here with
the mosquitoes, and the place is much
healthier than Cavite.
The Spaniards intended to make this
their principal navy yard. None of the
| buildings we're erected before 1890, and
most of them were built in 1897. They
were damaged slightly by our shells, but.
can be repaired easily.
They also left fine lathe with a five foot
surface uniujured, steel hammer and steel
shears all built in England, and they have
| never been used. Two of the shops have
travelling cranes, and there is also a saw
M H. but the insurgents wrecked it beyond
repair The yard is surrounded on two
sides by a wall u feet high built by the
Spaniards, and on the other sides are the
bay and wonderful system of trenches
They certainly had some wonderful engi-
neers among the Spaniards. They so built
the trenches that you cannot see them I'M
til YOU are right on them, and they were
deep enough so they could retreat to the
rext set behind without being seen. If
these insurgents had any sand in them they
could stand off the army forever.
| Alter we ndu DScu mere q AOW w VI
us were picked out with the crew of the
gunboat Gardoqui to make an excursion
about FIVE miles inland to capture steamer
from the insurgents supposed TO be one OF
the few that Aguinaldo has around so in
case things get too hot for him he can es
cape to Hong Kong. The steamer had
been chased into the bay by the Gardoqui
and had gone up one of the several small
streams that empty into it. We left the
yard in our l0-oared boat and went about
five miles up a very narrow creek, full OF
crooks and turns; this was all in the dead
of night, and we were expecting to be at
tackled any minute. We found the steam
er covered with bamboo poles, nothing
showing but the masts. They had painted
her our own war color, even to blacl
band around the stack. She proved to b.
the Don Francisco, built in Hong Kong IL
1898 by the Victoria foundry, and wa
we'll known around Manila. She is abou
125 feet long, Is feet beam, draws sever
| feet of water and is fitted with COMPOUND
engines and Scotch boiler.
We had very hard time in getting he
ready to move. She was full of water AM
4 the steam chest heads and valves wer
lost. However, we bailed her out AM
found the chest heads in the hold, ant
while one Of the machInists was ashor
digging for sweet potatoes he came acros
the two valves. 1t did not take long TO ge
the steam up, and then the real work be
gan. We had to both work and guard tn
ship out the narrow channel, and it too
US five DAYS and nights to do it. We ar
now living at the foot of the river, with
bar of about 800 yards to cross. This W
have been unable to do as our boat draw
seven feet of water, and there Is not NOR
than > 1-2 feet covering the bar at hlg
tide.
On Dec. sd the Gardoqui went
Manila to give the crew holiday and fc
needed repairs, leaving the gunboat Nil
doeo TO look after things. This crew can
aboard anu have tried their best to get OF
boat off. Several boiler tubes have give
away when pressure was put on them an
we are still in the same place.
. As one of the original party that toe
n part in capturing her l am one of the
left aboard TO guard her. We have n
seen a native We go up the river eveI
dav for fresh water, and hunt game. III
n day before Christmas three of US shot
N Young caribou, or water buffalo, and y
Y had steak for dinner The other day v
III shot some chickens. They are so wild it
"A difficult to get near them. l have se'
III woodcock. snipe, quail and several 9th
birds similar to those in America, and
the mountains small deer are found. Wi
81 a shotgun one could get much more gam
"A as it is difficult to bring down birds with
rifle.
believe that eventually the America
will make this the leading navy yard 10
Philippines We have no way of getti
ANYTHING except when a warshiP comes
. | think when this boat is got off the
she will run between here and Manila
n supplies. Till then the mail will be irr'
= ular.
Ny company has been changed again
E company, I'd Marine Battalion.
will probably stay here some time, as
lies yard needs a garrison.
JOHN H. ANDERSON
In =-