The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-06-01
SOLDERING IN THE PHILIPPINES.
An Edgerton Boy Writes of Interesting Ex-
periences.

March 20, 1900.
NY last letter was written from Mac,
since then we have changed our camp to
the other side of the Island. We are
now nearer to the United States than we
were at Manila, but still we are not close
enough for me to run across the pond
and spend Sunday with you. We left
Mac on the 18th of April, and six days
sailing brought us into bay. OF course
none of us knew where we were bound
for when we started, SO every one picked
out place of his own, and declared he
heard the Colonel say that it was the
place we were going. Some said Frisco,
some Portland, Los Angeles, Hong Kong,
Yokahoma, New York and Honolulu,
were the favorite places picked. My own
opinion was that we were starting on
some expedition to open ports, supposed
to be held by the insurgents.
The expedition consisted of the 10th,
45th and 9th regiments, and battery
of artillery. The gun boat Manila act
ing as escort. When we stopped in that
bay every one knew there was going to
be trouble, and so there was. The second
battalion of the 40th, landed at once and
started up the river. Everything was
quite until they were in the middle of
a rice field, and then the fun began. The
niggers jumped up in front and behind
them, and commenced to hack at the
men with their bolos, and use the few
rifles which they had. 1t was a very
clever surprise, but as you we'll know,
boWes and arrows are no match for the
Krag rifles, and after two hours lighting
in the rice field the niggers vamosed.
The result of that skirmish was, one Off
Ger killed and five enlisted men wounded
for the 10th, while the natives buried
something over a hundred and had as
many more wounded.
The next day the remainder Of the
troops we're loaded and marched to the
capital without further resistance. was
lucky enough to be one of a detail, left
with the company quartermaster, and
for six days [ had good time. Ga the
seventh day all the remaining men were
landed at the capital and the boats left
for Manila. [ stayed at the capital
town of about forty thousand, [ should
Judge, although when the troops marched
in there was no one in sight but two old
men. After four or five days we started
out to join the company, about forty
miles away. [ have had number of
good times in my life, but those two
DAYS marching took the cake. There
were twenty of us in the squad and the
only officer was a on-commissioned
from Co. D. AS told you in my last
letter our rations are mainly hard tack,
bacon and coffee. Of course they are all
right so long as you can't get anything
else. But the country through which
we marched is one of the most prosper
Gus on the island. In the line of fruit,
and all kinds of eatables, we have great
variety We had chicken or duck three
times a day with plenty of sweet pota-
toes, eggs, sugar, rice and mutton. Geo.
.Sewell of Evansville, and myself were on
the point the first day, so we had the
first choice of everything. and it is
mystery to me that we are not both dead.
We must have eaten about five dozen
bananas, three or four pounds ct sugar,
and in fact, sampled everything we found
that was eatable [ tell you | learned
something on that trip about eating.
We thought as long as we had so many
good things we would try some goats
meat, and contrary to expectations found
it fine dish. | think these goats must
be distant relatives of the tin can eating
breed in the States. Another thing that
surprised me was the large herds of cat
tie along the road. They are exact col
or of the Jerseys in the States but of
heavier build. In some of the herds
there were several thousand head of cat
tie. There seemed to be no one watch
ing them but they were all branded.
The natives told US they belonged to
Spaniard at the capital and were origin
ally brought from Spain. The staple
product of the province is hemp and the
dealers are nearly always Cinnamon.
The gathering of this hemp is very
interesting subject to write on. TO be
brief, the hemp is gathered from a tree
much resembling the banana, except
that it has no fruit. The tree consists,
so to speak, Of layers of bark. The out
side layer is stripped off and thrown
away, then comes layer of hemp strands
as you see them in a rope. They are
tough enough to be pulled off by the
handful, generally six to eight feet in
length. The next layer is thrown away.
then layer Of hemp again, and so on
Through the tree. After the hemp is
pulled off, it is hung over fierce high
enough to keep the ends from touching
the ground and left to dry. They are
very careful while thus drying that it
docs not become damp, taking it in every
night and everytime there is a cloud in
sight. When it becomes perfectly dry,
it is baled up like the tobacco in our
warehouses; each bale weighs about 80
pounds. In this shape it is sent to Ma
Mia, and brings S27 dollars, Mexican, or
,S13 in our money. Hemp is also taken
from the regular banana tree, but is
considered an inferior grade. l do not
know whether any of it reaches the
States.
Co. G is having what you would call a
snap When the troops left the capital
they broke up into batallions, going in
three directions. The first battalion of
the 45th was again divided, Co. B re-
NAMED at the capital, A, G and D going
inland to this town. The niggers left
about an hour before taking everything
with them into the mountains. 1t was
no use to pursue them and the major
knew they would be back in town as
soon as he left so he decided to work a
bluff on them. The three companies
marched back to town, about ten miles
away, and early the next morning sent A
r. th;o tOurr, onair AS bo ov