The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-15
COLFAX Buy ON FIRING LINE.
WRITES of THE WEARY PLOD-
DING THROUGH MILES of MUD.
Life II Not All u JOY to the Boys
Who Are Chasing the Wiry Fiji
pinos-Throw Away Clothes ana
Bedding to Tighten Heav Pack.

Special Dispatch to the Post -Intelligencer.
COIFAX, Jan. 4.-A letter just re-
ceived from Frank Blachley Colfax boy.
and now member Of Company c, Thirty
fifth U. 8. W, details some of the joys OF
soldier life In the Philippines. Under date
Of Cabiao. November q, he says in part:
II am well and fattening like a pig here.
Soon after our arrival at Manila we
boarded a train and rode IS miles to San
Fernando, where we stayed for two days.
through the mud and slush to the firing
line. From San Fernando we marched to
Sanoaha, II miles, and It was hard trip
Ing SO long on on the Z" Transport. Rain fell
nearly all the time. and we had to carry
our packs. weighing from 20 to 100. pounds.
have waded and % eapred pe my
pack, gun, knapsack, haversack and cam
teen for miles and would never be out of
the mud and water from two to four feet
deep. say. But one gets tired. First the
boys could be seen throwing away their
shirts and shoes to tighten the whole
thing. The boys would be SO tired that
they cared for nothing. One could be
seen sitting down in the mud and wat
er, refusing to. move for officers or any
one else until he. had rested a while.
o'clock at night 1t had rained all day,
and you may imagine how We looked.
Inc whole battalion could no have whipped
All we had for dinner was bareback and
water. Some were SO tired that they went
to bed without supper Others ate their
thrown away their beds and clothing, so
they had neither beds nor change of
clothes. Oh, we were a tough looking lot
the next morning We stayed there two
days. when we continued our most pleas
ant journey through swamps for nice
little tramp of twenty-sfx miles to this
place.
are all of bamboo, set on posts five or six
feet from the ground. In the rainy sea-
son It rains all the time and the flats
dry season rain falls about twice or three
times a week.
II am cooking for the officers of the
and fatigue duty. Il Is Iap fright to 's see
what the poor devils of the camp have to
contend with. We are not fixed here yet,
and the commissary has nothing but ba-
con, rice. prunes and bareback to eat.
The company cooks use big pots for cook
Ing: For breakfast they FIJI the pot about
done they throw in n al lot Of sliced bacon
or dried prunes. When done 1t is served
with two hardtacks and cup of rather
weak coffee. 1t is not very tempting
marching all day through the mud OF
course, 1t will be better after we get set
tied and a freight line is started.
other day and captured Aguinaldo's (Am-
tgo- Wilde, we call him) secretary, three
or four majors and lieutenants and $4,000
In silver. We have not had any fighting
so far. but expect an attack on our OUT
posts at any time. We lost one man be-
tween Honolulu and Manila. His death
was caused by bad meat. We were all
laid UP for about forty-eight hours 1t
looked for time as IL we would lose
about half our men. but the surgeons got
in and they pulled all through but one.
1t was not nice thing to see about 700
men laid up with cramps or some kind
Of cholera.
I'VE have no writing paper, and no
place to buy 1t. 1 had to slip this from
the captain and wouldn't he rave, though,
IL he knew it,"