The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-29

The United States Army transpor
Rosecrans Is one Of the first regula
Army transports that has ever visited
this port. Portland visitors to the grea
ship which Is lying at the Alaska docl
are Interested in inspecting it from bow
to stern for evidences OF the way the
Army transports are arranged anc
adapted for their peculiar service. The
Rosecrans Is loading hay for the Philip
pines. and is under orders to go to Ma
Mia via Honolulu with 1000 tons OF
forage. On the return the Rosecrans
will carry troops to San Francisco.
While the vessel is in port. Sunday will
be observed as visitors day.
The Rosecrans has a record that is
one of the most interesting of any
transport in the United States service.
In 1884 the vessel was built at Glasgow
and named the Methven Castle. for the
Donald Curry Line. running between
Southampton and the Cape Of Good
Hope. This ship Is connected with the
sequel to the celebrated Phoenix Park
murder of Lord Cavendish, then Vice
roy Of Ireland. The Methven Castle
was the steamer chosen to carry out of
England Cary, the informer on the
Irish secret society that had planned
the murder. The agitators had formed
the plot to Kill the secretary of Lord
Cavendish, Foster, and in the darkness
Of Phoenix Park. the assassins mistook
Cavendish for Foster, and shot and
stabbed him to death. Cary turned
states evidence on the promise that he
would be safely transported out of
England and given a great sum of
money and full pardon. On board
the Methven Castle, when Cary was
leaving England. one of the members
of the secret society. however. had been
placed, who murdered Cary in revenge
for his confession, which had caused
the arrest and death of seven of the
agitators. The murderer was captured,
taken TO Southampton and afterwards
hanged.
When the trade between Southamp-
ton and the Cape grew SO largo that
the ship was too small a carrier to be
effective, the Methven Castle was
brought to the Pacific Coast and put on
the run between Tacoma and China,
and later between Portland and China.
She was renamed the Columbia in 1896,
and in 1897 the American flag was rails
ed on the masthead while the vessel
was in port at Hong Kong. In August,
1898, the ship was chartered by the
United States Government to carry
troops to Manila. On the first trip over
she carried the Thlrty-fourth United
States Volunteers, and on the voyage
encountered severe typhoons on the
China coast. The storm was so severe
that the matches were battened down,
and for thirty-six hours the men lived
under the decks. The boat made a fast
round trip. and on the return carried
the Forty-second Volunteers. She re-
turned to San Francisco in thirty days, |
and the Government officials were so
well satisfied with the work that the
vessel was purchased outright. All the
officers and crew were retained and the
ship was named the Rosecrans.
The first work as a Government
transport was the carrying of the Sew
enth Artillery to China. When the
Rosecrans reached Nagasaki orders
were received countermanding those to
go to China, and the soldiers were
landed at Manila. She was then order
ed to China empty, to bring back to
Manila the soldiers of the Fifteenth U.
s. Infantry. The next voyage was to
the Southern islands, La Gaspia, Tepa- |
co, Maubon, where soldiers were taken !
and stationed.
The Rosecrans also figured In one of |
the events of the war that will go |
down into history, the deportation of !
the Filipino leaders to the Island Of |
Guam. These men had been captured |
and were prisoners of war. Among |
them were Recarte. Pho del Pillar and !
Madame, who was considered the great
headpiece of the instruction. Madame |
was deferred from active field work |
being a paralytic, but he was cool and |
crafty and, among the lnsurrectionists |
was considered the great counsellor |
and arch plotter Forty-two prisoners !
in all were taken to the island of |
Guam, under a guard of forty soldiers. |
The Filipinos were all men of means, !
and were allowed to take their ser
wants with them. They were all aris- |
tocratic and were served on board with !
all the luxurieS of the Americana, |
from champagne to cigarettes, all, |
however. at their own and not the !
governments expense. When the priS- !
oners came on board they were search |
ed for weapons and personal effects. !
Ocampo. the millionaire reyOlutiOnist, !
was greatly put out because he was |
not allowed to take with him $120, 900 |
in coin and bank notes. This, to him. !
was merely pocket money. and he could /
not see why the government should |
interfere with his personal comfort.
On the return the Rosecraus carried /
LOCO FiliDinos OF the rank and file TO !
SubiS Bay, sixty miles from Manila.
II was remarkable thing. but never !
theleSs true, that while this short Jour |
ney was being made two tons OF rice
a day were cooked to feed the Fill !
pinos- This was their regular DAYS |
rauons. and II they did not get their
dearly loved cooked rice the natives
would set up an awful howl
On the return the Rosecrans took on
board for return to the United states
the Thirty-seventh Infantry. 125 men