Evening star., 1901-05-06
SOLDIERS FARE ABOARDA TRANSPORT
Rations insufficient and Quarters
Very Uncomfortable.
CASE OF SMALLPOX ABOARD


| dered from Porto Rico to Washington bar
racks last December we soldiers hoped we
would remain at that pleasant station for
| at least a year. The regiment had served
| in Porto Rico since August, 1898, and the
| men yearned for a temperate climate, and
! Washington suited all. The echoes of in
! augural grandeur were still in our ears,
| however, when the order from headquar-
ters was received dispatching the regiment
to the Philippines to relieve the volunteers
in time to have them mustered out by July.
| We pulled out of Washington in a rain
storm. The only persons to see us off were
the negro washerwomen, and they gave us
| a royal send-off. Our route was through
| Virginia and Tennessee for the first two
! days, which uninteresting country.
The soil and the people appeared to be
! very poor, though the few cities we passed
! through had bustling. prosperous look.
We arrived at Chattanooga about sun
down and retreat exercises were held at
the station. The companies We're brought
| to a parade rest after roll call and the
| band played the national air. during which
all the southrons in sight removed their
| hats. 1t was very pleasant, as a very small
| percentage of American citizens under
! stand how to honor our national air or the
| flag. They would shoot a man who would
accuse them of disoyalty TO the flag, but
they will stand by unmoved, with their
! hats on, while the COlOrS are passing
Should one man, however, know what to
! do it is a hint for the crowd, and their
! hats off in jiffy.
We crossed the noble but muddy Missis-
! sippi at Memphis and Wended our way
/ through the swamps of Arkansas. The
people are all yellow and Shaky down there,
! the usual Salutation being, Good morning,
Josh; bin chillin' lately?' The land ap-
| peared to be very rich through that sec
! ton, but not cultivated to any great eX-
! tent. We We're snowbOurd in Kansas for
/ twentyfour hours, which was a hard or
Il h., 1
! uncomplimentary remarks about Mrs. Ma
! tion and her hatchet.
! The engine finally plowed its way through
the snow drifts and we arrived at Colorado
! Springs, Colo, which is a magnificent
/ looking town. The hills are dotted with
/ countless mansions and large hotels and
judged it to be the home of the western
/ millionaire, there no mills fac
tories to support such a large city. We
! lay there twelve hours, while the road
ahead was being cleared of a wreck. We
settled in oar seats for another start, when
/ q telegram came in that another freight
had gone over the same place the first
had. 1t was pitch dark when We finally
got started and the engineer slowly picked
his way over those dizzy heights ! wit
messed that night and the following day
the grandest scenery | ever beheld. and |
have Travelled a great deal. Without a
doubt Colorado is the scenic state of Amer
] lea.
The following day. Sunday. being the last
, of the month, we mustered at Basalt Colo.
where we waited for another wreck to be
cleared away. An old trainman told me
that when there was one wreck there were
always three before a week elapsed. They
told me there that Vice President Roosevelt
had been hunting through that section and
had loaded quite number of mountain
T lions the train at that place.
About this stage of the journey the gov
crnment travel ration began to be obnoX-
ious to the men. Just think of living on
the train for eight days on canned corned
beef canned baked beans, hardtack about
half the time and bread the balance of the
time in small quantities and a pint of coffee
three times day. The cOrned beef is
plenty after three days, but there is
never enough of baked beans At the end
of the third day small quantities of canned
tomatoes, raw, are issued. \ days ration
for one company of 100 men is considered
to be Scventy-five pounds of corned beef
fifteen thrce-pound cans Of baked beans 100
pounds of hardtack and ample quantities
of coffee OF fair quality. Eight days on
this ration tests the digestive organs of
the human being to the fullest capacity
The travel ration has not been changed
since the civil war, but l hope to live
long enough to see it changed The gov
ernment is liberal when only one man is
travelling, as it allows him $50 per day.
The Emergency Ration.
There is government ration called the
emergency" which is more limited than
the travel ration, as it is said that sol
dier can carry ten days supply of it in
his pockets. In transporting emergency
rations in the field one mule carries the
food and five follow up with medicines
There is another ration, called the trans
port ration, to which L will devote some
space later
The trip through Utah was uneventful
until Brigham Ioung'S old home was
eached There We're some mammoth rock
mountains close to the road as we ad-
vanced, which yearn for the ads of the
biscuit and stove polish man.
We arrived at Salt Lake City late Sun
day night, remaining only a short time
Mr.. Roberts, who tried to break into Com
gress, but was defeated by the w. c. T. L..
the best act of that noble organization
the worst being the suppression of the
soldiers canteen, delivered a sermon at the
Mormon church that day which Methodist
missionary said was one of the best that
he ever heard although he did not agree
with all the speaker said.
Nevada was dreary beyond descrintion
There are several small towns which
break the monotony, but it is generally
rocks and sagebrush and no dwellings in
slght. L allghted at a station called Cisco
and noticing the agent wore hard hat
ana a boiled shirt. l at once Surmised that
he had not been there long.
Good afternoon l opened up with.
kind of lonesome around here isn't If ?''
Not as much so as you would imagine"
he replied There was q cowboy killed
near mere yesterday, and 1 have received
warning that l had better not STAY bera
was here before me just left last week
Ihey bluHed him out. He was witness
against a gang which held up train here
year ago and they wrote him not to
wait until the court opened, and he weak
ened. l intend to stay and see 1t out"
Ihe engineer rang his bell and we shook
hands and wished each other luck. l read
In the Salt Lake papers of the murder of
the agent mentioned. His sheep had
strolled upon the murderer's ranch and he
killed several valuable rams. When the
young man, who was just twenty-one.
called for a settlement unarmed he was
met by Winchester rifle and cronch the
ball went through his shoulder coming out
at the lower part of the stomach. Mortally
wounded the young man mounted his horse
and rode ten miles to the Cisco station ard
there took the train for Grand Junction,
where he died in the hospital shortly after
his arrival.
At small station in Nevada the brake
man pointed out large dog lying down
against fence. He tod us that the dogs
master had been killed on that spot over
ten years ago and the dog had lain In that
spot ever since, refusing to move. His
meals were carried to him. There was a
deep hole where he lay, which partly