Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-22

witness Story-Expioit Character
istic of His Confederate Days.
A very Important incident in the
| Philippine career of General Joe Wheel
er. the distinguished veteran of two
wars, has been overlooked by the news
paper correspondents in Uncle Sans
new possessions. Captain William L.
Sibert. now in charge of the Louisville
office OF the United States engineer
corps, was the only eyewitness to the
episode, SAYS the Washington Post. At
the time he was chief engineer of the
Eighth army corps, then operating in
northern Luzon. Official record of the
incident appears in General MacAr-
thurs recently issued reports.
The particular page Of history here
for the first time revealed tells how
General Wheeler. costumed in the garb
of good Father Adam, with a supple
ment in the way of tattered hat.
went in swimming because he wanted
immediate facts on the condition of
wrecked railroad bridge. The camera
fiend was long way off at the time
the thing occurred. but Captain Sibert
was fortunate enough later to secure
photograph of the exact spot in which
his illustrious superior officer took the
plunge.
Everybody remembers when General
Wheeler climbed a tree just before the
battle of Santiago in order to get
above the tops of the bushes, so he
could secure an unobstructed view of
the Spanish lines. The idea of an old
fellow beyond sixty and a major gen
eral shining up tree raised great
laugh at the time. but the veterans
who had served with Fighting Joe"
said that it was a trick to which he
had often resorted during the civil
war.
The maneuver in the Philippines.
however more than doubly discounts
the tree episode. At Tarlac on Nov.
IS, 1899. General Wheeler went swim
ming for the purpose of investigating
n railroad washout. A portion of the
debris lay in water seven feet deep.
part of which was a swiftly running
stream. If there is any other major
general who at the age of siXty-four
Invested himself of his uniform and
plunged into a treacherous stream I'M
der similar circumstances. history has
failed to record it. General Wheeler's
report says on the subject:
1 walked across 1 900 feet of overiowed railroad
track the end of which found that the track
and roadbed were entirely gone for a distance OF
about $50 feet. The first thirty feet Of this break
a rapidly running stream varying from three
to eight feet in depth. BY exploring the bottom
of the river / found a part of what had been q
span of a bridge, the iron rails still adhering TO
the stringers This / sscertained by personally
feeling the iron rails and stringers feet be-
low the surface, with my hands. Continuing the
examination, | next found a series of brick piers,
about fifteen in number, all, however, beneath
the surface Beyond these brick piers
found a rapid of water about $50 feet wide.
the greatest depth, of six feet, being near the
north side where the railroad commences again.
-.' l afterward crossed the river and examined
the railroad north of ii.
AS there was not a boat within fifty
miles of the spot, all of this getting
around in the rapid stream was done
by swimming. 1t was very necessary
that the work on the waShout be COM
pleted within a few days for the pur-
pose of forwarding supplies to the sol
diers who were operating against the
insurgents beyond the river. That was
the reason why General Wheeler was
in such great haste to ascertain the ex-
act condition of the wreck and the
length of time it would require to re-
pair the track. The engineer soldiers
who We're at work upon the washout
were a considerable distance farther
back along the track. and so none save
Captain Sibert witnessed the generals
swimming feat. The nearest newspa-
per correspondents were several miles
away, either at the front or in the rear.
Naturally none of them supposed that
there would be any such history max
ing at a mudhole like the Tarlac wash
out which was at once many miles
from the enemy and the American
headquarters.
The bathing costume of General
Wheeler was identical with the one in
vogue in Georgia during the last year
OF the civil war-namely. an old SLOUGH
hat and a very determined expression
of countenance. The general did not
explain why he wore this hat, as he
was under the water almost as much
of the time as he was on the surface.
General Wheeler showed that he was
an adept at swimming every stroke
known. The swiftness of the current
apparently gave him but little trouble,
and when he got ready to go to the bot
tom he went down like a rock and
stayed under an alarmingly long time
He hardly stopped TO rest five minutes
at a time. but splashed as Justify as a
young porpoise from the moment he
plunged in until he clambered back up
the bank.
General Wheeler's friends have al /
ways known of his prowess as a swim
mer At Santiago he jumped of one
Of The army transports and took 3 dip
in the sea.
The First Lady Architect.
For the first time in the history Of
the arts an academically accredited
woman architect has come TO the front (.
in E,r.Irnc.a writes the Paris cnrr.asraon1- !