The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-03-21
ANOTHER REPORT FROM MAJOR WAL.
lER or THIS JOURNEY.
THE EXCEPTION OF NO VALUE
Except Showing that the Noun
tafns can be Penetrated-Major
Waller Gives the Details OF the
Tragic March Over Almost Inn
DenetrabIe Mountains for the Pur-
pose of Finding an Ancient Span
fsh Trail Across the Is1and-when
Found the Trail was SO Indfstfnct
ft Could Not be Followed.

Washington, March 1e-The navy
department has made public another
report from Major Waller. recounting
In detail the stirring events OF his
tragic effort to cross the island of Sa-
mar. Major Waller begins with
statement that Lieutenant Williams.
OF the Seventh infantry. who had Just
returned from a twelve days trip in
o fruitless search for trail. and Cap
tain Pickering urged him not to make
the attempt to cross Samar on account
Of the difficulties: but he decided to
make the attempt in view Of the COM
manding generals evident desire to find
the trail and run a wire across, starting
with fifty men on December 2sth for
Lanang.
The rivers were much swollen and II
took q long time to get the boat
through the rapids. Trails were picked
up only to be cost again and the rain
come down in torrential bursts. The
river the men were following curved
tn a circle and the banks held no trails.
The routs crossed and recrossed the
river every few minutes and the men
began to develop water sores and
CHATS. The knowledge that they made
four or five miles in direction for each
twelve miles OF march was depressing.
On the Goth reduced rations were
issued. No sign of human habitation
had been seen, except d lonely fishing
shack. There were not even birds. 1t
took the whole of the 31st to reach the
mountain pass. All the elements
Tr
scending. the ,rail was again lost. The
men were suffering from sores. from
cuts made by thorns and from Tester
ing bites of leeches. They could get
no fire and ate raw bacon. A raft was
built. but sank with one man on it.
Starting down the river. word came
tn Waller that many men could not
keep up. so he decided to forge ahead
for relief. with thirteen of the strong
est men, leaving Captain Porter in
command of the main body. Another
effort to huild a floating raft failed
Waller finally came upon clearing
where he found a shack and some
growing vegetables. The lenses of his
fleld-glass started fire and two days
supply of potatoes were cooked. Word
from the rear was that the men could
make only three miles a day. There
was only enough bacon to frv the DO
tatoes.
The natives were reported to he
threatening Porter and altogether tn"
expedition was i'm a bad way. Two r"-.
tives were captured and pressed int"
service as guides
Finally the Spanish trail was found.
but simultaneously a large boat was
discovered and the start was made for
Basey. The report says:
1.-THE men, realizing that all was
over. and that they were safe and ono"
near home, gave up, some quietl"
wept, others laughed Historically. On"
sergeant turned to me and said: u
don's think we would show UP well at
q drawing ROOM My heart bled FOR
these men when I looked at them. Most
of them had no shoes. Cut, torn.
bruised, dilapidated, they had marched
without murmur for twenty-nine days
and had accomplished what no white
troops had done before. They thought
not of il, but of each other. Thcr
spoke of me, my age, and, to them,
the well known injury to my foot, and
they wondered how l had stood it. NV
shirt was in rags: my hat was a hat
by courtesy. Torn as they were, with
eyes suffused with leech bites. I felt
that appearances made no difference;
we were through"
At Basey, Waller was taken sick
with fever and suffered also from his
injured ankle. He says that the ex
pedition was of no value except to
show that the mountains can be pene-
trated and that there are no insur-
gents there.
Concluding, Major Waller says that
he was the only one of his party able
to move on February Sth. Ten of the
men died of exhaustion and one in the
hospital. All of the others. except
Captain Bearss. Lieutenant Halford.
Lieutenant Lsles, and Major Waller
himself either we're or had been in the
hospital at tn, date of the report. The
length OF his march was $50 miles.