The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-20
THEIR HIAR DSHl Il
PAS De SCRIP ton
Blu. Continual Effort is Made at
the impossible.
WALLER EXPEDITION REPORT REP Q: !
Ostai.s Terror. Passed Through BY Himself
aad His Men in Journey Through
island Of Devotion
to Each Other.
WALLER EXPEDITION REPORT
nv Associated Press. )

WASHINGTON. u. c.. March 19.-The
Navy Department has made publ; an
other report from Major Waller ret
counting in detail the stirring events
Of his tragic effort to cross the Island
of Samar. Major Waller begins with
a statement that Lieutenant Williams
Seventh Infantry. who rad Just returned
from a twel9e-days trip in fruitless
search for trail, and Captain Pickering
urged him not to make the attempt 10
cross Sa1nar on account OF the uliilcui-
tfes. But he decided to make the at
tempt in view of the commanding gen
erals evident desire to find the tran ana
run wire across. starting win tii's
men on December 18th for Lanang
The rivers were much swollen and 1t
took a long time to get the boat through
the rapids. Trails were picked UP only
to be last again, and the rain came
down in torrential bursts. The river Inc Inc
men were following curved almost 10 a
circle and the banks held no trails. ihe
route crossed and reccossed inc TIVE
every few minutes and the men oessiii
to develop water sores and chaies. lug
Knowledge that they made four or nVe
mics in direction for each twelve miles
of march was depressing. On the aVth
reduced rations We're issued NO slsu
of human habitation had been seen, es-
cent a lonely fishing shack. There were
not even birds 1t took the whole OF
INC slst to .reacil the mountain
mass. All the elements seemed TO pe
against the men.
TRAIL LOST.
Descending, the trail was again ios..
/. rhe men were suffering from sores, from
f,u,s made by thorns and from iesterils
bitns of leeches. They could get no liie
n, ate raw bacon. A raft was puiit'
hui sank with one man on II Stafl.hs
down the river, word came to WaAef llat
many men could not keep UP, SO ne ue-
cided to forge ahead for relief with tflir-
teen of the strongest men. leaving captain
Porter in command of the main body.
Another effort to build a floating ralt
tailed. Waller finally came upon clear
ing, where he found a shack ana some
k1owinG vegetables. The lenses OF his
fe,d-glass started a 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 fry the potatoes
The natives were reported to be threat
CHING Porter. and altogether the expe-
dition was in a bad way. Two natives
were captured and pressed into service
as guides. Finally the Spanish trail was
fc3nd, but simultaneously large boat
was discovered and the start was made
Cor Basey. The report says:
APPEARANCE DIDN'T COUNT
."The men, realizing that all was over,
ard that rhey we're safe and once near
home, gave up; some quietly wept, others
laughed Historically. One sergeant turned
to men and said: 1 don't think we would
show up so well at a drawing-room.
My heart bled for these men when |
licked at them. Most of them had no
shoes: cut, torn. bruised and dilapidated
they had marched without murmur for
. days and had accepted what no white
troops had done before. They thought
not of it, but of each other. They spoke
Of me. my age, and, to them the well
known injury to my foot, and they Won
tlered how ] had stood it, My shirt was
iu rags, my hat was a hat by courtesy.
Torn as they We're, with eyes suffused
with leech bites, ] felt that appearances
made no difference: we We're through
AT Bacey Waller was taken sick with
fea er, and suffered also from his injured
ankle. He says that the expedition was
of no value except to show that the
mountains can be penetrated and that
there are no insurgents there. Conclud-
irg. 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
or the Others except Captain Bearss,
Lieutenant Halford Lieutenant Lyles and
Major Waller himself either were or had
been in the hospital at the date OF the
report The length Of his march was 80
miles.