The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-13

would return. and directing Porter TO make
directly for the river and build RATS for
the entire party. This Porter tried to 90,
but failed TO find wood that would float. IL
was raining hard at this time and the river
was about ten feet above its normal level
and running with violence. AS Major Wal
Ter did not appear Porter sent Captain
Bearss to him to ascertain his plans, then
return and report. Bearss failed to return,
but he reached Waller and went on with
him.
ION the Cd, think, Porter pushed ahead
to get assistance, with eight of the strong
est men, leaving Williams TO follow with
the crippled and lame as far as the boat,
secreted on the way up, to be used In an
emergency like the present. Porter reached
the boat but found she had been damaged
and was unfit for use. So he started on
a twenty-five-mle hike for Lanang, and
reached there with three men on the att
ernoon of the 18th. Five men had given
out, but living on two dogs that strayed
their way they finally reached the post.
The relief expedition under Lieutenant
Williams, First Infantry, on account OF
the height of the river, was unable 10 get
away until the morning of the 18th. Will
liams deserves the highest praise for his
twenty-fve-mile fight against the current
and up the rapids, hauling his boats along
by hand good part of the way. 1t was
not until the morning of the 18th that he
reached the starving marines in their last
stopping place near the river. Their con-
ditiOn at the time was terrible. For days
no man among them had strength to carry
a rife. Nine of them had either gone crazy
or had fallen by the trail half dead from
starvation and exposure. 1t had rained
steadily for eighteen days. Lieut.. A. 5.
Williams had made every effort to get them
along but had TO abandon them. He could
only save the men who were able to reach
the boat by the river, the probable point
of arrival of the relief expedition He got
there on the night of the 18th inst, his
party having been without food. except
roots, the pulp of plants and a few sweet
potatoes, for fifteen days To further COM
plicate matters, the native bearers, about
thirty in number, became sulky, practically
refusing assistance 10 the white men.
They would build shacks as a protection
from the continual downDour for them
selves only, and knowing the edible roots
and plants, were more skillful in obtaining
food.
"A time came when no white man could
carry a rife, and those not lost were in
the hands of the natives; under the altered
condition it required considerable diplO-
macy on the part of Lieutenant Williams
to handle them at all Just before reach
ing the river two bearers tried TO kill VIII
liams, stabbing him about the chest with
bolO. He tried to shoot, but had not Suf
ficient strength to pull the trigger. Then
they tried TO Kill him with his own pistol,
but did not know how to work the weapon.
Williams was rescued by few of his men
who tottered up, armed with sticks, and
the natives took to the bush. No FilipinoS
were seen in the region, there being no
food. The relief party saw some coming
from the direction of Hermene; so 1t Is
probable the insurgents about there got
wind of the desperate conditions of the
marines and were hurrying up 10 take adj
vantage of it. Relief came just i'm time.
II took practically all of Jan. Is to get the
sufferers, thirty-One In number. including
two officers, eighteen on stretchers, unable
TO move. across the river and out through
the surf to the vessel. The job was fin
ished at $50 u. m, and at we started
for .Tacloban direct. as an army surgeon
said at Lanang that an hour saved I'm
transit might mean an arm or leg to some
We reched Tacloban at a. m, and the
transferred
the hospital. The others. including eight
or ten natives, not included in the above
total of thirty-one. / transported to Basey,
seeing Major Waller. His party appears,
from the statements of the officers, to have
been reduced to nearly the same extremity
as the other. They had practically given
up hope when the opportune capture of a
small boy. the only native seen, resulted in
their getting through to the coast"