Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-12-23

Stanley Washburn. special CORE
spOndeut OF the Chicago News. writing
from Moji. Japan, under the date Of
Oct IL. describes as follows the sail
ing of a japanese transport ship:
The Wakasa Maru was scheduled TO /
sail from Osaka at noon on Monday, |
Oct. 10. In the company of Marquis /
Lorenzo dada. correspondent Of the /
Milan Secolo and Pertey Bey, colonel I
of the Turkish general stan and now
military attache from the sultan TO
view the RussO-Japanese war. ar
rived at Osaka Sunday, as we had been
instructed to do by the general stau at
Tokyo.
In to the moment of departure our
plans were shrouded in the deepest
mystery. The lieutenant of the stan,
in giving us our instructions. salu:
You will proceed TO Osaka and there
report to our transport officer. He Will
assign you TO a ship which we cannot
yet mention. and you will sail Monday
and will proceed TO certain place.
which at present is military secret
We were so glad TO be off that we
cared little where the certain place
was and sisnified our consent to 20
anywhere. Thus il was that our boys
and our horses were hustled OF that
very afternoon ON a military train for
the certain place. At the eleventh hour
we were told in whisper that we
were to join the Third army before
Port Arthur but were earnestly In
structed to keep it dark.
So it was that we three, with de
lightful little Japanese captain attach
ed to the general staff to look out Tor
us, arrived at Osaka. Osaka is won
derfully interesting and beautiful city.
Next to Tokyo it is the largest city III
Japan. and it is far and away the live
Hest and most up to date city of the
empire, if not in the entire far east.
Our first duty on landing in this
hustling town was to call at the trans
mort office. where dozens Of officers
and specially detailed soldiers and non
commissioned officers sat behind long
wooden desks filling In innumerable
books, signing papers and doing many
ether things Here we presented our
permits from the war Office at Tokyo
and received in return an extremely
comprehensive document-it must have
been comprehensive, for 1t covered a
square yard or so and was stamped
officially wherever there had been a
vacant space. This document we were
instructed to present on the following
morning to the embarking officer at
the dock.
Osaka is about four or five miles
from the deep anchorage for the big
ger ships, so it took us about an hour
and a half to get to the huge wharfs
and stone piers which the japanese
government has just completed. In a
large square near by provision had been
made for the troops before their de
parture Booths containing kitchens
and long wooden tables with benches
down either side, as one sees in a
lumber camp, had been knocked to-
gether. As we rode up in our rick
shaws they were surrounded by
swarIHs of the blue clad, red flannel
trimmed soldiers of Japan, who were
taking their last meal on their native
shores for many a day to come. The
officer in charge of the embarkation
received as most kindly and at once
gave the necessary orders for the
transfer of our baggage to the ship.
A few moments later bugle sound
ed and the soldiers hurried to the
neighboring square. where their rifles
were stacked and their knapsacks neat
ly piled together. For a moment the
field seemed filled with sn indistin
guishable mass of men squirming into
equipment and strapping on belts
Then suddenly came order out of con.
fusion. The mass began to take form
and in a few minutes it was moving
toward us, a mass no longer, but three
columns of troops, marching foul
abreast with the officers by theil
sides. Down the long pier they came
with their equipment rafting in unison
as they stepped together. At the enc
of the stone wharf lay the big trans
port with the smoke rolling out of hel
thick, short funnel telling of the stok
ers firing up in the furnace room be
low. The columns come to a standstill
Then, forming by twos and with trail
ing rifles, they march up the gam
planks and down the matches on tn
main deck to the quarters prepared TO
them below, while their officers hurr
about giving orders and helping t
make their men comfortable for tn
sea voyage.
Meantime batch of cavalrymen for
ward is assisting In loading a numbe
of horses. Indeed, 1t is a task fitted 70
soldier and a strenuous one at that
The vicious little japanese ponies, wit
their ears laid back, are pushed along
side the boat. A bellyband about tw
feet broad Is passed beneath their ia
little stomachs, and the ends are hook
ed together. While a little beast
planning, no doubt how he shall kic
that booted cavalryman on the left sid
or perhaps bite that careless bystande
~ iioiit "a hii'' thC beiy pdnu 10 uOoh
ed on to the end of rope, and tn
first thing the animal knows be is be
ing hoisted bodily in the air. Th
glances Of helpless rage and the occs
sional squeals of disgust that are vi
tered by the four footed passenger ar
too amusing for words. The horses ar
swung over and lowered into the hol
with as little ceremony as though the
were bales of hay instead of very al
CRY mites of horsehesh.
Already some hundreds of horse
have kicked bitten and been hoiste
ap5 orafr,lIy donpcitod In fbai,. A., an