, 1907-09-09

IN ISLANDS
LIEUTENANT JULIUS MERZ TELLS
OF SOME THINGS HAPPEN
ING ON RECENT TRIP.
Went to Inspect Police on Island OF
Cebu and Launch Caught on Reef,
Remaining Ten hoursIDr. Pond
and Natives Try to Make Mainland
in an Open Boat.
sy Lieutenant julius Merz.

BY Lieutenant Julius Merz.
Danao. p. |. July 28.-Well, l have
had some experience since l wrote.
/ received orders to inspect police in
the island of Cebu, going first to the
Camotes islands. If you look at a
map YOU will see that these islands
are a little northeast of Danao, Cebu,
lying between Leyte and Cebu.
went to Cebu and got on the mill
tary launch Florida, and went hrst 10
San Francisco. Camotes islands, then
to Tudela. and then to Pelar, all three
places being in the Camotes. All went
wei, until we went to Pelar, and then
the captain OF the boat gave the direc-
ton southwest instead of northwest,
for we wanted to go around the north
ern end of Cebu.
launch on a Rect.
The night was very dark, n as l
had been drenched by a wave while
sleeping forward on a cot, l went BACK
to sleep on the skylight over the en-
gines.
While l was sleeping, or, rather, ly-
ing there, there came a sudden gentle
iolting, then a pause, and then an
other jolting. and then the boat stop
ped. The captain tried to back of but
couldn't, and there we were at 2 a. m.
was rather frightened at first, as
didn't kno where we were or wheth-
err the launch had a hole in the bottom
or not.
of at High Tide.
When daylight came we discovered
that we were in for it, for we were
hard and fast on the rocks of a big
reef, about twenty-five miles from
|Cebu. Well, we could not get off until
high tide, and there we were for ten
hours, with the boat on her side. we
threw off 5000 pounds of coal and all
our ballast to tighten the ship.
Or. Ponds Experience.
DR.. Arlington Pond of Cebu was on
board, and he thought we couldn't gel
off, so he started with three natives
in a small row boat for Cebu. Five
hours later, after we finally got off the
reef, we picked him up nineteen miles
from Cebu, with the natives nearly ex
hausted. His boat was in a very rough
sea, going against the tide and a south
west monsoon wind.
Luckily everything turned out o. X
but l firmly believe that had we beer
an hour later with the launch, DR.
Ponds row boat would have beer
swamped.
Inspected Many Stations.
We finally got back to Cebu, from
whence I returned to Danao. l in
spected the police in Liolan and Man
dane and then took another boat ant
went to Catmon, Barbon, Bantayan
Malabuyoc, Delagnette and othel
places, making a complete circuit b!
boat of the Island of Cebu. Day be
fore yesterday l went to Carmen, In
speeding the police yesterday morn
ing.
A Busy Officer.
This is near the end of the month
and 1 am busy attending to compan!
affairs and official work.
The e railroad will have its trains
in here by the middle of September
and then l will get to go to Cebu in
few minutes.
We are having a great deal of rail-
and a good many storms on the sea
and l suppose that before long We viii
receive the visit of a typhoon. Pleas
ant surmise, isn't it? l could not wisl
for a better station than this, and Cap
tain Barren, my senior inspector, is al
Al man to work under.
Teacher Misses Fortune.
Bantayan, where l inspected the pc
lice, is a pearl fishing place. The
school teacher there had a chance the
other day to buy one for 5000 and to
day the pearl is selling, or, rather, can
not be bought, for less than $500 II
Cebu. 1t is a perfect beauty!
Comfort from Republican.
Many thanks for the renewal Of The
Republican. You can't imagine how
enjoy it.
This province is very quiet now and
so is Leyte. Tomorrow elections viii
be held for representatives to the frs
Philippine assembly, but the election