Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-20
MANILA CHANGING
SAYS CAPT. Wells
Former Salt Laker Who SWore
Utah Batteries Into the Ser
vice Discusses the Islands.
STATIONED AT FT. MCKINLEY
The Goth lnfantrymen. lie says En-
joy Their New station and Win
Cold Storage Have Variety.


That the old time resident Of Manila.
who knew the town when the Ameri-
can occupation first occurred would
not recognize II now should he return,
is the opinion of Briant II. Wells. cap
tain in the Twenty ninth U, $. infantry.
who is now In Salt Lake from the is
lands on a leave of absence for the
summer.
Captain Wells, as a first lieutenant In
the Eighteenth u 5. infantry sMore
into the United States service the Titan
volunteer batteries and the volunteer
cavalry raised upon the occasion OF
tho first call at the outbreak of the
Spanish war Later as n line officer in
this same regiment he served IN cuba,
and early In 1899. was sent to the Phil-
ippines for service in Ito lio ana cen-
trail Philippine districts.
The swearing i'm of the Utah Volun-
teers occurred on what is known as
the lower parade ground at Ft. Doug
las. The two batteries, a and b, under
Capt. Young and capt Grant resp>St-
lively were lined UP in front of their
tents, located at the extreme south
side of the grounds, and there Capt.
Wells read to them the oath of al
legiance, while with uplifted right
hands they listened, and thus became
soldiers in the United States service.
Later he purchased Utah horses for
the war, and then Joined his regiment
in Cuba,
With his regiment he was sent to
Manila a little less than a year after
wards and there he found his two bat
teries located in the Quartet de Meisic
in the Tondo district of Manila. ana
called upon the officers before going
| down to his central insular statioi-.
! This was between the period of tho
| batterymen's service in the trenches be-
| fore Manila, and the outbreak of the
| Philippine insurreoton which occurred
a month after his visit.
Most of the men of the batteries still
recall the visit to their Manila barracks
| OF the Officer who swore them into the
| service. owing to the circumstance
| that their second meeting had followed
! his service in the Cuban campaign.
| which seemed across several worlds t.
| the men who we're then sweltering IN.
| barracks confinement awaiting the in
| surrection's outbreak.
AT FIT. M'KINLEY,
Capt Wells left the Philippines for
/ his Salt Lake home on the l4th OF
| June last, and made the trip to San
Francisco on the transport Sheridan IN
| 30 days via Nagasaki and Honolulu.
| He went to the Islands on his last trip
with the Twenty -ninth infantry when ii
left its Fort Douglas station last fall,
| and during the present spring was with
his regiment at Fort Mckinley, LuZon
Island,
THE officers of the Twenty-ninth,
said Capt Wells this morning, ''art
well located at Fort Mckinley. 1t Is
an Ideal post. The ground is high ana
pleasant. Capt. Allen and Lieut. Park
er have gone east to the rifle shoot
but other officers are mostly with the
regiment"
MANILA IMPROVEMENTS.
When asked what work the govern
ment is doing now the segregate the
military and civil offices, and t.
strengthen the Notifications, Capt
Wells said that nearly all buildings
In Manila, formerly occupied by the
military. had been turned over to the
civil government, Tho governor general
now occupies the Pasig river home for
merly occupied by the Spanish admiral.
and later by the American military
commander, while the military head
quarters are located on the shore OF
Manila bay in a suburb of the city.
FORTIFYING CoRREGIDOR
The harbor he said, had been lily
improved and now sea going vessels
may unload their cargoes directly OF
wharves extending out into deep water
and protected by break water from
rough weather.
Fortihcatlons are being erected a
Coregidor Island. while very recen
| decision is to make Manila bay tn,
naval base instead Of Suebig bay, for.
merly chosen for this position.
al Corregidor,' he said there 4
one 12-inch gun battery already install
ed, with foundation made for another
and for a mortar battery, l0-inch bat
terry, and a 6-inch battery. From
position OF III Fralle Island both chan
nels passing Corregidor can be swep
with fire from these Qualifications, ant
on this latter island the fire eontro
station is being erected"
THE UTAH FILIPINOS.
When asked about tho Utah boys il
Manila, Capt Wells said that Harol
Pitt is now one of the most prominen
business men, and actively intereste
In promotion matters while he ha
stock in several important cOmpanie:
Carlos Young N manager for Macon
= dray a. Co, an American importln
1 firm, while Ernest L. Young and Leste
{ Young are I'm the government service.
t COLD STORAGE.
THE greatest Improvement Of all,
, said Capt. Wells, Us in the genera
method Of living. cold storage hn
-, done wonders for Manila. A great ic
plant built by the government, ha
compartments which are rented 10 varI
] Gus firms aud In which fresh Austral
= IAN beef butter, and perlshable foo
q stuffs are kept for the market ThI
Q has made a selection OF foods possbl
r that would not have been practlcabl
q under the Old methods"
capt Wells VIII remain In Salt LAX
= untll the expiration of his leave /
g October, when he will again join hi
. regiment.