The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1943-07-08
CHAPTER XIV

WHICH was Oh lIlG OUISh4- - OA4 q AAA14
overlooking Cebu City and harbor.
I went right to bed after supper, but
first I turned on the radio by my
bed. It said that Bataan had Just
fallen. Maybe if they could have
been told that those seven fat inter
island steamers were on their way
loaded with food and quinine, may
be those poor brave, starved, fever
ridden guys could have held the line
a little longer. Well, we IN the
torpedo boats had done what we
could. And I wished that Peggy
could know that, and that I could
thank her for those two codelne tab
lets, and tell her how they let Key
holds sit out on the deck and really
enjoy his last cigarette.
Right now Peggy was probably
standing IN the tunnel entrance on
Corregidor, where she and had sat
so many evenings, looking across
the narrow waters to the tip OF Ba-
tam where the Japs now were, and
back up from the water in the hills
would be bright pin-points OF rifle
fire, where the Japs were hunting
down like rats those few brave, silly
expendables who still wouldn't admit
they were expended, who still had
little fight left and so kept on fighting
even after the generals had said It
was done. Looking at this, proba-
bly, she was, and knowing that
their turn on the Rock would come
soon. Well. we in the MTB's were
expended now, but we had done what
we could for Bataan. And wished
that the swell brave gang on the
Rock could know this. Oh, Christ!
Oh, Christ! Finally I got to sleep.
1T was a hell of an explosion
which woke me up in the dark, and
for a minute I didn't know where I
was. Through my window which
overlooked the town and the harbor
beyond, I could see fire rising on
the outskirts. I looked at my wrist
watch. It was AIS. They were all
awake in the house now. Then came
an even bigger explosion and fame
ten times as high. My American
host came back from the telephone
and said that one was the Philip
pine Refinery; the japanese were
coming and the Americans were
blowing up the town. hustled into
my clothes to get back into the city.
I wanted to rejoin my three men,
but I was stopped on the road by
the army-no traffic, everybody must
get out. 1t was $50, and by now
one-third of the city was IN flames.
People were streaming out
some Americans, and a few Of our
navy. From them during the morn
ing heard that the Japs had come
back and bombed what was left Of
our "a boat on the beach. Well,
that was over.
Then I heard that Buckley
wasn't dead-his boat escaped and
was now IN Mindanao. That Brant-
ngham had burned his IS boat sit
ting there on Dad Cleland's marine
railway-at least the Japs wouldn't
get if. That Ensign Richardson had
assembled what was left of our men,
and Joined up with our naval forces
on Mactan Island, where they would
all try to escape to the island of
Leyte. It was the last ever heard
of them
1.-THE Japs had already landed
twenty miles down the coast of Cebu
also at two other points.
"'Weu, what can I do?' I asked
the army.
I" Nothing they said. Maybe
you'd like to join the other evacuees
who are assembling at Camp X
an army stronghold inland which
was going to hold out all through the
war until help came from the States.
at couldn't make up my mind, so
I waited at this Americans house for
something better to turn up, and
meanwhile watched the Japs inva-
sion from the second-story windows.
'sThe invasion of Cebu was on a
penny-ante scale-we could have
stopped them if we'd had anything
at ALL" said Lieutenant Kelly. They
had a destroyer, two transports, and
a couple of interisland steamers not
a hundred feet long. This gang
Law off the channel entrance for a
while, and presently they loaded
about a thousand infantry into the
two steamers Give hundred In EACH,
which set out IN column through
the channel. The leading boat had
a little 3-inch gun on its bow, and
every now and then If would bang
away toward the city.
st watched them tie I'D at about
ten o'clock in the morning at the
only remaining dock and disembark.
Meanwhile the three seaplanes Eyes,
the same ones) were flying over
the city, dropping leaflets In Eng
lish telling the Philippines to sur
render, We are your friend and
offering a substantial reward for any
American, dead or alive, and a
handsome reward for any Ameri-
can Officer or his body Nice guys.
Meanwhile two Zero fighters were
strafng the automobiles trying to
get out on the road.
Then we got reports on the prog
ress of the street fighting, which we
could also hear from the house. The
general had apparently pulled out
maybe to fortify Camp X-but
the colonel was staying behind with
his soldiers to hold out as long as he
could. He had less than a thousand
Filipino troops, and less than a hun
dred rounds of ammunition per man.
But they would fight until this was
expended. At two o'clock they
seemed to be holding their own, and
when I showed off at about $50
o'clock, half the town was in flames
it was the second city in the is
lands-and all the warehouses were
blown up. The Japs later hollered
around about the typical American
wanda ism but il was one of the hest