Evening star., 1945-10-23

reservoir was filled from a deer
artesian well, operated by pump
run by an electrical engine which
in turn derived its power from fuel
oil.
The raising, lowering and moving
OF the big guns and their ammuni.
ton, during the unending artillery
duels, as well as the operation of oul
searchlights, had been a heavy drair
on the Rocks electric plant, and thus
on the fuel oil and gasoline which
made the electricity possible.
Gen. Moore estimated about the
first of May that we would run out
of power on Corregidor by May 20
1912. We had already lost one OF
our best men in these departments
a colonel of the Quartermaster
Corps who was killed while super
vising shell repairs to the water
system.
Our main power plant at Bot
tomside"-in valley in the middle
OF Corregidor-was bombed badly
shortly after arrived on the Rock
1t was able thereafter to operate
only on fraction of its original
power. For reserve dynamos we
set up a patched-up Diesel for the
Tunnel lighting, and Beebe I'M
earthed a very small Diesel engine
which was used as an emergency
power unit for the hospital during
all raids-which is another way OF
saying that it was in almost con-
slant use. Even at that we had sew
eral fashlight operations when hos
pital lights were Jared out in the
midst of ticklish surgery on our
wounded.
Three Emergency Tanks.
We built three emergency wooden
water tanks on the side of Malinta
Hill to take care of the hospital and
the tunnel whenever the main wa
ter system suffered a hit on CEN
tral conduit. To add to our dis
comfort, one of these tanks was de-
stroyed by a shell.
The Jap shelling raised havoc with
our communications, too. All troop
units were connected with their
next headquarters by telephone.
Telephone wires leading to these
units and to batteries were as a
rule Subterranean cables. But they
had not been sunk far enough in
the ground and were constantly be-
ing rooted out and broken by the
shells. And we did not have enough
equipment TO replace the broken
strands.
A day after the two Navy planes
made their getaway with the 80
nurses and 20 assorted officers and
civilians, / learned to my sorrow
that one of the planes had struck
an obstacle of some sort while land
ing on Mindanao's Lake Lanao
The crew worked feverishly on the
ruptured hull of the flying boat, but
could not make proper repairs
Twenty-Five persons who thought
they were well on their way to lib.
erty were marooned when the plane
lldu W NC dUGIluOlleu.
The second Navy plane, unable tc
take on more passengers, few on tt
Australia after what must have beer
a tragic farewell. Passengers anc
crew of the disabled plane were cap.
tured in the fall of Mindanao, anc
among these were Gen. and Mrs
Seals, Col. Wood and a number ot
nurses who deserved better fate.
Used Light Planes.
Through the beginning and mid.
die periods of April we were able
to evacuate about a dozen men by
means of tiny Philippine Army
liaison planes, especially one flown
by an intrepid Air Force major
named Bill Bradford. The little
two-seater planes used the island
hopping method of getting to Cor
regidor and sometimes brought in
lightweight medical supplies. Land
ing on our short, crater-pocked
Corregidor airstrip, especially at
night when the runway could only
be lighted by one of our search
lights dipping its beam suddenly
along the strip, was as dangerous
as the over-water flying and the
Corregidor shelling.
Several important air officers es-
capped by this risky means, as die
three war correspondents I hao
learned to know well. These were
Clark Lee, Dean Schedler anG
Frank Hewlett. I shook hands ano
wished each of them luck before
he took off. The chances of theil
getting through to safety were nc
better than $3.50.
But farewells to such friends as
these could never be wordy. Lee