Show LET LETTER TER PHOM FROM MANILA manila philippine islands oot oct ath 1898 I 1 thought I 1 would write aind tell you something oom ething of my journey from salt lake city to manila a diata distance uce of nearly eight el thousand miles As you r kenw we left salt lake on the of iune une and went to ogden vie via the rio ande western and there we were twitched ditched itched it ched onto the regular overland limited that leaves ogden at about 2 p m arriving at terrace the first division west of ogden about sup per time we had coffee steaming hot right out of the railroad motel hotel land and in about twenty manutes md we were off again the newt morning at about 8 0 we stopped at wadsworth W ex pecking to get coffee there as we had to tio change engines and so had about awen twenty ty minutes to spare to eat but we were re disappointed as they had neglected ead to send on word of our coming comin gand land wa with a hungry feeling that we arrew rew out of that station but we tele afra a phed hed ahead to remo nevada to save ve coffee ready for us and we ar j ved alved there in about two hours when we e had our breakfast we ate a light lunch tor for dinner and ATi out that evening we arrived in cal where the red cross medlee had coffee and EL a good lunch At ft waited us after eating a good supper N we proceeded on toward the setting aun and finally arrived in oakland jut just across the bay from san francisco but seven miles distant we arrived in oakland about 10 and after the passengers had stepped off the train in the depot we twitched switched off and curved back about a le ie and sidetracked side aide tracked where we re lined ned until morning then we were en back to bo the depot and got oft off with all our things and went straight to the ferry we got to san francisco on the ferry at about 6 and marched into a very large room they have in the new ferry depot and there the red cross ladies served us with coffee and a good substantial lunch after which we marched out to camp merritt gibout five miles from the water front then in camp merritt we pitched our tents and fixed a place in the ground for the military cooking outfit and got everything fixed up in good shape the sand there was about three feet deep and very disagreeable especially when the wind blew and we were eating tor bor the wind would blow the sand into our plates in spite of all we could do and it was with great pleasure that we heard we were going to move over to the presidio this we did and at the presidio we pitched our tents and made everything military shape and were pleased with our surroundings very much the bay was but birt ia a quarter of a mile from our camp and we used to go down every day after drill and go in bathing you may think it odd that I 1 should have had a shark in my hands bands but it is true for I 1 picked one up on the shore of the bay one daya day a little fellow about a foot long the waves had washed it high UM and dry upon the shore and aind left it where I 1 found it the red cross society had a tent pitched near ours and there was a lady always there in charge there were tables and writing materials and stamps furnished the boys free of all charge they were very kind to us all and deserve praise for bor their efforts to bo make the soldiers happy we were there until the of july when we marched down to the pacific mail steamship companas comp anys docks and aind went aboard of thebie the big transport RM de janeiro which was waa going to take stake us all to manila there was a big crowd there when we went aboard and while we were looking over the side talking to some young ladies who had come to see us off our pictures were ta taken kent too be published in the papers then we cast off the ropes and cast off into the bay where we anchored anid and the next morning at 1030 our anchor was raised and we commenced the long voyage toward the west while running down do wn the bay the whistles of a great many steamers in the bay and of a large number of factories etc in the city blew and can cannon cannion nion were firing salutes from the ports as we passed finally in a couple of hours or so the line steamers that came along with us loaded down with people turned back and we cant continued linued on out to sea and before long were out of sight of land we saw nothing except water and sky for eight days and it was with great joy that we sighted land and I and when we arrived in honolulu we were very handsomely received receil ved after the same passage excepting except kig for the two days dayi just before enit ering the bay of manila kihen we had it pretty rough we finally arrived off cavite which is just juat across the bay from manila and but seven miles i distant from it here the south dakota boys were landed and then the great ship hoisted anchor and swung slowly around and headed toward manila we ran right bet iween the olympia and charleston two or of deebs Dee de beya ys ships and anchored right in among all our battleships and a lot of our transports after a day or so longer we were landed and marched through the city to where the utah artillery were quartered the boys were all glad to see us and we to see them they did good work on the alth of august the date of the taking of manila manat and the boys have some very interesting accounts to relate of jhb bombardment of manila after having been assigned quarters with the artst bf the boys and having got all straight and settled in military shape we all felt more than satisfied wath ath our surroundings for we were more prepared to go out and pitch our tents in some marshy place near the trenches from what we had heard this would have been so had we got here heie sooner for the boys had just ju come into their present quarters a few days before from the trenches where they had to wade around in mud and even to lay down in i atwith the rahn pouring down all around we could not be more inore com fortaW located if we were in port fort douglas br any other american fort than we are here for these barracks belonged tothie spanish engineers before manila Mani lawas was taken and were buot apparently tor for military use we have two large pools of water to bathe in one o ne for battery A and the other for B several of the boys have bought monkeys and I 1 have one which we cat battery and you would enjoy seeing them playing and climbing about up and down posts ropes and that happen to be handy then we have about a dozen cages of birds several different kinds one kind ishac Is what they call the par pa aguet raquet and is a be beauty fully colored bird resemblIng lesem bling the parrot but no larger than a robin I 1 we drill every morning some knorn ings we have the foot drill and I 1 thilma it would interest you to see us tor r we go through fall all the movements at con colli mand that we would if to n real action we were called out several times time fur or word had come that the natives bepp about to make an attack and all croo were to be in readings rea dines to at a moments notice to the trenches va got everything ready filled the kimt ti b that we attached to the mno canon y water and intact vt got all start right off at a alm ates notice to fight the insurgents dut but we were not callebout called calle dout out everything every tiring seems quiet now and we axe are all living alving peacefully in our military home we can get a pass pase to go out every bvm days if we are not on any duty such as guard etc and then aften we get a chance to look over the I 1 where the battle was fought and to took look through the city etc and see all bhatla most interesting some days ago I 1 and several of the boys got a pass and went down to the river where we got a boat and were ware taken out to look over some of battleships laying in the bay we looked over the olympia deweys deleys rag flag ship and saw the admiral hilm blim self aind thought him a very fine looking old in his admirals uniform we saw also the baltimore and one or two more there was a hole in the steel deot of the baltimore which was made by la a spanish shell but no one was huttl by it which seems wonder tuli orthene or there were so many i sailors and nd marines barlass aboard of he her r during duning the engagement then we were taken over to the largest cruiser in the world at least I 1 have been told it Is the largest the english cruiser called the FoWer powerful rull and sire he certainly was a powerful boat and a big one too the english sailors were very civil avil to us and shor showed wed us all over the great ship and we would not have missed seeing it for a good deal we were all through the big catholic cathedral tat at cavite where the insurgents gents murdered the priests and saw many things that were very interesting we saw the land batteries that holed helped to make it hot for flor dewey and fust OU off the shore about two hundred shards were about ten spanish battle battleships alps JW had been sunk in the engagement on the first of may you could juat see the masts and funnels and they of all a sorry so rry lot abase A baseball base ball match has been made up here and we are to play the astor battery in three or four days there is a two hundred and fifty dollar cup up tor for the winners win ners and we are practicing every day and think we can win it because we axe are the champions of all the games we have played so far I 1 forgot to mention that the day before we left honolulu mr kinney an old fiala lake banker who has bebin in honolulu a number of years and who thinks a lot of the utah people took us boys all out to h his is place in the street cars and after we had all gone in swim bivs far he has a line fine place right on ehte sea he gave us a royal liay lay out in tsway eway of fruit and eal eatables tables we also all had bad our pictures taken there our own wedgwood hartog taken baken sick before we lei lefft it san francisco Frano isco we had to leave him behind aad ad so ao we were put under the command st of ok i south dekota officer and so ao at honolulu when we were invited out to mr kinneys kidneys Kin sugar factory we were not permitted to go for the south dekota fellows were not invited and I 1 suppose as we all do that the south dakota officers were jealous egut we had a fine time out ait mr Kin kidneys kinneys place and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this paper I 1 am using is out of an old ansh ledger ledgen that was taken from one of at the jarest latest battleships spain had out hire here and which dewey sunk WO we had an accident happen yesterday evening just before retreat that nearly cipot ost me my life one of the boys had Us his revolver out and was fooling with stehen it when it went off and the bullet struck the ground just about an inch in front of my toe I 1 was playing ball at the time and the dust was thrown all over M my w face by the ball which burled buried itself deep tn the ground of course it was an accident but the fellow was put in the oe juard guard house and will have to stay there rep a while bile THOMAS 8 GUNN G 1 utah battery A |