THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 4. 1910.
VAfC
O
Philip Christ, Sole Survivor of the
First Command Sent to the Pacific
Coastf Hale and Hearty-at the
1
XT OORtW BTVART.
VANCOLTER. Wsah-. Dec . (Spa
da! correspondence of The Sunday Ore
xronlan.) The last survivor of thai first
company of artillery, of New York, aent
her by Cncle Sam. la IS!. atlU Jives
a fair block from the poat In which
ha served aa a aoldler In llll, after
having helped to build It. Philip
Christ, senior, la his nam and he has
lived a moat erentful and edrenturoua
career or 7 years and la yet strong
and hearty. And ha Barer married.
He has llred sine before the tele
graph was invented to sea wireless
messages sent and received; ha has
twlr beheld Halley'a comet, once In
Germany. 7S yeara sgo. and last May In
this city; ha has lived from the time
of the primitive stagecoach to the
flylngr machine and haa aeen every ad
vance made In transportation from the
alow-moving ox learn to the awlft and
speedy aeroplane; he has lived to ace
months reduced to days In the matter f-
cf transportation of mail, and he has
been through all of the various hard
ships of wars. Indian wara and wilder-
neeeea to the present civilisation; he
hsa been shipwrecked when enlisted aa
a soldier for the Mexican War. and has
lived throuch It all and la now a re
tired capitalist and farmer.
e e
Thlllp Christ was born In Naasau.
tiermany. May 24.- I:t. He waa ap
prentlced and learned to be an expert
shoemaker. In 1M7, when 23 years old.
I'hlllp sailed from Antwerp, iirljclum.
for New York. The voyage took 52
days. After working at hta trade
snort time, he enlisted la the L'nlted
States Army, being a recruit In Com
reny L. Ktrst Artillery, for service In
the Mexican war.
After being drilled two weeks
flovernor'a Island, the company wcj or
dered to Vera Crux. The Government
transport, with all on board, was
wrecked In the Bahama Islands, but
with lifeboats and rafts all save one
reache-1 an Island, where they were
compelled to remain II daya. Two email
transports then saw their sign of dls
tress, and took them to Fort Maultrle,
Fouth Carolina. After six weeks' drill
Ing there, the troops were again or
dered to Vera Crus and were takea
there by the bark Empire aafcly.
The Mexican War was soon over and
rhl lp and his comrades were taken
bark to New York, where they landed
tn July. IMS.
see
For many months the President, of
the l'nlted St -lies bad been receiving
requesta for troops to be stationed la
I'm far Northwest at Fort Vancouver,
f'regnn Territory. Little waa kn6wn
f the country then, except that It was
overrun with Indians, and that the
Hudson's Bay Company had established
trading poets in several places. A
f-w settlers had braved the dangers
of the plains, whlla otters had sailed
around th Horn, and settled la thla
rtc!ntly. They needed protection from
I e Indians, and possibly from the
Knxlish.
A?cordlngty an order waa Issued for
Companies L, and M. First Artillery. f
New York, to aall for Fort Vancouver.
going by way of the Straits of Magellaa.
The Mae-acbueetta. a vessel fitted rut
with crude steam-propelling apparatua,
tn aldttloa to her sails, waa provisioned
In New York, and auppllea enough to
last tor two year were stored away
In her hold.
Fhe sailed and steamed down the At
laatle aeaboard, conserving her aupply
of fuel by every farorable wind. The
first atop for water and fresh supplies
waa made at Rio de Janeiro. Braltl; tha
second at Valparaiso, Chile, and tha
third at Honolulu. Hawaii, where
among other supplies takea on board
were some small potatoes- Tha mouth
of the Columbia luver waa sighted
about May 12. 1S4. and a short stop
made. A store waa being kept la a
wrecked bark aff Astoria, and a few
surO'les were bouprt there.
Two days later. May IS. the present
Government dock at Fort Vancouver,
oregoa Territory, waa reached, and a
leading made. A few hundred feet be
low this ancient dock grew the famous
old witness tree, which waa blown
daws two years ago. From thla tr-e
all of the Government, military and
state and county surveys were begun.
Amoa Miort. whea ha located a dona
tion land claim In 1st, began his de
scription of the land thus: "Beginning
at a Balm of Gllrad tree on the north
tank of tha Columbia River, running
thence""
e e e
t'pon landing. Companies I, and M. In
command of Major John Pamuel Haiti
away, the first l'nlted States troops
stationed here, pitched tha canvas tents
they had brought with them, prepara
tory to building more permanent quarters-
The aupplies were taken from the
Massachusetts . and stored In tents at
first snd later 1n strong loerablns. where,
a mrtstant guard eras et over them.
, Yew six long month, while the soldiers
were hutMlng their quarters, they lived
In their tents. The cooking waa doos)
la the opva, or la a large lent, uiJ. lttl
'-5 i
,. - . .. 'iaa M k,,...
. . 5L - - 4 ml "
. -e-w.
headquarters of Major Hatiiaway were
In a tent.
A etockade was built aouthweat
of where tha present band quar
ters are and barracks of logs for
the soldiers were erected. The lnat of
theae original Inghouees la now used as
the Officers' Club, and It la covered
with weather-boarding. I-ater General
Grant, when on riutv-here. used the
building. It la oa 'officers' row," and Is
deatgnated aa quarters 22.
All around thla section of tha country
In tha pioneer daya were dense forests
of fir and pine and Cottonwood s. TO hea
the land waa cleared tha logs, fine tim
ber, were burned aa the most economi
method of getting rid of tha timber.
Before tha rainy season of ISO had ar
rived, tha pioneer troops had built quar
ters for themselves snd for their sup
plies, which must last them at least a
year.
Thea different Joba were assigned to
different soldier. To the lot of Philip
Christ fell that of aupplying the camp
with fresh water. He waa given a balky
old mule and a two-wheeled cart, oa
which were placed two barrels and In-
strurtlona to act aa tha water system
for the soldiers. Cistern were dug and
theae Philip kept fLUed with the primi
tive method.
In the morning he would begin his
strenuous duties of hauling water and
with bis mule would go to tha very
brink of the Columbia River and with
a big copper kettle dip up tha water and
transfer It to the barrela. When the
barrels were filled ha would put over
the topa a piece of canvas and start for
the cisterns. It was when performing
thss duty one morning that Pblllp waa
Injured, the effects of which ha feels un
til this day. and that was 0 year ago.
Philip had trouble with the balky mule
and when he waa trying to get him to
go. tha animal started so quickly, with
lurch, that lump waa thrown to the
a-ruuod and on of to barrels fell on hla
right leg. cutting It badly. Later a large
eragoa. drawn by six mules, waa mad
and used to haul water.
As might be supposed, the ration
given the soldiers In those pioneer days
were not always the most appetising.
Their dally fare waa black coffee, pork
rusty pork at that aad beana. bread
made from musty flour, snd occaelonally
potatoes). After the troopa had been
here for several months, mutton waa
served about two time a week and It
waa certainly welcome to those hardy
pioneer who had been living on salt
jk-x, killed possibly two years before in
Ui East. Sheep then sold for JJ bead, (
of 87.
-Sfe vut 71 1 lv .
tF""XT .. "re rf'JMSiuw JJ
and potatoes were S3 a bushel.
All of the early commanders were what
might be termed self-imposed agricul
tural teachers. They knew a great deal
about farming so that they could, when
atatloned In remote regions, raise part
of their provisions, and thua lessen the
danger of the troopa contracting scurvy.
or other diseases caused from eating
straight salt pork diet without vegeta
ble Tha chaplain of the army then waa
carried on thee muster rolls as "chaplain
and schoolmaster, ' bat there was no
chaplain with tha first soldiers sent her,
The first one arrived February 13. 1853
Little garden truck was raised the
first or second yeara, but tn 1S51 one
company was aent to Aatoria to cleat
land there for raising a garden, but they
were called back before they reaped the
benefit of their efforts.
With the more than 200 men, there
were but five or six women, who were
wives of soldier, Tiot of officers. They
drew rations the same as the men and
did the soldier' washing, being paid
about 7S cents a month per man. .
The soldiers' pay then waa much
smaller than now. The enlisted men
were paid 17 a month, but a bill was
passed by Congress Increasing the pay
of men on duty In distant posts to dou
ble for 20 months, after which period
they were paid for time and a half, or
119.60 a month, clothes and rations,
e e
The strength of the garrison. Decem
ber II. I860, was 18 officers. 234 enlisted
men. composing six companies. A. B, C,
I F- U and L Mounted Riflemen. The
old-fashioned flintlock and percussion
cap guns were In use her then.
Letter mailed October s. 1KD, In
Washington, D. C. to the commanding
officer. Port Columbia, for that waa the
name of the poet m the early days,
readier their destination the following
January 7. One letter was sent August
t and It reached the officer to whom It
waa addressed on the following January.
The trip I now made In about four days
and a letter mailed In London. England,
ba reached Vancouver this year In less
than nine whole daya. v
The Fourth Infantry came her In
1U4. under the command of Lieutenant
Colonel L. K Bonneville. Companies L
and M. Fourth Artillery, that had been
serving here sine 1S49. were badly dis
organised by that time. Borne of the
men were sirk. others railed to re -enlist
when, their term of flv years expired.
so the few remaining were transferred
to the Fourth Infantry.
Philip Christ, in August. ISO. waa
discharged, flv years after he enlisted
on the Atlsntlc coaet, in ew inrx.
He had heard much of tha rich gold
mines In Eastern Oregon, so when he ,
was mustered out. h at ones set out
1
it.
H4 i
nirviiBe - i -
for the gold fields. H did not maka
a fortune there after workina; a year,
so he cam back to this county and
took up a Donation Land Claim two
mllea east of Vancouver Barracks,
where he had served as a soldier,
see
With no experience whatever as
farmer, Philip began the arduous task
or clearing some errqund ana atsrtea
farming. He made a email clearing the
first year, burned the trees when h
bad felled them and planted potatoes
which he had bought for $1 a bushel.
The following; season when he har
vested his crop he was compelled to
sell his DOtatoes for only 50 cents
bushel, so small was the demand for
them. He bought a few chickens from
the Hudson's Bay Company and sold
eggs to the soldiers with whom he had
formerly aerved. He was on of the
pioneer farmers of the Northwest.
Philip well remembers .the many
visits made him by Colonel Bonneville
aa he rode up to his farm two miles
from tha poat, stopped In the road and
talked to him over the fence. He
bought most of his clothing from the
soldiers, sn easy matter In those day
when soldiers were anxious to get a
llttlo extra money to spend. Whisky
wss then sold for $8 a gallon by the
Hudson's Bay Company, and gin or rum
could b secured for the same prli
Clothing; sold by the sutlers was ex
orbitant. $8 being charged for a cheap
coat that did not fit at any point.
The soldier would go hunting occa
sionally, and when they returned would
bar venison for their company. It
was later learned that several of tha
farmers, who were then trying to make
a living near the post, missed many
of their calves. On In particular re
ported the matter to tha post com
mander. He claimed that the men
would kill his calves, cut the head and
set off, and report they, had killed
a deer.
e e a
The Indian were on the warpath
In 1855-Ss, and the soldiers and set
tlers were fighting them. Philip, who
ins;,. waa compelled for aafety. to sleej)
at night behind a, log, witbout even a
blanket to keep him warm. Had he
slept In hi cabin ba would have been
found and murdered and . scalped by
the Indiana
To better enable him to sell -and
marketV his produce. Philip made, an
ox cart from two wheels of the old
mule cart. lie would haul to . tha
poat In thla cart what he had for sale.
He waa taken aerloualy 111 In 1854 and
called In a doctor from Vancouver, who
said he was suffering; with what would
now be called appendicitis. He was
not operated upon, however, and when
he did not Improve, he visited Dr. Tou-
son. of the Hudson s nay company.
From that time on hla health began to
return and he recovered. And from
that day until this, Philip haa not been
seriously 11L ,
On hla elghtieeth birthday. Philip.
who "had been smoking; for CO years.
without warning, quit the habit, and
that without taking any kind of a
cure. He did It hy -sneer win power
and would not tell his brother fienry,
with whom he had labored for 54 years.
. ....
4 t f A
- U SaV
iJ ft ;'fc
g
ifniiilt.w
continuously, his reason. However, to
day Philip did admit to the writer
that the tobacco began to make him
a little dizxy once . in a while. "It
was a habit that did me no good, so
I Just quit," said Philip. "I will ad
mit to you, though, I have never told
any one else before, that It did make
me somewhat dizzy at times."
Philip spends his time now, and has
for the last 20 years, in caring- for his
'CI
EQUAL SUFFRAGE WILL
PROVE HEALING BALM
Mrs. Duniway Sees in "Votes for Women" Relief for Confusion.
PORTLAND, Dec 2. (To the Ed
itor.) Tha hopeless jeremiad of my
friend. Colonel Hofer, over the present
condition of the .Republican party; tho
well-grounded anxiety of Margaret
McKay over the unequal (possible) re
suits of the single tax, and the astute
logic of Governor G'r over almost
everything, make up an Interesting
combination of letters on Th Oregonlan
edltorlalwpage of today, which remind
me of several suggestive bits of his
tory, some of which I ask space to re
call: .
It is recorded in Holy Writ that one
of the Pharaohs,- a ruler in Egypt, feel
ing secure In his high position, refused
to release bis tax-burdened vassals, the
Children of Israel, from enforced cap
tivity. Thl ruler was not even in
duced to bestow equal rights upon his
handicapped subordinates after fre
quent visitation of plague naa come
upon his people and bad caused dis
satisfaction among them all that lo.
all except the wealthy classes, which
axe always few in number compared to
tha laborers of every land. At last, so
great were the calamities that befell the
Egyptian people ana, so genera uw
effort of the Israelites to secure their
liberty, that a law of God was sent to
their rescue, and Pharaoh and bis hosts
were lost in the Red Sea.
Then, long afterward, as all modern
school children are taught, the good
people of Massachusetts resisted op
pression and organised a "tea party,"
out of which grew the overthrow of the
reign of George of England, whose
successor and namesake is now beset
almost past endurance by the uprising
of women within his borders an up
rising which is to' have its place in
history aloCg side of all past efforts of
any part of the race to regain its lib
erty, which, though established In the
beginning (as recorded by the Creator,
who. made man male and female and
gave to them dominion over everything
n and upon the earth except one an
other) has for all time been so op-
r feWillfll
-isajf tsar , -
' 1).
imiSIn
excellent garden and his flock of
chickens. He raises the largest vege
tables in the neighborhood and takes
delight in getting out early In the
morning when the dew is yet on the
vines and cultivating the flowers and
plants with the hoe. Twenty years
ago he and his brother Henry, who had
for forty years been the moBt success
ful farmers in the county, moved to
this city, just two miles, and bulltcredlble.
i posed by organized human tyranny and
human sin that It has taken war to
make the law of God effective among
the sons of women.
Need I mention another epoch in his
tory, when another revolt arose on be
half of liberty and plunged our un
happy land into bloody war? It is
not necessary to pursue the annals of
this period here. Every school boy and
girl knows it by heart. Suffice It to
say that Liberty triumphed in the
end, as she always does, and all the
hosts of oppression were brought low.
Within the last decade there came
into being the Initiative and Referen
dum, now known the wide world over
as "the Oregon plan.". It was bom
in - a psychological moment, catching
organized oppression unawares; but Is
a plan which onr esteemed ex-Governor
wisely accuses of "throwing Govern
ment into a confusing jumble," even
going so far as to "disembowel it's
fundamentals." This, is to be expected
In all progressive movements. But the
end thereof Is progress, always, though
the old order must be upheaved before
th new can be established.
It la the object of this letter to call
to reflecting minds the fact that the
fundamental cause for this last and
newest upheaval in politics, known as
the Woman movement, is a natural.
and In the order of progress, an In
evitable one. That many men recog
nize It and spring to its. reseue when
opportunity offers, is seen In the fact
that 36,200 electors cast their votes at
the last election to remove the causa
of the disturbances they deplore; and
they did it without the firing of a
single campaign gun by women, or
the expenditure of a single dollar b
rnnil th r"TifT'Tn'T!tj ynftp-TYin;
law to make legal the steps necessary
to enhance the methods of law-abiding
women In their march toward the
equality, before the law which awaits
them as "votes for women" in 1D12.
If the Republican party would be
hcalea of us "contusion" it must not
w
themselves a home. Henry Christ has
a family. ,
Henry owns and drives an automo
bile himself, and once In a while ha
can Induce Philip to ride with him.
but not often. When asked why he
did not enjoy himself by taking long
tides In the machine Philip, with a
wise turn of his white head, said: "I
am afraid of an automobile. I would
rather -feel the solid ground under my
feet than to be flying along on the
rubber tires. It's safer on the ground."
And so Philip Christ, pioneer, and
oldest resident lives. He goes to bed
regularly every night at 9 o'clock and
rises in the morning at o'clock with
out an alarm clock, Philip has lived
here, within a radius of two miles, for
61 long years; from the time the virgin
forests covered the whole country un
til the present day of civilization Ha
has seen the advancement of the trans
portation facilities from a , slow mov
ing and uncertain ox-team ' to the au
tomobile and flying machine, and he
has ridden in an of the vehicles, ex
cept the lying machine, which he saw
when Charles K. Hamilton was her
last Spring.
He is now content to spend his slow
ly declining years in peace and quiet
with his brother, with whom he has o
long and so strenuously labored, en
during untold hardships. He - enjoys
telling friends of his early life here,
but he never for an instant- thinka
that he has done or achieved anything
out of the . ordinary. All of hla old
friends have died and this leaves him
somewhat lonesome, but he reads the
daily papers and watches history be
ing made at the present day, even as
he assisted In making it in 1848.
lie says, that women are too much
bother. In a Joking way and that he Is
glad he never married. He is strong
and healthy and is proud of the fact
that he splits all of the wood used .in
the . home, and that he also carries It
in. He is a wonderfully well preserved
man and his memory seems almost In-
shirk its manifest duty at the next
election, but must vote to make Oregon
free. Already the Democratic party
is sitting up to take notice. The So
cialists are leading, and the Prohibi
tionists and Granges, the labor unions'
and industrial brotherhoods are fall
ing Into line. Women offer this friend
ly warning because we are not come
to destroy the law, but to fulfill.
Please remember this. Republicans,
men and brethren, before it is too lata
to save your party from disruption.
ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY.
An Idle Understudy.
Wallace Irwin, In Smith's.
Vor twenty-seven years I've lived for Art
And now I'm understudy to the star;
I wear mu hair like him, I've learned hi,
part.
(I'd like to emulate his motor car.)
If I could take hla place I think that T
Would hoist the old profession up a peg;
Thers'd be another planet in the sky
If only he would slip and break his leg!
I look for signs of illness, but I find 1 '
He's most stupendous careful of his health.
Be looks so well and strong I've half a -mind
' "
To fill his beer with knock-out drops by
stealth.
At center-stage six evenings In the week
He thrills the mob. Bouquets? He takes "
- his choice,
Through speaking lines that I could also
speak
If only he would dislocate his voice!. ,
The star's so overrated it's a shame.
And how be rets his pull I can't quit
see.
When Mr. Savage hears me do the same
I a-uess he'll draw a contract up with me.
At first I'd start in modest, then I'd grow
j o fenaicespeare parts irjr nsnin xor a
trio;
I've got the talent, all I need's a show
Bar, IX toe star woum onir gat me gnp .
When I'm made up for him you wouldn't
know
TJs two apart we're doubles limb for
limb.
If any night to Hector's I should go.
Wouldn't they ruDDer, . tninaing i waa
him!
The critics would applaud me to the stars, .
The blll-boaras would proclaim "anotner
Hitr' " . '
My picture would be pasted on cigars
II only He wouxa xaii aown a ni: -
The postman brings him notes of asur
tints;
He says. "Poor child!" and wafts their
costlv scent.
(The postman came to me this morn with.
nints
Of certain- chronic deficits- In rentrv
The star goes by propelled by gasoline
While 1. unbid by Fortune s ncKle oecK,
Am still supported by the thought serene:
Some day -ne may xail out ana oreait nia
neck!".