Page 11On the last lap of the journey to Camp O'Donnell, the men were shoved inside box cars. They were jammed in where they had to stand with their arms pressed to their sides or if they sat, their knees were pulled tight under their chin. There was not any ventilation except for small cracks. The oppressive heat turned the steel box cars into "sweat boxes". Sensing the upcoming danger, Russ held back to position himself to be near the doors so as to get some air through the cracks. Men with dysentery long since ceased to control themselves and the interior was filled with an unbearable stench. The sick men got sicker and threw up all over themselves and the floor, which was already covered with filth and slime. Men died on the floor or wedged in between others. Some men were able to escape from the trains and small amounts of food did get to a few from Filipinos outside throwing it inside. But for the majority of prisoners it was an ordeal. When the train finally reached Capos, the men were released. Many unable
to stand. The physical condition of the prisoners It is unknown how many men died on the march, but it is es-timated between 2,000 and 2,330 Americans and possibly 10,000 Filipinos. Indeed it was a "March of Death". There are not any precise records, but the more reliable which err probably on the conservative side are 70,000 men started the march; 54,000 reached O'Donnell; 10,000 died on march from various causes -sickness, beatings, and execution; of these, 2,330 were thought to be Americans
Day 627
Most of the Red Cross and other packages shipped over the years never reached the prisoners, instead, being kept by the guards or just warehoused away.
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