Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-08-17
THE MANILA POLICE.
Guardians of the Law on the Philippine
Islands-Fire Department.

Guardians of the Law on the Philippine
Islands-Fire Department..
A private letter from Mr.. Alexander
r. Webb, now United States consul to
Manila, Philippine islands, to a friend in
st. Louis is full of interesting gossip
about the people and costumes at his
post of duty. His description of the po-
lice and fire department of Manila is
graphic and amusing.
The Manila cooper" is a thing of
picturesque beauty, if not a joy forever.
1.-THE coat and pants are of navy blue,
with fancy decoration in red and white,
and heavy white cords with silver
pendants, festooned from the left shout
der to the breast and looped around UNI
der the arm. The hat is a pure white
helmet, with a silver knob on top, the
royal arms in silver in front and a heavy
silver curb chain running half way around
it and hanging pendant from a hook at
the back. They carry no club, but in
stead are armed with navy revolvers and
a knife two and one-half inches wide
and eighteen inches long. The handle is
of brass, and there is usually a tuft of
red plush at the hilt. This weapon,
which rests in a brass tipped black
leather sheath, looks like an extra large
cheese knife with an ornamental handle.
l am told that one edge is kept as sharp
as a razor. Both weapons are worn in
plain sight at all times, attached to a
black leather belt. This Is the day uni
form.
''The night force goes OF duty barefoot,
with long, thin, black coaks that reach
from the neck to the heels and have no
sleeve holes, and a high black cap with a
cockade in front and a straight leather
front piece. In addition to the weapons
worn by the day fo-ce, each peeler car
ries a rifle slung over his shoulder. The
policemen are very small in stature, and,
like all the natives, are naturally averse
to fighting. They are a quiet, peaceable
race, affectionate and kind to each other,
and apparently preferring at all times to
submit to insult and abuse rather than to
get into trouble. When they arrest a
man they tie his arms behind him at the
elbows and march him off to the nearest
station, and they seem to feel actually
sorry to be obliged to do it.
"NNhen there is a fire the policeman
blooms into a fireman. There are no fire
alarm bells, but when a blaze starts some
n runs to the nearest police station and
informs the guard, who Immediately
blows a small whistle, and all the police
men within hearing come running in.
Then two or three policemen start out
blowing their whistles and gathering in
the patrolmen, until there are fifteen or
twenty at the station, who have stripped
off their uniforms, and in bare feet and
with no clothing but thin pants and shirt
and a black glazed leather cap, are ready
for work. The majority arm themselves
with axes, two carry a pole with about
100 feet of rope and a small anchor at
tached to it, and two more carry a pole
with perhaps 100 feet of two inch linen
hose and a brass nozzle on it. Then they
start off on "A run for the fire, which, by
this time, has gotten well under way.
"TNe water system is very good, the
supply coming from a river or a lake
several miles distant from the city, the
water being pure and as clear as crystal.
AT intervals of perhaps fifty or a hun
dred feet ON all the streets are little iron
trap doors about Sx15 inches, under
which the fire plug is located. On their
arrival at the scene of the fire, the hose
is attached to one of the plugs, and
stream can be thrown about one hundred
feet. While this is working pals are
used at the upright plugs (also used fol
drinking purposes), h men with the
rope, anchor and poles pull down the
surrounding houses, and everybody
works frantically. AS most of the
houses are not more than twenty-five feet
high, and are made of bamboo and cane
leaves, huddled closely together, il
doesn't take long to burn up one hun
dred of them. Last week over three
hundred burned in an hour. Still the
loss is usually light, for the natives sci
dom have more than two or three dol
lars worth of household goods, and as il
is quite comfortable to sleep out of doors
they are not seriously disconnected by
being burned out."-St. Louis Republic