, 1888-08-10
THE MANILA POLICE.
Guardians of tho Law On the Philippine
Islands-Firo Department..

Guardians of the Law en- the Philippine
Islands-Firo 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 possin
about the people and costumes at his
post of duty. His description of the DO
lice and fire department of Manila is
graphic and amusing.
The Manila copper is a thing of
picturesque beauty, if not a iov forever,
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 un-
der the arm. The hat is a pure white
helmet, with a silver knob on ton. the
royal arms in silver in front and a heavy
silver curb chain running half way around
IL and hanging pendant from q hook Mt
the back. They carry no club, but in
stead are armed with navy revolyers and
a knife two and one-haIf inches Wild
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 n brass tipped black
leather sheath, looks like an extra LARGE
cheese knife with an ornamental handle.
l am told that n edge is kept as sharp
as a razor. Both weapons are worn in
plain sight at all times, attached to o
black leather belt. This is the day uni
form.
1.-THE night force goes on 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 n straight leather
'front.' piece. In addition to the weapons
worn by the day force, each peeler car
RES a rifle slung over his shoulder. The
polcemen are very small in stature, and.
ike all the natives, are naturally averse
to lighting. They are a quiet, peaceable
race, atfectionate and kind to EACH other,
and apparently preferring at all times to
submit TO insult and abuse rather than to
get INTO rouble. 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.
"When there is a fire the policeman
blooms into a fireman. There are no fire
alarm bells, but when a blaze starts some
one runs to the nearest police station and
informs the guard, who Immediately
ES'' " ohAiAAA IAlollCg anu Jul lIle DOllCe-
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 rort.y "a nn1a Nth aIa,.
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.
"The 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 a
stream can be thrown about one hundred
feet. While this is working pals are
used at the upright plugs (also used for
drinking purposes), the 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, it
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 sell
dom have more han two or three dol
lars worth of household goods, and as it
IS quite comfortable to sleep out of doors.
they are not seriously disconnected by
being burned out."-St. Louis Republic.