The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-05-30
PACIFIC RAILWAYS.
Parkway Lands That Are Being Penc
tel IT, 4

Parkway Lands That Are Being Pence
tratcd by the Locomotive.
4 report from Alexander u. Webb,
United States Consul at Manila, TO the
State Department, announces the open
ing Of the Manila and Malabon rail-
way. the first railroad built and opcr-
ated IN the Philippine Archipelago.
II il a narrow-gauge road. something
over five miles in length. connecting
Manila with Malabon, town OF about
5000 inhabitants. on the southwest
shore OF Manila Bay. whcrc large SUI
gar refinery. owned BY an English corr
poration, is in active operation.
Between the tcrmini there arc two or
three small villages. consisting Of Il few
..nipa" huts. a church and q tribunal.
but at present they are not important
trading points. 1t il expected, how
ever. that the railway will prove a
strong incentive to their rapid growth,
and that it will cause Malabon to speed
lily develop metropolitan proportions.
The Consul says: The equipment
SoISisIs vi iOdI lOIOiflOttNGS III &fcFHltu
manufacture and eight or nine pas-cn-
ger coaches and baggage vans. The
entire equipment Of the road comes
from German and English factories.
and might just rs we'll have been sup
piled by American manufacturers If a
proper effort had been made to accom-
plish that end. !"
The station Accommodations OF this
pioneer railway OF the Philippines are
Very primitive. The passenger station
at the Manila end of the line is situated
in the pueblo OF Tonco, one and one
half miles from the business center Of
the city, and contains very poor accom-
modations for, perhaps, onc-fourth Of
the passengers who go out on each
train. 1t is a onc-story frame structure
with an arched roof of corrugated iron.
and the floor OF the waiting room is the
bare ground. Passengers stand in the
street and purchase tickets through Il
large iron-barred window. At Malabon
there is no depot. but the conductor Of
each train sits by the roadside and sells
tickets over 4 small table until just be-
fore the train starts, when he blows Il
horn us a signal to start and steps OH
board. The fare from Manila is TWEEN
ty cents first-elass. ten cents second
class and five cents third-class.
The suspicious opening Of this road
has aroused a great degree Of interest
in railway matters among business
men, and quite Il number Of new lines
to various ports Of the island ltizon)
are being built on paper A project
which finds much favor is a proposed
line from Manila to Cavitc, the naval
port which faces the entrance to Manila
Bay, on the southeast shore. Thi is i
very important port. and communica-
ton between it and Manila is had only
BY means Of a small steamer, which
makes two or three trips daily. 4 rail-
WAY line connecting the two port,
would be about thirty or thirty-iivc
miles in length, AMI it is quite conf
IDENTITY felt that it would be i. very re-
munera:ivc enterprise. II i probable
that in view OF its military and naval
interests the Spanish Govcrnmen, could
be induced to make Very liberal con-
cession 10 such 4 project.
Of special interest TO the mannfartar-
crs Of the United States is the following
paragraph in the Consul's report: .'For
the next few years there will undoubt-
cdly be a rare field in the Philippines,
not only for the sale of American rail-
way supplies and rolling stock, but for
the Investment OF American capital in
railway enterprises. 1t has been DEM
ons:rated BY Spanish and English cap
italists that !; street ear line and narrow
gauge railway can be built and oper-
ated probably in and near Manila. and
public interest is fairly aroused upon
the subject Of railways a investments.
There is, apparently, no good reason
why tho Philippine Archipelago, with
more than 1000, 900 inhabitants, Il vast
expanse Of rich and productive terri
tory, and a rapidly increasing COM
mercc with all parts Of the world,
should not have at least four o. Two
well-built railways paying large di9i-
dends. This is the idea that is now be-
ing generally discussed here. and this
discussion will. no doubt, be productive
of results, the profits AMI general adj
vantages OF which American capitalists
and manufacturers mag snare ii they
will make proper efforts. The work Of
constructing the Manila AMI Hagnpan
railway, one hundred and twenty miles
in length, il progressing rapidly aha
satisfactorily, but work has no: yet
been commenced on the proposed lire
from this city to Antipolo, eighteen
miles. have, rs yet, heard no Amer
lean having any connection, near or re-
mote. with railway projects here. -
Pittsburgh Chronicle.