Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-02
A VISIT TO MANILA.
The Land Famous for Fine TObaccOS,
Ropes and Earthquakes.
MAKING CIGARS AND CIGARETTES.
Cockfghting the Chief Amusement and the
Source Of Much Revenue.
A PROMIsCUOUs STYLE OF BETTING
WRITTEN FOE THE p1sPArcH.I

Inlllpplne Islands Is usually accounted Lne
worst in the China seas. 1t is a sort of sail
ing sideways, through cross-currents and
into the fayorite haunt and very Matching
place of the dreadful typhoon. Moreover,
Manila is not the easiest place in the world
to lind, because no one knows its exact
Longitude and latitude. 1t is one of the
most earthquaky places in the world, so
when British scientific and surveying ex-
petition came some years ago to the Philip
pines to determine the precise latitude and
longitude the islands we're never steady
enough to afford a satisfactory base for the
| instruments.
For myself, however, Manila will always
be remembered as the place where for the
| first time had my pockets publicly and
| officially searched. As soon as we anchored,
guard of soldiers came on board and as
| sisted the custom house officials in infinitely
examining everything in ones baggage.
When this was over was stopped at the
head OF the gangway by the lieutenant il
| command and courteously informed that be-
fore / could land he must be permitted to
see what had in my pockets. When it
came to my pocket book he turned it over,
separating every piece OF paper in ii. 4
bystander informed me that all this was to
prevent the introduction OF Mexican dollars,
on which there is high premium, and
pamphlet attacking the priests, recently
published in Hong Kong.
ITS PECULIAR ATTRACTIONS.
Commerce now passes by without stop
ping, yet Manila is place of peculiar at
fractions. The streets are dazzling with
their "fowers of fre"-large trees ablaze
with scarlet blossoms. The olive-skinned
mestizas, halEcaste descer rdants of emf
grated Spaniard and native Indian, step
daintily along ON bare feet eneased in
chinelas, embroidered heelless slippers, with
gay huttering garments of just, a woven
mixture of silk and pine fibre, their loose
jet black hair reaching sometimes almost 10
the ground-one woman was pointed out to
me whose hair was said to be 80 inches
long-and their deep, dark eyes passing
over you in languid surprise
The native men are community which
has forgotten to tuck its shirt into its trous-
ers. Their costume consists of q pair of
| white trousers and an elaborately pleated
and starched shirt, with the tails lett flying
| about. Every one is smoking cherOot
and every other one has game cock under
his arm, constant companion and chief
treasure, and sometimes chief source of in
come too.
OF the six characteristics OF Manila
tobacco, hemp, earthquakes, cock fighting,
prieStcraft and orchids-the first two are
known to all the world. Manila cigars and
Manila rope are household words. Orchid
hunters come here year after year, travel far
into the virgin forests of the interior, and
emerge again after months of absence, if
fever and the Tagalos spare them, with
few baskets full of strange flowers which
they carry home with infinite precauton
and sell for a kings ransom. l was told Of
one collector who sold plant for e500.
TOBACCO THE STAPLE.
Tobacco is Of course the staple industry
and morning spent In a tobacco factory is
extremely interesting. Manila tobacco is
considered here to be superior to anv in the
world except the famous "Vuelte Abaio" of
Cuba, and millions of Manila cigars are
sold as Havanas. In fact the two styles,
Manila and Cuban, the former with the
end cut blunt off and the sides parallel are
turned out in almost equal quantities. Five
colors are distinguished Tor sale, although
the expert at the selecting tables divides his
heap into thirty different colors London
takes assorted colors, while the dark brands
are sent to Spain, the light ones to New
York and the straight cheroots to India.
The figures oftobacco-makinga are astound-
ing At ''La Flor de la Isabella" and this
is only one of score of factories IN Manila,
4, 900 people are employed, their hours OF
labor being eight, as Mr.. Gompers, of Amer
ica, and John Burns, of England, will be
interested to know, from 10 IL and from 2
to O'Clock. And from the huge 'Im-
periaIes" to the tiny "Coquetas'' and the
twisted "Culebras," 100000 in Manila
style and 800. 900 in Cuban style ure made
monthly.
But cigarette-making caps the climax.
The tobacco leaves are cut into "Hebra" or
thread, which we call "long-cut," and the
whole process of making is done by one
machine. 1 saw nine of these hard aJ work
and each turns out Il, 900 in day. 1t is q
simple sum: 9x12 000x 30x12 say SO, 0O0, 900
cigarettes year from one factory. What
a heritage OF palpitation and dyspepsia
SCENES IN THE COCKPIT.
The great cockpit of Manila at the "Fiesta
del Pueblo" was one of the most remarka-
BILE spectacles 1 have ever seen. Imagine
huge circus with an arena raised
to the height of the faces of those
standing; behind them tier upon tier grad
ually rising above the arena, which is in
closed with fine wire netting, the red draped
box Of the farmer-the leading Chinaman Of
Manila, named Palanca; and packed audi
ence of 1000 people. Squattlng on the
earthen floor of the ring, inside the wire
netting, are the habitues, half Chinese and
Then two men enter the ring each carrying
bird whose spur is shielded for the mo-
ment in leather scabbard. One wears his
hat-he is the owner of the challenging bird;
the other hatless, is the outsider who takes
up the challenge. An official calls out the
sum for which he backs, and how much is
still lacking to make up the sum.
Then comes the most extraordinary scene
of all. The moment the words are out of
his mouth it rains dollars in the ring. From
those inside, from those who are within
throwing distance. apparently from every
where, dollars pour in, without method,
without ownership, without bargain, so
far as one can judge amid the deaGening
clamor. When the sums on the birds are
equal, the betting master shouts: "Casadaf'
matched" literally married the
farmer from his box on high wells: "LargaP'
-''loose them" and the fight begins. Some
times it lasts ten minutes, sometimes only
second, the first shock leaving one bird
mangled corpse.
The fight over, the betting master goes
round handing money back recklessly, so it
seems, to anybody who holds out hand. I
asked Senior Palanca how betting could
possibly be carried on like this. He re-
Piled that each one asks for or takes the
SUM that belongs to him. But if anybody
should put out his hand ~ another's
money? He gave ME to undesstSsd that 1t
was never dore; and that if anybody were
detected doing so, he would probably have
dozen knives in his body on the spot. In
the course of the afternoon 1 witnessed 100
cockfghts. The authorities make large
revenue from the cockpit.
Two other "reminiscences NAV conclude my