The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-28
MANILA AS IT Is.
Appearance of the City Since Dewey's
Arrival

Press.-Correspond of the Asso-
eiated Press.)
Manila, June 27, via Hong Kong
| Rear Admiral Dewey, always courte-
| Gus and always cordial to press men,
was good enough to assure this cores
| pondent that he could go just where
| he liked, when he liked and how he
liked. For the present, the American
commander said, accommodations
| might be found on one of the american
| transports at CaVite or, if so desired,
| the correspondent could go ashore on
| which ever side he choose and take his
| chances with the Spaniards or rebels.
! 1t was, however, one thing to say ''go
! everywhere you please and quite a.
| different matter to say how. Admiral
Dewey, with all his good will had no
| information at his disposal to indicate
| which place was likely to be best for
getting all the news and communicat-
ing with the outside world. The cor
| respondent finally fixed on Manila it
| self, not entirely deprived of mail faciI-
tiles, thanks to the courtesy Of Admiral
Dewey and the foreign naval authori-
| ties. Moreover Manila was found to
be an exciting place to live in. Even
without bOmbardment a beSieged city
must be a center of excitement. Sooner
or later the food supply must run short
The Spaniards had declared that they
would fight to the last; and, even an
overwhelming force cannot capture a
stubbornly defended town without
severe struggle Then what would the
native population do? The native troops
would probably keep up an appearance
of fighting on the Spanish side as long
as the Spaniards kept a lookout on
them and in the end they would be
mostly found on the other side, actual
ed chiefly by desire to save their
skins OF the non-cOnbatant natives
with the Spaniards now, it is impossible
to predict anything when the town falls
if it is to fall
The town is as badly built as can be-
The houses are much too close together
and the streets are narrow. For the
metropolis of a big country, for a city
of a quarter of a million inhabitants, a
rich and prosperous mart, a center of
education and luxury as the buildings
in the walled city indicate, it is a dis
reputable, il-arranged and unsightly
town.
The principal business street, the
EscOtta is narrow, wretchedly paved,
crooked and filled with the most COM
monplace structures. so are the other
streets, but further from the center,
there are trees to hide the ugl1ness. In
| excuse the Manila people plead earth
quakes, typhOOns, thunder storms and
floods as their reasons for not having
a passably presentable town, but Manila
is not the only place with earthquakes
and all the rest. At Toxic it is infinite
ly worse but it is handsOmer and the
roads are better paved
The Pasig is a river 60 or 70 yards
wide, perhaps II feet deep, yet the
| bridging of it has never gone beyond
| primitive stages. There is one narrow
| bridge, the Puento d Espano, connect
ing Binonda with the city, but this
| bridge is far too narrow for the traffic
and would never be considered sufficient
| in a civilized country. There is another
| bridge near it, but it is seldom or never
used for vehicle traffic and the Puenta
d'Espano is constantly chOked.
There are tramways running into out
| lying parts Of the town and steam
! tramway to the northern suburb of
! Malabon. There is also a railway from
| Manila to Daigupan about, IS miles
/ north, run by an English company. In
| the rural township Of Santa Mesa, a bout
| three or four miles out is a big powder
| ma gaz zine, or ''pOlveTin," close by the
right (nOrth) bank of the river Pasig.
! on the opposite side of the river is the
( village of Santa Ana, mile or two
| away. It was about here that the first
| shots We're fired in the instruction of
| 1896 and several English people having
| villas in these parts had lively time.
| Another "pOlverin" is at Malate on
| the seashore just south Of the walled
| city. These are the only two powder
| magazines the Spaniards have in the
| immediate neighborhOOd of the city, ex-
| GLIDING of course the forts own stores.
| Malate is reached from BinOnda by a
| pretty drive outside the city walls eth
er along the sea front, or behlnd the
city and beyond the city is the esplan-
! ade called the Tuneta, where the band
| plays every evening in peace times. At
| the far end of the Tuneta is the bat
terry of two big guns which fired on the
| American ships until Admiral Dewey
| talked seriously of replying.
! A little beyond this battery is the Eng
p Plea residences, English Spanish and
| forts and the powder magazine, is the
| Eastern Extension Telegraph companys
! establishment. a nttle way pack from
| the sea is the Jesuit observatory, which
| does excellent service, and is indeed the
| Jesuits' best answer to those who say they
| do harm in the Philippines.
Outside of the populOus suburbs there
are more rural and less settled districts,
dotted with handsome residence scatter
tropical WOodlanuS7 WHefe d SueriIIa war
fare would be well nigh interminable; In
| in the course of ages grown into respect
able little thicketS with little planta tons
patches of sombre greenery, a stationery
force might check an advancing force
DS OF II5ie ,+fipl ut sltiTn5is6ine mn
der thick cover would be of any effect in
rsf 1tb he side hest fitted for Jingle
simply fertile pastoral Ian land /. with lot Of
place in the world for plain peasant lads,
newly recruited and without any target
ana that is what Spain is depending on
for her sons are raw recruits and her enc
mics are trained forest rovers.
the declaration of independence issued by
Agufnaldo on June p:
ITO the district head men and village
head men of the province of Bulacan
from the politico-military governor of this
province. whose Headquarters are now
transferred to the town of San Francisco
de Malabon and combined with the sec
tons under his orders at Bacoer, Bina-
cayan, linus, Novaleta, Silinas and Cavite
ViOjO. They only require to be combined
with the other forces in Indang and ST.
lang, near by, and then our troops will be
sent forward and within a few days will
be found in possession of almost the whole
province, which win be found in position
to proclaim effectively our independence.
This proclamation will not be long de-
ferred. because the ultimate object of this
government will thus be attained, notwith-
standing the suggestions of some of our