The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-07-13
All Exhaustive Paper On the
Philippine Group.
READ HERE BY ". R. CASTLE



ns-aaE evening there was au attend
ance OF couple OF hundred men from
the transports For their benefit there
was special music The following in
lere-aug and carefully complied paper.
tar cu7siou was read by ~ r..
Castle
Because of Dewey splendid victory
lu Manila Bay the world and especial
iy Americans. have learned more of
the geography and history of that in
terest.ug country within the past TWO
months than ir has known in three
hundred years.
il i- not easy 10 say anything fresh
or new but almost everything con-
eeruiue hat far eastern land is fun of
interest All thinking men feel in
stIuctayaly that The great battle has
done something greater and fuller Of
moment TO Americans than over
WIDENING and destroying a few poor
war ships of Spain. A new era is
dawning. Americans are look NJ be-
vond the borders of their own great
land. into the new world about them.
The people begin to feel that there
are concerns which effect them, and IN
which they must have an influence,
chat are not local to America.
The Philippines extend south from
Formosa about 900 miles or IA degrees
of latitude TO within 4 degrees OF the
equator. and over $50 miles from east
to west. or degrees of longitude
Within their embrace Is the Whole
of the Sulu sea; south and 300 miles
away lies Celebes. Manila, about Z2O
miles south of the extreme north, IS
nearly 700 miles south east OF Hong
kong. and over 5000 miles south OF
west of Honolulu. lying in latitude
Is north
Although nearly four centuries nave
elapsed since their discovery, great
deal of uncertainty still exists about
the geography of this group. II Is
believed that there are over 1400 ISL
ands. the most of which are insignih-
cant in area. but LuZOn and Mindanao,
the northern and southern, are truly
majestic. the one containing nearly
Al 600 square miles, the other over H.
600. The whole group IS belieVed 10
contain about $4,000 square miles, OF
double the area of New York state
Samai, Panay. MindOrO, Negroes ana
Pa1awan each have an area little
more or less than that OF the Island
of Hawaii or something over 4,OOO
square miles. In no part OF the World
is volcanic activity more evident, al
though but. few active craters aUtest
the fact In some respects these VOL
canoes are remarkable. Taal, 40 miles
south of Manila, is a low mountain IN
the middle of a lake NTH as large
as the Island of Oahu over 100 square
miles in area and 100 fathoms deep. 1t
is said that where this lake and active
or W hundred
ago a lofty mountain reared its head
nearly 10000 feet into the clouds, but
it swiftly dropped into the depths, ana
the lake and volcano took its place.
The RuIusan. at the extreme south
point of Luzon, has for centuries guld-
ed the mariner far at sea with ITS pill
lar of cloud by day and of fire at night.
Nkav'on has always maintained a repu-
tation for terrible destructive power.
In 1914 an eruption overwhelmed more
than u. 600 persons Vast deposits OF
debris in places covered the taIIest
forest trees. In 1876 one or the terri
fc storms. for which the philippines
have a dread notOriety, burst over thls
mountain and in short time sucn
vast quantities of loose material had
been washed over the surrounding
country. that over 5000 houses and all
roads. canals and farms were ruined
for miles around. Earthquakes are
very FREQUENT in all parts OF the Isl
ands. Sometimes they are of terrlhc
character and very destructive NO
where have they left such evidences
Of their power. Mountains nave oeen
sbivered to fragments, valleys hlleu'
messages rent from the ocean to the
interior. the courses of rivers nave
been changed, and lakes nave Deen
drained or new ones created. with
such terrific forces of nature IN con-
slant operation. the works or man
could stand but a poor show, ana
1,1any times have towns and villages
heen wholly destroyed. 4 great earth
onake in 1868 destroyed the city OF
Manila with the loss Of nearly 3,0OO
persons killed and injured, ana the
damages known to have occurred
amount TO over $S.000,OOO.
With volcanoes and earthquakes,
there exists a great variety of physical
aspect. Mountain ranges extend from
the north to the south, with spurs
running both to the east and west
There are broad plains and a few ele-
waited tabIelands; lakes are numerous
and there are a number OF CONSIDER
able rivers. The soil in many places
is very fertile. and is capable OF IN
limited production of the fruits OF the
tropics At present sugar, tobacco ana
hemp are the principal exports, but
rice and bananas constitute the main
food of a large portion of the popula-
tion The mineral wealth is probably
quite large. Gold, copper. iron, mer-
rnrv and lead exist and mines are
worked 10 some extent. Coal is also
found in two or three OF the islands
although the quality is not of the best.
The mineral promise is such as TO IN
dicate good results under the fostering
care of an enlightened government.
The philippines were discovered py
Magellan in 1921, and were caIieu me
Lazarus Islands for about % years.