El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-14
LAND OF FORTUNES.
ENGINEER WRITES OF CAPITALISTS
CHANCES IN THE PHILIPPINES.

He Says Savage Tribes Keep Adven-
turers Away From Mountains Hav-
ing n Wealth of Ore-Profts In To-
| bacco and Electric Roads.
An interesting letter concerning con-
ditions in the Philippines has been re-
| ceived by Edward L. Foster of Newark,
| N. j., from his son, Frank H. Foster,
an electrician with Company A, bat
| talon of engineers, U. s. A. It was
written in Manila, where the company
now is stationed. The following are ex-
tracts from the letter, which is dated
Oct. 8:
"Since we received our newspapers
last week we feel at home, for they all
American SOIL and that the islands
are not to be given up, and all this
brings more forcibly to the light the
future business and money making pos
sibilities now obscured. but which are
yet wrapped up in this city. For your
information 1 will give you an idea of
the existing conditions, which certain
ly must and will be improved. There is
here vast undeveloped wealth in min
erals, hemp and tobacco, which. when
the islands are under an American adj
ministration, will show great beneficial
results. We have not personally been in
the mountains, nor have talked with
any one who has direct personal knowl
edge of the conditions, but that gold is
there in abundance seems to be an un-
questioned fact. The nearest mountains
to Manila are IL miles distant, but they
seem to be as foreign to the inhabitants
of the city and coast as if they were a
thousand miles away. TIE Spaniards
do not venture there for any industrial
purpose, because, in my belief, they
find it easier and more in accord with
their tasks to Cypress and tax the ma
tives than to labor themselves. They
seem to be natural born officeholders.
"The natives do not venture into the
interior because of their inability to Or
ganize and combat succe ssfully with tho
almost savage tribes that inhabit the
mountains and fight with the bow and
arrow and blowpipes. The Chinese have
made some most successful incursions
into the mountains, but have been pro-
hibited from doing SO by the Spaniards
when possible, and prevented from tax
ing their gold away. There are three
mining companies here on the island,
but they are operated by foreigners, and
we hear little about them. The tobacco
grown here, I believe, is quite unknown
to Americans-at least it was so to me-
The quality seems to be very uniform,
and, l Judge, would rank next to the
very best Havana, although it has de-
cidedly different flavor from Cuban to-
bacco. To me it is preferab le We pur
chase here in La Insular cigar factory,
in which building we are quartered, 100
cigars for 81. 80 Spanish silver, equal to
90 cents in United States coin. and, in
my opinion. the cigar is quite equal to
the ordinary 10 cent cigar as sold il
New York city. I doubt not that some
enterprising Americans will yet find
profit in Manila tobacco.
''There is an ice plant here, but from
the quantity of ice that I have seen it
must be very small. A man with a cold
storage plant would have a bonanza.
The water is bad and will have to be |
improved in some manner. The new CITY
is very low and would have to be graded
over again. Fifty per cent Of the build
ings and native houses would be con-
demned by both health officer and a
building inspector. Seventy five per
cent would not be passed by fire un-
derwriter. The horse car lines, of which |
there are two, would have the Bergh So
ciety after them to begin with, but |
aside from that service would meet all |
requirements for awhile with small |
additional expense. The cars, while not |
up to date, are serviceable, and the road
bed and rails, l must say, are in far bet
ter condition, and kept so, than on any |
road where l have been en- ployed. They |
are A No. /.
"You may know this when say that
one very lauk pony, no higher than my
shoulder, is all that is deemed necessary
to haul one car that carries most of the |
time from 20 to 80 passengers. There
are no grades whatever except where
the streets are raised to cross bridge.
At these places one or two extra horses
are used. In crossing the bridges the
car is first stopped about block away,
an extra horse is hitched on, and man
is stationed On either side of the horses
with lash. The driver has a lash and
a tin whistle that makes noise like
steam siren. The Car is started, the
horses are dashed, the viii stle is blown,
and the men shout until the car reaches
the top of the grade, which usually hap
pens after several attempts have been
made.
There is a very good electric light
plant, which is American. l have done
my best looking over the country for
waterfall that would furnish power for
installing an electric power plant to
transmit power to the city for lighting
purposes, and if need he for an electric
road. Conditions are such now that l
fear there would not be sufficient de-
mand for an electric road using coal for
a power producer, but with good wa
terfall such thing is likely to happen,