The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-08
i FIRE.ENGlNE IN5MANlLA.

s.,,,d when EirIt sd--l.udleia ns
,.o,, at tho }Trisi-.,sashed into the
/ River filS ~
New York Post: Although some AGO..
"A bales o, hemp and about eo.ooO tons
sugar annually found their way
.,,a ,he Phlllppinesto the United States
!, ,be time OF my residence there. the
,,.pcO Of trade was never maintained
" American goods coming the other
a. and the local business community
4 Manila or In the smaller centres to
\, ,ou,h remain in comparative lgnor.
NJ. o, the existence of New York. CHI
az, and San Frnnelsco, Its members
trow London-what foreign people do
,a,-and placldly imagine that the
nr imported American articles, such
:, -four and pieces OF machinery. which
,,V and then creep into Mnuila, come
,nu, some suburb OF the great English
,,,l,al The old American houses.
,sich long ago used to control the bus
,..ss OF the Islands. and have long
.,ce gone to the wall, seem TO have
t,co completely forgotten, and until
A. guns OF our feet broke the silence
signing in Manila Bay, the name OF
a. United States meant nothing on
n, pasig or In the Escolta. ii't II
One OF my most pleasant experiences
N The Philippines and certainly the
nos, amusing, was that which my
American chum and had as a result OF
car introducing into Manila society
. niece OF up-to-date American ma
'sInery-a fre englne-bvwav OF les.
,rInC that balance OF trade existing
,rnlnst the United States. =
Our wealthy friend Alvarez, who, in
elts OF the fact OF his being part
s,anIsh. part Chinese and part Malay.
srned steamers and storehouses, saw
,,;re pictures OF American fire engines
10 one Of the catalogues on our Office
table, and Immediately determined TO
have one. So we got him one OF the
tssest that they make in Rochester,
tsit he might cancel the Insurance
which he had placed to cover the goods
s.ored In his warehouses and still 20
"a Collecting premiums from people
VITO left their hemp, sugar and tobacco
b his care. dE
Four months after placing the order
he new engine arrived on the Esmer-
,laa, and was all but dropped In the
liver through the clumsy handling OF
ta heavy cases. But In due course Il
vas hoisted out Of lighters and dumped
"a 10 the qauy In front OF the office
3. our wealthy friend Alvarez.
The Engllshmen OF the Manila colony
h passing laughed at the wheels OF
rel and gold and the nickel-plated
boiler. The local engineers made sar-
asc comments. We did not reply,
tad only wondered how to put the parts
agether. For no one in the capital
s,d seen the like OF the fire-engine be-
fore. Assisted by drawings and de-,
s.iptions. we set the boiler on Its feet
and adjusted wheels, crank-pins and
y,lye connections. 1t seemed like
tempting Providence to fill the boilers
ty pouring water down the whistle, but
tat was what we, did from an uncer-
tain perch on a step-ladder. As the
s,ter gurgled In all right, and did not
IN out Of the bottom, our method
sesned successful. In due course we
t.arted the fire in the CRATE, and were
rlsased TO find that the new engine got
Up steam enough to work her own
pumps.
Ny chum and I knew so little about
tie anatomy OF fire-engines that we
Ee were much surprised on finding that
Americas biggest variety did not blow
up when the wheels ran so rapidly.
Everything seemed fitted to T., how
ever, and our friend was so pleased
With the outlook that he set day for.
q public trial OF the new toy from the
rnIted States.
When the time came everybody came
With It. for there was to be a collation.
afterwards, and that Is always draw
!.g card to any entertainment where
the audience Is Spanish. The engine
Torked to perfection, and Alvarez
stood his pet servant down the river.
Il water uo to his neck. in order to
let HIN hold the big suction hose out
o. the mud. Ten natives grasped the
dig nozzle on the flve-inch hose, and
small boys. dressed only In Sundershirts.
slayed around the mud-puddles formed
ey the looser Joints In the new pipes.
TIE Englishmen made sarcastic re-
rarks, the Spanish chuckled, but the
ratiyes looked on with open mouths.
We opened the throttle, and the big
Stream swished through the air SO far
taat:it wet down pile OF tobacco sup
1osedly beyond all reach. The owner,
thinking squall had struck the city.
taIe to the door OF his sto-ehouse to
hcate the trouble, and was promptly
hTled over backwards into his hall
nay as the ,hoseInen9 pointed the pow
tful current In his direction. But at
as point steam had to be shut of, and
q the next squirt, 70 avoid diplomatic
COMPLICATIONS. Alvarez asked up 10 play
The stream along the river. In a few
moments a wide-open throttle made a
euly huge torrent belch from the long
nozzle with such force as to make the
len hosemen feel decidedly nervous.
But It did not stop them from turning
me torrent toward q lighter. which
was being poled down the Pasig by two
:aalays. The foremost was washed
backward Into the lighter and the hind
most swept of into the river. A Chi
haman. who was padding load of
vegetables to the EsmeraIda in a hol-
low tree trunk, suffered the same fate.
ne and his greens were swished out Of
Me barca in an instant, and be found
himself sitting on his. Inverted craft
eld floating helplessly down stream.
:, Then, suddenly, as we opened the
tasostle TO the last notch, the hose
men tried TO turn the stream back on
% the quay. but with It's force of $500
gallons 10 the minute. 1t was too quick
,oE Them, and with a mighty "kerchug"
p'oke away, to send the nozzle flying
s'ound like mlll-whecl. The ten men
we're knocked PROSTATE. and two small
ooys. who were playing In the mud
.addies near by, were whisked of into
We river like so much dust. A dozen
frantic wnggles OF the nozzle and a
ta!Fd boy was shot through the wire