Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-08-19
ORDERS SENT MERRITT
TELEGRAPH TO BE OPENED
Fears That They Have Been Fight
ing since the Fourth of August
The Insurgents May Have Looted
Manila Before the News of Peace
Arrived.

New York. Aug. l6.-A special to the
Tribune from Washington says:
Cable communication with Manila will
probably be reestablshed within the
next day or two. ii the efforts of this
government, supported by those of Great
Britain and Spain, are successfully direct
ed, in order that further bloodshed may
be averted and the suspense relieved.
1t is understood that Admiral Dewey
has been in possession of the Philippine
end OF the cable for over two months, al
though he was unable to secure the legal
terminus of the line, which is located
within the city of Manila. and. through
the strict construction placed upon the
rules of neutrality, his operators were I'M
able to secure any response to their sig
nails from the Hong Kong terminal. This
restriction made necessary the frequen;
sending of dispatch boats back and forth
10 Hong Kong and recently the severed
end of the cable has been buoyed and no
attention paid to it.
Orders Sent Saturday.
On the vessel that started for Manila
Saturday from Hong Kong went orders to
restore submarine Geographic communi-
cation at once, and, as the American
forces, by the terms of the protocol, are
in possession OF the Philippines from an
international standpoint, whether they
actually hold the municipality or not,
and as hostilities have been formally ter
minated and the requirements of neil
trality abolished, all obstacles to the
free use of the cable have been removed.
Until Manila is in closer touch with
the rest of the world than it has been
for the last three and one-half months,
officials in Washington will be harassed
by the gravest anxiety regarding the oc-
currences in that vicinity. The last news
from Manila was dated 10 days ago and
described the fierce fighting at NIalate on
July 81, when the Americans held their
position which had been assaulted. August
3 there was cannonading all day. The
Monterey arrived August with three
transports of the third expedition and at
the same time the dispatch vessel left
preparations were being made for an I'M
mediate assault upon the city. 1t was
known that General Merritt was only
waiting these reinforcements to demand
the surrender and give formal notice of
a naval bombardment Under these cir
cumstances every precaution was taken
last Friday DO inform Admiral Dewey and
General Merritt with the least possible
delay OF the formal signing Of the proto-
col and the suspension of hostilities.
May Get Orders Today.
When the protocol was signed, followed
Immediately by the sending of cable dis
patches to Admiral Dewey and General
Merritt, it was broad da ylight Saturday
:lorning at Manila. 1t takes fully a min
ute at the most generous calculation to
send single word to Hong Kong by ca
BILE. Acting Secretary Allen and Adju-
tant General Corbin each sent several
hundred words of instructions to the re-
spective commanders under them, includ-
ing copies of the presidents proclamation,
and 1t is therefore unlikely that the yes
sci was able to start before Saturday af.
ternoon. Manila is 62S miles from Hong
Kong and at Is knots the distance might
be made in 30 hours, which would enable
the dispatches to reach the American
forces Monday morning. or according to
Washington, Sunday night.
Unless General Merritt had taken Ma
Mia by that time the instructions sent
him will prevent any further military OPP
erations and truce will have to be agreed
upon similar in all respects to that i'm
posed upon General Miles in Puerto Rico.
The official messages relate solely to hos
tilities and have no bearing upon the
third article of the protocol, which pro-
vides that the United States hold the
city, bay and harbor OF Manila until the
meeting of the commissioners.
This is an exceedingly peculiar feature
Of the situa ton, but it gives the authori-
ties less concern than the fear of further
fighting That article was worded in ac-
cordance with the presidents original
proposition two weeks ago, which i'm turn
had been when there was momentary ex-
pectation that the starved out city would
surrender at once, and it was evident
that the United States forces would re-
h'"ah "a P0"Ni "a sht L IL WIS
therefore considered unnecessary to stipu-
late that commission should be appoint
cd within 10 days to arrange the details
of evacuation, as was the case with Cuba
and Puerto Rico.
May Have Been Fighting.
Secretary Alger is confident that the
Spanish general will welcome the news
and cheerfully obey the instructions ca.
bled to him from Madrid to lay down hi
arms and no serious complication is ex
pected to arise with the insurgents al
present, at least, regarding the change Of
government.
The chief alarm relates to the sacrifice
of life which may have taken place since
August and to the possibility that Ag
uinaldo and his soldiers may have enter
ed the city from a point on the north
while the Spaniards We're engaged with
the Americans on the south. In that
case it is feared wholesale massacres may
have taken place and much valuable prop
erty been ruthlessly destroyed.