The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-28


in company with Horace l.. Higgins,
the manager Of the railroad which con-
meets Manila with the interior of the
island of Luzon. Says he:
The line had been cut by the insur-
gents in the month of May, and during
the frequent conflicts with the Span
iards the station at Dagupan had been
burned, long stretch of the road near
by had been ruined by wrenching the
rails from the ties, the contents Of sew
eral' stations had been destroyed, a
stationmaster here and there had been
killed or kidnapped, siege guns had
been posted on the roadbed near Man
liza, and, IN general terms. the railway
had been a large sufferer during the
last few weeks Of the revolution. For
some time Mr.. Higgins had been in
communication with Aguinaldo in re-
gard to opening the line for traffic, and
only after a good deal of trouble had
succeeded in getting from the willy
leader an order to his subordinate gen.
erals commanding the insurrectionary
forces in the northern provinces to per-
init the necessary repairs to be made
and the trains to be run from the
Manila station.
on the morning OF Saturday, Sept. 3,
with a small train consisting of an
engine, a goods van and the inspection
coach, a very comfortable and ingeni-
ously arranged carriage, with room
enough for the six people of our party
to dine comfortably in the small sa-
loon. The road is three feet six inches
gauge, and the carriages are proper
.xN,- t1,nn 90 he
British standard size.
FIRST TRAIN SINCE MAY.
The fact that this was the first train
out of Manila since the railway was
cut in May created no stir at the sta
ton, probably because the event was
not advertised, and the guard of United
States regulars on the platform and
n few station hands were the only
spectators of our departure. The sta
tion is at the extreme northern limit
of the town and beyond It a few
or no habitations are seen except native
huts and an occasional two-story
house Of the usual type with corrugated
iron roof and shell windows. About
two miles out Of town the line enters
a tract of country identically the same
in general character as that which
was occupied by the opposing forces
south of the town-small sWamps with
bamboo thickets and hedges and fire.
quent impossible jungles OF under
growth. Here close alongside the rail-
way stands blockhouse No. I, a plank
structure Of the regular type, about
twenty feet square, with an embank-
ment around the lower story, a nine
inch belt OF Portland cement around
the upper story and a small cupola for
sharpshooters above the iron roof. The
whole is surrounded by an admirably
constructed earthwork, with traverses
and covered ways, and makes an al
most impregnable position against in
fantrY.
SIGNS OF WAR.
Not over two hundred yards away
the insurgents had a large smoothbore
ships gun in position on the line near
a large native house, and they said
themselves that they had fired this
piece two hundred times without hit
ting the Spanish blockhouse once
Their earthworks extended right and
left through the bamboo thickets, well
hidden by the dense vegetation, the
position marked only by the ragged
bamboo clumps, which have been fair
ly mown Off by Mauser bullets about
dozen feet from the ground. Once
past the rough ground, Caloocan, the
village where the railway company's
shops are situated, is soon reached
and beyond this point a more oper
and fertile country begins. The insur.
gents were out in full force alone
their lines, in the old Spanish intrench.
ments and the blockhouse. The guard
presented arms as we passed while
here and there a whiteclad native with
Mauser rifle and a bag of cartridge.
would pop out of the underground neal
the track and watch us as we went
along, apparently uncertain whether HI
should challenge us or not.
CLIMATE.
Beyond Caloocan the country open,
out into a wide valley bounded O,
either side by high mountain ranges
the Mariveles, or west coast range
forming jagged barrier not unlik
the Dolomites in outline, while in tn
east succession of grand SUBMITS o
the Caraballo range, large and bold fl
line, rise high above the lower stratum
OF cumulus clouds which always drlf
day was perfect, a bright sun wa
shining and the sky was as soft AM
clear as in midsummer in England
The temperature, moreover, was no
more oppressive than an average warn
August day in the Midlands, and tn
landscape in general character CAV
little suggestion of the tropics. I'm
mense broad rice fields of a rich, sof
oh I'm
the warm sunlight and the rounde,
forms of mango trees, accentuatin,
with their dense, dark foliage tn
lighter masses of the cultivate,
ground, gave all the appearance of
pleasant farming country in England
The mountains alone and particularly
the long extinct volcano Arayat, whicl
arises from the plain a solitary, iso
lated cone, disturbed the impression o
home landscape, as seen from the dis
tance at least
TROPICAL SCENES.
Close at hand the native habitations
for the most part bamboo and nip
huts raised on posts five or six fee
from the ground. the busy native
working in the rice fields in the scanti
est of garb, and the uncouth wate
buffaloes everywhere wallowing in tn
muddy pools. made us realize that W
Were in the tropics,T The Spaniards, fear
ing, as they did in Cuba, the assistanc
the natives would give TO the rebels
instituted a system of reconcentratio
among the peasants and obliged ther
in certain provinces where the rebe
were most active to leave their hut
which were scattered all over the coun
try, and 10 assemble in large village
in the open areas, where they could /