Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28
SITUATION IN LUZON
Our Troops Occupy About liz Square
Miles of Territory.
ISLAND CONTAINS $4,000 MILES
Prospect That the Next Campaign
Will Be in Mountains.
N E E DS OF THE ARMY

CHICAGO, October 2S.-The Tribune to-
day prints a summary of the situation in
the Philippine Islands from its special cor
RESP ondent there, Richard H. Little. The
letter, which is dated Manila, September
IA, says:
Here are some figures, made seven
months and a half after our campaign
against the Fiipinos began. Say it is five
miles to Angeles-we hold possession of
the railroad up to that point. We can fairly
claim possession of the land half mile on
each side of the track. We have possession
of the wagon road, and, let us say, a half
mile on each side from San Fernando
through Bacoloor to Santa Rita, eight
miles, with four miles to Guaga. We have
road from Mololos to Baliauag, eleven
miles northeast. We can claim eleven
square miles here.
I'VE have Manila, out as far as the water
works, five miles away. That gives US, say,
twenty-five miles around the city.
Then we have the road and a half mile
each side down eighteen miles to linus
Then VIC have Calamha and some other
points on the lake that Gen. Lawton cap
tured before he was ordered back. These
towns are not approached by road, but by
boat across the Laguna de Bay, and we
only control the land they stand on.
AIDING up our total possessions, find
we have III square miles.
The Island of LuZon contains 40 600
square miles
lnSurrcctiOn Seems to he GROWING
Outside of Luzon the insurrection seems
to be growing. The insurgents hold ports
in Mindanao, the next largest island to
Luzon in the Philippines which is said to
be incalculably rich in gold and silver
mines, iron and copper ores and other min
erals. besides possessing wonderful forests
of hard wood. No Americans have dared
venture there as yet, as General Otis has
sent no troops to the island. Englishmen
and Germans are proving about the island,
getting al the concessions they can. 1t is
said several prospecting parties are at work.
General Otis reports conflicts between
the 'robber bands and American soldiers
in NCgros and Cebu. The 18th, the 18th and
the 9th and one battalion Of the I'D Infan-
try are now in these TWO islands, fighting
the rObber bands, who dig trenches and
occupy towns and make night attacks after
the fashion of the insurgents in Luzon.
"A late report from Cehu IS that some
1000 robbers were menacing our forces
and collision was imminent.
The next campaign is going to be diff
ferent from the last. We will get out of
the fiat open country into mountainous,
thickly wooded country. If we do not end
the war here we VIII have to carry it into
the high rock-ribbed mountains OF Luzon
1T will be no violation of a state secret
to say that the first object of the next cam
paign will be to take the rest of the rail-
insurgents ought to be firmly convinced by
this time that we want the Manila and
Dagupan railroad, as we have fought along
that line seven months. They know
want 1t, and they also know that we are
going to get 1t, for they are already tear
ing up the track. burning the ties and bury
ing the rails north of Angeles.
Mountainous Country North of Manila.
The country east of the railroad north
of Angeles to Dagupan is much like it is
south to Manila, except higher and broken.
West of the railroad are high mountains
that will offer the insurgents better oppor-
tunity of retreat and escape than they had
in the low country. With the taking of the
railroad will have cut off the provinces
of Zambales, Pagassinan, Tarlac and Pan
panga and Bataan from the main part of
the island, and can lay claim to a good
deal more country than the precise amount
of real estate on which our army is now
camping.
From the railroad Aguinaldo's army can
hardly retreat anywhere but northward
across the mountains to the fertile valley
of the Rio Grande de Cagayary.
Tine walled city cannot understand why
the army has much trouble with the
railroad. When the officers in the field no
tify the walled city that the rails have
been torn up from the section of track just
captured, and that the ties have been
burned and the grade destroyed, they get
an order to fix it So, after a few miles
of railroad are captured, the soldiers have
to scatter up and down the track and go
mining for steel rails. The Insurgents bury
the rails five or six feet deep They OBJ
served that the Americans located the rails
by sounding with a crowbar, so they re-
sorted to the eXpedent of putting layer
of ties over the rails. To replace the
burned ties the quartermaster's department
were forced to use planks, two boards,
each two inches wide being nailed together
for ties. The side track, wherever possible
all the way back to Manila. was jerked up,
(lr Nod Il
rails could not be found.
The American army is badly in need of
railroad ties and steel rails
Need of Light Draft Boats.
Another great need Of the army is light
draft steamboats, for use on the MANY
rivers and lakes of Luzon. There is hardly
a place in the world where an army could
use rive steamers to greater advantage
The Rio Grande, the Chico the Rio Grande
Pampanga, the Agno, the Bicol and the
PaSlS all flow through fertile and densely
populated valleys and offer means to the
army of bringing up supplies and swiftly
transporting large bodies of soldiers that
would be invaluable We're it utilized
From what can be learned from the in
surgents they are well satisfied with the
present condition of affairs. Their con-
gresS has just returned a communication
to the American peace commission declar-
ing that while they would have accepted
autonomy from our government If they
had been properly dealt with at first they
will now consider no proposition except in
dependence With almost 1900 miles of
territory from which to draw supplies and
with boats coming in without any oppos-
ton from Hong Kong, Japan and from
Central and South America and Australia
the insurgents probably doing well as
far as supplies are concerned
YOUNG DROVE THE INSURGENTS.
Engagement at Santa Rosa, North of
San ISidrO. Yesterday.