New-York tribune., 1899-03-26
A PHILIPPINE RAILROAD.
THE ONLY ONE IN UNCLE SANS NEW AsiAflC
ISLAND POSSESSIONS.

THE ONLY ONE IN UNCLE SANS NEW AsIhTic
ISLAND POSSESSIONS.
From The Scientific American.
Tho einele railroad line Of our new oriehtai
colony trayerses some of the finest country 10
he found in all these islands For propaoiy
ninety miles II runs diagonalIy across d tol
tinuous level or slightly rolling area, sePAi .'eu
from the sea and hemmed IN by noun'adn . az
,anqns which in places rise to the height or oVV
feet The northw estern corner OF the 'ai'es
opens on the shallow gulf Of Lingayen' "hereon
is situated Dagupan. the terminus or tne roao
IN tbo southern end this ideal valley region is
bounded by Manila Bay, the Pasig RIVER ana
Lake Bal, the most important lake IN ihese ISL
ands In this valley region and the bordering
mountain region are included all OF the SIX prov
,nces wherein was begun the Spanish subjuga-
tion OF these islands, and to-day they are the
most important part OF LuZ0n These are Ma
Mia, Buiacan, Pampanga, TarIac. Nueva Ecya
and Pangasinan. all or when are uaVe'seu pS
the Manila and Dagupan road
The scenery along the line Of this railroad Is
most picturesque. For fifteen miles out OF Ma
Mia the land rises in Irregular. long, sioplng
hills scarcely half a hundred feet in height on
one hand is a succession of rice fields, and on the
other the hillsdes terraced with queer ma
tive bamboo huts. AT Caloocan are seen me ,he
first real signs OF civilization Twenty -hVe miles
from Manila is Malolos, the capital of the So
called Filipino Republic. Like many other ma
tive towns il is stretched out for a considerable
distance among the bambOOs ana ponds. BE
tween Malolos and Calumpit, distance OF nine
miles there are twelve bridges across streams
Of sufficient volume to he called rivers. Ten
miles from Calumpt is San Fernando, and ere
we reach this place we have left behind the bor-
dering hills of Manila Bay. Twenty miles be-
yond San Fernando pass through cut about
three hundred yards long and thirty feet deep,
the only one OF any consequence on the road,
md here at Bamban we have reached the noun
sans Beyond Bamban the landscape changes,
and cocoanut groves begin to suppant the ham,
boo fats Tarlac is Of the most important
towns on the road. 1t is located in the province
OF Tarlao.
The remaining forty-fve miles of the road TO
Dagupan runs through fat land well drained,
and there is a succession of rice fields cane
fields and cocoanut groves. The only important
town on this part Of the road is Bayambang on
the river Agno The English firm Of Smith Bell
e. Co has large rice mill there, and at Gala
sias, the next station to Dagupan, are made the
finest Of the Manila hats Such are the scenes
along the only railroad line in the Philippines
and in spite Of its insignificance this road has
done much toward improving the country
through which ii passes. Ere long American
energy and capital will begin the grand work
or development so long delayed through Span
lSh mIsrule, and the tOOt OF the American loco
motive, cchOing through the bamboo jungles and
cocoanut groves. will soon awaken these op-
pressed islands from their long sleep