The record-union., 1899-08-05
Little Can Be Accomplished Until the
Rainy Season Is Over.
Have Strengthened
Their Entertainments Around
San Fernando and Balinag, and
Are Never Relax in Their Vigil
1ance-Heavy Shipments of
Arms for Rebels Said to Be Con-
stantly Arriving From Japan
and Australia.

CHICAGO, Aug. 4.-The "Tribune's"
special correspondence from Manila,
under date of June 18th, says:
THE next campaign can hardly be,
gin sooner than November, although the
country may dry up enough towards
the middle of October to permit the
American troops to take the field again.
The American army. during the rainy
season can hardly be expected to do
anything more than hold what it has
gained and prepare for the next cam
paign. The ground to defend is not
very great.
THE insurrectionists are in possess
sion of three-fOurths of the railroads
and rolling stock They have twenty
seven of the roads locomotives, while
the Americans only have four. The
rest of the rolling stock is also distri-
buted between the two parties in a like
ratio. The Americans hold Candaba.
east of San Fernando. ten miles. They
hold all the towns along the railroads,
of course, to San Fernando and Bali
nag, seven miles east of Pulilan.
Reports continually come from Bal
mag that the town is entirely sur
rounded by the enemy and is about to
be carried by assault But Colonel
Page and the Third Infantry have so
far driven the rebels back with dis
astrous loss every time they assaulted
the town and he declares he can hold it
for an indefinite period, although his
position there is by no means an easy
one. Supplies and mail can only be
carried over to Balinag from the rail-
road under an escort of not less than
one hundred and fifty men, who are in.
variably attacked somewhere along the
road, both going and coming.
THE insurgents have their intrench-
ments drawn we'll around San Fer
nando and Balinag and their outposts
are in sight of the American outposts.
IAN officer down from San Fernando
told me to-day that the insurgents
seemed never to relax their vigilance
AT San Fernando two determined at
tacks along the whole rebel line were
made last week. The second engage
ment lasted three hours. when the in,
surgents were driven back, with heavy
losses. Bullets fly continually over Pull
imam and stray bullets occasionally find
stray victims. The country north of
Balinag that General Lawton's troops
marched over to San Isidor had all to
be evacuated owing to the lack OF
troops to garrison the captured towns
and will have to be retaken afresh
when the next campaign opens.
1.-THE insurgents are continually re.
ceiving fresh supplies and arms At
Paranaque week ago the insurgents
astonished the Americans by bringing
out some modern field pieces that they
had obtained somewhere.
Heavy shipments of arms are said to
be constantly arriving from Japan and
Australia, and, it is said. even from gu,
own country. Cartridges picked up in
the insurgent trenches bear the trade
mark of a big manufacturing firm In
the United States.
THE insurgents have three factories
where they manufacture cartridges and
other munitions of war If they were
kept on the run they would have NC
time to so equip themselves that they
could return after every defeat better
able to fight than they were before"