The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1899-02-03
MANILA.
How the Capital of the Philippines
Appears to Our Soldier Boys.

Appears to Our Soldier Boys.
A gentleman in the city has re-
ceived very interesting letter from
o. f. Tilden, who is private in Co.
M, 23d Infantry, U. S. A., and son
OF the Mr.. Tilden, who was a man
ager of the Hawaiian Hotel, and
who was burned during the fire
which consumed the cottage occu.
pied by the unfortunate man.
The description of Manila is very
graphic. "rhe large guns" says
Mr.. Tilden, "on the wall that our
troops captured are, with the excep-
tion of three or four Krupp's, all
obsolete muzzle-loaders. A majority
are of brass and, 7 think, they we're
used by old man Noah as anchors
for his ark during the flood. We
captured some good machine guns.
1.-THE walls around the city are
from thirty feet up in thickness
with moat outside at least thirty
feet wide, and then another thick
sand and dirt bank; the depth of
mud in the moat is very uncertain.
There are numerous salle-ports, at
each of which is guard detail car
rying loaded pieces.
"This old city is the headquarters
of the Church, and l do not think
there is building here but what
has some connection with it; the
place is 30 overrun with priests, and
a more repulsive looking set of men
l never saw anywhere, but they
have the people under their control,
and they will be one OF the prnci-
pal elements against us in every.
thing.
"The Spanish soldiers are all quar-
tered in the churches but at eight
O'Clock every night our patrols chase
them off the streets. During the day
they are allowed the freedom of the
city, but as soon as our men tell
them to skip, you would laugh to see
them move on; any of them who OBJ
ject to doing it, away they so to the
guardhouse.
"The streets are all very narrow
with sidewalk, don't laugh now,
from eight inches to ten feet in
width. I actually found, while on
patrol one night, where the sidewalk
was encroached upon by he lower
steps of one OF the churches till
there were only eight inches left
The streets have been very filthy
owing to no sewers and the indiffer.
ence of the people to everything
pertaining to health and cleanliness
but we are gradually getting things
into shape and a most marked i'm.
provement has become manifest
even in the short time the troops
have been here. We have the river
on one side and the Lunetta on the
other The river is pretty well filed
with coasting vessels all he time
and of course, there is a constant
stream Of lighters, very queer look
ing square ended fiat bottom boat:
rooted over with movable mat ting
with one end closed in where the
crew and family live, when in the
river they are pushed along even
when loaded, by the native with {
long pole, one end of which il
placed against the muscles of the
neck and shoulder, the other in the
river bottom, then the native
stretches out till his body is nearly
!, parallel to the running board on the
side OF the boat. The Lunetta i.
the fashionable drive along the bay
, shore, at the upper end of which il
!, the band stand where there is con
|. cert by some regimental band every
! evening, at which all the youth ano
a beauty of the city gathers. Have
! seen very few women l should cal
handsome or even pretty. Will
their dark skins they use too much
powder and it gives them a dirty
appearance,