Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-12-05
In MANILA.
Thirtieth Regiment is now IN
the Philippines.

They Have an Eventual v0yage-Three
Days Storm Eneountered-IIabi of
Natlves-Churches Used as Forts
Natives Warned of Approach Of Sol
diers-Spaniards Arrange for Dewey's
ption-W Wonderful Resources of
the Country.
PAsAY, P. /. Oct, %, 1s99-We
landed at Manila on the 23d just one
month from San Francisco. With
the exception of three days storm we
had a delightful trip. We spent our
first two days at the 18th Calvary Bar
racks four miles from Manila. We
then came here about two miles far
ther. The band occupies the convent.
Co. F uses the building formerly used
by the priests. The hospital is in the
church, the natives holding service in
one small room. Headquarters are IN
the second story of another shack.
The other eleven companies are in
the trenches.
The Philippines are all right. We
like the country better every day. |
am acquainted with Alaska but |
would consider slice of this country
as large as Monongalia County worth
all of Alaska. 1t is rich in gold, sill
yer, copper and iron. There is vol
cano in the centre OF lake the sides
of which will supply the world with
sulphur for all time.
/ have been experimenting with
some of the beautiful hard woods.
There is a species of teak that would
take the place of our black walnut.
has finer grain and is harder than
oak, as flooring it would be perfect.
1t never cracks or rubs up and would
take higher polish than any Of our
woods. The mountains are full of
satin wood, rose wood, sandal wood,
mahogany and many varieties of hard
woods. All badly needed in the Uni
ted States.
The nativess make their canoe Of
the teak, and they never rot or decay
but are handed down from generation
to generation. The natives are very
intelligent. They all speak Filipino
and Spanish aud enough American to
make themselves understood. They
are industrious and all work at some
thing. Indeed we have never seen an
idle native since we have been here.
There is no extreme poverty and no
begging.
Uncle Sam will never have to sup
port them. They learn fast are kind
hearted and will make good citizens.
They are better citizens now than one
tenth of the population of the y. S.
They learn music faster than we
Americans. Often they play a piece
by note few times then lay the
music aside and never need it again.
One of the bands has been playing at
thuse here to-day and | am after
two of their saxaphon players.
The backbone of their army is COM
posed of a race Of people who have
known nothing but fight for three
hundred years and they don't know
what it is to be whipped, but they
will certainly get it in the neck in the
near future. The 10th Pa. was in
fight at this point. All the buildings
are punched full of bullet holes
The regulars tell me the great curse
of the islands is the priests. Every
church is fort from which American
soldiers are shot. When the soldiers
move, the church bells are used as sig
nails to warn the natives and tell them
the number of soldiers and which way
they are going. A lot of new Mauser
rifles Were found in a church in Ma
Mia last week. They had the factory
paper on them yet.
They have four bells on the church
here and when they jump on all four
at once it is enough to raise the dead
in the church yard. When a corpse
is brought for burial it is laid on the
ground in front of the church. When
the priest comes and performs the re-
ligious rites, it is then taken to the
place of burial just behind the church.
The corpse is again laid on the ground
and two men each armed with hoe,
proceed to dig grave, they generally
run on to another corpse, but ii not
too near the surface it makes no differ
ence. If the corpse was in coffin it
must be taken out as they don't bury
the cotfin. The corpse is wrapped in
piece of mating and laid in the
grave and covered up. On one side of
the cemetery are lot of stone vaults
most of them are sealed up but one
open vault contains lot of hair and
bones, probably thrown there by the
grave diggers.
We have al the tropical fruit we
want but the natives sell it so cheap
it don't pay to go to the woods after