The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-03
HOT NIGHT AT MANILA
How American Soldiers Fought Fire
and Insurgents.
PLOT TO DESTROY CITY
AND MASSACRE ALL THE FOR
EIGN INHABITANTS.

On Washington's Birthday = In
surgents Sneaked Into the City,
Barricaded the Streets and At
tackled Americans.
(Staff Correspondence Associated Press)
Manila, P. L, March L (via steamer
Nippon Maru to San Francisco, April
2).-After many false alarms and lrus-
trated attempts, the oft-repeated
threats of the rebels to burn Manila
and massacre every European and
American within it's walls eliminated
in a disastrous conflagration and an
attempted uprising, which was prompt
ly checked, on the night of Washing
toms birthday. That preconcerted ar
rangements had been made to fire the
city in half a dozen different places
simultaneously there can be no doubt,
but, fortunately, the plans miscarT1ed
for various reasons, and the natives
themselves, or at least their sympa-
thizers, lost as much, if not more, than
those upon whom they sought to wreak
their vengeance.
A quieter day than that of Feb. %
it would be difficult to imagine. All
the banks and leading mercantile
houses We're closed, and except for the
fact that the saloons were open, 1T
seemed more like Sunday than hol1-
day, the excessive heat and the condl-
ton of affairs outside having kept most
people indoors. About sundoWn. how
ever, the town bestirred itself and the
streets were soon filled with people
taking an airing before dinner, it being
the custom here to dine at o'clock and
retire Immediately afterwards.
Just as the long strings of carriages
which daily pass and repass each other
on the Luneta were forming for the
procession homeward, a dense, black
column of smoke rolled up above the
intervening roofs, and almost immedi-
ately afterward an ominouS red glare
was reflected from the sky. MurmurS
of horror were followed by sharp orders
to coachmen, and there was a wild
scramble for the city. Even when this
was reached and it was ascertained
that the fire was in Santa Cruz district,
some distance from the residence sec
tion. the alarm was not abated, for no
one doubted that incendiaries were at
work and none knew where the next
blaze might be started.
WILD CONFUSION.
On the streets in the vicinity of the
fire, which was within two blocks of
the Escolta, the widest confusion
reigned for some time, people scurryinS
here. there and everywhere. The blaze
had started in row of two-story mod
ern buildings with brick foundations on
the Gale Lacoste, in the center OF the
Chinese section, and as several of these
had been fired within a few minutes of
each other, it soon assumed alarming
The local fire brigade
turned out with commendable prompti-
tude, but with more zeal than diScre-
tion proceeded to pour three tiny
streams of water from as many lines Of
hose upon the red-hot brick walls of
the first building fired, which was al
ready doomed, instead of attempting to
prevent those opposite and adjacent
from igpiting. The consequence was
that, by the time General Hughes and
his men arrived on the scene and COM
menced to clear the streets, the fire was
spreading on both sides of the Gale
Lacoste and a stiff breeze was tanning
it forward.
During the excitement the hose was
cut five times and other impediments
placed in the way of the firemen. Upon
learning of this, General Hughes issued
orders to his men to shoot the first man
who interfered with the checking of the
LdIlICS VI dIleulUlcu ~ SIdII OIuEI
Several natives who picked up burning
wands and darted off with them were
either shot or bayoneted by the guards,
and then general roundup of all ma
tiVes on the streets in the vicinity was
ordered. AS thousands of people were
vacating their houses and carrying off
their effects and the sidewalks and
roadWayS were Uttered with furniture
for blocks, this was a work of some
difficulty, but by degrees the soldiers
corraled hundreds of protesting natives
and hustled them into yards and vacant
lots, where they were guarded until the
excitement subsidized.
About 8 o'clock the European volun-
teer fire brigade arrived on the scene
with a modern engine, and after three
hours work the fire was controlled.
the whole of the block in
which the blaze originated, two-thirds
Of that on the opposite side of the street
and a block and a half west of it had
been completely gutted.
From g. spectacular standpoint the
ire was a magnificent sight, the flames
Gaping from the wooden structures
fifty feet into the air, while millions of
sparks glistened among the rolling
,lcuds of smoke and fell in golden
showers upon adjacent roofs. Scores of
Tres were started by these sparks to
but as every one was alive
% this danger, they were promptly
luenched in their incipiency.
OUTBREAK AT TONDO.
Shortly after midnight, just as the
weary workers and watchers were re-
pairing to- their quarters, congratulat-
ng themselves that the fire, bad though
t was, had been no worse another
blaze was reflected from the smoke be-
;louded sky in the direction of the Ton
10. This being the most densely pop
llated native district in the city, which
had always been identified with the
'ebel cause, preparations were at once
made for trouble, and it was not long
n coming.
No sooner had the fire brigade
coupled its hose and commenced to play
Ipon the flames. which. had again
started in a block of buildings occu-
1ied by Chinese, than shots We're fired
1t the men from the windows of ad-
accent houses. Companies e and NJ
If the Second Oregon volunteers and NJ
md of the Thirteenth Minnesota vol
under Major Williams, were
hastily reinforced by Major Goodale's
battalion of the TWenty-third infantry,
ind an attempt was made to clean out
he neighborhood
Suddenly however, shots were fired
iown half a dozen streets at once. and
when this fusilade was followed by vol
eys from Mausers in the vicinity of
he railway station, it was realized that
he enemy had sneaked around to the
eft flank of the outposts at Caloocan
,y way of the creeks and estuaries in
he Vitas district, and that there was
,ther work than fighting fire to be
iOna the STRENGTH of ba anar,x-