Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-03-02
FILIPINos APPLY THE TORCH TO
MANILA AND CAUSE VERY
GREAT DESTRUCTION.
ENORMOUS LOSS THE RESULT
A Thousand Dwellings, and Hundreds
Of Business Houses Destroyed Z
Fighting In the Streets
Big Battle Expected .i3
Between Amsri-
can and Rebel
Soldiers.

MANILA, Thursday Morning, Feb
q. There la great excitement al
over the city this morning.
In the dead OF night three firet
were started by the insurgents al
Santa Cruz, Tondo and she Bincndc
market.
| The latter fire is now working itE
way toward the wharyes.
The natives have cut the fre hose,
impeding the work Of the flremen.
One thousand native houses and
hundreds Of business places have
been burned.
l. The refugees are thronglng the
streets with their rescued property.
The. firing Of the city waa the re-
suit Of "a carefully -pianned inoendiary
plot. The houses fred were marked
with red as a guide to the insnrgent
torch bearers.
One American officer and two pri.
Yates were wounded in . skirmish in
the streets following the discovery of
the fire.
The city Is well-patrolled, but the
ire department. is weak.
The first fire was started In Santa
Cruz district. Provost Marshal Hughes
buried troops to the scene. Then at
given signal housee we're ared in
Tondo and in the BInondo districts.
Thus far the plans Of the Filipino
incendiaries had worked well, but an
attempted rising Of the natives in the
I city proved abortive.
sharpshooting continues and many
natives engaged In this belligerent
pastlme have been shot or captured.
Heavy skirmishIng cast OF the city
preceded the confiagration and there
10 no doubt that the Insurgents PLAN
ned q massacre Of the Americans
under cover Of the Gre.
The plot was, on the whole, fail
ure and was quelIed with small loss Of
life to the American troops, although
some Of our men were wounded The
city is panic stricken. Quiet is being
restored gradually.
There was terrible loss to prop
erty, many buildings being destroyed
by the numerous fires which the in
surgents started in different sections
Of the city.
The plan, II is thought, was to mas
sacre the entire population, bpt the
scheme was nipped in the bud In time
to save that.
A large market place was among
the lrst to burn. Between 500 and
300 residences and many business
houses have been destroyed.
Fires were started at several points
simultaneously, and, spreading with
great rapidity, resisted all efforts to
control them.
Hundreds of homeless natives are
huddled in the streets, making patrol
duty Of the Americans very difficult.
BIG BATTLE EXPECTED.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.-Reports
from General Otis and Admiral Dewey
show that Aguinaido is eongregating
at least 30, 900 Filipinos In the vic,:.,.ty
Of Manila, and It is expected that
battle soon will take place. The re-
ports show that there is little dIssen-
sion among Aguinaldo's followers,
even the insurgents surrounding noilo |
obeying his orders.
Orders will be issued by the War
Department in q few days directing
the Sixth and Ninth regiments of in
fantry to proceed to Manila. As the
dispatohing OF these re-enforcements
win indicate, the authorities are Civ
ing close attention to the daily de-
velopments In the Philippines and |
have decided to push the campaign |
against the rebelIious followers Of |
AguInaldo with energy.