Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-02
THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
Described by the Special Correspon-
dent of the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago, Ill, Oct. 2S. II ne Tribune,
today, prints summary OF the situa-
tion in tho Philippine Islands, from its
special correspondent there, Richard
II. Little. The letter which is dated
Manila, September l4th, says;
Here are some figures made seven
months and half after our campaign
against the Filipinos began. Say it is
five miles to Angeles, We hold possess
sion of the railroad up to that poiIt
We can fairly claim possession of tho
land a half mile on each side OF the
track. We have possession OF the
on each side from San Fernando
through Bacolor TO Santa Rita eight
miles with four miles to Guagua. We
have road from Mololos to Baliaug II
miles, northeast. We can claim II
square miles here. We have Manila,
out as far as the waterworks, five miles
away. That gives us, say, % miles
around the city. Then we have the
road, and a half mile each side down,
Is miles, to linus. Then we have Cal
amba, and some other points on the
lake. that Gen. Lawton captured before
he was ordered back. These towns are
not approached by road, but by boat
across the Laguna de Bay, and we. only
control the land they stand on. Adding
up our total possession, we find we have
III square miles. The Island of Luzon
contains AZ, 600 square miles.
"Outside of Luzon, the insurrection
seems to be growing. The insurgents
hold ports in Mindanao, the next
largest island to Luzon in the Philip
pines. and said to be incalculably rich
| in gold and silver mines, iron and
copper ores and other minerals, besides
possessing wonderful forests OF hard
wood. No Americans have dared
venture there as yet, as Gen. Otis
has sent no troops to the island.
Englishmen and Germans are piowling
about the island, getting all the CON
cessions they can. 1t is said several
prospecting parties are at work.
'tGen. Otis reports conflicts between
| the 'robber bands and American
soldiers in Negros and Cebu. The
Nineteenth, the Eighteenth, the Sixth
and battalion of the Twenty third
Infantry are now in these two islands,
fighting the .robber bands, who dig
trenches, and occupy towns, and make
night attacks after the fashion CT the
insurgents in Luzon.
IA late report from Cebu is that
some 1900 robbers were menacing our
forces, and a collision was imminent.
1.-The next campaign is going to be
different from the last. We will get
out of the fiat, open country into
mountainous, thickly- wooded country.
If we do not end the war here, we will
have to carry iJ into the high, rock
ribbed mountains of Luzon. 1t will be
no violation of state secret to gay
that the first object of the next cam
paign will be to take the rest of the
railroad from the hands of the in
surgents. The insurgents ought to be
firmly convinced BY this time that we
want the Manila q Dagupan railroad,
as we have fought along that line seven
months. They know we want it, and
they also know that we are going to
get it, for they are already tearing up
the track, burning the ties. and bury
ing the rails north of Angeles. The
country east OF the railroad, north Of
Angeles to Dagupan, is much like that
south to Manila, except higher and
broken. West of the railroad are high
mountains, that will offer the in
surgents better opportunity of retreat
and escape than thoy had in the low
country. With the taking of the rail
, road. We will have cut off the Provinces
of Zambales, Paggasinan, Tarlao
} Pampanga and Bataan from the maiI
part of the island and can lay claim /,
q good deal more country than th,
| precise amount of real estate on which
our army is now camping. From thi
7 railroad, Aguinaldo's army can hardl.
T: retreat anywhere but northward acros
the mountains to the fertile valley o
t the Rio Grande de Cagayary. TIL
/ walled city cannot understand VIII,
5 the army has SO much trouble with th
railroads. When the officers in the fiel'
S notify the walled city that the rail
a have been torn up from the section o
: track Just captured, and that the tie
/ have been burned, and the grade de
stroyed, they get an order to fix it.
t So. after few miles OF railroad ar
g captured, the soldiers have to seattle
d UP and down the track, and 60 minin
for steel rails. The insurgents bur
the rails five or six feet deep. The
observed that the Americans locate
). the rails by sounding with crowbai
h so they resorted to the expedient {
quitting a layer of ties over the rails
o To replace the burned ties, the quarter
e masters department was forced TO us
j. planks, to boards, each two inche
v wide, being nailed together for tie!
q The sidetrack, wherever possible, a
g the way back to Manila, was ierke
N up, carried north, and put down whel
T. the rails could be found. The army
J. badly in need of railroad ties and STE
rails.
of "Another great need OF the army
ID light.diaft steamboats,, for use on I'll
K many rivers and lakes of Luzon. Thel
le is hardly place in the world whel
any army could use river steamers
greater advantage. The Rio Grand
the Chico, the Rio GIande Pampang
the Agno, the Bicol and the Pasig a
D. flow through fertile and densely- pop,
is lated valleys, and offer means to IL
to army of bringing up supplies ar
9, swiftly transporting large bodies
Q. soldiers that would be Invaluable We
Id it utilized.
as "From what can be learned from IL
ne insurgents, they are well satisfied wit
10 the present condition of affairs. The
al Congress has just returned a commun
1d cation to the American Peace Commi
Id sion, declaring that, while they wou
o. have accepted autonomy from oui go
ct eminent if they had heen properly dea
in proposition except Independence, Wi
a which to draw supplies and with boa
ty coming in without any opposition frc
Hongkong, Japan, ard from CONT
and South America and Australia, t
,s insurgents probably are doing we'll
-, -, far as supplies are concerned"
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ny New church at Snow Hill.
Ter Snow Hill, Md, Oct. 20.-The CT
IN nerstone Of the new Whatooat Method
lal Eniscnnal Chnrnh WAS laid tnday wi