Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-24

9Th instant, according to the telegra phic
report that came to the Navy Department
this morning. No mention was made of her
being in need of repairs as Is stated in the
press dispatches. 1t is not known, either,
why the battle ship arrived at Honolulu a
week before the Seindia and the Iris, which
started out with her from San Francisco.
The two tenders were supposed to attend
the Oregon to help her out with a tow in
case she ran short of coal, or was otherwise
in distress. Probably of the boats
broke down and the other was left to take
her in tow, while the Oregon pushed on to
Honolulu.
Assuming that the battle ship really need
ed ten days repairs, she should have start
ed away on her long ruQ to Manila on the
18th instant There is no way in which
the Navy Department could hurry her
movements if disposed to do so on Admiral
Dewey's request. owing to the lack of
cable from San Francisco, so there Is moth
ing to be done save to let the ship plow
along at her usual rate of speed. 1t is fig
ured at the Navy Department that she
must find some place en- route to Manila to
coal from the Scindia for her capacity is
not sufficient to carry her clear across the
1000 miles from Honolulu to the Philip
Wake Island, or it may be even a small
sheltered place off some of the Pacific coral
Islands, where the force of the swell is
broken enough to admit of the ships lying
alongside for a day or two. Allowing for
detention on account of coalng, it is esti-
mated that the Oregon will reach Manila
about the 10th of March.
Meanwhile the War Department officials
We're agreeably surprised this morning to
learn that General Otis at Manila had re-
ceived the first of his reinforcenents, near
ly six days before they were expected.
They came on the Scandia, which brought
half of the Goth Infantry. She sailed from
San Francisco January 20, in company with
the Morgan City, which has aboard the re-
naming half of the Infantry, and as
both ships were at Honolulu at the same
time. the Morgan City will also be reported
at Manila within twenty-four hours unless
she has been detained which is not expect
ed. Then the transports Ohio and Senator,
with the 22d Infantry aboard, sailed from
San Francisco only five days later than the
Scandia, so that within a week probably
Otis will have $500 fresh men to relieve
those who have been fighting on the out
posts.
When the Oregon is Due.
The Oregon is expected by the Navy De
partment to arrive at Manila about March
10, and Gen. Otis within a week will have
about 2,oOO men as reinforcements.
Cen Otis cabled the War Department to-
day the arrival of the transport Scandia at
Manila with the Goth Infantry including
thirty-seven officers and ,26S enlisted men,
under command of Brigadier General Lloyd
Wheaton.
Great surprise is expressed at the War
Department at the heavy casualty list of
the FfliDinos in yesterdays engagement
amounting to 800 out of 1000 engaged, as
well as the small number of prisoners
taken, 200. The failure to surrender is at
tributed to the fear of the Filpinos that
they will be put to death, an idea that is
being circulated among them to increase
their hatred of the Americans and to cause
them to fight until the last rather than
surrender. When they found themselves
within the American lines, completely sur
rounded it would appear that they refused
to surrender, and preferred to be shot to
death in desperate attempt to escape.
Yesterdays action will certainly tend to
convince the Filipinos that the Americans
are in earnest, and show the utter folly of
further resistance on the part of the natives
to the progressive march of the Yankees