The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1899-04-01
LIFE IN MANILA,
George Dufur Writes an Interesting
Letter From the Seat of War.

George Dufur Writes an Interesting
Letter From the Seat of War.
Frank Menefee received a letter a
tew days ago from George Dufur, who
has position in the Office of the pro-
vost maj shall at Manila. The
letter is dated February 18th, and
among other things George says.
It is very hot here, but the warm
season is just coming Oh. The winter
or cold season lasts until the middle of
this month, when it begins to turn
warm. The seasons change here in
just aoout a day. Here we dress in
white clothes and l have six suits, one
for each day. A suit costs S5.35 Mexi.
can money, or $3.50 American money.
The Philippine horses are sight.
When first saw them standing around
the river banks I thought they were
jack rabbits, they looked so little.
The principal beasts of burden are the
"water buffalo," and they are fine
work animals, weighing perhaps 120C
pounds each, and are the most trusty
beasts 1 ever saw. Only one is used
as team but he will draw big load
The Manila street car is a curiosity
also. They are little affairs and two
small horses are hitched to car until
they come to a hill, when driver at
taches third, then by pounding oi
whips by two or three natives and the
yelling of the passengers in the cal
they start up the hills in run. The
car usually goes off the track every
few hundred yards. then all hands gel
out and put it on and go ahead.
There is rather peculiar custom
among the people here of always turn
ing to the left when they meet a per
son on the street, and in consequence
we Americans collide with them yer,
often, for we always go to the right.
am working in Brigadier.Genera
Hughes Office, and draw S25 American
money month extra pay, and have
to pay $50 Mexican for board as 1 can
not eat with my company, it being
stationed so far away Five dollar.
of our money is equal to $1,000 Mexi
can, so 1 can save $40 a month out o.
my extra pay. My work is not heavy
or regular, but 1 haye to be on duty
pretty closely.
The sidewalks here are built of stone
as are most of the buildings, and the
walks are just wide enough for'one
person. The buildings are low and
compactly built so as to withstand
the earthquakes which are frequent
The churches are very solid structures
and are miniture forts, built so that in
case of an attack the iron doors can be
closed from within and no one can en-.
ter when the doors are shut.
Manila has population of about
0,O0O, and the people are decidedly
mixed, mostly Spaniards, Chinese and
native Filipipos There are some
$4,000 Chinese here and they are as a
rule very different from til. Chinese al
home, being large, we'll developed fel.
lows.
saw the Spanish gun boats that our
hero George Dewey sunk, and they are
terrible sight with their old black
tubs just sticking out OF the water.
They were certainly death traps for
the Spanish sailors.
saw something of the first battle
with the Filipinos. 1t was on the 4th
when the enemy tried to force our
lines. As the orders at one particular
point, a bridge across a small stream,
were strict, that no armed party be
permitted to pass either way, when
three natives, two soldiers and q
lieutenant of Aguinoldo's army, tried
to cross. they were killed. All at
once our whole line was attacked /.
Next morning our boys went to
slaughtering them, and they scattered
in every direction. And when Dewey g
big guns began playing on the build
ings there was terrible destruction,
and some of the buildings looked like
nothing but stone quarries.
I have been out on the field of battle
two days, but never got scratch.
was not supposed to be with the COM
mand, but here in the office, still 1 get
out with the boys whenever can. 1t
makes one feel queer at first to hear
the big mauser bullets flying over his
head. but we get used to it after a
while and don t mind it much.
GEORGE 81. DUFUR.