Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-08-11
REBELS RECEIVING ARMS.

Every Foot of Ground They Hold.
Chicago, Aug. 1.-THE Tribuneh
special correspondence from Manila un'
der date of June 26, says: The next
campaign can hardly begin sooner than
November, although the country may
dry up enough towards the middle OF
October to permit the American troops
to take the field then. The American
army during the rainy season can
hardly be expected to do anything more
than hold what it has gained and pre-.
pare for the next campaign. The
ground to defend is not very great.
On the south of Manila we have
linus, about 10 miles away, where the
Fourth and Fourteenth infantry, with
several guns from the Sixth artillery,
are stationed. This territory was
gained within the last two weeks by
the hard fighting at Paranaque, at
which even the rattle of the rifles can
be heard IN Manila. We hold the road
that runs to linus through Paranaque
and Baooor, every inch of which was
gained by hard fighting.
Northwald the farthest point in the
control of our soldiers is San Fernando,
II miles from Manila, on the railroad.
The railroad is l49 miles in length in
all, but the insurgents control all the
track between San Fernando and Da.
gupan, the northern terminal of the
road. The Americans hold Canadaba,
east of San Fernando 10 miles. They
hold all the towns along the railroad,
of course, to San Fernando and Ba.
liuag, seven miles east of Pulllan.
Reports continually come from Ba.
liuag that the town is entirely sur
rounded by the enemy and is about to
be carried by assault. But Colonel
Page and the Third infantry have so
far driven the rebels back with disas-
tious loss every time they have assault.
ed the town, and he declares he can
hold it for an indefinite time, although
his position there is by no means an
easy one. Supplies and mail can only
be carried over to Baliuag from the
railroad under an escort of not less
than $50 men, who are invariably at
tackled some where along the road, both
going and coming.
At San Fernando two determined at
tacks along the whole rebel line were
made last week. The second engage.
ment lasted three hours, when the in
surgents We're driven back with heavy
osses. Bullets fly continually over
both places and stray bullets frequently
find victims.
Heavy shipments of arms are said to
be constantly arriving from Japan and
Australia and, it is said, even from
our own country. Cartridges picked
up in the insurgents trenches bear the
trade mark OF a big manufacturing
firm in the United States. The insur-
gents have three faCtoriea where they
manufacture cartridges and other mu-
nitions of war. If they were kept on
the run they would have no time so
to equip themselves that they could re-
turn after defeat, better able to fight
than they were before.
They are learning things every en-
counter with the Americans. The pa
pers in Manila have continually re-
ferIed to the fact that the rebels we've
none to shoot too high, and they
seemed finally to have learned the les.
son and now they are getting their
shots well down and showing a great
improvement in Workmanship.
The few Americans who came over
to Manila week ago Tuesday on the
Esmeralda from Hong Kong were as.
tonished a few hours after sunrise when
their ship had steamed out to quaran-
tine, to hear heavy cannonading from
the monitor Monadnock, which was in
plain sight down the coast about five
miles below Manila. Some of the pas-
sengers thought it was some sort of
salute IN honor of the arrival of some
distinguished naval or army hero and
they eagerly questioned soldier who
sat on the stern of the health officers
launch.
"That," said the young man, "that's
nothing. That's just battle" 1t
was some time before the passengers
could believe the Americans and insur.
gents were fighting within sight and
sound of Manila, where the war had
started six months before. The battle
1aged all day and at 4 o'clock in the
afternoon the rattle of small arms could
be distinctly heard, and late in the
evening the health officer told us the
fighting had hean ot p,,,,,,,,,a