Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-08-03
CALAMBA CAPTURED
An Important Trading Town Il
Taken by American Troops.
SITUATION At MANILA DESCRIBED.



Manila, July 2s.-An expedition com
prised Of troops from San Pedro Ma
cati, Pasig and Moronga, under Brig
Gen. R. Il. Hall, Wednesday captured
Calamba, an important trading town
on the south shore Of Laguna de Bay.
Two hours sharp fighting took place
during which four soldiers were killed
and II wounded. The trenches com.
manding the harbor were under water,
but the swampiness Of the land made
the work harder. The troops boarded
cascoes Tuesday night. The force
comprised 400 of the Washington vol
unteers, $50 Of the Twenty-first infan.
try, $50 of the Fourth cavalry and two
guns of the First artillery. These and
the gunboats Napidan and Costo as
sembled opposite Calamba Wednesday
afternoon. Crowds of people in carts
and on foot were seen rushing to the
hills. Natives escaping from Calamba
in canoes said 100 insurgents held the
town. A force under Capt. McGrath,
of the Twenty-frst infantry, and Capt.
Elton Herd landed east of the town,
but found river intervening. Capt.
McGrath and Lieut.. Baton swan the
river under fire from 30 Mauser rifles.
Having crossed the stream, the officers
procured cascoe to ferry the troops
over. The insurgents retreated through
the town, shooting from houses and
bushes as they fled to the hills Three
members Of the Washington regiment
waded from cascoes Through swamps,
often shoulder deep, while a group OF
Filipinos concealed in haystacks were
shooting at them, until the Napidan
focused her six-pounders and Calling
guns on the stacks for few minutes.
Most Of the work was done before the
Washington volunteers could reach the
town.
The Filipinos left three dead. OF
the casualties on thes American side,
two of the killed and three of the
wounded were members of the Fourth
cavalry and two killed and eight
wounded belonged to the Twenty-frst
infantry. There was much shooting
by Amigos, who emerged from the
bushes with white flags. After the
fight dozen men, holding up their
hands and shouting "Castullanos," met
the American cavalry. Even Spanish
soldiers embraced the Americans hys-
terically. There were 30 Spanish pris-
oners at Calamba, of whom some were
civil officials and some were soldiers.
They had been given the choice of
joining the Filipino army or becoming
servants to Filipinos and chose the
army, intending to surrender at the
first opportunity. Most of the civil
ians reached the American lines during
the fighting, but the insurgents took
Others away with them in their re-
treat.
Gen. Hall captured 70 Filipinos with
guns Yesterday Gen. Hall brought to
Manila the Spaniards whom the expe-
dition had released from captivity of
more than year.
Lieut. Lawton, commanding the
Napidan, yesterday found long miss
ing Spanish gunboat, which had been
SO covered with bushes and fish nets as
not to resemble vessel. The Fill
pinos, having met reinforcements, and
thinking the Americans had evacuated
the town, descended from the hills yes
terday intending to reoccupy Calamba.
Gen. Hall easily drove them back.
Gen. Hall will leave garrison at Ca
lamba.
THE SITUATION AT MANILA DESCRIBED.
Washington, July 9S.-Lieut Eberly,
flag lieutenant of the Oregon under
Capt. Barker, has just arrived in Wash
ington from the Philippines and brings
some interesting details of the situation
in Manila. Lieut. Eberly says that the ]
social and sanitary conditions in Ma
Mia are better than is generally be-
lieved in the United States and better
than would be naturally supposed after
such short American occupation.
The city has been cleaned on an
American plan, the military author
tiles engineering the work with a
large force of Cinnamon and friend
ly Filipinos The Cinnamon are
relied on for the heavy manual labor.
The streets have been cleared of an
cient accumulations of filth and there
has been house to house inspection
which is still continuing. There has
been more or less opposition to these
innovations, but the people are begin
ming to see the value of the new meas
ures and to accept the change from the
old order. Compulsory vaccination
created some opposition among the ma
tives at first, but its beneficial effects
being apparent it has also been accept
ed. Lieut.. Eberly says that the health
of Manila is exceptionally good and
even among the troops on shore there
was little sickness from anything but
heat prostration.
WAR SUPPLIES FROM JAPAN.
Manila, July est is reported in
Filipinos circles in Manila that the in
surgents recently received consign- !
ments of saltpeter and lead from
Japan. The insurgents had been ex-
periencing many difficulties in the
manufacture of good powder, that
which they produced lacking power of
penetration and range.
Big Irrigation Project.
n,.,,b, Nab I,t,, 90 --Tha applioa.