Connecticut western news., 1899-02-09
BIG BATTLE AT MANILA
Rebels Attack Otis and Are Re
 pulsed With Heavy Loss.
OUR LOSS OVER TWO HUNDRED

Natives Driven Back SIX Miles and Their Villages Captured-FixhtinR Stin Going on-waterworks Taken by Our Troops-Li.t of Our Dead. Manila, Feb. S.-The long expected
 rupture between the Amercans and Filipinos has come. The former are now engaged in solving the Philippine problem with the utmost expedition | possible.
 The clash came at S:45 Saturday evening, when three daring Filipinos
 darted past the Nebraska regiments pickets at Santa Mesa, but retired when challenged. They repeated the experi-
 ment without drawing the sentries' fire. But the third time Corporal Greedy
 challenged the Filipinos and then fired.
 killing one of them and wounding an other.
 Almost immediately afterward the Filipino line from Caloocan to Santa
 Mesa began a fusillade, which was in- effectual.
 The Nebraska. Montana and North Dakota regiments outposts replied viz orously and held their ground until re- endorsements arrived.
 The Filipinos in the meantime con- centrated at three points-Caloocan Gagalangin and Santa Mesa. At about 1 o'clock the Filipinos open ed a hot fire from all three places si- multaneously. This was supplemented by the fire of two siege guns at Balik- Balik and by advancing their skirmish-
 CTS at Paco and Pandacan.
 The Americans responded with ter
 rife fire. but owing to the darkness they were unable to determine its effect. The Utah light artillery finally sue ceeded in silencing the native battery. The Third United States artillery also did good work on the extreme left. The engagement lasted more than | an hour. The United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat Concord. stationed off Malabon. opened fire from their secondary batteries on the Fili-
 pinos' position at Caloocan and kept 1t up vigorously.
 At 2:45 there was another fusillade
 along the entire line. and the United States monitor Monadnock opened fire on the enemy from off Malate. Our Lines Advanced. With daylight the Americans ad- vanced The California and Washing ton regiments made a splendid charge
 and drove the Filipinos from the vil- lages of Paco and Santa Mesa. The Nebraska regiment also distinguished l itself, capturing several prisoners and | one howitzer and strong position at the reservoir, which is connected with the waterworks. The Kansas and Da- kota regiments compelled the enemy's i right flank to retire to Caloocan. When the enemy retreated. it was In utter rout, and their only desire was to get out of range of the American guns as rapidly as possible.
 The Fourteenth regular infantry. the old command of Brigadier General J. M.
 Anderson. from Vancouver Barracks, suffered the greatest losses. The regi- ment was quartered at Malate. and un- der command of Major Robe was as-
 signed to the task of carrying the rebel position south of that suburb. The men
 fought through a country covered with dense undergrowth and made slow progress at first. The natives took ref uge in nipa covered huts and until they were dislodged and driven back inflicted considerable damage on our men. The Fourteenth is armed with Krag-Jor- gensen rifles. and these weapons proved most effective. For every life that the gallant old regiment gave up 1t took a score in revenge.
 The First Washington volunteers and Third regular artillery also saw severe fighting and sustained material losses.
 The,Utah light artillery and the Sixth regular artillery did splendidly effective work and the latter probably saved the First California regiment from being badly cut up. The guns were posted east of the city, and during the early
 hours of Sunday poured deadly fire K-t inS ha Tfah batterymen were seasoned by their ex- perience at Malate in August and con- ducted themselves like veterans. Tn the district between Tondo and Malabon to the north of the city great slaughter was done by the gunboat Cal | lao. Lieutenant Benjamin Tappan, which Admiral Dewey captured from the Span iards. This little vessel is a terror. She
 mounts more guns approximately than any other vessel in the American navy, being full of one, two and three pound- CTS and machine guns.
 warships' Good Work. The Concord's 6 inch and the Charles | tons 8 inch guns did awful execution. General Otis brigade had driven a large | body of the enemy from their positions and the Filipinos ran at top speed for the beach, a disorganized and panic | stricken mob. When they reached the shore. they were met by the devastating fire from the warships and moved down score upon score. The sight was a sick ening one. but this was war. a war in-
 vited by the foolhardy ignorance of the | natives.
 On Sunday afternoon the Charleston | joined the monitor Monadnock off Ma late. which was the scene of the heav-
 lest fighting with the Spaniards in Au- gust. and both vessels delivered their shells with telling effect.
 Two men on board the Monadnock
 were wounded by rife shots from the insurgents on shore, showing the close ness of the monitor to the beach. The number of American troops en- gagged Sunday was 13.000 while the F'il- ipino forces numbered 10000. | Lieutenant A. c. Afford, Company I. | Twentieth Kansas infantry. and a pri- vate of the same company were killed and six other members of the regiment
 wounded near Caloocan Monday even ing while reconnoitering. The party was ! in a jungle, when it was attacked by the enemy.
 Two companies of the regiment were
 sent to the relief of their comrades and | drove the Fllipinos into Caloocan, pen elFStlnk 10 the neaTl OI the town. The | gunboats shelled the suburbs during the | action. General Otis finally recalled the | troops. but the natives failed to take
 advantage of the retreat. The outskirts | of the town were burned.
 In the city proper perfect order con
 tinues to prevail. When the fighting be- gan on Saturday night. many of the | foreign residents thought that an att tack would be made on the city itself
 and for security a number of women were placed upon transports in the bay. Others followed them on Sunday. and by that afternoon practically all the | women had left the city, with the ex-
 ception. of course. of the natives. Con-
 hdence was restored among the resi-
 dents on Monday. and the women be- gan to return. Today the city presents