The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-10
FILIPINO DEPOT CAPTURED,
A WEEK DAT SURPRISE EFFECTED BIZ
GEN HAIL AT CALAMBI.

The Town Was One OF the Channels OF Gem
munication Of the nsurgents-SecrecS .,
the Blow struck By Amerio"nS.np
Prisoners Released-s"me Lively
MANILA ,Julv 2Z--At the west corner of
.bc I,puna dc Bay Is the town Of Calnmba.
slopinp nwny from the beach 10 the foothills
of The extinct volcano Makaling. In Spanish
DAYS IA poascssed some three or four thousand
inh.bi,,nts and WAS A prosperous disribut-
ing nort for tho products of Cavite and Batan-
pns provinces To day all business Is dead no
n,,,. s,o,re,a and coscos crowd the river mouth
and nriri,irc ou,vs and the roads are free from
Tho ,oro caravans of csriboo carts and pony carl
tons c,catpp along under their loads of sugar, cof
fee md producc BY reason Of It's location. Calam-
be has been for the last nine months OF the dc
pots NJ the ipsureont government where food
stuUs clothes and ammunition were collected
and distributed 10 the various towns that run
/, nm almost continuous line along a large part
of the ,oke shore When Santa Cruz was cap
turcd by Gen Lawton some two months ago.
Co,amb, sprung into sudden importance. and
though Santa Cruz was again occupied after the
troops left it never quite reganed it's old position
Three lines of telegraph ran into Caamba
and il gradually became the principal avenue
nj communication between the insurgents north
and south of Manila. The strict patrol main
tanned by the army gunboats Laguna de Bay,
Napindan and Oestc did much TO prevent com
m,inication and the movement of troops, but II
was well known TO Gen, Otis, that through
this district lay the insurgent highway. Ac-
cordinriy Brigadier Gen. Hall was ordered to pro
coed with force of one thousand men to the lake,
capture Caamba and destroy the telegraph centre
The greatest secrecy was maintained even the
captains were ignorant OF their destination ana
Lieut. King Of Lowton's staff knew nothing OF
1, h. boa I'd the Headquarters
launch BY energetic work two newspaper men
found themselves at San Pedro Macau on Tues
day night Just in time TO Join Gen. Hall on the
tug Norte and three or four minutes later we
were out in the stream where the tug lay sualning
and putting out great clouds OF smoke In an almost
vain effort to start two large casoos up stream.
The rains have swollen the usually placid
Pasig that the banks have been unable 10 con-
tain the stream and the country is flooded IN all
directions, AT last we swung out OF the current
and begap to creep slowly past the ruined stone
houses Of the towns, which furnish one OF the
surest guides to the channel About eleven o'clock
when the moon came up clear and bright in the
rain washed atmosphere, the batterymcn on the
cascos behind us. unable to sleep on account Of
the noise and motion. began a song which was
quickly taken up and swelled by the one hundred
Washington Volunteers who were in the rear casco.
Al 2 o'clock in the morning we crawled along
side another waiting casco containing one
hundred more oil the washington men ius'
opposite the town oil fasig' had taken
us Six hours TO accomplish Wna' was oiuiharnS
done in two zen. Hall mace MS oeo on inc
top of the little deckhouse while the rest OF us
distributed ourselves over the various parts OF
the crowded deck. ana here we lay ana vainly
tried to sleep whhc the engines throooed ana
chugged until daylight iound US ABOUT TWO miles
of shore from the town oil Tagging II was arrang-
ed that another casco containing 'he remaining
two hundred men oil the washington regiment
should meet us here, but Tor some reasonh ialled
to appear and Lieut. French oil Halls stan was
sent ashore to round up the tardy ones Anchors
were dropped and the boats swung IDLY IN the
hot sun while the ever-present marketwomen
came out in small native boats and sold the boys
bananas, pineappes and tin mugs OF carlboo
milk. all OF which necessitated an endless amount
Of bargaining in broken Spanish and forcible
English. Finally, about half past ten o'clock