Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-08-10
ONLY "A SMALL AREA
Americas Hold in the Philippines
Not Yet Very Extensive.
a Battle Fought In June in Sight of Ma
niIa-Insurgents Are Well Armed
and Learning How to Fight
Our Work Only Begun.

Chicago, Aug. 5.-The Tribune's spe-
cial correspondence from Manila, I'M
der date of June 20, says:
The next campaign can hardly begin sooner
than November, although the country may dry
up enough toward the middle of October 40 per-
init 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 prepare for
the next campaign. The ground to defend is not
very great.
On the south of Manila we have linus, about
ID miles away, where the Fourth and Fifteenth
infantry, with several guns from the Sixth
artillery, are stationed This territory was
gained only within the last two weeks by the
hard fighting at Paranaque, at which even the
rattle of the rifles could be heard in Manila
We hold the road that to linus
through ParanaQue and Bacoor, every inch Of
which only gained by hard fighting
and which has to be closely guarded all
the way to linus by troops in trenches and
massed in two or three companies at the viii
lagos and bridges. Northward the fartheSt
point in the control Of our soldiers is San Fer
nando Al miles from Manila, the railroad
The railroad is 149 miles in length in all, but
the insurgents control all the track between
San Fernando and Dagupan, the northern ter
minal of the road The insurgents are in pos
session of three fourths Of the rolling stock.
They have 81 of the roads locomotives, while
the Americans only have four. The rest of the
rolling stock is also distributed between the
two parties in like ratio.
The Americans hold Canabanda, east of San
Fernando, ten miles. They hold all the towns
along the railroad, of course to San Fernando
and Balinag, seven miles east of Pulilan. Re-
ports continually come from Balinag that the
town is entirely surrounded by the enemy and
Is about to be carried by assault, but Col. Page
and the Third infantry have far driven the
rebel back with disastrous loss every time they
have assaulted the town and he declares he can
hold it for an indefinite time although his posi-
ton there is by no means an easy one. Sup
plies and mail can only be carried over to Bal
mag from the railroad under escort of not
less than $50 men, who are invariably attacked
somewhere along the road, both going and COM
ing. The insurgents have their intrenchmentS
drawn well around both San Fernando and Bal
mag and their outposts are in sight of the
American OutpoStS.
The country north of Balinag that Gen. Law
tons troops marched over to San Isdor had
all to be evacuated, owing to the lack of troops
to garrison the captured towns, and will have
to be retaken afresh when the next campaign
opens.
The insurgents are continually receiving fresh
supplies and arms. At ParanaQue week ago
they aStonished the Americans by bringing out
some modern field pieces that they had OBJ
tanned somewhere. 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 inSurgent
trenches bear the trade mark of big manufac-
turing firm in the United States
The insurgents have three factories where
they manufacture cartridges and other NUM-
tions of war. If they were kept on the run they
would have no time so to equip themselves that
they could return after every defeat, better able
to fight than they were before. They are learn
ing things in every encounter with the Ameri-
cans. The papers in Manila have continually
referred to the fact that the rebels were prone
to shoot too high, and they seemed finally to
have learned the lesson and now they are get
ting their shots well down and showing a great
improvement in craftsmanship.