The record-union., 1899-02-23
Philippine Rebels Make Good Their
0ft-Repeated Threats.
lncendiay Fires Started Simultaneously,
Resisting All Efforts at Control.
Between Six and Seven Hundred
Residences and Business Houses
Destroyed, Resulting in Ines
Unable DISCRIMINATION Officer
and Three Men Wounded by
Rebels Firing Through VIM
dows During the Excitement.

| MANILA, Feb %, $50 a. m.--Last
night was one of terror to thousands of
inhabitants of Manila, the rebels MAX
ing good their oft-repeated threats to
the extent of burning scores of build
ings, wounding an officer and three men
| by firing through windows during the
excitement
At O'Clock an incendiary fire occur
red in a block of brick buildings occu-
pied by Chinese in the Gale la Coste,
in the Santa Cruz district. A stiff
breeze WASH lowing, and the inf1amma-
bility of the structures caused the
blaze to spread with alarming rapidity.
The city Fire Department was hopeless
lly incompetent, and the English volun-
teer fire brigade from Santa Mesa was
summoned, and with a. modern engine
pumping adequate streams from the
canal, succeeded, after four hours
work, in getting the blaze under con-
troll.
Meantime the entire block and the
greater part of two others across the
street were completely Quilted. Hun
dreds of inhabitants We're rendered
homeless
The Chinese and natives lined the adj
jacent streets, while hundreds more,
fearing a general confiagration, re-
moved their furniture and other port
able goods in every direction within "a
radius of quarter of a mile when the
alarm was first given.
General Hughes personally superin-
tended the police arrangements. The
whole city was thoroughly patroled.
and guards We're doubled. Every avail
able man was dispatched to the region
Of the fire.
Impediments were placed in the way,
of the firemen, and the hose was cut
five times. This resulted in all the ma
tives being driven off the streets, those
in the immediate vicinity of the blaze
being corralled in vacant lots and
guarded until the excitement was over
In many instances the natives were in
solent. and paid no regard to the orders
given them, and the soldiers We're COM
PEELED to use harsh measures. The
butts of their rifles and their bayonets
were freely applied.
The danger from live electric light
wires necessitated the closing of the
circuit in the burning region. and the
only light in certain parts of the city
was that furnished by the blaze.
The firemen, escorted by soldiers,
proceeded to clean out the houses, while
the fire was UNDECIDED. The Thirteenth
Minnesota were reinforced by detach-
ments from the Third Infantry, Sec
ond Oregon the Third Artillery and
the Tenth Pennsylvania.
Bullets flew in every direction, in al
most every street in the Tondo and
Bonondo districts, causing the most iE-
tense excitement. Captain Robinson o.
Company. c, Thirteenth Minnesota, and
three men were wounded.
Many timid persons, imagining that
the rebels had effected an entrance
through the American lines, and We're
advancing into the city, hurried
frantically from the hotels and houses,
only to be stopped at the first corner
by guard The sounding of native
bugle call Immediately preceding the
firing, lent color to the story. Thou
sands of Chinese crossed the bridges
and plazas under fire, hunrrying with
their bundles to the Chinese Consulate.
All might long the fire spread through
the fonda district, sweeping away
rows of houses and devastating acres or
territory Between GOO and dOU resi-
dences and business houses have been
destroyed. Fires were started at sew
eral points simultaneously, and spread
with great rapidity, resisting all efforts
to control them. The damage was in
estimable.
With daylight punitive measures were
decided upon, and the Americans, al
though tired after their sleepless
nights work, soon cleared the district
Of every native after slight resist
ances