Evening star., 1900-08-18
A Sightseeing Trip Under Discour-
aging Conditions.
A BAND CONCERT ON THE LUNETA
All Sorts and Conditions of Men
and Costumes.
REGIMENTS OFF FOR PEKIN
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
MANILA, June IS, 1900.
The Hancock is delayed by a typhoon.
Her captain put to sea this morning, but
when outside of Corregidor the seas were so
heavy to cause great distress among the
many sick and wounded on board, so she
put back. The weather has been abomina-
BILE since the 18th, heavy rains, squalls.
thunder storms and seas so high even in
the bay as to stop all communication with
vessels. Officers and passengers caught
ashore are still here. and others caught on
board still there.
A party Of four, including one lady, made
a trip to Dagupan Saturday and returned
Sunday yesterday, in order to see the is
land. Their experience will be long
membered by all, especially by the lady.
The distance is only 120 miles, but it took
ten hours each way, and the train return
ing passed over tottering bridges and en-
bankments that shortly afterward washed
away: The chance of week or so in
nipa hut at Talolos, Malolon, Vealimbang
or some other drenched and flooded town
was not encouraging, especially after one
night at Dagupan, but the train got through
all right, and the Interesting views Of
paddyfields (rice) in countless numbers; of
little dyked-in fields, sometimes level and
sometimes rising in terraces: OF wide fields
OF sugar cane and corn; of picturesque nipa
cts and of numerous camps where our
brave soldier boys are fighting rain, natives
and mosquitoes-or mosquitoes, rain and
natives.
hungry. soldiers disappeared in the dark
ness. except a solitary guard. No carriages
were there except one wretched little two
wheeler, whose driver said his pony couldn't
pull through the mud. The lights were all
out and the rain falling in solid sheets. In
the course of an hour help arrived. and took
the party through the mud by twos to the
hotel, where entrance was effected by way
of the cellar. stairs and a frugal but well
come supper served in the attic. The sleep
ing apartments We're located a block away.
The hospital, camp and Gen. Bells head
quarters were located somewhere off in the
darkness, mud and rain beyond the wide
river that was encroaching upon the main
street foot by foot. The night was
livened by fierce squalls and thunder
storms, but eventually the train was
reached. and the journey home COM
menced. with the same scenes before, in
which the omnipresent and useful caribao,
slowly dragging wagons, logs carts and
plows through the mud, often mounted by
a little native. naked. save for his big UNI
brelia,like hat and waterproof cape of
nipa leaves sticking almost straight out
from his shoulders. figured as extensively
as on the previous day.
At every station there was the usual
guard, camped In the ruins of the old build
ing, which was generally rooted In with
new corrugated iron, but with ends down
and wind and fain blowing through The
soldiers looked as happy as could well be
expected, In all sorts Of costumes, the kha-
XII predomlnattng: peculiar yellow brown
tanned faces. and often a hopeless. yearn-
Ing look after the south-bound train. The
conversation of officers and men on the
train was lively, though and one might
think they had been on delightful picnic.
but for frequent references to battles and
sklrmlshes, wounds amputations and
deaths. Around Manila the tide from the
cd 1rt,y
and the whole country was flooded The
rain has been intermittent. however the
daily fall not half that of several days last
July: At the observatory today they told
me that the fall June 10 was $50 inches
and the 17th only 1.66 Today 1t is probably
about two inches. Absence of telesraphic
data prevents more than rough estimate
of the track of the typhoon but 1t Is prob-
ably central north OF Luzon, moving north
west '- 'A
Every one is absorbed in the war about
pekin. and rumors say that the Logan will
take a couple of regiments there. Officers
and men are wild to 60 but the ladies all
hope they won't. One lady who has only
been here few days, whose husband re-
will follow him to Taku II he goes Many
are the hearts that are weary tonight
over this long-drawn-out struggle in these
swamps, 10000 miles from what used to
constitute the United States of America
But national prestige seems to most of us
to be at stake. and doubtless years hence
our soldiers and sailors will still be here,
wrestling with T. the climate, mosquitoes.
rain, sun and Tagalogs, and wishing that
Uncle Sam had never fallen heir to such a
veritable white elephant.
The concert on the Luneta this after
noon attracted the largest crowd of the
season. perhaps because of the fine bands
farewell appearance (29th RegimenD or
because of the pleasant weather after a
weeks typhoon. or because of the interest
attending the immediate departure of two
or three regiments for China. The Luneta
and the drive in front of the walled city
(Paseo de Maria CriStina) were crowded
with vehicles of all kinds and descriptions,
from the fine turnout of the commanding
general, with orderly on the box next
the driver and two big American horses, to
the ramshackle caromatos and quiley, witt:
their diminutive native ponies, oftentimts
with three or four half-dressed tipsy So
diers sprawling on the seats. and the driver
of course, with his shirttails flowing in
the breeze. The sunset, sky. water and dis
tsnt mountains, at least, were perfect,
beautiful indeed. as to make many remark
that 1t seemed like the setting of a stage.
This was really intended as a huge compli-
ment to Dame Nature, who had indeed
spread out an unrivaled panorama: a
glorious sunset in Manila bay, giving place,
with tropical abruptness. to the shades Of
night.
At the large private hotel where I am
stopping-the usual enormous house built
around a courtyard-where, even now, at
midnight, l can hear the horses and mules
neighing and braytng, there are now many
officers of the 9th Infantry, gathered in
town from their widely scattered stations
in forests and swamps to the northward,
preparatory for an early start to Taku on
the big transport Logan Several of the Of
ficers' wives are here. bidding fearful fare
wells and wondering why men are so queer
ly constituted as to be eager for the chance
to exchange the heavy but harmless rain
of Luzon for possible showers of lead in
front of Pekn. Il
After all, to tell the truth, where we all
want to go is clearly marked by big sign
board that some joker has nailed to a tele-
graph pole on the road to the dock, which
reads: HI
UNITEDISTATESD
N -7T--o -
Couldn't Believe 1t.
From the Chicago Tribune.
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