Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-07
Carabao and Trottlng Bulls-Rice,
Sugar and Cocoanut Palms.
INSU RGENT TRAIN WRECKERS
Luzon Needs Absence of Friars,
Presence Of Schools and Railroads.
TALK WITH GEN. MACARTHUR

MANILA, T. l., January "a 1900.
Rapid transit in Luzon is typified by the
carabao or water buffalo, which furnishes
the universal motive power for inland heavy
transportation. The carabao is amazingly
strong and exasperatingly slow Aesop
missed the mark when he selected the tor
toise. instead of the water buffalo, as the
representative of the slow-but-sure class, to
race against the hare
Luzon boasts only 120 miles of railroad, a
large section Of which has been until COM
paratively recently in the hands of the in
surgents. Lacking a sufficiency of railroad
and pack mule facilities, the American army
here has been compelled to utilize the cara
bao as the quartermaster's main reliance
for inland movements, and in connection
with every campaign large numbers of
these animals have been impressed, many
being taken without notice. but of course
with compensation for use to their owners
from the streets of Manila
LuZons railroad is now in American pos
session, and army mules are arriving in
numbers and dwarfing the little native
ponies as much as their drivers do the aver
age Filipino. Consequently the carabao
may soon be relegated largely to private
and domestic uses; and with thorough
railroad system to be constructed here
through American capital and enterprise.
the engine will be substituted for the water
buffalo as the type of Filipino rapid transit
in the new century.
An January, not many weeks after the can
ture OF Tarlac. the clearing of the railroad
line between Manila and Dagupan, and the
running of trains by Americans over the
entire route. l made this interesting trim
traversing one of the richest and most pop
ulOuS sections of
the scene of the severest fighting that oc-
Cured in the Filipino outbreak touching at
several of Aguinaldos successive capitals
and running the gauntlet of the bands Of
tfain wreckers and robbers into which the
f1ilpino army in this part of Luzou has
oeeh dislntegrated and dispersed.
Uncle sam Runs u Railroad
The Manila-Dagupan railroad is tempo-
rarily abandoned by its owners to the omar.
termaster's department of the United States
army. Two trains are sent out every morn
ing from each terminus, which are SUD-
posed to make the run to the other end of
the line before night. One of the two
trains starting from each end of the line
IS 1or the use of natives, with open and
closed cars, freight cars, coal cars and
poX cars, anything on wheels that can keen
10 the track, all packed with Filipinos and
thelr accompanying bundles and boxes The
other Is the military train, carrying sup
ples, including distilled water in large cans
Tor the different army posts mails, officers
ard soldiers. Transportation is gratuitous
on eoth trains, passes from the quarter
masters department being the substitute
Tor tckets. The running of the native
tram permits some slight resumption Of
trade and communication, and gives the
flilplnos cause to appreciate the value of
haVlng the line In operation and suggests
the 1neXpediency of destroying the railroad
property. The native train in every case
runs ahead of the other, and thus to some
extent guarantees the safety of the latter
from Wrecking, on the principle of Punch's
plan OF insuring against railway accidents
by Fastening two directors of the road to
the cowcatcher of each engine. The groups
OF bandits into which the Filpinos still in
the field In north Luzon are now scattered.
do not however, make nice determinations
OF nationality. and, as we found before the
day was over, are apparently as ready to
Kill and rob their own countrymcn as they
are to destroy the Americans
At O'Clock. an hour after the departure
or the native train, we started on our
journey. An antiquated third-class car, la
beied officers car, supplies to the favored
civilian passenger a seat, if one is unoccu-
pied. The car is divided into four compart-
ments, entered at the side, and the narrow
wooden seats, facing each other bring your
knees In close contact with those of your
neighbor opposite, and are hard and uncom-
Portable. About eight hours are required
to make the run of 120 miles, when sched-
ule time is observed, which does not often
happen.
The deficiencies in the equipment of the
road are due to the fact that nearly all of
the old rolling stock lies in wreck alongside
the tracks, twisted, burned, useless, most
conspicuous feature of the scenery as
viewed from the train. When the Filipinos
were compelled to abandon the railroad line
they destroyed, as they thought, the rolling
stock in their possession. They started en-
gines under full steam toward each other
on the same track, and relied on the col
hsion to render them useless. They demol-
ished vital parts of the engines, and they
cut and burned the woodwork of the cars.
But they did not make sufficient allowance
for American mechanical readiness and in
Ventiveness. Railroad men among our SOL
diers quickly Strengthened out and put to-
gether, patched and disfigured but still
available, enough Of the rolling stock to
serve to utilize the road for military pur-
poses.
Ricefelds and BattIeReIds.
In leaving Manila the train PASSED
Tondo, the native nipa-hu section
OF the city, where SO many houses were
burned at the time Of the Filipino outbreak
in February of last year. Some vacant
spaces are still visible in the burned section,
but the streets swarm with people and
many of the huts have been replaced. Soon
we are skirting Manila bay, then passing
through native villages, whose entire popu-
lation, apparently, turns out to see and to
shout at the moving train. Now we are
among ricefields, where green ridges of
raised earth inclose, restrain and give ac-
cess to the flooded rice beds, and spread
over the landscape a symmetrical checker
board.
Along the entire course of the railroad,
and especially in the southern section, are
frequent reminders of the Filipino outbreak
We pass village after village where the
Filipinos made temporary stands, assaulted
and taken by our troops. and then aban-