Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-02-28
n ANILA, p. L.
Tar ~ fann

MANILA, p. /.
Jan. %, 1900.
/ FRIEND KUNkLE.-W We are now
pleasantly located at NO. 10 Plaza de
Santa Anna. We are using what at
one time has been fine Spanish
home There is large lawn ia front
and we have pitched our tents To
sleep in, and only use the building To
cook and eat in. There Is a roof
garden where we have band practice.
Our only duty here is togiye a concert
GU the Luneta every Wednesday even
ing. No band in the. army has such
soft snap, but it will only last a
month or SO longer us the regiment
will soon settle in some town TO do
garrison duty and we will then join
it.
The Thirtieth has been making a
great name for itself in the South
where the lighting is much more Sc
we're than it was in the North. When
| the regiment lett each man carried
only haversack, canteen, one half
blanket, poneho. gun and 100 rounds
of ammunition, Before they had
marched one day they threw away the
half blanket and'poncho.
When with the regiment | have
drum corps Of seven men and trumpet
corps of twenty-four men. use them
TO help the band out on the march
and also for concerts. Clark, a young
man who enlisted with me in Pitts
burg for the drum corps, has been
brought TO the hospital with sun
stroke and will he discharged and
sent home as he will never recover.
Joe Burns another member Of the
drum corps was shot in the legs and
then murdered by a Filipino with a
bolo. A wounded soldier who was
hid near by heard him cry out, "For
Gods sake Filipino, don't cut me to
pieces!"
The Thirtieth has had eight men
killed and many wounded in the last
few days. Saturday they started for
an eighty mile hike bat only the Col
onel and Majors knew where they
were going.
Dorsey is back in the band again
after having been in the hospital with
the worst form of dysentery. He
ought to be able to stand anything
now. Manila now has very unwel-
come vititor in the black plague.
There have been fourteen cases, eleven
of them are dead and three are still
under treatment. The Americans
think they can keep the disease from
| spreading. ! hope they are right.
The population of Manila is little
over 300, 900. We speak Of the
''walled city, and the "new CITY,
Most Of the business is done in the
new city, the principle street being
the Escolta. The street is so narrow
it frequently becomes blocked and is
dangerous at all times. Most of the
side walks in the city are only about
three feet wide, some are only eigh-
teen inches. The wall around the
old city is great nuisance. 1t keeps
the air out and does no good what
ever. 1t is about rs feet thick at the
bottom and wide enough for drive
way on top and about 80 feet high.
1t is surrounded by a meat 40 feet
wide which is filthy swamp when
the tide is out. Near all the gates
are many rooms for the accommoda-
tion of troops. 1t would be great
improvement to dump the wall into
the moat and make new street
around the city.
The wall was made 200 years ago,
and is as good to-day as it ever was.
I 1t was built of concrete blocks. When
you read Of the great walls and beau
tiful stone churches in the Philippines
just "wink the other eye" for they
are all made of concrete. No stone is
used except ia steps and for some
pavements and many of the best pave
ments are concrete AS there is no
/ frost it is as good as stone for most
purposes and much cheaper, and can
be moulded in forms in any shape or
| design needed.
A pocket Of natural gas was found
/ in Manila d few days ago while some
men were digging well and only 20
feet below the surface. The Standard
Oil Company is already in the Phil
ippines drilling for oil. Enough gold
has been brought in from the noun
tains to prove the Klondyke is moth
1 ing ia comparison. But prospectors
must wait for the government will
not assume responsibility at present.
Ample protection will be provided be-
fore the country is thrown open. The
government is now building in this
city the largest ice plant in the world.
This will De another great thing for
the soldiers.
Uncle Sam will soon commence the
/ construction OF the finest custom
house in the orient. Our Spanish
friends spent 81, 500, 900 ON the foun-
dation before the war commenced.
There is great amnesty between
4 the different religious sects here, but
that is something that will adjust It,
self II left alone. In Manila one
half Of the land belongs to the church.
In some towns IL all belongs To the