The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-23

| around and marched BACK a6'u" ~
| pihan The natives along Inc rodu tNl-
/ IDENTIFY knew Of his predicament for they
| were sullen and surly, and stamford was
| convinced that they would destroy the
I limos he had that day constructed as soon
as he was out Of sight. So at the hamlet
| Of Hermosa he stopped his ten men and
called for the mayor.
If I find my wires have been cut or
tempered with" said the lieutenant III
| burn down your whole village when ! come
through here tomorrow"
The threat worked and the wire was not
molested Such threats sometimes work
: pretty well. Here is another instance.
| Two Signal Corps men were captured and
! held prisoners in the woods not Tar from
a small town garrisoned by our troops the
mayor OF this town was loud and cringinS
in his protestations Of adherence and 10y
atty TO cur forces. Still, some men doubted
| his disinterested sincerity. Tie was sent
FOR and told that if the two captured sig
nalmen were not set at liberty in twenty
four hours his town would be burned and
he himself would be killed. He protested
his ignorance of the rebels whereabouts,
| that he could not communicate with them,
| and that they would surely Kill him II ne
| ventured into the brush But, Just the
same. the two men were in camp within
the twenty-four hours time specified to
his honor the mayor.
with Grants Column.
After General Grant had taken the town
Of OIangapo and subig. on subig Bay. Lieu
tenant Stamford went out from Manila to
establish a telegraph line between Subig
and Iba a town forty miles up the coast
occupied and defended by Gen. A. S. Burt
and the Twenty fifth Infantry. Stamford
10 fg nrrr
wire depending on wrapped oannons, old
Suaufsh lines and what he could capture
from the enemy until his proper supplies
1 came from Manila He found enough TO
keep his men busy during this interim. AT
/ this time the insurgents were reoccupylls
towns the American troops had previously
| held in that vicinity with forces OF IRON
| two hundred to four hundred men. and
we're thick all along Stamford's route.
| CAPTAIN Leonheauser, OF the Twenty-hftn
Regiment. realized Lieutenant stamford
danger if he should 20 out with MS Gus
tonary ten men. and allotted him a guard
/ of tbirtv-two men from his regiment With
these and his ten bullock carts loaded with
supplies and his Macabebe laborers STAN
ford had a fair sized party for the con-
, struction Of this Subig-Iba line. The line
! was RAPIDLY constructed from Subig TO
| CasteIlejos TO San Marceiino, and TO san
D | Narcissus; here one evening after a hard
r DAYS work the rebels in force attacked the
f Signal Corps detachment and there was
: hard fight Of three hours before the enemy
3 had had enough. In this fight our men
, I were much Handicapped and disheartened
t by their defective Krag-Jorgensen am
munition.
S on the Subig-Iba trail, about three miles
{ ont OF Subig. there is a deep and narrow
cut in the rocks commanded by the sur
p rounding hills. and through this cut runs
I the trail. II was here that Lieutenant
2 Schenck. Of the Twenty fifth, was am
D bushed and killed. and the spot is popular
< with lurking bands of rebels Coming
through this pass soon after his San Mar
rieeus 6ght Stsmford's party was ambush
= ed nv the insurgents. The enemy had the
% IONS Of this cut lined with heavy umbers
# and rocks ready to roll down on our men
= when they were in the pass. and when they
10 onened FIRE from behind these projections
S their rifles we're SO close that the powder
: burned our men on the faces and hands.
e These are but a few of the features oil
8 .ba v-o-lr Of establishing that 1851 miles
S Of telegraph wire. Such occurrences coulo
Il be multiplied without end.
g OTHER signal Corps details in other parts
J. Of the island here had similar experiences
) Lieutenant Stamford's work around Oran
V and Subig is taken as an example OF INT
= whole. And the Signal Corps has lost two
T. men killed and six wounded and takeI
d prisoner. so the danger is not fancliul ol
IS unreal.
d snrendinE Network of Lines.
There is a commercial cable from Ma
- Mia TO uoilo on Panay, from Hoilo to Ne
: gros Island and from Negros 10 the lsian'
p n Cebu. Our wires in these Nisayai
is islands amount to l20 miles From Iloi
= We have a line to Capiz, through the in
y terror and then down the coast BACK u
e uoilo. on Negros we have lines nortl an
y south to Manalpa and Jamamal'ah re
spectivcly. On Cebu We have line IroI
q Cebu. the capital, to the interior oil u
80 town Of karkat. .,,.
~ Ssn,ar and Levte. recently occupied by N
IS Forty-tbird under Colonel Murray thes
d. istts- islands will be placed in commun
-e cation with Manila by running a cab
ca from, Cebu to the Island Of Bohul, then
e land wire across Bohul, again caDle
l.eyte and land wires 20 the prihc.p'
~ towns thereon. From Leyte the line vi
" get to Samar by cable across the mario
M gratis Of san Juanito. and In Samar
ey viii run as far north as the town
"a Calbavog. This new branch viii be abo'
: $50 miles long.
u With the idea Of eventually placing n
- Island Of MindauaO in communication VII
ne The corrss headquarters in Manila, a cab
H. will be laid from the southern end
J l. Cehu Island TO the northern shore
ne Mindanao; from those landing points
ne Mindanao wires will be run TO Cottabatt
n Uigan Misamia and Nakajalar Bay; tn
J protection will require about zoo moi
miles OF wire.
lie There are l. 49, miles Of wire on Luzol
and the island is thoroughly well covered
n' from the twelve trunk lines there al
many ramifcations running into pract
/ callv every town where we have garrison
u Going south from Manila our lines enter'
~ well into Taybas and Laguna province
IN This southern line will be soon eXtend'
through the Camarines provinces nor
! and south and into Nueve Caceres, Abba
Jegasui. and Sorsogon. on the southel
N- end OF Luzon. From Manila north Il
OF long line OF the C8Ryan Valley viii 500
The be completed and then APART on the e
Ut IRENE northern coast Of Luzon will be
ere communication Another line up the ives
=. ern coast Of the island already extends
far north as the town OF LaoaE. In NJ
m Mia itself the Signal Corps operates loc
III system Of wires for the use Of the sever
4-- governmental departments here located,
"a, well as an official telephone system.
'u The Signal Corps has had and is ST
IN having much difficulty in securing 90
o- telegraph operators. A good operator e
~ do prettv well al home and this servt
"a in the Philippines is not attractive enou