The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-06-18
Internal REVENUE LAW N|NREGEAGE FROM MANILA.
CAPT. GRAHAM BRINGS UNIQUE
BALLAST.
What lie Saw and Heard OF the Con-
ditions in and Near the Philippine
Capital.

The big ship Erskine NJ. Phelps NOV
ed this morning to Irmgard wharf and
began to discharge ballast, and soon
there was a lot of speculation along
the front as to the nature of the stiff
fleming she had brought. The donkey
engine hoisted great, ragged chunks of
what looked like old iron out of the
Nessels hold together with "A mixture
of dirt blackened by coal dust, and
rocks. The big chunks were remnants
of old Spanish men of war and other
vessels, the wrecks of which have lain
on the beach at Manila and Cavite till
the waves have washed them into all
kinds of strange shapes. But they are
not pieces of the ships that Dewey
broke up. Everyone who saw them
and found out that they We're the re-
mains of old vessels from Manila at
once jumped to the conclusion that
some pieces of the men of war that
Dewey sunk had come to Honolulu as
ballast, but the huge chunks of hard
oak, dirty and knocked into such
shapes that they look like old pig iron,
are the remains of ships that ceased to
| float along before Admiral Dewey
made his famous entrance to the har-
Dor of Manila and put a quietus upon
Spanish influence in the far East.
They are bite of old gdlleons and men
of war, whose history is lost or known
only in the records of the brave marin
ers of the day when Spain was a world
| leader in exploration. The chunks,
with all the other ballast, have been
| bought by Harry Evans, and they are
ready for any ship that wants ballast.
| They are of oak that is so near the
hardness of iron that the wear and tear
of waves has effected them almost as
/ iron would be affected.
Captain Graham of the Phelps spent
about a month with his vessel at Ca
Vite, about ten miles from Manila. The
/ captain is a close and intelligent OBJ .
! server and did not neglect his Oppor-
tunities of looking into the situation
| in Manila and the Philippines, and his
! views of the situation there are very
] interesting. He reports that it is still
unsafe for white man to venture
five miles from Manila without an
armed body guard, owing to the exist
ence of so many wandering Filipinos
! who are waging guerilla warfare.
| There is no notion of freedom or pat
riotism in their fighting" says the cap
tain. There are simply keeping it up
for the sake of murder and robbery.
! They murder innocent Chinese traders
and take their belongings. 1t looks like
very hard task to put an end to this
state of affairs, but among many Off
GERS and others | talked with the idea
seemed to prevail that a military mis-
take had been made in the abandon
/ HleuI OI SO MANY Towns dIlef Iney ndQ
! been taken, allowing the FilipinoS to
return constantly close to Manila.
THE Filipinos prisoners are another
cource of trouble. They are brought
/ to Manila and let loose after they take
an oath not to fight against Americans
any more. The oath is of no value.
! The same men have been caught over
and over again, after being released.
| One colonel l talked to said that if in
! command he would adopt the policy
of shooting every man caught fighting
after taking the oath. l told him I
didn't think the people of the United
States would stand that, though it
might be military policy"
Captain Graham reports a revival of
trade in Manila, in spite of the utter
lack of order only five miles away.
| The city of Manila is as quiet as II
there were no war on" said the cap
tain, land but for the number of SOL
diers to be seen there is little to show
that war is being on so near though
the city is still under martial law. EX-
portations of hemp are beginning to be
increased, and a very large shipping
business is growing up. There are re-
ports of gold and silver discoveries in
tn mountains but it is not safe for
anyone to 20 prospecting"
The Erskine M. Phelps had a number
of visitors to admire her beauties this
morning. Her cabins are as fine as
those of a first class steamer. There
are cabins for a score or more of pas
sengers that are rOomier and more
comfortable than those on the average
steamer coming here, and the saloon
with its splendid hard polished floor, is
most beautiful. There is a piano and
there are many other cOnYenienceS
which are found only on sailing vessels
of very recent make. Captain Graham
has quarters like a steamers brida
chamber and an office that looks like
a quartermaster's office on big trans
port. When she gets ner ballast out
the great ship will load sugar, going L
San Francisco instead of TO New York
as her first order indicated. She vii
pobably take a number of passengers
from here.