The National tribune., 1902-04-10

CGVlte WAS The 0dNSI SldIlOu VI NhS
Spaniards in the Philippines. 1t lies on
the extreme tip of a little point that
curves round to the southeast to Inclose
Bakur Bay, Il shallow arm of Mania Bay,
and almost seven miles across the bay
from Manila This curved strip is divided
into two points, connected by causeway,
the southern and inner one being CayIte,
and the outer one Sangley Point, on which
was mounted the battery of good guns
which took part in the fight between Dew
ey's fleet and that OF MOntojO, and which
were silcnced and afterwards blown up
with dynamite. Besides the battery, there
Is barracks for artillery on the point;
also q hospital, of little practical value
because of the low land on which II
stands. The ground is SO little above the
level of the bay that in digging graves LOT
the burial of our dead in a cemetery Sc
lected on the point, water was struck III
less than two feet, and but the shallowest
covering was possible. Here Il score or
more of men were buried by force Of clr-
cumstances, but their remains have since
all been taken up and brought home for
delivery to friends or interment IN Ma
tional Cemeteries.
Sangley Point also possessed n ship
yard and machine-shOp for the repair of
vessels. with the residence of the local
British manager in the rear of the shops.
When the battle was on, this oihclal ana
his family took refuge in q shallow eel
lar under the house, being aroused from
sleep by the first booming of the guns SO
near at hand When | had the pleasure
of visiting him few days after our ar
rival he showed me several holes through
his house made by small shells, as eyl-
dence of his prudence III taking to the
cellar.
Cavite Point is also very low and fiat,
rising scarcely above the level of the bay,
from whose waters it is protected at high
tide and when typhoons blow, by gran
lite wall. At the very apex is the naval
station, consisting of q dock and slip,
machine-shOp, naval storehouseS, bar
racks for about 800 marines, into which,
by the way, we crowded some 2,5OO troops,
9 two-story office building, residence for
the commandant, and Fort San Felipe.
The latter is on the Manila Bay side of the
point. and has granite wall some 81
feet high and from 80 to 100 feet thick.
Upon it were mounted 4 number of heavy
guns of various makes, of the period or
our civil war. some of which took part IN
the fight against Dewey, whose shells 81
fenced them and left 4 few scars on the
wall itself, though not enough to do 1t ma
terial damage Inside the fort were bar
racks for q company of artillery, and an
administration and residence building for
the officers An extension of the wall of
the fort ran back along the point about
100 yards and protected parade ground
about 1G0 yards square. In tins wall
were prisons, in which the SpanIards mad
been accustomed to keep Filipinos, but
when we arrived the tables had been
turned, and Aguinaldo's barefoot soldiers
were guarding in these dungeons several
hundred Spaniards whom they had Scooped
in at various places when they captured
small garrisons in towns outside Manila.
The third side of the parade ground was
closed in by the ancient and long-aban-
doned barracks, into which the Oregon
regiment was thrust, while the fourth
side was occupied by the town of Cavite-
This, ON the whole, was the best built
town l ever saw in the Philippines, being
entirely composed of twO-stOry wooden
houses and used before its capture by
Dewey, as business and residence property
for Spaniards connected with the army and
navy, and for local provincial purposes.
When we arrived there the town was oc-
cupied by Aguinaldo as his headquarters,
and by Filipino squatters, who had taken
possession and We're living in the houses
as serenely as though they were the own
ers. The fine and costly furniture had
been looted during the day or two of con-
fusion following the defeat of the Span
iards and their flight to Manila. Natives
from the adjacent village of San Rogue,
just at the base of Sangley Point,
swarmed into Cavite at that time, and
made havoc of everything portable. In the
poorest o. nipa huts in San Rogue, which
we visited out of curiosity when we first
landed, though heaven knows we had our
curiosity surfeited later, we saw elegant
mahogany and ebony chairs, lounges, ta-
bles, and valuable furniture of all kinds,
including pianos worth more than the
houses they were sheltered in.
1t was at the naval station and fort the
American army under Gen. Anderson was
quartered, nearly $500 men being crowd
ed into the space formerly occupied by
only a fifth of that number of Spaniards.
The battalion of the 14th was wedged
into the lower story of the administration
building, its officers having the upper floor.
The California regiment was given the bar
racks Of the marines, 1000 men crowding
into the space intended for 200. The Cal
ifornia heavy artillery company was quar-
tered inside the fort, and the Oregon regi-
ment was thrust into the ancient, aban-
doned, and dilapidated barracks outside
the wall, 1000 men being crowded i'll so
closely that two men slept on bamboo
bunk intended for only one, and the hunks
SO close together that they touched Oh the
sides, but with a narrow passage between
rows at the end. Some of the companies
had not even the hunks and slept OH the
wet floor, for it was but a few inches
above the level Of the bay at high tide
and was never dry. One of these build
ings, the only one that had good brick
floor, was set aside for a hospital for the
regimental sick, but only the worst cases
could be accommodated in such limited
quarters, and others had to get along Us
best they could in company quarters.
In my opinion, the Americans first lost
caste with the FilipinOs at this time, be
cause of their willingness to accept anL
occupy such wretched and crowded quar-
tiers, while Aguinaldo and his handful Ol
barefooted and undisciplined soldiers liyet
in comfort and style in the fine woodeI
buildings Of Cavite.
Gen. Anderson had for quarters for him
self and staff and for brigade headquar
tiers, the little residence building of tho
former navy-yard commander while Ag
uinaldo, in the town, had for his head
quarters alone a fine twOstoTy buildin:
that had been the official provincial build
ing, and was as large as the one i'll whicl
the whole battalion Of the 14th was quar-
tered. Other buildings were occupied b,
companies Of his troops, all living up
stairs in comfortable and healthful quar-
tiers, while the American troops were oil
the ground floor, in the damp, and packe,
in like sardines. In the town the Fill
pinos had two hospitals upstairs and il
good buildings, one for their own sick ant
wounded, and one for Spanish prisoners
while the Americans established hospital
such as ! have described.
The Filipinos naturally gagged the Amer
leans by their own estimate of themselves
No Spaniard would have submitted to sue
a.cOnditiOn of affairs. Any Spanish CON