Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-02-07
ROADS IN PHILIPPINES.
How Government Red Tape Has
Hampered the Usefulness Of .
StOne-Crushing Machine.

OAA("SA sAnAAM MAACAAACs
What has been accomplished by
Americans in the Philippine islands
is, to a certain extent, attested at
Binangonan, on the Laguna de Bay.
On rocky headland jutting out
from the Morong shore stands an
imposing structure which demon
states what some of our officials are
capable of doing.
In the olden days, when the
naughty Spaniard or untaught Fill
pino desired to repair that portion
of the street which lay Immediately
in front of some grandee's door, if
any broken stone was used, the ma
terial was obtained in the usual way.
After erecting mat to screen him
self from the sun, the Filipino
squatted beside little rock pile and
possibly pounded out cubic meter
of broken stone in day. But this
slow and laborious process of OBJ
tanning road material did not entierly
commend itself to the American au-
thorities. They resolved to erect
large rock crushing machine, and
there was no reason why the pro-
jected rock crusher could not be oper-
ated very successfully. After dis
cussing the merits of various locali-
ties point near Binangonan, on the
Laguna de Bay, was the site selected.
After studying the situation, a COM
petent engineer carefully drew up the
plans for the proposed rock crushing
plant and sent in all the estimates
required. These plans were pigeon
holed in Manila, and, certain pur-
chases having been made, it was or
dered by 'he who must be obeyed"
that the rock crushing plant should
be erected. The plans of the engi-
neer, the estimates and acquisitions
of practical man who knew exactly
what was wanted were ignored. But
q joblot of machinery was assembled
and over it was erected fimsy SUI
perstructure which may or may not
fall to pieces at any time.
The engine which operates the
crushing machinery originally came
from England. In design it is GER
tainly unique. And its actions are &C.
centric. Attached to this master
piece are two boilers, which at the
outset were said to be ridiculously
inadequate. If carefully nursed. these
boilers will safely carry so pounds of
steam and supply power enough to
run at slow speed one of the two
rock crushing machines.
Although not of the latest modern
OF of the most approved form of con-
of American make and capable of do
ing good work.
The genius who constructed the
crushing plant hit upon the happy
plan of having the stone run down
hill to platform considerably below
the hopper of the rock crusher and
from there shoveled up again. The
placing of the rock crushers also
evokes attention. If the ingenious
builder aimed at securing a maxi
mum of Inconvenience and mini
mum of economy he is to be congrat-
ulated upon having accomplished his
purpose. Both machines are placed
askew, almost at right angles with
their proper positions, and matters
are further complicated by having
several things turned upside down in
the arrangements for transmitting
the power. Neither can the pullies
nor betting escape observation.
Wooden pullies are used-lopsided af-
fairs that writhe and squirm-and in
stretching and destroying belts they
are found to be quite effective. So
great is the loss of power that, al
though in the theory the two boilers
should furnish ample steam to run
the two machines, one Of the rock
crushers from necessity is always
idle.
The miniature railroad track, over
which are wheeled the tiny cars of
crushed rock, is not laid as it should
be, and the arrangement for loading
crushed stone into cascoes involves
double the amount of work that
would be required were things ar
ranged Alright.
Launches may tie up under the
shadow of the crushing plant, and to
obtain water from the lake should
be no trouble at all. But for want of
a suitable piece of pipe with which
to make connections, whereby water
might be pumped by the engines into
the boilers from the lake, four hom-
bres were formerly employed at
one peso each per day to carry wa
ter for the engine. The present
foreman of the plant arranged to
dispense with the services of three
water carriers, but the government is
still expending peso a day because
of somebody's disinclination to buy
for the plant an inexpensive piece of
pipe.
Once upon a time the foreman of
the crushing plant made requisition
through the usual channels for a
draw shave, a medium sized cold CHS
Grand an ordinary barrel. ct was
set forth in the requisition that any
old barrel capable of holding water
would serve.)
But instead of the things asked for
the foreman eventually received a
communication from Capt. Dodge
stating that. samples of all articles
requisitioned for must be forwarded
to the purchasing agent before any
purchases could be made. AS the
foreman had neither draw shave,
a chisel nor barrel to send to Capt.
Dodge he is still unsupplied with
these articles.
And so it goes at Binangonan. Ow-
ing to defective construction and in
effective machinery, the output of
crushed rock is less than half what
1t ought to be under proper condi-
tions.-Manila (P. ~ American.
Palms and ferns of large size are
aow in high favor with professional