St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-10-04
PHILIPPINE ROMANCE.
Int resting Story Of Gunnodts sa
by Spaniards in the Island
of MindanaO.

Interesting story of Gunboats sunh
by spaniards in the Island
| of Mindanao.
Col. Edwin A. Gcdwin, who is de-
tailed in St. Louis as commandant OF
the Worlds Fair Jefferson guards, re-
lates a story Of the Philippines, which
has not before found its way into print,
| and which, for romantic interest, rivals
the tales of Haggard, says the st. Louis
| Globe-Democrat. Yet Col. Goodwin re-
lates only what has come under his
own observation. He gives an account
of two sunken gunboats in the interior
Of the big island of Mindanao, where
the surroundings are SO nearly mac
cessible that their equal is scarcely to
be found throughout the length and
breadth of the Philippines. The men
ofwar were made in China, taken in
small sections to the far southern is
land in the China sea; carried to the
interior through almost impenetrable
jungles, mountain passes and ravines,
and put together for the patrol of the
lake region, which is no mean rival
to the chain known as the great lakes
between the United States and Canada.
Here, when the Spaniards were de-
feated, they were sunk to save them
from the hands of the Moros.
"The time will come" said Col. God.
win, by way of beginning, when the
interest of the people of the United
States will be awakened to that strange
land known as the island of Mindanao.
1t is of immense magnitude, second
only to Luzon, and possibly as large as
that island. Haggard has never mag
ined more wildly picturesque land
than this. The ships that touch at
its coast towns find evidence that there
is something like continent beyond
the mountains that come down nearly
to the waters edge, but little is known
OF the fact that, many miles in the
interior, there is q Mohammedan
stronghold where no less than 900
Moros dwell in what is called the lake
region. Scores of the native towns
are built about the lakes, so that il
map of that region should be drawn
1t would have the appearance of CEN
tipede-the names Of the towns sup
plying the legs.
THE Spaniards, after many years
control of the coast, moved little by
little into the midst of this wilder.
ness, building forts at intervals, and
remaining in these strongholds for
few years before pushing farther into
the interior. The way led through
such jungles as only the tropics afford.
Gloomy mountains, responding in an
eternal shade cast by the Lakewood
forests, were among the obstacles. A
large river, which runs from the in.
terror to the sea, might have been re-
garded as means of getting nearer
the interior, but this stream, at one
point, has a fall of 1000 feet, and at
other places is stormy and impossible.
Yet, In the course OF century, the
goal had been reached by the most
daring of the Spanish forces, and a
monument to their bravery and per-
sistence remains to-day in the form
OF forts, which have passed into the
possession of the Moros. The recent
storming of one of these forts By
American forces has awakened won
der in some quarters as to the ability
of the Mohammedans to build so for
midably. As a matter of fact, they
would never have gained possession of
these positions but for the fact that
when the Spaniards surrendered to
the Americans there were none of the
latter forces that could be spared to
go to the far-off wilds of Mindanao,
and the Spaniards left the forts as an
inheritance to their enemies of old.
"Some years before the fall of the
Spanish power in the Philippines the
idea of bringing two men-of-war to
the region of the lakes was hit upon
by the Spanish commander. The ma.
tives were wonderfully strong in num-
bers in this region, and nothing but
strategic methods could enable the
Spaniards to hold their own. It was
believed that gunboats on the lake,
with which the surrounding towns
could be bombarded when the natives
went on the warpath, would prove
a stronger check than the whole of the
Spanish army centered in this region,
where the natives, by reason of the
topography of the country, had things
practically their own way. So, with
infinite trouble, two modern gunboats
were purchased from the shipbuilders
Of Hong Kong and brought. in small
sections, to the interior of Mindanao.
With these the Spaniards did good
work until word was brought to them.
several months after their govern.
ment had surrendered to the United
States, that they were NO longer mas.
tiers of the archipelago. They could
not realize the changed conditions for
a time. When they did they prepared
the boats SO that as little damage az
possible would be done, and sunk them
in the deepest part of the lake. This
l had from Lieut.. Antonio
Valdez, of the Spanish engineer corps,
who had taken a prominent part in
taking the boats to the lakes. The
natives were known to make efforts to
raise them, but, marvellous divers
though they be, the task was too much
for them. I have no doubt the Unit.
ed States will raise the boats sooner
Or later and use them, to some extent,
IS they were used by the spaniards."
Mines of Wax.
In several parts of the world resin
ous substance, called ozocerite, and
bearing considerable resemblance to