The National tribune., 1902-07-31

lady, and was embarrassed by profusive
thanks and compliments.
At every station the train was inspect
| ed by a squad of Insurrecto soldiers, the
entire country outside the official limits
Of Manila at that time being under the
rule of Aguinaldo's military government.
| The stockheaded soldiers, always bare
footed and often bareheaded, and carry
ing their guns as though they were mys-
| terry not quite safe to handle, thrust their
heads in at the windows and scrutiniZed
us, but as we were vouched for by our
influential Mestizo friends, we were per-
mitted to pass.
What they were expecting to discover
l do not know, but a little later they ar
| rested every American found outside the
city limits.
THE ONLY LUZoN RAILROAD.
This railroad, the only one in the ISL
ands, runs from Manila almost directly
north to a small port on the west coast
of the island, about 120 miles distant,
called Dagupan. For the most part it
runs through a low and fertile country.
particularly where it skirts the bay of
Manila, as it does for about 40 miles. The
rivers flow down from the mountains and
enter the bay through detas, and the
roadbed is a succession Of embankments
between low-lying fields and stretches of
water, with numerous bridges. 1t was
along this line and across these rivers and
swampy fields where the most severe
fighting occurred the next Spring, every
bridge and river crossing being defended
by heavy intrenchments, and being car
ried by assault by the Americans. The
engineering problems in the construction
of the road were not at all serious, but
the amount Of stone culvert and iron
bridge work was considerable.
l was told that of 40 engineers en-
ployed on the work 80 died, but if so my
own experience convinces me it was be-
cause Of ignorance and willful violation of
plain sanitary rules for health in the trop-
les. No Caucasian can work all day in
hot, tropical sun, nor can he sleep on
or near the ground in that malarial at
mosphere, and escape fever. Day work
was necessary in surveying the line, be-
cause there is neither dawn nor twilight
in that latitude, yet work in the miGdle
Of the day might have been avoided. Gen
orally speaking, no American should go
to the Philippines with any expectation
Of working as he does in this country, for
if he does SO he will never get back alive.
He must keep out Of the sun in the mid
die Of the day, say, from 10 until 3
o'clock. As this cuts out large portion
Of the working day, it follows that man.
ual labor in this country, in the open air
at least, must continue to be performed
by the natives, or the Chinese, who make
far better laborers than do the lazy and
unambitious Tagals.
The Caucasian must rest contented to
superintend and keep well in the shade
most of the time if he would retain his
health.
AT this time the passenger traffic of
| the road was fairly large, considering the
poverty stricken condition of the masses
of the people, three long trains, chiefly
OF third-class cars, running each way
daily. Its freight business consisted
chiefly Of the transportation of rice, sugar,
coffee, tobacco and hemp, though but lit
tie Of the latter was grown within the
territory served by it. There is compar-
atiyely little outward movement of freight
from the city, since each district supplies
itself generally with its own food pro-
ducts of rice, fruit and fish, the three
great staples that constitute the bulk of
the native diet. Much of this class of
freight also reaches the city by boat along
the various waterways. Through the dis
trict we were passing runs the large
river, the Rio Grande de Pampanga, with
numerous branches. Other streams also
flow like it into Manila Bay.
In these streams swarm the bancos, as
the dugout canoes are called, which con-
vey produce by way of the bay to Manila.
Cascos, the large freight lighters Of the isl
ands, also ply on the larger streams and
go quite a distance inland on the Pam
panga. All these reduce the freight Of
ferings of the railroad considerably, con-
fining it largely to the products Of planta-
tions and to districts not drained by the
rivers. The district surrounding Manila
for a distance of some 10 miles is also
tributary to the city by other means of
conveyance than the railroad. Heavy
twO-wheeled carts, resembling the old
fashioned dray Of this country, and drawn
by the plodding .carabao, or water buf.
falo, do most Of the freighting, but lit