The Washington herald., 1907-10-28
Life in Pampanga, P. I.

avenue northwest
Editor The Washington Herald:
Last Saturday I had the rather ques-
tionable pleasure of a trip to Macabebe,
Pampanga province. Three commissioned
officers, detachment of the Hospital
Corps, and company of Philippine
Scouts are unfortunate enough TO be sta
TONED az this isolated post, and payment
is made only once in three months dur
ing the rainy season. on account Of the
difficulty experienced in reaching there.
We left Manila at 6:25 a N. on the
Manila and Dagupan Railroad, which
consisted of a toy engine and a train Of
coaches about the size of the obsolete
Belt Line street cars in Washington We
were fortunate enough TO catch an ex-
press train, and went at terrific speed"
at times making fully eighteen miles an
hour This Is exceptional the average
rate being about twelve miles. These
trains carry two conductors. One comes
through and punches your ticket and
makes his exit. About fifteen minutes
later when YOU are viewing the passing
scenery. another conductor comes through
punch. In addition TO these two. there
is an inspector. that boards the train at
various other points along the line and
looks over your transportation privilege,
scrutinizing the previous pUnctuTes with
suspicion and finally giving the unfor-
tunate coupon another cut
BY the time We reached Calumpit,
where we were 10 change. our tickets
and feelings We're irreparably mutilated.
The railroad journey was most interest
ing. On both sides Of the track, as far
as the eye can reach, are hundreds Of
acres OF rice paddles. all carefully cult
waited and yielding immense crops, The
rice is grown IN square plots. from one
half to one and one-half acres in size
surrounded by small embankments. These
plots become flooded during the rainy sea
son, so that each rice plot contains about
eight or twelve inches of water. The rice
crop in this province has increased 150
per cent during the past three years. The
conditions for growing and cultivating it
are ideal
At each station a crowd Of native boys
and girls would besiege Us. with flowers
and hard-boiled eggs Tor sale. We pur-
chased some of the roses, but realizing
that the natives prefer an egg after it
has become Inhabited. rather than in its
primitive state. we did not invest
We had been told that a launch would
meet us at Calumpit, to take us the re-
naming eight miles Of our journey Upon
arriving however, we were informed by
the escort that there was no launch. We
boarded a banca, which is a boat made
entirely Of bamboo. IS feet long and
about 81 feet wide. Two natives sat at
the bow and padded while the steersman
sat in the stern and guided us. We pro-
ceeded for four miles down the Rio
GraBde, and then struck the Macabebe
River for the rest of the trip The
current was terrific and we pade the
trip down In forty-fve minutes. After
leaving Calumpit We did not get sight
Of land until We returned. Az the ter
ritoTy Is under water Under each nipa
hut. all Of them being built on piles. is
from six to fifteen feet OF water In spite
OF these precautions. many houses are
completely submerged. We became i'm
pressed with the fact that these people
are amphibious-babies not over two
years of age swim and splash around in
thirty feet Of water. while the parents
look on. entirely unconcerned. Even the
chickens seem to enjoy il, and some Of
them actually swim from one point to
another For the most part chickens,
hogs, dogs, eats, goats, humans-au live
together in one or two rooms. The con-
ditions are indescribable, and one can
not wonder that cholera and plague de-
stroy thousands Of them when IT once
gets q foothold. There is no land here
for six months out Of every year. yet the
riverside is fairly lined with huts. and
each hut contains large family, ap-
parently satisfied with their lot.
We arrived at Macabebe about a. m.
made the payment. and took lunch with
the three officers stationed there. AS you
may imagine. they greeted US with out
stretched arms-any one from the out
side world is more than welcome. Maca-
bebe resembles Venice In one way only
we went from house to house in gon-
dolas The principal diet Of the Amer
leans or duty there is whisky and qui-
nine
The Macabebe Scouts are the best ma
tive soldiers in the island. and have been
proven absolutely trustworthy They We're
arranging for one Of their annual fiestas,
and gayly-decorated bancas and gon-
doas were in evidence. II was a notice
able fact that the most distinguishable
decoration was the American flag. This
would not have been so at any other
place in the islands
The officers on duty here curse their
fate and write several applications for
transfer each month. Being only three.
they cannot even have a rubber at whist
and IN the army this is the most dismal
of all misfortUnes. The officers quar-
ters are built about twenty-five feet
above the ground and the usual fifteen
feet OF water lies beneath. The house
is built entirely Of bamboo. and is as
pleasant as is possible under the cir
cumstances.
During our trip we encountered three
different languages. Most of the Maca-
bebes speak fairly good Spanish; at
Calumpit the language is Tagalog, and
between the two places Il IS Pampangan.
We have become expert in the sign Ian
guage. and can be fairly we'll understood
anywhere While waiting at Calumpit
we induced several OF the Tagalogs TO
enter into q contest Of foot racing. We
placed a half peso on a line, and put the
crowd back about hundred yards, and
at a given sign they made dash for the
money. When they reached the line they
piled up in a manner that would have
made the Yale or Harvard rush line green
with envy. One tall, lanSy native in par
ticular distinguished himself by sliding
on his ear for about twenty feet, with
outstretched hand picking up the money
from between the legs Of the man in