New-York tribune., 1907-06-16
SOME PHILIPPINE HANDICAPS.
Trials OF Getting Locomotives Ashore at
Iloilo Without Adequate Apparatus.

Som, facts regarding the trials and handicaps
encountered by American enterprise In opening up
the Philippines TO railroads related by the chiet
officer OF the steamer Wray castle which arrived
in Boston with q cargo of hemp japanese curios
and other commodities. on her last voyage out
ward from New York the WTay Castle carried
among other items of "a large and valuable cargo
seven locomotives four OF them FOR Uolo. next TO
Manila the most important point Of the Philippine
archipelago Also She had rails and other ma
teras to be used in the Development Of an industry
hitherto confined almost exclusively TO Manila and
IT'S immediate vicinity. but which soon is to en-
brace wide stretch OF inland territory, says The
Boston Transcript"
When tie Wray Castle arrived AZ Ioilo she found
ia waiting large party Of constructonIsts. with
American mechanics and engineers bosses and
oyerscers and coolies for drudgcry. all ready to
begin The work Most OF them had been drawing
pay up TO that time for nothing more arduous
Than keeping themselves out OF the hot sun. But
when the steamer appeared toward the end of last
year All was hustle and excitement.
As an initial problem there was the question Of
ways and means ut getting the heavy machinery
alI loc9inoll'e parts ashore. There pack
ana no snore apparatus tor handling them Every
tLIhS Htndi+d between ship ana shore is done in
aG,Iuaie for the work except two old huiks which
Erie Canal. 80 "
Though there was some hesitation about intrust-
I'm, tn,nS poT,ibe. so package 10y package the machiu
TIS cry "t' '"Herea oyer ne sides OF the Wray Castle
unaccustomed burden. With The apparatus % :he
presented no great dithcuics But When the the
!EhteIs were iowed ashore the engineers at
IHeir IH wits end 70 know how To remove the parts
They had nothing in the line of machinery for
To- purchase part OF the Wray Castle outfit In This
they were unsuccessful. They finally succeeded i'm
Stailf support that when one fifteen ton section
was helns removed from the lighters the apparatus
cam" tUmhng down. Killing an American and in
juriug one or TWO OF the coolies. task was ac-
compIished at last. however. 1
nan OF iNc locomotive parts discharged a
Wer" destined for Cchu and these were placed I'm
ing for an ordinary vessel To do the towing was
an Old Steamboat, also from the Erie Canal What
lis speed might have been once, the chief officer
or the Wray Castle did not know but he and his
knew the Sndton Of the lighters fhai "a" opIy ~ ,,n "mH
would get the outht safely Cebu. But that was
1t was s'me time later that they learned the So
tow. ana after ploddlng along for three days SIN,
ran snort OF coal. The lighters were anchored. and
she made OF FOR the nearest port TO replenish her
bunkers. When she returned she found that the
!lELterS iad drassed anchor and had struck "a
t,et I@tef luGboai was chartered which
|" ihr scene OF The disaster and succeeded IN re-
The three locomotives and railway parts not dis
charged h at iollo were for Kobe Japan. and there
one incident mad :, indcrous sd. to pr. @
oi the Nlay Castle though not to the Japanese
engaged In the work of lgnteTing. one Of thr
ready Tor snore wnen another cam" along
under sail I" take her place by the side of the
Sieaher lhrouSh mlscalcul2tion or untavorable
slant OF wind the lighter under sail struck the
otheF iarE dnldShipS- his gave her such Il list
that she UcGan To take In water and there was
only brief interval before she had turned turtle
and the machinery the harbor bed. The
Japanese in the overturned lighter did a IveIy
scramble to escape going down with her. Eventu-
ally the sunkcn machinery recovered
The Wray Castles chief officer has not such a
high opinion of Japanese skill peoplc-or
rather, he thinks that, while they skilled COPY
lists, they are competent workmen only when
watched carefully where the end DE attained
Is distinctly beneficial to themselves. He says that
l-loNd's surveyor stationed at NataSki told
him that In the construction of a vessel he had
known as high a percentage as hve out Of eight
rVets not properly finished off until he had COM
PEELED the Workmcn to 30 their work