The American-Filipino War.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 9499, 30 November 1899, Page 3

The American-Filipino War.

The War in tho Philippines seems to bo dragging along vnry slowly, The latest news available from Manila states that Aguinaldo has now at his command 43,000 men armed with Mauser rifles, and anothor 9000 with small arms of another make. Of these some 12,000 are at Tarlao, the rebel capital. The remainder occupy the various points along the Manila Dagupan railway and tho vicinity of Like Canareu, Pangaeiimn Province. Filibustering expeditions aro known to havo landed arms on the coast fyr the Numerous natives have stated that, consignments of entirely now rifles, differing from the Mauser or Remington, and ap. parently fresh from. tbe makers' factories, are now being opened and the new weapon is being seived out to the troops. The statements are said to agree with the reports given in Japanese Murata rifles having been secretly shipped to the .Philippines,. Heavy thunderstorms have delayed the advance 1 of the American troop o , and the insurgents took advantage of the pause to destroy mileß of railway line. One train of eleven cjis. carrying provisions and stores, was attacked quite cbso to Augeles. i The Filipinos had torn up the rails I and dug up the track, .retiring into the adjacent bushes to await developments. The train plunged into t'le mud, and stopped without sustaining damage, apd at once a swaim cf insurgents appeared from every direction. Lieut. Lowe and a force of scouts were on board, and they success.' fully resisted the insurgents' attempts' to wreck the train, Finally the Fili«' pinos were repelled, and driven into 1 the. woods, Two • Americans were' killed and six wowiiled, • and the ! enemy's loss was heavy. Mauy of the ' locomo'ivo engiaes in use have been 1 through warm fights, and bear the' marks of battle. The soldiers have' revchriatened them with the names of prominent officers, so that it is quite . common to hear that" General MacArthur" or "Colonel Puge" is bringing in-a train of provisions from the North. . The •. nature of the work in front of the Americans may be judged from the account of an expedition in the south, published in the • Manila Times. Two' regiments were sent to take a mountain fortress in the island of Oebu. Cr.nnon was hauled up tho hillside by buffaloes, but so excessive was the heat that some of. tho animals dropped de3d, Tho others w.re turned loose, and thf. n;en them* telvos dragged the heavy artillery iuto position. It was throe miles to the summit, and a halt had to bo cailtd oveiy five minutes. The party had to dtscend one gorge and climb a second ridge, and the only semblance of a road was the bed of a ereek, at that time flooded by thunderstorms. During half the journey the men were under fire, but could not reply. Finally,. when tbe fortress had been shelled and destroyed, an easier and more circuitous return route was chosen, so that the whole of the trying maich could not have been less than twenty two miles. The insurgents are strongest in the mountainous districts, and the task of subduing themie likely to pfcove long and difficult.