Travel in Philippines

But One Railroad in Operation on the Islands.

THE MANILA AND DAGUPIN LINE.

It Traverses the Largest Area of Valley Land in the Archipelago—Well Constructed and Equipped—Picturesque Scenes along the Line—Spanish Neglect of Land Transportation.

[Copyright, 1899. by the Author.]

VII.

A trip over the Manila and Dagupin railroad, which occupies eight or ten hours, and during which one is carried 130 miles northward from Manila to the seaport of Dagupin, located on the western coast of Luzon, enables one to see about all that has ever been done toward facilitating land transportation here in our new oriental colony, for this is the only railroad line on these islands. Under Spanish dominion the authorities took but very little interest in such matters, and were seemingly blind to the commercial and agricultural advantages of the islands.

This neglect is apparent on every hand. Roadmaking and street improvements were lost sight of by the corrupt Spanish rulers years ago, and local funds collected for such improvements were misappropriated. If a bridge chanced to break down anywhere in the country districts, it was left unrepaired, and unless a raft was provided, the travelers had to ford the stream. Such are the conditions of the roads here in these islands of a single railroad line.

But notwithstanding all these facts the Spanish government granted the Manila and Dagupin Railroad company very liberal concessions, probably with the hope that a large revenue would be reaped from direct tax on the road and the advantage in transporting troops.

The real beginning of the idea of a railway line in the Philippines dates back to 1875. In that year an elaborate scheme for the construction of railroad lines was formulated, it being thought that under government ownership or subsidized companies and by private concessions granted by the governor general a number of lines would be constructed, but the only result was the construction of the Manila and Dagupin road, which was subsidized in 1885 at $7,650 per mile and guaranteed an annual dividend of 8 per cent on a capital of $49,643. This offer was accepted in the fall of 1886 by London capitalists, with the provision that the road should be completed within four years from July 22, 1887, and that at the end of 99 years the road and rolling stock were to revert to the government without compensation.

The road as projected and as now operated extends from Manila to Dagupin and gives an outlet to the largest area of valley land in the Philippines. The roadbed is fine and the line has few curves. There is not a single cut of any consequence on the line. There are many bridges on the line, and the floods are frequent and destructive. The average elevation of the roadbed is not more than three or four feet above the general level. The ties are made from the hard woods found abundantly all over the island of Luzon. The track is 3 feet 6 inch gauge and laid with steel rails weighing 45 pounds to the yard. There are in all 60 bridges on the line.

The rolling stock is very light as compared with the substantial character of the roadbed. The locomotives are built on the "pickaninny" plan, and look something like our narrow gauge locomotives. The carriages are of three classes, all being divided alike into three compartments, with an outside gangway. Each compartment will seat eight persons, and the first class carriages have comfortable cane chairs, while the second and third classes have wooden benches.

All the buildings along the line are of first rate quality, and they are large and roomy. The Manila depot is a well arranged two story wooden structure with great train sheds in the rear. The general offices are located in the second story of the building. There are 28 other depots on the road, and they are all of a uniform type, although they differ in size.

The machine shops of the road are at Caloocon, four miles from Manila, where General Manager Higgins has his residence. With the exception of a few English overseers, the road is operated by natives, who work for a salary of less than $20 per month.

The rates on all kinds of traffic are considerably lower than ordinary rates for corresponding distances in the United States. Sugar and rice form the great bulk of the tonnage. At present there are three freight and three passenger trains each way daily, and the passenger trains cover the 180 miles in about eight hours. An ordinary passenger train is composed of eight or ten coaches, half of which are third class, and these are usually filled with natives on short journeys. The passenger rate varies from 2 to 5 cents in gold per mile. There are at present no statistics as to the original cost or present financial standing of the road.

The line of the road traverses diagonally a continuous level or slightly rolling area and passes through the six provinces of Luzon—namely, Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinau. Imagine a wide level landscape with the view intercepted at many points and often entirely shut off by groves of bamboo, sometimes 50 feet high, and in and around the groves dense thickets of tangled shrubbery; open spaces filled with immense green fields of heavy rice or sugar cane; villages and groups of palm thatched bamboo huts on stilts and many marshy overflowing rivers with great sheets of water extending out into the fields. This with a few variations will give a good idea of the view along the Manila and Dagupin railroad at this season of the year, when the rains are frequent and heavy.

For the first 15 miles out of Manila the land rises in irregular, long sloping hills, never rising more than 50 feet above the general level. The villages are apparently small, and around the first half dozen stations, beyond Caloocon, four miles from Manila, there is very little sign of life until Dagupin is approached. After leaving the hills behind and passing through half a dozen miles of very swampy land, with great ricefields, we arrive at Malolos, the eighth station, and situated some 20 miles from Manila. This place is the headquarters of Aguinaldo, and the capital of the so called Filipino republic. From the station one can see little of the town. There are only an old monastery and a few wooden buildings, with more native shacks in the town. At the station a score or so of the queer carromatos are lined up, and there is quite a bustle among the native travelers, beggars and loungers. Here some insurgent soldiers go through the train to look for Spaniards, and then we proceed, leaving behind Malolos stretched among the trees and ponds. It is at Malolos that the so called Filipino congress holds its sessions and where Aguinaldo was declared president.

Nine or ten miles farther on we reach Calumpit, and in that interval we have crossed nine streams, all of considerable size, and just beyond Calumpit is the Rio Grande de la Pampanga, one of the largest rivers on Luzon island. Here the stream is probably 200 yards wide. A few miles beyond Calumpit the road leaves the stream and marshy lands behind. Drainage becomes much better, and the soil has the appearance of inexhaustible fertility. Here palms and caneflelds begin to succeed the ricefields and the bamboo jungles.

San Fernando, ten miles beyond Calumpit, is said to contain a population of 80,000. It is one of the finest places on the line, and contains car and engine houses. A pottery factory and sugar refinery are located here. There are also two convents. Beyond San Fernando the mountains to the west come into view, and here one sees some fair pasture lands.

At Bomban the line has reached the mountains, and here one can enjoy fine hunting, for the woods abound with deer and wild boar. A few miles farther and in a direction opposite the mountains there extends a strip of thin forest, and the tree tops tower high above the underbrush. From this section much wood is shipped to Manila. By this time we have entered the province of Tarlac, and here we see great stretches of uncultivated land, and much of it is covered with tall, coarse grass. Occasional cocoanut groves are seen along this part of the line, and the bamboo here almost disappears. The town of Tarlac is an important insurgent seat. The remainder of the trip to Dagupin, some 40 miles, is through a level stretch of land containing cocoanut groves, canefields and ricefields, and the only large town passed is Bayambang, on the Agno river. The English firm of Smith, Bell & Co. of Manila have several rice mills at Bayambang and Gerona. At Calasiao, the next station to Dagupin, are made the finest of the world famous Manila bats.

This rapid sketch of what can be seen by a few hours' travel along the line of the Manila and Dagupin railroad cannot present any comprehensive idea of the resources of the territory traversed. In this natural garden spot a phenomenal agricultural development is certain to follow quickly upon the heels of a stable government. Native labor is cheap and quite efficient, in spite of all the ill effects of Spanish rule, and new ideas are destined to work here in this and other parts of these islands wonders undreamed of heretofore.

William Gilbert Irwin.

Manila.