DECEM BE R 22, 1904
Nanon and I le ft Manila at 5:45 A.M . on a special train furnished by M r. Hig gins o f the Manila and Dagupan Railway, who accompanied us to Dagupan. The other members o f the party w ere Com missioner Forbes, M r. Burnham the architect, Mr. Anderson his assistant, and M ajor Carter and the Commissioner o f Public Health.
W e reached D agupan at 10:30 A . M., and an hour and a h alf was spent in get- ing lunch, which should have been eaten on the train before our arrival. W e left Dagupan at 12:00 in two spring wagons, reaching Pozorubio after a hot ride at 3:30 o ’clock. Teams w ere changed at Po zorubio and the w agon in which I rode w as provided with fo u r Chinese mules w hich proved slow. W e reached Twin Peaks at 7:00 o'clock, nearly an hour be hind the other team. A t this place we stopped to remove the covers o f the wa gons, which could not pass under the ca bles o f one o f the suspension bridges. It took three-quarters o f an hour o f work with hammer, file and cold chisel to get the top o f f our w agon. W e then continued up the canon to Camp Four, where we arrived about 9 o ’clock.
It was a beautiful m oonlight night and the trip was made w ithout misadventure, except that our Chinese mules w ere re-
[ 62 ]
fra ctory in the matter o f crossing bridges and the leaders had to be unhitched and , led across nearly every bridge which we passed. The road was in perfect condition from Tw in Peaks to Camp Four and the grade was so moderate as to be hardly perceptible. The road from Dagupan to Twin Peaks was much worm in places by bull carts, was often fu ll o f cobble stones and in many places was very dusty.
DECEM BER 23RD
W e spent the night with Colonel and Mrs. Kennon and, having received very plain intimation from our hostess that our making an early start in the morning would not be looked upon with favor by her, waited for an 8 o ’clock breakfast, and w ere then delayed fo r some time in getting a horse.
A fter consultation with M ajor Kennon we had decided to go up over the line o f the new road as fa r as the camp at the fo o t o f the zigzag trail which leads from the abandoned Benguet road down into the canon o f the Bued River, at which point we expected horses to meet us. W e set out on foot, I w alking and Nanon riding, and continued in this fash ion fo r about a mile and a h alf when we reached two short bridges the flo ors o f
lum ber w ithout a street at all hardly change
WORCESTER ON HIS TRIP
NORTHERN LUZON
which w ere not quite laid, and w ere ob liged to send the horses back and continue on foot. W e walked slowly and shortly before noon reached a place where the noon blasts w ere about to b fired, and had to w ait fo r some time until the last one had been fired. W e were able to keep on the grade o f the road up to this point, where it was necessary to climb down in to the river bed, as tw o bridges close to gether, which are to cross and recross the river, w ere not in place.
Just at the other side we were sur prised to see Fred running toward us and to fin d that our horses were at a black smith shop close by. Evarts had been in form ed that it would not be practicable to take horses beyond the camp at the foot o f the zigzag, but had kept working down the trail and by leading them through the river in two places where the road was not completed had brought them h alf w ay to Camp Four. W e were able to ride m ost o f the way to the camp at the foot o f the zigzag, leaving our horses only when it was necessary to send them in to the river bed. W e stopped fo r rest and a lunch at the camp, quite a part o f which has just been destroyed by fire. A crowd o f Chinamen were lamenting the
the scene from its natural view,
loss o f opium fo r smoking, which had been destroyed in one o f the burned buildings.
W e then took the zigzag trail up the hill, stopping at Loacan fo r a drink and a short rest at the house o f Mr. and Mrs. Lane. Commissioner F orb es’ tw o fin e horses, which he had sent around by w ay o f Kias trail, w ent past while we were w aiting at Loacan. One o f them was ridden by a man who did not know his business and who used the curb careless ly, w ith the result that the horse fir s t reared and then ran aw ay over the hills. It looked fo r a time as if the horse might, be throw n and the rider killed, but the animal finally quieted down w ithout hav in g done serious dam age to him self or his rider.
W e had a fine ride from Loacan to B a guio, reaching the latter place about fou r in the afternoon. Com missioner Forbes and the remainder o f the party, who re mained at Camp F ou r until a fter lunch, got in late that night rather tired out and w ithout their baggage.
DECEMBER 24TH
This day was spent quietly in the vi cinity o f Baguio, and I rode down the upper end o f the new road as fa r as pos sible, reaching a poin t a little below the big spring.
M ajor Carter and I went snipe shoot- (Continued on page 8 6 )