This is the way many people in Manila live. These are house boats on the Pasig (pä´ sg) River. They are called "cascos". They are used all through the Philippines to carry freight and passengers. Besides, they serve as homes for many people. You know that many Chinese live in house boats all their lives. There are many Chinese in Manila, so perhaps the Filipinos (fl´ -p´ n) got this custom from them. The boats are four-sided, and are roofed with split bamboo or rattan to keep out the sun and the rain. They are propelled by men who push them along with bamboo poles in a queer way. A man walks to the front of the boat, and shoves the bamboo pole backward into the muddy river bed. He bends over it and pushes until the boat begins to move. Then as the casco moves forward, he walks toward the stern, pushing as he goes. Another man follows. When they have walked the length of the boat, they withdraw the poles and begin the operation again. Manila is built on both sides of the Pasig River, at its mouth. On one side of the river is the old part of the city; on the other is the modern section. The Pasig is only about 15 miles long. It carries to Manila Bay the waters of a large lake, southeast of Manila. This lake is called Laguna de Bay. The lake is about 40 miles long, and 10 to 20 miles wide. It is surrounded by beautiful country, rich in fields of sugar cane, rice, and coconut groves. These products are sent to Manila, down the Pasig River, on rafts and in boats. It is a common sight to see a raft of coconuts drifting down the river. In Manila Bay, Dewey defeated the Spanish fleet in 1898. It was directly due to this battle that the Philippines came under our control. Keystone ID: 10085 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.