LUKBAN
their way back , they found the boats being fired at by insurrectos . The Vicksburg subsequently fired its guns on the town near the mouth of the river , destroying it .
The next day , Waller took a detachment to Lawaan to look for the powder factory that was earlier reported to be in the neighborhood , but he could not find it . He then continued to Bulosao , one of the principal barrios of Lawaan which he found to be partially burned by the revolutionary forces . His troops burned the remaining 23 houses . As they embarked on their boat , they were fired upon from the thicket at the beach . His troops tried going after the shooters but they escaped . Waller noted there were more rebels here and that they were making good shots , but no one was hit on the American side .
Waller ’ s killing and destruction spree was just about to start . Starting November 1 to the 9 th that year , his patrols often led by himself or Captain Porter went up and down the Cadacan River , destroying everything they thought would be useful to the insurrectos , which included all shacks , food , work animals , boats or barotos , and killed or captured all those suspected to be part of the insurgency . Although his patrols were sometimes fired upon , the resistance seemed to be insignificant . In some cases , Waller ’ s troops found entrenchments with souvenirs from the Balangiga raid .
In one of his trips , the gunboat USS Vicksburg was buffeted by strong waves , which caused it to turn over and sink , along with a 3-inch gun and 15 rifles . Luckily , his men were saved , except from one private who was lost together with the ship . In his report , Waller told Gen . Smith that in the span of nine days , they burned down 255 houses , killed 39 men and captured 18 along with 17 bolos , seized a ton of hemp and a half ton of rice , killed 13 carabaos and destroyed 50 bancas that people used for fishing and transportation . 17
Waller in his subsequent investigations found out that the people driven from the towns were falling back on the Sohoton district which were filled with a network of limestone caves . Evidently , these had become a sanctuary of all those suspected to be rebels . He promised in his report that he was going to attack this part of the district as soon as he could get a suitable platform for his 3-inch gun , which was needed for shelling the suspected insurrectos occupying the overhanging cliffs .
In the meantime , he had to fix his garrison in Basey . It was on a hilltop overlooking the town with an old stone fort on top , a church and convent . There were a lot of trees and undergrowth around which he wanted to clear so that he could have an unobstructed view below . This became his signal station and outpost . Here he placed 10 men who were excellent shots . Later , a prisoner disclosed that rebels from Balangiga
119