Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-07
OLD POINT COMFORT.
4 FEATURE or THE INDIAN TRoU-
eLes ARMY OFFICERS LOOK At.
4 Dance ut tho Hygsis Preferred 60
Ghost Dsnce--A Consignment OF Tor
pedees-An Electric Railway.
corespondencs Of the Richmond Dispatca.l

The trouble now brewing In the Indian
country, which may come to head at
any moment. is exciting more than ordi-
pary interest at the post. Colonel
William b. Lane. an old retired cavalry
officer. and wife. who are at the Hygeia,
arc deeply interested, having two sonsin-
hw, Captain Garrsrd and Lieutenant
6lfoyle, Of the Ninth cavalry, now at the
Rosebud agency, while many of the
officers Of the garrison have relatives and
classmates in the infantry and cavalry
Organizations in that section and beside
from this there il another feature which
has not heretofore been present on the
occasion OF similar disturbances. The
recent act Of Congress which promotes
fhe first man on the list to vacancy
above bis present grade in any arm OF the
service instead Of by regiments, as for
nerly, may in case Of hostilities bring
some OF tho officers OF artillery to the
front to fill vacancies that rnsy occur III
She infantry and cavalry.
CHOICE OF DANCES.
Thisis new feature, and while promo
tion Is AT al times desirable there are few
OF them who would care to change their
cozy quarters Mt Fortress Monroe for
winter campaign in the Bad Lands, and
would much prefer dance IN the pa
tilion OF the Hygeis Hotel to q ghost
bance under any circumstances. From
Che rapidi,y with which the Secretary OF
War "a ordering up the lieutenants OF
artillery who stand near the head OF the
list in their respective grades for eIami-
nation, it would seem that contingent
cy OF this kind is not unlocked for
During the past week Lieutenants East
man. Second artillery; Millsr, Third ar
tillery; Davis. Fourth artillery. and
Buckman, Fifth artillery, have gone to
Washington for examination, and Lieu
tenant Willoughby Wake, Second artl-
iery, is ordered to report there on Mon
day.
Lieutenant Louis V. CaZiare, Second
artillery, post adjutsnt, returned Sunday
from Washington, where he passed the
board for captaincy. While IN the
War Department he met four Of bis
predecessors Joseph G. Brock
inridge, inspectOr-gener Major j. +,
Sanger, assistant inspector general ana
member OF the board Captain Issker
II. Bliss, aide de-camp on General Scho-
fields staff, and Lieutenant Constantine
Chase, Third artillery, who, like himself,
was up for examination.
ToBPEDoEs.
A large consignment of torpedos was
received here from New York during the
week, which have been stored away for
Ihe present but will ultimately be used
iog harbor defences A comprehensive
systern has been marked out TO be con-
trolled by electricity from the fort and
Rip Raps, which will be put in readiness
Tor any emergency that NAY arise 1t is
also proposed to replace the obsolete
guns with which the fort is mounted by
pew improved steel breech-loaders, but
This will be question Of time.
An electric street railroad between
here and Hampton seems now to he an
assured fact. The first carload OF rails
arrived last week from Johnstown, Pa.
and work will be- pushed forward as rap
Idly as possible. The road will pass
through the grounds OF the Soldiers |
Home and Hampton Normal School,
which will be great convenience to the |
guests OF the hotel who wish to visit |
those institutions.
Colonel A. @. vi. Pennington and |
Marcus p. Miller, OF the Artillery School
staff. left last evening for Washington to
attend a meeting of the Range Finder |
Board, OF which they are members.
DESIRABLE BILLET.
IAeutenants Barrette, Wheeler, and |
Berry, OF the garrison, left last Monday |
Tor New York TO appear before the Ord
nance Board for examination. This is
the corps that "Bill Arp" ornamented |
on the Confederate side during the war,
and who claimed, and not without rea-
sson, that "ho could always be found |
where the bullets were the thickest." 1t
n still O desirable billet, rs 1t takes a
man ont Of the line of lineal promotion
snd also Of the line of fire in Oh engage
tnent
DIR. Clarkson, who has charge OF the
station at Fishermsn's Island,
fIss gone North on months leave of az
sence. DR.. Simpson, of the Marine
Hospital Service, IS acting during his
absence.
TIE PHoEBUs FAMILY.
Mrs. Harrison Phoebus has gone to
Baltimore on ten days visit. Her
three sons, Charlie, Sam, and Harry,
are now in business in that city.
Mrs. Captain Davis left on Monday
sor Washington on visit to her brother.
Major j. p. Sanger, assistant Inspector
general.
Mira. Helmn, OF Philadelphia, is here
on visit. the guest of lieutenant and
Mrs. Greblo
lieutenant and Mrs. Duvall gave re-
eeption on Wednesday evening 10 intro
duce their daughter, who has just COM
pleted her studies at the convent In
Montreal
Miss Mary Derby. daughter Of the late
Major Derby, well known in literary cir
Giles as John Phesnix," and On invete-
rate joker, has gone to Washington on
visit
Az ARTILLERY STORY.
A good story is told in army circles on
Major Derby, who was an accomplished
engineer and craftsman. lie was sta
toned at San Diego shortly before the
txar. when Mr.. Davis was secretary.
Tbat gentleman thought il would be
good idea 10 draw the FIRE OF the officers
In the army as to what they considered
best 10 promote its welfare and efficiency.
and o circular was sent around calling
for their views and any suggestions they
snight have 10 offer. About this time, as
now, the Indians were very troublesome
and the Government was issuing noun
tain howitzers to the troops, which
found great difficulty In transport
ing them through the mountains.
Vhis afforded theme for Major
Derby's brain and psp, from which
evolved the Revolving Mule"
Two handsomely -colored drawings were
prepared showing the mule in action
with two mountsin-howitzers strapped to
n, one on its back and the other under
hestb. His theory was that when the
gun on the mules back was fred ii