The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-24
FINE DRILLS ON THE FIELD.
Company B Probably Wins the
o.. DimOnd Cup.
A SHAM FIGHT AT Triple HILL.
Dress Parade and Review the Most
Creditable Ever Witnessed
-. at Santa Cruz.

. b. Cook is the most talked-of man at the
~regmental encampment to-day Cook is
believed to have tied that string of his to
the silver cup at headquarters. Nothing is
positively known yet, nor can anything be
accurately determined until Colonel Sui
" .liyan's infantry is drawn uD in line to-
morrow afternoon on the tentless battle
Do plain below Triple Hill, and General
Dmond's beautiful trophy is presented to
The successful company commander.
=" While the judges have not volunteered
:. any information about the result, Captain
=: Cock is generally conceded to be the man.
;Certaln 1t is that Company B has main
tanned arare standard of military efficiency
=. during the week, and it is even more GER
:taig that this company has outdrilled
=: every other in the regiment this morning.
r.. The competition is now practically con-
=Uuded; although Lieutenants McIver and
HUXLEY and Captain Cunningham of the
Second will not cease their labor of general
Inspection until Immediately before the
hour for the presentation of the cup.
The most interesting and important
feature of the Dimond trophy contest was
the competitive drill in close order this
morning. At o'clock the assembly was
sounded and the companies proceeded
singly to the parade ground. During the
drill of one company the others with their
officers were required TO remain in the
company streets where it was not posi-
bic Tor them to acQDaint themselves with
the prepared programme of operations in
the school Of the company. AS each COM
pany arrived in turn before the Judges
station the commanding officer was handed
typewriter paper in which were emu
merated the various movements selected
from the drill regulations as best suited to
the test of efficiency.
The drill was then begun. and fifteen
minutes were allowed for the execution of
the movements. The three inspectors ac-
companied the drilling companies about
the fell and carefully noted the character
OF execution throughout. Generals Di-
mOnd, Allen and Dickinson were inter-
.ested spectators, and nearly all of the
officers at the encampment gathered about
the:judges' station. TIE operations Of the
companies were purely of tactical order
and. were embraced in the following pro-
gramme:
Dismiss the company and form it on the line
deslgnared by the judges; being In line to
march in column of fOurs 10 the front, left four
in front; being in column of fOurs on the march
direction, without haIting; being on the march
in column OF platOOns, TO reform company 10
the front ana halt; being in line at halt 10
form column OF platoOns TO the left and con-
tinue the march; being ia column of platoons
at halt, 10 march in line of platoons in col
umn of fours 10 the right; being in line at
halt. to form successfully column of fours
tWos and files and successfully twos and tours
and the company; being in line at a halt, TO
march in column Of tours and reform line on
the left; being in line at halt open ranks and
execute all movements OF manual of arms al
least once Except firing; execute stack
arms" both with bayonet and swivel; execute
frings at will standing, by square kneeling, by
company lying. Time for executing these
movements limited TO 15 minutes. Movements
TO be executed in most direct, i. e.: simplest
manner.
It would be difficult to enter completely
into the details of the drilling, and indi-
cate just wherein certain companies were
deficient in the close observance of the
drill regulations, and others were of a su-
perior order. From a general observa-
ton OF things, however, it was plainly
evident that Company B had the lead.
The company's execution of the move
ments was not perfect, by considerable,
but il was extremely crediiable and better
:: by far than that OF any of the other or
CARNATIONS. Company A did quite we'll
The manual was good, but in forming
Company from column OF platooDs Mar
shall made the formation by left oblque
movement, when right oblque should
have been the command. Company C
showed rather too many blank files. and G
-. was similarly deficient. In G the manual
was creditable. G formed nicely, the
manual was good, but the commands were
scarcely loud enough. Company d was
:. not up.to the standard. and f was retired
=. by Captain Mango before the finish. Com
.pany II was slightly unsteady, but the
notch to which the proficiency of Captain
Eisen's men has risen surprised General
:: Dickinson, if it did nothing else. The
general complimented this exhibition
highly. The cadets were stToug. but they
fell short of Captain Cooks lead.
Altogether the competition for General
DimonPs cup mas been thoroughly salts
factory. There have been occasional
rumOrs tc the effect that the cup contest
put damper on the camp by binding the
militiamen down to an unnecessarily strict
observance of the regulations which gov
'ern military eDcampments. True enough,
the men were bound. and generally of their
own accord to very complete compliance
with soldierly regulations. but therein lies
the secret of the success which has IN
duestionably made the outing of the First
Infantry the finest regimental gathering
!. of which the annals Of the California
:. National Guard bear record. The Dimond
: cup has served in powerful cooperation
with the officers of the First to the end that
: a purpose at once worthy and of rich inter-
est has been most successfully accom-
plshed.
;: Dress parade and review this afternoon
was witnessed bya larger crowd Of visitors
than on any previous occasion. Hundreds
: of carriages were on the field and specta-
tors were in the company streets by thou
sands. The ceremony was held without
departure from ordinary methods, unless
INCREASED attention and regularity of
j.. aligDments may have been considered
slightly out of the usual programme. The
men surpassed themselves in precision of
movement Every platoon front went by
:. the reviewing station in superb form. In
no single instance was the alignment
broken or even notceably ragged Com
:pany commanders saluted in fine con-
formity to military regulation. The step
was quick and swinging, and without
doubt no finer body of citizen soldiers ever
4rnd 70 vi of1car IN ha bfstorr