The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-15
IT WAS A CANARD.
TRIBUNE's STORY ABOUT TIE RE-
MOyAL OF THE SIXTEENTH.
The Regiment Will Probably Re-
main at Fort Douglas Another
Ycar-IntcrestinG News Items
From the Military City.

authoritative information had been re-
ceived from Washington. the report
coming simply from q gentleman in no
way connected with the war depart
ment. The message was sent UP TO the
post over the telephone by some IN
known person and was probably only
meant as a joke on the man receiving
/ it who is said to be expecting one of
a similar nature from the Washington
editor OF the largest military journal
in the United States
! 1t is not unlikely that the Sixteenth
/ infantry will remain another year at
Fort Douglas, though there are a great
many rumors in the air as to the
! locality of the new station. General
/ Penrose nor any of the officers of the
post have received any word from
Washington about move and it is
/ believed that the former Schedule has
been changed somewhat on account of
the annual appropriation for the move
ment of troops having been broken
J into and a large sum used for the
transfer of some of the troops to the
Jacksons Hole country.
a Practice March.
The First battalion of the Sixteenth
/ infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Coate'
column, is daily expecting 10 receive
the order for a two-hundred mile prac-
tice march to some point in Northern
Utah, which has not yet been decided
upon, but will, probably, be in the
direction of Cache county. The trip
Will be made in fifteen days and then
the second battalion will make the
same march, only it will camp in
another part of the territory. This is
the programme at present and ii Will
be carried out if the order for
change of stations is not received by
September /.
The Sixteenth infantry has a grand
record for rapid marching in time of
war as well as in time OF peace and
the records of the Rebellion tell
thrilling story of Valor and endurance
that has placed its name very high on
the roll of fame. Xenophon's march
of the ten thousand will probably
never be approached by any body of
troops in modern times, on account of
the extent, not to say the desperate
character of the undertaking, but some
of the campaigns of this regiment in
the Wilderness, while not so famous in
history, will, nevertheless, never be
forgotten by the American people.
The practice march is very neceS-
sary part of the practical education OF
the soldier and this one of 1895 may
Z
to some of the new men who have
lately entered the service, particularly
the return march, which, in compli-
ance with general order, Will be made
by forced marches, covering a distance
of one hundred miles, and is to be
conducted as if the troops were cam
paignnig in an enemy'S country. This
will mean a good deal of scouting, post
and picket duty and exceedingly weary
bones at night for the infantry sol
dierS. The general order for the prac-
tice march requires that every COM
pany, troop and battery in the army
not having been on active service dur
ing 1895 shall make the 200 mile march
before January l, 1896.
On this march there is to Zoe an ex-
pertinent with the kola nut by Iome
of the troops of the First battalion and
a great deal of interest is aroused by
the advocates of this wonderful food
substitute. kola nuts grow profusely
in the tropical parts of west Africa
and are cultured extensively In some
of the Central and South American
states. They are of the size of d
pigeons egg, of a brownish color
and bitter taste. When sucked or
chewed kola nuts are generally said to
render the flavor of even putrid water
agreeable. 1t is claimed that a body of
soldiers using this nut could, if COM
PEELED to do so, march a long distance
across a very hot and dry desert with
out water and arrive on the other
side in pretty good fighting shape. The
friends of the kola nut claim that the
Peruvian soldier can march all day
without food and but little water, car
rying a heavy roll not unlike the Mer-
Ram pack in use in the Seventh infan-
try, rife and one hundred rounds of
ammunition by eating from five to
seven fresh kola nuts. If this is true
of the South American soldier, it may
not, after a fair trial, prove very
difficult feat to his more energetic, if
less cigaretteic, North American
brother in arms. 1t seems the only
drawback to the successful trial of this
wonderful emergency ration" lies in
the difficulty of procuring it fresh
when it is most needed as the dry
nut does not possess the wonderfully
inVigorating qualities of the fresh pro-
duct. The experiment with the kola
nut made some months ago by DR.. |
Hamilton. of Chicago, and Lieutenant |
Byrne, of the Fifteenth infantry, on a /
tramp from Fort Sheridan, Ill, to Chi
cago, was eminently satisfactory to |
those gentlemen, and an interesting |
report was made upon the dry and |
fresh kola nut as used by them on !
their tw Ilty-four mile tramp. But it !
yer remains 10 be tried by q repreSen-
tative detail of soldiers on an actual |
heavy marching order campaign
like the one contemplated by
the Fort Douglas troops, before a cor
rect idea of its real benefits as food
substitute or emergency ration can be
The infantry soldiers chief burden
on campaign march, besides. the rife,
haversack. canteen, waist belt with
fifty rounds of ammunition, bayonet
and field knife, is the indispensable
knapsack, which, in addition to all
the other things carried, weighs in the
of fifty pounds The
knapsack alone, when packed accord
ing to regulations. weighs only about
twenty-one pounds. This includes the
straps, overcoat and cape, shelter half,
two wooden pins, a blanket, a change
of underclothing, one pair of campaign
shoes and a few other articles in the
pocket of the bag. Before the days
march is ended this pack seems to
weigh at least a hundred pounds In
the knapsack a designated list Of ar
ticles are required. and as the space is
none too large for the amount of stuff
to be carried, packing the knapsack
has come 10 be considered a fine art
in the Infantry, as has the preparation
of the saddle roll in the cavalry. Ser
seant Comerford, formerly of company
n, Sixteenth infantry. received the
first prize on competitive inspection
for the best packed knapSack in the