The evening times., 1895-11-22
.WIR DEPARTMENT PLlNS
Artillery Garrison to Be Estah-
Iished at Fort Hancock.
DESIGNATION OF PRISONERS
They Are Hereafter Not to He Called
Military COnvicts-Abandonm of
FOst StantOn-Tbe Army RatiOn.
Eight Boards Favor Baconand Hard
tack-FOod Tablets IA Failure.


an artillery garrison will probably be one
OF the immediate objects of ambition for
the War Department authorities. As long
ago as last May Gen. Miles recommended
that barracks and quarters should be con
strucied there for Il suitable garrison to
take care OF and man the high power gun
and mortar batteries. In his recent an
nual report he further suggests that de-
tails should be made from the various
artillery regiments, and especially or sub
alterns, for station at Fort Hancock or
else at Forts Hamilton and W wsds worth and
Governors Island, so that they can ..go
down every day to Fort Hancock and wit
Ness the testing OF the high power guns
and mDriars." In this way they would get
experience and knowledge not to he had
ut forts where no such ordnance is mount
ci.
The IDEA Is certainly a good one, es-
pecElly as the progress OF building EN- J.
placements for the modern guns is so slow.
III tue guns cannot go 10 the garrsons,
then let the garrisons, or deIachnents
from ih.iti. 60 10 the guns. 1t would GER
tainly seem praciicablc to have all the
artiilcrymcp i'll and pear New YORK harbor
drilled In turn with the guns Of Fort
Hancock, while Il Ike plan could bc ap-
piled 10 EostOn and Newport and alSo to
San Francisco. After time, when more
guns are III position, this sort OF Journey
ing may be less necessary. Another good
suggestion of Gen. Miles is thai during the
summer the cadets at West Point should
nave a fortIghts experience with these
guns andsmortars ar Sandy Hook.
POSSIBLE INDIAN RAIDS.
The abandonment of Fort Station is
tYkpp nrdi nv I1n
OF New Mexico. 1t is always a question
however, in giving up an old post, whether
possible raids of Indans shall count for
more' than the advantages OF concentra-
ton. The result is not TO be decided on
general principles, but strictly according
TO the particular case.
Little more has yet been heard from the
two doctors at jefferson BARRACKS, Mai.
X. ii. White and Capt. c. B. Ewing, who
administered epjstolary Il oses to each
other, first i'll Endorsement on official pa
pers and then in chargesand countercharges.
The case, no doubt, VIII duly be heard from
again.
The substitution of the words. general
prisoners" for the former phrase, mill
tary conviCts," il another result of tie
LcayenwOrth transfer. 1t is certainly not
desirable to honor such offenders with the
name, military" when their sentences
Those not designated as general prisoners
are known as garrison prisoners, and all
who have less than SIX months to serve are
To De confined al the post. where they are
tried; hut If more than six months, then
at one of the regular posts named for pris-
oners, or else at a civil renitentiary. There
IL an approximate number prescribed for
the prisoners that may be confined at the
desig mated posts.
Cuderthe e cwrules a prisoner ha the regu-
lar army ration. a nd ma y get a reduction of |
his term for good conduct. while at discharge
he is to have a serviceable suit Of clothing
with no prison marks. They are 10 per-
form the scavenger duties a posts. The al
iowance is once month for writing to
friends. but in urgent cases they may do so |
oftener than that.
a delay in the issue of the magazine rifles |
% the cavalry is occasicned by the conclu- |
sion 10 wait until enough have been manu- |
factured to arm all the regiments: but this |
Will ouly be an affair Of few months.
DETAILS OF OFFICERS
There may be another effort in Congress |
his year TO increase the number of details OF |
,fficers to serve as military instructors. |
The statistics of the year show the great |
popularity of this systcm. There were last |
no fewer thar 104 schools and coll /
eyes at which military ryinstruction wa given |
~ army Officers. and they had ,5iS pu-
lils. That was an increa Sc OF nearly 1000 |
n single year. \ like proof OF popularity /
5 given by the fact that the avera ge of pupils |
eceiving military instruction was "a per /
,oliege four years ago, and 50 in 1895.
This last gainis the more gratifying beca use
sometimes raisedas IL whether
here are enough pupils at given institu-
ions to justify taking up all the time of an
'fficcr whose pay comes from the govern
nent. Perhaps on this point there may
ONE day be definite rules.
The Secretary of War recently ordered
q investigation tn determine whether the
egular army ration might not be reduced
u bulk and weight without impairing its
The problem of supplying
'ood and forage to the United States army
: much more serious than in the armies of
Europe, which are maintained in tbickly-
ettled communities, and even when en-
aged in hOstilities are within reach nf
larkcts aud cultivated farms. The Ger
nan army, for example, when moving in
mail bodies, always purchases supplies
n the march as wanted. The same is true
Il the French, Russian, Austrian and other
European armies. but at the same time the
Oldiers usually have in their knapsacks
that is called an emergency ration,
enerally sausa ge or preserved meat of some
ind. The soldiers of the japanese army
q the late war With China carried an emer-
ency ration of rice in little tin case
trapped to the top of their knapSacks.
'hese cases, being covered with leather
nd of the shape of opera glasses, gave rise
D the story that was printed all over the
7orld that every soldier in the Japanese
rmy was furnished with Il field glass.
The United States army, when in mo-
on in the West, always has to be at
,Dded by long, heavy trains, ladened with ]