The San Francisco call., 1895-12-23
Board Of Experts Highly Com
mend the Dynamite
Battery.
1T rs A NEW FORCE IN WAR.
Cruisers Can Coal at Honolulu and
on the Gulf of California-The
Philadelphia.

The board of experts appointed to test
the dynamite guns for the defense of Sa.
Francisco has telegraphed to Genera
Flagler, chief of ordnance, that the bat
terry has more than fulfilled all require
ments.
Special mention is made of the test with
500 poun ds Of dynamite, setting forth tha
the projectiie was thrown across the chan
mel into the side of the mountain, where il
exploded, rending the rocks and making &
great hole in the earth.
Men who have studied the force and eff
feet of dynamite as an explosive agency
and noted the accuracy with which these
guns charged with compressed air throw
the projectiles for distanc of two miles
incline 10 the belief that revolution in
ordnance has been produced The greatest
battle-ships can no m ore resist these pro-
lectlleS than old wooden ships can stand
against the modern ironclads.
The havoc which would be wrought by
the explosion of 800 pounds of dynamite
against the hull or deck of battle-ship
can hardly be described. 1t is new force
in the calculations of war, and naval Off
GERS do not understand it's power. In
order to handle the new dynamite battery
men of Colonel Graham's Fifth Artillery
will be drilled at the guns, and made ia
mlllar with the requirements of this
branch of the service.
Representative Sherman of New York
has introduced a bill in Congress to reor-
ganize the infantry regiments of the
United States army. The bill proposes
that there shall be twenty-five regiments
of infantry. Each regiment shall consist
OF twelve companies. In time of war the
maximum OF a company is 162 privates
and non-commissioned officers. This gives
a war strength of regular infantry, in
cluding commissioned officers, OF $4,000
men.
Should the infantry companies in and
about San Francisco be recruited up to 162
men each, the strength would be 1920 men.
Assuming that the cavalry and artillery
companies respectively should be in
creased to this numerical strength their
aggregate would be 21O6.
At the Presidio, Fort Mason, Angel
Island, Alcatraz and Benicia there are
now stationed companies B, G, I and K. of
the Fourth Cavalry; batteries A, C, D, E,
+, ID, |, * and l., of the Fifth ARTILLERY
and companies A, B, c, D, Z, F, G.. | and
k, of the First Infantry. Company II of
this regiment is sta toned at San Diego
First Lieutenant Robert H. Noble OF the
First Infantry has been granted leave of
a absenle.
Following is the detail of officers for
court-martial duty at Angel Island:
Captain John J. OConnell, First Infantry !;
Captain Marion P. Maus, First Infantry; First
Lieutenant Louis ?. Brant, adjutant First In
fantry; First Lieutenant Charles E. B. Flagp
assistant surgeon First Lieutenant George A.
Detchmendy, First Infantry; Second Lieuten-
ant Frank A. Wilcox, First Infantry: Second
Second Lieutenant Dana W. Kilburn. First
Infantry; Second Lieutenant Sydney A. Clo-
man, First Infantry, judge advocate.
Stealing blanket is regarded in the
army as an offense almost as reprehensible
as stealing horse on the frontier. A SOL
dler of Company d, First Infantry, re-
Gently stole blanket and made a false
statement concerning the same to his
commander. He was found
guilty and sentenced to be dishonorablv
discharged, to forfeit all pay due or that
may become due and to be confined at
hard labor for six months.
The Philadelphia came into port last
Saturday, after season of cruising and
target practice. The Baltimore will reach
San Francisco probably before the first of
the year. The battle-ship Oregon, the
Monterey, Monadnock and the cruisers
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston con-
stltute quite an effective fleet. Officers
who have served on the Monterey speak
highly OF her fighting capacity She is
regarded as an equal match for battle
ship. The Monadnock is not quite so for.
midable as the Monterey, but belongs to
the same class Of fighters.
Ihe Philadelphia is accounted q good
cruiser. She made an excellent run from
New York to the Hawaiian Islands. She
steamed from Callao, Peru, to Honolulu
without coaling
The United States has a supply of coal