San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-07-04
THE Interstate. DRILL.
Camp Has Been Laid
Out Complete.
MAYOR CALLAGHAN PAID AN
OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE
GROUNDS.
Work Of Tent Pitching Will Begin
This Week In Order To Have
Them Ready-EnthuSiaSm
On The Increase.
The Grounds,

Mayor Callaghan visited the drill
grounds yesterday with his heads of
departments and made estimates on
necessary repairs for Garden street
and the Conception road. He is go
ing to put eighty or 100 men to work
Monday, mostly city prisoners and will
leave no effort untried to perfect the
approaches to the grounds. The pub
lie has been confident ali along that
His Honor would act in time to ena-
BILE the city to reap the inestimable adj
vantage of good reputation in the es-
TEEN of our thousands of visitors.
Whatever he undertakes will be well
done and the city is to be congratulate
ed on the coincidence Of a great OPP
portunity and a mayor equal to the
emergency.
Before Gen. Mabry returned to Aus
tin yesterday, he had carefully drawn
plat of the fair grounds made for the
purpose of enabling him to locate the
troops in regular order. The map
shows space allotted to 600 sleeping
tents, sixty cooking tents and about
the same number of mess tents or pa
vilions in which the meals will be
served to the different companies.
Arrangements were perfected with the
officers at Fort Sam Houston for the
assistance of a corps of expert men to
pitch tents, which in itself is no small
job. 1t is estiboted by Lieutenant
Jenkins, that it will require a corps
of twenty men for at least ten days
to arrange the camp and pitch all the
tents, for the Texas troops alone. OF
course the regulars will attend to their
own camp as it suits them, and the
visiting companies will be allowed to
arrange their camping facilities to sun
themselves so far as it is practicable.
II is not known Just how many Of tie
Interstate drill companies Will desire
to conduct their own mess, but ample
facilities will be arranged for furnish
ing meals to all visiting soldiers who
may desire to avail themselves Of the
opportunity.
The camp as planned will extend
from the foot of the slope just east
of the old machinery hall, in which the
restaurant will be placed, entirely
around the fair grounds, embracing
all the timbered portion thereof and
extending through the southwest gate
into the heavy timber of Riverside
park. The most of the camp will be
beautifully shaded by immense pecan
trees and a large growth of oak and
mesquite, and for the accommodation
of the visiting troops, large platforms
have been erected at convenient pla-
ces where the river is quite deep and
where the troops can avail themselves
of the refreshment offered by river
baths.
Advices received by Manager Irvine
from the railways indicate that large
attendance may be expected from
Kansas City and all the different cit
les from which competing companies
come. The extremely low rate of
ten dollars for the round trip being
available to the public, through the
special arrangements made by the
MANAGEMENT, there can be little doubt
that more than has been expected will
be realized from this event in the way
of advertising the resources of South
west Texas. The observation of this
section of country by 500 representa-
tive citizens of Missouri, Iowa, Mime
sofa and Nebraska, cannot but be OF
inestimable value, and while this con-
tingency was not contemplated as
possibility in the start, 1t has developed
as one of the most natural results of
the magnitude which the drill has as
sumed. 1t is attracting attention all
lover the north, and the daily papers OF
the National CaDitol. st. Louis, st.
Paul, Minneapolis, Omaha, Des Moines
Kansas City and a dozen other cities,
are not only noticing the event, but are
commenting in the most favorable way
upon the enterprise manifested by the
citizens of this distant city in inaugu-
rating such an event as this. This can
not help but be of benefit and will be
| felt for all time to come IN hundred
ways which it is now even impossible
to predict.
} In addition to the attention which
the drill is attracting in the north,
the state of Texas may be said to be
| fairly alive with drill enthusiasm.
Every postoffice, hotel and prominent
public place, in every town, city or
hamlet is supplied with the magnifi-
cent advertising matter which the as
ISOLATION has provided. Its artistic
perfection and attractive design will
create interest in every observer, and
no event which has transpired in the
south. has attracted such universal at
tention in the last ten years.
The arrangements for caring for the
multitude of visitors, are progressing
satisfactorily, and the management