The San Francisco call., 1898-05-19
~ URROUNDED by the smoke of > her guns, and followed by the
 cheers of the hundreds of work

~ URROONDEO py the SLlohc ol
 her guns, and followed by the
 cheers of the hundreds of work A\ men of the navy yard. the
 Charleston steamed away from Mare Island yesterday afternoon on her mission of reace and war.
 As she swung into the stream the men gathered along the quay, and cheer after cheer was sent up for the ship and her errand. The band played the Star Spanrled Banner" and the peo- pie of Vallejo gathered on the wharves to wish her good-by. Steaming down past the Independence where flies the fag of Admiral Kirkland, her men were called to quarters, and her guns belch- ed forth a salute of thirteen, and the Independence answered with eleven for Captain Glass is entitled to at least that. There was plenty of smoke and plenty of noise and men cheered and bugles blew their prettiest, but 1t was now different from the ordinary going away, for the Charleston is in her war paint, and her journey to the Pacific Islands is not merely for the purpose of bringing stores to Deweys fleet. She carries shot and shell as we'll as blank charges, enough and to spare for her self and all of Dewey's vessels; she has compasses and ship stores; commissary stores, paymaster's stores and coal piled high in her bunkers. She is far be- low the draft that was intended for her when she was built, but if she makes the speed her officers hope she will float light as duck by the time she gets to Manila. She will empty her bunkers nearly before she gets to Honolulu, and there she will coal again; that will take her to the Philippines.
 She headed for Red Rock as soon as she strengthened out into the channel after leaving the yards, and arriving there she swung around between the rock and Angel Island until her com passes had been corrected and the er- TOTS recorded. Then she went to the stream off Angel Island and anchored. She was down by the head, and a good part of the night was spent in trimming cargo. Besides there was gale blowing outside during the early part of the evening and Captain Glass did not like to take the ship out while the sea was high and she was drawing so much water. She will be away this morning, however, and within six days, if Captain Glass has prophesied correctly, she will have reached the Hawaiian Isles. It will take her at least two days to coal, if not more, and then away for the Philippines. She expects to be with Dewey within thirty days.
 The Charleston is ready to fight un- til she sinks She has been out of con- mission for several months and has been put in thorough repair. She is not heavy vessel her tonnage being but 3700, but she carries a battery sim liar to that of the Boston-six six inch guns on her broadsfde batteries and an eight-inch in bow and stern capable of train to either side or dead ahead. On her trial trip she made over eighteen knots, and she carries a crew Of nearly 800 men. She is a protected" cruiser of the second class, and she is able to give an account of herself wherever she goes. Should she get into fight in the Philippines she will be the second of the Californian built ships to strike a blow for the flag.
 The Charleston's officers are: Captain Henry Glass, commanding; Lieutenant Gottfried Blocklinger, executive officer; Lieutenant William Braunersreuther, navigator; Lieutenants Frank M Bost- wick, George R. Slocum, Robert E. Coontz; Ensigns William A Moffett and Waldo Evans, watch officers; sur geon, Henry T. Percy; passed assistant surgeon, Ammen Farenholt; paymaster James s. Phillips; chief engineer, Rob- ert W. Gait; passed assistant engineer J. $. McKean; assistant engineers, A. w. Marshall, c. E. Leiper and J. P. Henry; boatswain, D. Glynn; gunner A. A. Phelps; carpenter, J. H. Hill; pay clerk, F. M. Phillips.
 Officers of every grade from major general down to additional second lieu tenant were at the Phelan building yesterday morning ready to lend as- sistance in the organization of the Manila expedition. All the officers were busy, but General Otis carried the greatest pressure of steam.
 While neither General Otis nor Gen eral Merriam could spare the time for newspaper interviews 1t was ascer- tained that the Fourteenth United States Infantry and the First Regi- 1nent of California United States Vol unteers have been ordered to embark