The San Francisco call., 1898-08-23
HEARTY GREETING TO
 MERRITT AND GREENE
 AT CAVITE ARSENAL
Gun Crew of the Fighting Olympia the First to Cheer tbe New Governor of the
 Philippines.

concerning the fate of the balance of the ships until it became known that the second expedition had come as kind of go as you please affair, the China reaching port first because Of superior speed. This morning the Zea- landia, Colon and Senator, escorted by the Boston, which met them at Cape Angana, came in and then 1t was the
 delay to the Monterey cast gloom over
 the camp.
 The boys on board the ships were in good health for the most part, although there had been four deaths on the fleet en route. Lieutenant LaZelle of the Eighteenth Infantry died July 12 from
 measles, two days after leaving Homo
 lulu. He had been ill all the way out
 and when he contracted measles did not
 have sufficient strength to rally. The body was embalmed and buried this afternoon at San Roque-the first American soldier to rest in the soil of
 LuZon. He had been on board the Colon.
 Wilcox Wise, member of the band of the Nebraska volunteers, died on the China July 5. Private Elmer B. Mat toX of the Eighteenth died on the Colon
 July g, and there was another death,
 that of private, G. L. Geddis of Com pany C, Nebraska, on the Senator. All
 these were buried at sea.
 But if the fleet did not include the Monterey, there was on board the China
 what, to the soldier boys, was infinitely better than a score of monitors. There was mail from home! Every boy in camp had a letter from some one who loved him, and it is pleasant, 5000 miles from home, to feel you are not forgot ten. There was something, also, not quite so dear perhaps as a letter from
 home, something putting the lads in
 touch with the world they had left be-
 hind them Here The Call scored If you had known how the First Califor- mia and the Second Oregon would have rushed for these papers, how they would almost have mobbed me in good natured scramble for the news as I
 made my way with an orderly through
 the mems quarters, how the officers themselves would have reached out
 eagerly for news, you would have sent
 me ten times as many papers as you did for distribution. The Call was the first San Francisco newspaper in camp. The Call reaches one-tnird of the way around the world to score against its rivals.
 The China brought down, besides the
 mail, postmaster and two clerks, who will follow the army. You know all
 that, naturally, better than we do-
 What you do not and cannot know is the great boon this will confer upon the boys who are fighting for their coun- try so far from home.
 Inere mas been more Hcdfy IiiHS from out Manila way this morning, as there is every Sunday, but do not think it portends anything further than you have already learned from my cables. At all events, will go to the front tomorrow and see whether Malate has fallen into insurgent hands. l have notion. by the way, that we will all
 go to the front before many days When we do the doom of Spain will be written.
 The disembarkation of the troops will
 be commenced tomorrow. Where they will be quartered is as yet an open question, but most of them will prob- ably go into the quarters lately vacated by the Spanish prisoners, and the bal ance in the town of Cavite. General Anderson, who yesterday made per-
 sonal reconnaissance Of Mai1Don, mas not yet given orders for the placing of the soldiers. but will do so the first thing tomorrow morning.
 The officers who came on the China complain most bitterly of the treatment received at the hands of the Pacific Mail officials-and as for the soldiers brought through the tropics like Chi
 nese coolies in the hold of the big
 steamer, their curses are loud and deep. Lieutenant Schwerin wanted to collect B 50 a day for table board. to begin with, although he abated the price to $1 50 upon being pressed Then the ice machine broke down. and so of | ficers and men drank warm water for
 most of the voyage-and complained
 so much of the excessive rate for
 board General Greene was compelled to 1 call board of inquiry at last to in- i vestigate the matter. The board de-
 cided in favor of the S1 50 rate. not | wishing to hold the ships officers re- sponsible for Lieutenant SchWerin's s