The San Francisco call., 1898-05-02
RECRUITING
 OFFICERS
 ARE BUSY Active Work Done to Keep Up the Or
 ganizatiOn. Horses to Be Bought Un- der the Emergency
 Clause. Captain Dodge Was Anxious :s to Get With His Regi- nent. RELINQUISHED A LEAVE.
RELINQUISHED A LEAVE.
Mastering of the Volunteers Win Begin To- Day and Be Actively
 Continued.

The recruiting officer at the Presidio Is kept very busy these days enliSting re- cruits for the organizations stationed al that post. The cavalry troops will be increased from sixty-five to 100 men anG the heavy batteries of artillery to 200 men
 The increase of the number of enlisted men in the troops of cavalry will cause a corresponding increase in the number of cavalry horses, which will be purchased probably under emergency by the quar- termaster's department. Heretofore il has been necessary to advertise for thirty days and award the contract to the lowest bidder; but under the present emergency army officers are of the opinion that this formality will be dispensed with and that the troopers will be immediately provided with mounts.
 The four batteries of heavy artillery are in permanent camp at Fort Point, Colonel Marcus P. Miller commanding. The col onel will also make Ais headquarters at the fortifcattons
 Small detachments of artillery were left behind at Angel Island and Fort Mason, but it is generally believed by those in positions to know that as soon as the - volunteer artillery is raised one battery will take station at Fort Mason and one at Angel Island, relieving the few reg ularS now there, who are looking after 
 Captain Charles Dodge, Twenty-fourth Infantry, United States army, who has been spending two months leave in Japan, was a visitor at the Presidio yes terday afternoon. Captain Dodge arrived on the. Gaelic Saturday afternoon, and knew nothing of the war between the United States and Spain until his arrival in San. Francisco. lie immediately tele- graphed the adjutant-general of the army Surrendering the balance of his uneXpired Sk n he iu1T ari is3t ly to join his regiment, which is at present in Tampa: Under telegraphic Instructions received yesterday from Washington, the captain will start this morning for the South.
 Captain Frank de L. Darlington and . First Lieuptenant Sidney A. Cloman, United States army, will commence to-day to muster the members of the National Guard into the volunteer service of the United States. If a sufficient number can not be recruited from this source to fill the quota of California they will have opportunity to select the balance from the hundreds who have signitied their will Hngness to enlist. Members of the Ma tional Guard, however, will be given the preference.
 As soon as the number called for by the President has been enrolled, the Cali fornia Volunteers will be turned over to General H. c. Merriam, United States army, commanding the Departments of Columbia and California. who will or ganize the volunteers, and who will see that the California State troops are prop erlT equipped with the necessary clOtl- ing and equipagC. ordnance, stores, etc., will deYolXe upon the War Department to will develop upon the War Department to 7 move the troops where most needed. Should it be deemed necessary to retain the California Volunteers on the Pacific Coast, General Merriam will designate th6fr stations h the latter case, 1t is most likely they will be distributed at the various posts in the harbor from which the regular artillery troops have been ordered away for concentration in camp tsx.,. -s4I volunteer artillery they will garrison Fort Mason and Angel Island. Six or eight companies: wiI, no doubt, be ordered to the Presidio, thus relieving the four troops of cavalry at that place, so that in case of emergency the mounted regu- lars may either go South or where. in the discretion of the commanding general, their. services are required.
 In addition to the organization of the California Volunteers, General Merriam has also been designated by the Secretary of War to organize the volunteers of Oregon and Washington
 If the. policy of retaining volunteers to guard the Pacific Coast is carried out, g portion of the Washington troops will garrison Vancouver Barracks, Wash, twelve miles from Portland, Or, which at present is almost deserted on account of the withdrawal of the Fourteenth 1n- fantry from that post and sending It to Alaska for duty. Forts Canby and Stew ems. two posts at the mouth of the Col umbia River, will, no doubt, be garri- soned by Oregon troops. The remainder of the Pacific Coast volunteers will be ordered where needed.
 The following significant order has been received at the navy-yard from the chief of the Bureau of Navigation, and as a result the naval recruiting officers are having their hands full The clause re- ferring to present crews of purchased yes sels is of particular interest just now, and may have the effect of keeping with the new boats many of the men who have been with them so long.
 The enlistment of engineers as chief machinists' Is causing considerable dis licenses all marine engineers and they hold a certain rank by virtue of their pa pers. They claim to class them as any, thing" lower than engineers or assistant ! engineers is to degrade them, and so there l may not be so many on the machlniSts | list as may be upon the others. The 1 order Is as follows:
 WASHINGTON, D C., April 1S. 1898. To Navy Yard. Mare Island, Cal: Enlist for [ all purchased vessels fitted out at Mare Island ! sufficient men to efficiently. Report to 1 bureau by mail complenlents assigned En- ] lstments may be made for year, unless l sooner discharged, indorsing on enlistment | records that department will grant discharge | before expiration of enlistment If requested and ] exigencies of the service permit. Enlist old | crews of purchased vessels if willing, in rat ! neer officers may be enlisted as thief machln- f ists if qualified Regulations temporarily modi- fled accordingly. Deck officers enlisting as saamen will. If recommended by you, be innrne- diately appointed mates. Statutes require that latter must enlist for two years
 CRoWNINSHIELD.
 
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