The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-26
TROOPS MOVING AT TAMPA.
SITE OF THE CAMP MAY BE CHANG
ED TO PICNIC ISLAND.

Several Batteries of Artillery Ex-
Pected From ChicI<amauga-The
soldiers Standing the Warm
weather Well and No sickness In
the Camp-Ladies Send Flowers to
Deck the Grave of a soldier Re-
ported 10 Have Died-ohicers In
spect Plant Ships.
Tampa. Fla. April accompany F of
the Fifth regiment was moved to-day from
the camp of the Tampa division of the
army on Tampa heights TO Picnic Island.
a pretty resort within a mile of the steam
ship landing at Port Tampa. Tomorrow
the other three companies of the Fifth In
fantry will move to Picnic Island. and if
this regiment finds the place suitable for
camp ground the entire camp may be
moved.
The main object in moving the camp is
to concentrate the troops as close TO the
steamship landing as a good location can
be found.
Another reason for sending the company
to Picnic Island in advance of the main
body of troops is that large quantities of
ammunition for Capt. SIMPSONS squadron
have begun to arrive at Port Tampa. and
is being stored on Picnic Island awaiting
the arrival Of dispatch boats TO carry it to
the fleet. The company will furnish a de-
tail to guard the ammunition until the
vessel arrives.
There was a rumor current to-day to the
effect that private OF the Sixth Infan-
try had been overcome by the heat on
Sunday and died during the night Some
sympathetic ladies sent a large number
of beautiful flowers to regimental head
quarters with request that they be plac-
ed on the grave Of the brave soldier who
had died while en- route to Cuba. DAigent
inquiry failed to discover the fact that
any one was dead. and Col Cochran dis
tributed the flowers among the officers at
headquarters. 1t developed that an under
takers wagon had been seen driving
through corner of the camp going after
the body of a dead negro and the rumor
was started that a soldier was dead. Far
from being dead, nearly every one in camp
is enjoying the best health possible, and
especially the officers and men of the
Sixth and Seventeenth regiments, which
have the best locations in the camp 1t is
natural that these two regiments should
have the best of everything for the COM
mander of each Is the commander of a
brigade.
Col. Poland of the Seventeenth Infan-
try, commander of the First Brigade, and
Col. Cochran of the Sixth, commander of
the Second Brigade, inspected their re-
spective brigades to-day. Nearly the en-
tire morning was spent in drilling the va
rious companies, battalions and regiments.
The men are fast becoming accustomed
to the hot weather that Florida Is now
having. They think that if they can stand
the Florida weather, they will have no
trouble in pulling through in Cuba. The
camp lines will be contracted in day or
two so that each regiment will only occu-
Ply the regulation space allotted. This will
not give the men as much as they have
had, but they will become accustomed to
the regulation space and will not mind be-
ing crowded when it becomes necessary.
Several regiments of artillery are ex-
pected to arrive here shortly from Chick
amauga and will go into camp close to the
infantry. No important orders have been
received from the army headquarters and
none have been issued by Gen. Wade. The
general headquarters are still in the Tampa
Bay Hotel. Arrangements are now being
made for a number of newspaper CORE
spondents TO accompany the Tampa divis-
ion to Cuba when the army moves.
The officers of the post were very busy
on important matters and a number of
them went 10 Port Tampa, where they
spent the day in consultation with Presi-
dent II. b. Plant, Vice President F. ..
Brown, and Capt. James w. Fitzgerald,
the superintenden of the Plant steamship
line.
This consultation was mainly over the
transportation of troops from this city to
Key West and Havana. The officers made
close inquiries regarding the capacity of
the various boats of the fleet, and as to
what accommodations they offered to the
men while en- route. The boats were meas
ured and everything was gone over in de-
tail, Superintendent Fitzgerald doing
! all in his power TO make matters clear to
| the officers.