The San Francisco call., 1898-06-19

forming a sling, a contrivance. made for the purpose. The carriage consists of a cradle supported by tripod Into this cradle the gun Is set. The cradle is fitted with spring clamps; Tn mount ing gun all that Is required is to set up the tripod, drop the gun into the cradle and the clamps hold it in posi- t1on by automatic action. Two minutes IS required to unsling, mount and load, and two minutes to return the gun to the mules back. When the battery is moving on level ground the guns are placed on their carriages and drawn by mules hitched tandem, but over mountain trails the guns are taken apart The gun proper is carried in sling between two mules pack-Sad- dled, while it's complement of wheels. ammunition boxes, etc., is distributed among the beasts of burden.
 The officers in charge of the Astor Battery are: First lieutenant, Peyton c. March. late of the Fifth Artillery, in command. Lieutenant March is warm personal friend of MT. Astor's and it was at his solicitation Lieuten- ant March was put in command. Sec ond Lieutenant Koehler and Second Lieutenant Williams, late of the Sixth Artillery, junior officers. Among the on-commissioned officers are: Ser geant CrimminS, late of the Fifth Ar tillery, U. s. A; Sergeant Burton
 
 the British army in India and Africa: Sergeant Young, member of the fam ous Young family of Salt Lake City and identified with the Mormon settle ment of Utah. Sergeant Sillman, of late a commander of a battalion sta- toned at Detroit, Mich. All commits stoned and on-commissioned officers are mounted.
 Among the supplies which arrived last week were 120 red flannel blankets of fine quality for the horses; also long | brush hooks and axes for clearing the way when the battery operates in a wooded country.
 Lieutenant March has reported to | Washington that, except for some un- | foreSeen delay in the arrival of sup plies, his battery will be ready to move Wednesday, June 8. The shell boxes, | immediately upon arrival, were sent to the Government magazine at Fort | Wadsworth for loading with ammuni- | tion, and they will be shipped probably directly to the Presidio at San Fran | cisco.
 Mir. Astor has made arrangements for | a special train to convey the troops. It | is to be made up of sleepers and bag gage cars Each man has been given a brierwood pipe and pouch of tobacco. Lieutenant March has orders from Mir | Astor to keep the boys well supplied | with tobacco until they sail from the l Golden Gate.
 The men are most impatient to be off | and hail with delight each new delivery of equipment They are being housed | in one of MT. Astor's buildings on l Broadway, just above Spring street. and though the lower windows are whitewashed, hiding from public gaze the rows of neatly made cots and mess tables in the upper story the men sit watching Broadway and its traffic. An American flag has been pasted upon one of the large windows. The groups of civilian-clad young fellows have created general comment and the start ing day promises to be an event in New York life heralded with enthuSias- tic crowds wishing them godspeed.
 
 According to the best authorities less than one thousand -millionth part of the suns rays reaches the earth. It Is fortu- nate that this is so, as any considerable concentration of the rays upon our planet would speedily destroy 1t. According to the same account if all of the ice at the north pole were so pied that the heat of the sun could be focused on t. it would dissolve At the rate of 300 900 900 miles of solid Ice per second The heat Is esti- mated to generate energy at the rate of 10000 horsepower to every square foot of space The beginning of the radiation of thing like 10000 900 years. Like every thing else it had it's start and must have it's finish It may continue for 15 900 900 or POL 900 years longer, but there is limit and it must be reached. One cannot but wonder at the condition of the uni verse at that time and what will come -aftsE.EiNeW Y2rk .lAsager