The San Francisco call., 1898-09-04
BY PRIVATE FRED A. HEALY.

Special Correspondence of The Call.
 CAMP DEWEY, July 25.-The rain is falling in large drops with a monotony that makes the last two days seem like two weeks to the thou sands of soldiers lying within the nar- row confines of their shelter tents and impatiently awaitin~ the order to ad- vance against the walls of Manilas about three miles distant Over across the stretch of water that separates us from Cavite comes the deep -mouthed rumble of guns speaking a welcome to the Newport, which has just arrived with General Merritt aboard. It is welcome sound to the boys in camp. It not only tells them of mail and new comradeship, but it says, Merritt has come and now on to Manila" It is now two weeks since the first detachment of troops broke garrison in Cayite and came across to this place, receiving ad- ditions from day to day both from the first and second expeditions. until now all the troops, with the exception of the Cregonians and few regulars, have come over, forming in the aggregate a camp containing over 5000 troops, among which are the tight guns of the Utah Light Battery.
 The camp was pitched in what was originally an open field devoted to some sort of native agricultural use. It is beautiful spot, running in an ob- long direction from north to south, covered with velvety carpet of tender green grass and entirely sur rounded by a belt of luXuriant tropical foliage. From Cavite it is about five or six miles by water across the bay in a northeaSterly direction. The dis tance is about doubled if one travels by land. From the beaci-, which is only a couple of hundred yards from the tents. one can plainly see the American fleet riding watchfully at anchor to the southWard, the towers, steepleS and domeS of Manila rising out of the hu- mid atmosphere to the north, while through the stormy miStS of continual rainstorms the representatives of the foreign powers can be seen watching grimly from their moorings, well out to the eastward, the outcome of the oper- ations, which commenced with the de- struction of a fleet and which may end in the extinction of dynasty.
 When one approaches the camp from the water and travels he first crosses a narrow strip of sandy beach, then crossing a belt of trees through which are thickly scattered bamboo huts of the native farmers, emerges on an open field dotted all over with little white shelter tents, running in straight, reg ular rows of company streets from east to west. with Colonel Smiths head quarters, f1anked by the officers tents on their eastern end and the cooks and their ovens standine-between them and the row of trees, which shade the road running toward Manila on their west ern flank.
 No matter what time of the day one should select for the visit the place will present most animated appear ance. Every one is always busy. from the careful nurse tending the sick in the hospital tents back of headquarters to the careless dog robber," carrying a bucket of water for the officers from the well just across the road from the guard tent and the cook tents. Thro igh the long line of streets can be seen men in all stages of earnestness en- gagged in every conceivable occupation under the sun. There will be seen sol diers working, soldiers playing, sol d.ers cooking. washing. writing. read in~. sewing, drilling and sleeping, and a few poor unfortunates who have been unlucky enough to get caught in some transgression asainst military discip- line doing penence for their misdeeds under the watchfm yves of an armed guard.
 Are the boys comfortable and well? We'll they did not come to war expect ing to find Palace Hotel at every picket line and Waldorf at each out post. Possibly comfort here does not imply every luxury and convenience generally considered an indispensable part of a Pacific avenue home. nor would a comparison between Camp Dewey and Del Monte cause the sum- mer visitors at the latter place to fall over one another in their haste to change quarters. Yet, when one re- members that we are an army en- camped at the front only two miles or so from the enemy's outposts and in a climate which at this season of the year. Is probably among the most dis agreeable in the world, the comfort is far more than one would have be- liauod poceih1o r,pdor tho ovict{,o oor