The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-26
FOR SPECIAL SERVICE
INDIANA WILL FURNISH A CONsID-
ERABLE NUMBER OF MEN.
She VIII Have Signal, Engineering
and Hospital COrps-Good Chance
for COIOred Soldiers.

representative
Governor Mount since the first call for vol
unteers, returned here yesterday with valu-
able information concerning the signal, en-
cheering and hospital corps. and the new
call for $4,000 volunteers. Finding Governor
Mount was at Winona, Major Harrison pro-
ceeded to Terre Haute to make final ar
rangemeuts for leaving for the front When
here yesterday morning Major Harrison had
not been informed of his assignment as in
spector general to the staff of Major Gen
eral Fitzhugh Lee at Tampa
TECHNICAL ARMS OF SERVICE.
Major Harrison was prepared to report to
Governor Mount that an order was made
Monday for Indiana to furnish one company
of engineers with captain, two ieuten-
ants and one hundred men, beside which
promise to call on the State for a COM
pany of ffty-flve men and an equal number
of officers for the signal corps had been OBJ
tanned. In addition an order has been made
by which Indiana will be allowed to furnish
seventy men for the hospital corps, fif-
teen men for each of the four regiments
and five men for each of the two batteries.
The hospital men, however, will not be in
a separate organization, but will have to
enlist in the regular United States service
as privates in the hospital corps, on the
understanding that they are to be assigned
to the various regiments and batteries for
three years, but be discharged when their
regiments are. The pay Of privates in the
hospital service is higher than that of or
binary privates. They will not be subject
to field duty; hence their duties will be
lighter. Then there will be abundant chance
for promotion. The men of the hospital
corps will be under the command of the
surgeon general and stewards. Men are
wanted for this service who have had some
knowledge of nursing the sick or who have
knowledge of compromising prescriptions
through their duties as drug clerks. Those
who have had experience with fever cases
are particularly wanted Major Harrison,
in urging the appointment of men for the
hospital service, emphasized the fact that 1t
las been asserted fever will be much in evil
dence. and he urged that unusual efforts
should be made to combat it, Applications
have been made to the Governor for assign
ment to the hospital service by hundreds of
young men who have just left the colleges.
The idea will be to get them all together
for enlistment and then have them at once
assigned to the various regiments and sent
forward. In all cases Major Harrison will
urge that applicants from all parts Of the
State be appointed, not only in the hospital
service, but also in the selection OF COM
panies for the signal and engineering corps.
The orders of the War Department for
service in these various branches Of the
service are in addition to Indiana's quota
on the first call, and will not lessen the
number that will be required on the second
call.
Oficers of the engineering corps must
have practical knowledge of civil engineer
ing: Others in the company must be bridge
builders, blacksmiths horseshoers, carpen-
ters, plumbers, linemen, masons and of the
various other trades. Only men experts in
their own lines are wanted, and they will
be required to furnish proof of their quail
be practical electricians. The men must be
telegraphers, linemen and others with
knowledge Of the various branches Of cleo
tricity. The engineering corps will be used
with the regular army service, a regiment
of engineers to each army division. Signal
corps men will be wanted on the seaboard
to locate mines etc. This is considered e
very important division of the army, and
the pay is high. In the signal corps COM
pany there will be five first SergeantS, ten
sergeants and ten corporals and thirty pri-
Yates. The first sergeants will receive over
$50 month, and the others pay proportion
ately high
The captains and lieutenants in the signal
and engineering corps will be commissioned
by the President on the recommendation OF
ernor yesterday Colonel Wilson did not care
to intimate who the officers in these two
companies would be. Engineers Parkett
spoken of as eligible. Mr.. Parkett has a
company capable for the engineering serv-
ice already formed. There is also a COM
under the old National Guard rule.
CHANCE OF COLORED MEN.
Colored men from Indiana who have
desire to enter the active service have an
opportunity. There is being organized
division of ten thousand yellow fever i'm
munes. The regiments in this division are
made up of colored men. While the service
is most arduous those who enter 1t will
have the honor Of leading the invasion of
Cuba and the service is regarded as par
ticularly honorable this account. At
Washington it is believed that the colored
regiments can best undertake this hard
service. as the climate of Cuba is harder
on white people than on colored. If there
are colored companies in Indiana anxious to
enter the service and see the first lighting
they will have an opportunity to join the
immuneS. 1t is the understanding that as
soon as this division is made up and equip
ped they will have the first opportunity to
enter Cuba
Major Harrison was rather enthusiastic
over the impression Indiana has made at
Washington. He ascribes much of the Sue
cess of his efforts to the untiring work of
ly Senator Fairbanks and Representatives
Ferris, Lands, Overstreet, Royse, Steel and
Crumpdcker, VINO nave Deen untlIlng In
urging that Indiana be given proper repre-
sentation in the Spanish war: At Washing
ton Indiana is particularly compli-
mented by President Mckinley and
the War Department on the fact
that she was the first State to have
her men mustered into the service and in
camp, with the exception of a few that
had but few men to send forward. Indiana
has also earned the distinction of being the
first and only State to pay her soldiers what
was due them before leaving home. All
the militiamen who have left. home from
various parts of the country have needed
the money due them from their States and
they have looked with envy on Indiana SOL
diers who were paid before starting South
passed through Washington Monday night
on it's way to Camp Alger, ten miles from
the national capital, it was the recipient of
a great deal of favorable attention. The
fact that the men were armed and so we'll
equipped excited considerable comment, as
most of the men from other States entered
the camp with nothing but the clothes they
wore.
Major Harrison was unable to state
furnish artillery and cavalry on this new
call, but was inclined to think when the
government made its apportionment of the
various arms of the service Indiana might
be called on for one or two companies of
both artillery and cavalry. The government
has not too large supply of field pieces for
artillery.
When Colonel Wilson was in washington
early in the week he authorized Major Har-
rison on behalf of the State to tender the
tents. The tender was made in writing.
but no intimation to whether it would
be accepted was had by Major Harrison be-
fore he left Washington. At that time the
volunteers had not been officially promu-
gated. Since it has the government may