The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-21
NATIONAL
GUARD NOTES
Things That the Inspec-
ton of the First Infan-
try Developed.
Captain Carrington's Report
Was Something OF a
Disappointment.
Tho Naval MiIitia-The Fifth Division
at Eureka Celebrates an Old
Time Day.

Owing TO the absence from the city of
the division commander, the division
headnuarters. so far as news of the guard
Ia concerned. was closed during the past
week.
local companies have been interested In
the inspections that have been held at
the reeimental armory by Brigade Inspec-
for Major Jansen and Captain Caring
ton. II. s. A.. inspector and instructor of
the National Guard of the State of Cali
fornia All the companies of the First
Infantry Regiment have been inspected
except C and Ct, that are to go through
the ordeal tonight, and Company b, the
inspection of which has been courteously
nostponed until some future date on &C
count of the absence from the city of the
commanding officer, Captain George Fill
mer. OF the nine companies inspected all
but Company II made a good numerical
showing. That company, commanded by
Captain Frank w. Warren, had nine ah
sentees at roll call on Wednesday night.
None of the other companies had an ex-
cess of three. Still the showing made by
Captain Warren's company was much
better than at the previous inspection.
Generally speaking all the companies
made a good showing, and in appearance
there was a decided Improvement over the
inspection of the previous year. Their
service uniforms, though much the worse
for age and wear, showed that they had
been brushed up and made to look as
well as they could under the circum-
stances. and that they had been put on
with the idea that the uniforms should
fit the men and not as in the past, the
men forced into uniforms fit or no fit.
That tended much to improve the soldier
" appearance of the men. The orders
required that the men at inspection
should wear the regulation tin cup, as
well as haversacks and canteenS
| The inspection both by day, when the
| property was examined, and by night,
! when the men We're examined, developed
| the fact that the armory, while a decid-
! ed Improvement on anything in that line
! previously had in this city, is not what
| is required for q twelve company, or even
! eight company, regiment. The company
rooms have not sufficient space to admit
of closet room in which to properly ar
| range the uniforms. The drill room, while
! il is large is so small that when. as the
| other evening, one OF the companies was
! called upon to drill in extended orders,
| but one-half of the company could take
| part in the movements, that is only thirty
men. 1t is a remarkable thing that the
! State expects that the men shall be SOL
/ diers, but it fails to provide them with a
| proper place, in the shape of an armory,
| in which they can learn the duties of a
| soldier and the movements they are, by
| the regulations, required to execute. The
! inspection also disclosed the fact that
Wlli6 the store IOOulS pIONiuSu IOI tIo
eight companies in the regimental ar
mories are kept neat and the property
! therein apparently well cared for. the
| space allotted to each company is much
/ too small. With more room the State
property could be better taken care of,
and at each inspection there would be less
property to condemn The inspection, as
far as it has gone in this regiment, also
shows that there Is a deficiency in over
coats and that the men are still armed
with a poor lot of rifles of the pattern
of 1873. Had the authorities been as ac-
tive as they ought to be, the guard at
this time would be armed with the mod
ern rifles, thousands of which are now
at the Benicia arsenal. and have been
there since the regulars were furnished
with the Krag- Jorgensens. Recently,
Illinois and Nebraska made applications
for an exchange of the 1873 rifles for the
members of the National Guard, and in a
few weeks they obtained them, because
the men at the head of the guard took
an active interest in its welfare
This afternoon the cadet company of the
First Infantry will be inspected and to-
morrow night the field and staff officers
brigade orders say that the medical corps
will be inspected at the same time, but
that is a mistake, for the inspection of
that branch of the service has been left
to the discretion of the surgeon general
to name the time, and he has not yet fixed
it, Troop A and the signal corps will
be inspected on Wednesday.
The brigadier inspector, when he has
finished with the first regiment, will have
a number of recommendations to make
AS soon as he has finished the inspec-
lions here he will proceed to inspect the
companies of the First Regiment of In
fantry.