The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-21
MERRITT'S EXPEDITION.
The General VIII Probably Have an
Army of About 10000 Men.

WASHINGTON, May 2O.-Preparations so
on steadily for the PHILIPPINES military ex-
petition. General Merritt. who will COM
mand. stopped in Washington this morning
on his way Westward from New York and
spent most of the day in consultation with
the officials of the department arranging
the details of the expedition. Another trans
port was secured to-day and the department
is showing a disposition to treat General
Merritt with the utmost liberality in the
equipment of his force. 1t is expected that
the advance guard on one vessel under the
command of General Otis. will sail out of
the Golden Gate tomorrow bound for the
Philippines.
After a consultation with Secretary Alger
and the regular army officials, this morning
concerning his future work, General Mer-
rift had a talk with the President and re-
ceived instructions for his guidance in the
difficult and important duties assigned him.
General Merritt will leave here probably to-
morrow for San Francisco, stopping en-
route day or more at Chicago. he Is yet
uncertain as to the date he will sail for the
Philippines, but it is now evident that ne
will be able to depart with the first ship
that goes to Manila. The general expects
that he will have an ample forGe Oh I men
Between fifteen thousand ara seVShteell
thousand troops, he thinks, Will be aliotted
him. OF this number he confldently hopes
there may be, approximately. tve thousand
soldiers of the regular army Wno because
of their thorough discipline and usage 10
actual military life are regarded as aDSo-
lutely essential to the successful completlon
of the work in hand. There is ample cyl
dence already that the authoriti 1 are 91S
is shown by an order issued yesterday when
directed the Eighteenth and Twenty-third
Regiments of infantry, now stationed in the
10
cisco for duty with the expedition. The
Tenth Regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers,
which is regarded here as the best material
of the volunteer soldier line, has also been
ordered to the Philippines
Mr. Howell of New York, who was pri-
vate secretary to former Assistant Score
taries of the Navy Roosevelt and McAdoo,
and who. lately. has been connected with
the strategy board mas Reen ana w
pany him to the Philippines. Mr.. Howell is
we'll known in Washington and rendered ex-
ton with the Navy Department, particu-
larly during the war preparations, when eV-
erybody was compelled TO work at mgh
pressure in putting the navy on a war IooI-
ing on short notice.
The department published in the shape of
consular reports today, sons seariS'ie5
Manila They show that last year, out tf
800 vessels of all kinds departing from the
leo from Great Britain, 20 from Germany
and AZ from Spain. The arrivals were IN
about the same proportion Mr.. Williams
last report is dated April 2, showing mose
1ourishins condition of the Manila customs,
the receipts for February last exceeding by
SCI $40 the receipts for the corresponding
,Advices received at the War Department
to-day indicate that by tomorrow night the
CITY of Pelxing, which is to carry troops ana
supplies to Manila, will have started on
its way from San Francisco. Over one thou
sand men will be aboard. Following the
Picking will be the steamers City of Sydney
and Australia which the department was
advised to-day would be turned over to-
morrow ready for loading. This work, 1t is
so that the second portion of the eXpedl-
ton to reinforce Admiral Dewey Will be
Assistant Secretary Meiklejohn to-day
chartered another vessel to be used Tor
transport purposes across the Pacitc. rms
is the Zalinda of the Ocean steamship Com
pany which can carry eight hundred men.
She is 377 feet long, 81 feet of beam and is of
$500 tons burden The Zalandia is now
under a foreign flag and Mr. Meiklejohn
has communicated with Congress with
view to legislation that will give her an
General Wesley Merritt was at the War
Department nearly all day in consultation
concerning the troops who are TO be al
Up to this time it has been decided to
give him the greater portion of the Four
tenth Infantry, now on the Pacific coast,
the entire Eighteenth and Twenty-third reg
iments of infantry. two batteries from the
Third Artillery and four troops of cavalry.
The remainder of the expedition will be
made up of volunteers. The department to-
day gave orders sending the battalion of in
fantry from North Dakota to San Fran
cisco to join the expedition. 1t is the expec-
taton of the quartermaster department to
send to the Philippines a consignment of
the forty thousand hammocks to be pur-
chased and which are regarded as essential
to the comfort of the soldiers in tropical
climes. General Greedy has suggested and
the President has nominated half a dozen
officers for positions in the signal corps
party which will accompany the expedition
under General Merritt For the rank and
file of the corps recruiting will be resorted
to in the Pacific coast States.