The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-13
ARE PREPARED FOR'WAR.
SOLDIERS AT FORT SMELLING
READY FOR A CALL ~~ *
They Are Always 30, However, una
Have Done Nothing Out Of the Ora
binary on Account Of Present
Dimculties-Co1. Page Says They
Could Leave in Five Minutes. ~'

A visitor to Fort Smelling would not
suspect that either war or rumors Of
war ever interested that peaceful gar
rison. 1t might easily be mistaken,
for post Of the Salvation Army. The
utmost quiet reigns there and when It
Is suggested to the officers and men
Strolling leisurely about the grounds
that they may soon be called upon to
face Spanish bullets at the double
quick, they smile incredulously and dee
cry jingoism.
They point to men engaged in agri--
cultural pursuits in the garrison garden
and ask If that looks like war. rf -
And when the visitor turns his back
they pull out map Of Cuba and plan
where forces Of men could be landed
on that island to capture it.
Are we prepared for WARP" repeat
ed Col. Page yesterday to a reporter
for The G o b e, "Of course we are
prepared for war. That is our business.
We are like a fire company-always
ready at moments notice to start for
any point in the United States. If an
order came today for us to go to Flori-
da we would assemble the men and
march within five minutes. The same
is true of every garrison in the coun-.
try. At the same time we are pursuing
the even tenor of our way as though
we expected to remain here many
y
our vegetables for summer eating, and
furthermore we all expect to be here
to enjoy them" 4,
Col. Page invited the reporter to wit
ness the drill which the men practice
every morning. From 9 o'clock until
10 the men are put through a course
of sprouts calculated to make them
robust and agile. The new Butts drill
has lately been introduced at the fort,
and the men are mastering it. This is
an exercise devised by Lieut.. Butts, of
the Twenty-first infantry, and it is
the most popular that the soldiers have
had in a long time. They have been
practising it indoors several months,
but when the weather permits they will
have it in the open air.
The Butts drill is a series of Gales
themes with muskets. Instead of u.s.
ing dumbbells the men take their guns
and develop their muscles with them.
In this drill there are nearly $50 mo-
lions and every part of the body is
thoroughly exercised.
AS practced at Fort Smelling each
company has a separate drill under
the command of the captain. They drill
in squads of about twenty-five and
work a quarter of an hour. AT the
word from the captain the men form
in three files and stand with guns at
rest. The captain gives the command:
Exercise" and w go the guns over.
the mems heads. They are poised a
moment in the air and then fall to the
waist. Up and down the guns are
raised and lowered in unison, and the
effect is as though the men were parts
of one machine.
Company e has a different drill call.
ed the double drill. Two men drill with
muskets together and Maj. Wilkinson,
who introduced it, believes it to be far
superior to the single drill The men
prefer it, though it is somewhat more
difficult than the other.
Maj. Wilkinson has made an effort
to induce the war department to erect
a gymnasium at Fort Smelling, but has
not met with much encOurag ement. TIL 2,
men need one badly. During the warm
weather they exercise in the open air,
but in winter they are obliged to drill
in company quarters. which are not
cOmmodiouS at the BEST.
In consequence of this several conf
panieS have established gymnasiums in
small rooms where they do the best
they can. During the winter the SOL
diers subscribed for lumber and erect
ed a hand ball court in the rear of
company quarters.
Exercise is absolutely necessary for
the soldiers, both for their physical
and their mental health. There life is
monotonous and athletic contests keep
them busy and active, and a gymnas-
ium is as necessary for them as a
commisSary.
''The American soldier is as we'll de-
veloped as any other in the world"
said Maj. Wilkinson to the reporter.
HE will compare with any that Europe
can show. He has not a superfluous
pound of flesh and his muscular de-
velopment is perfect"
The men are looking forward to the
time when they may exhibit their skill
in the Butts drill on the parade ground