The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-21
THE THIRD EXPEDITION.
1t VIII Leave San Francisco This
Week-Merritt May Also Go.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 20.-The third
expedition to Manila will sail next Thurs
day or Friday at the latest. This announce
ment was made at General Merritt's head
quarters this morning. The officers who are
supervising the preparations on board the
vessels appear to differ with the steamship
companies concerning the time needed to
complete the alterations and have reported
to General Merritt that the transports ought
to be ready to receive the soldiers by Thurs
day. Supplies and coal are now being placed
on board the transports. AS yet General
Merritt has not made public the time of his
own departure. but it is known among his
officers that he is exceedingly anxious to
get away on the next expedition and will
do so unless the authorities at Washington
interfere with his present plans. The troops
that are to form the third expedition under
command of Brigadier General Macarthur
are ready to start on short notice and hope
that they will be aboard by next Thursday.
The final assignment of the organizations
to the transports as made by Major General
Otis to-day is as follows:
Steamer Valencia-North Dakota battal-
IONS
Ohio-First Wyoming battalion, .headquar-
tiers band, Companies l. and H of the
Eighteenth Infantry, recruits for the first
battalion of the Tenth and Batteries G and
l. of the Third Artillery.
acknowledgements band. Companies
B. c, G and l. of the Twenty-third snfan-
try, recruits for the first battalion of the
Twenty-third the signal corps and the re-
mainder of Company "A of the engineer
CORPS.
City of Para-Thirteenth Regiment Min
nesota Volunteers, with exception of re-
cruits to arrive
Morgan City-Idaho battalion and recruits
to arrive for Nebraska and Oregon regi-
ments.
The report has been frequently circulated
around army headquarters that General
Merritt will divert the course of the vessel
in which he will journey to the Philippines
so as to touch at Hong-Kong before landing
at Manila General Merritt will make this
move in order to place himself in commune
cation with the authorities at Washington
before he commences operations in the
Philippines. Further instructions will doubt
less await him at Hong Kong, which Is the
only cable point at which he can touch
after leaving this city.
Major General Merritt may sail for Manila
in the cruiser Philadelphia which has Just
received orders TO be ready for sea by July
l. The prospective governor general of the
Philippines is anxious to reach the islands
as soon as possible and il has been assumed
that he would go in the Indiana of the
third feet of transports. However, he would
be somewhat hampered by the slow prog
ress of this vessel, while If he goes on the
Philadelphia he will probably reach Manila
fully as soon as the troops under General
Macarthur. Major General Otis will go with
the fourth squadron.
The Astor light battery, numbering 10l
men, including three officers. arrived in San
Francisco to-day. The men composing the
battery are by far the most handsome APP
pearing soldiers that have yet arrived in
this city. They are thoroughly equipped.
their outfit being the regulation United
States light artillery equipment They
carry with them six Hotchkiss rapid-hr
cannon, throwing twelve-pound shells. The