The record-union., 1898-06-29
IN CAMP BY THE SEA SHO RE.
HOW THE MEN OF COMPANY F
PASS THE TIME.
Camped Amid the Powder Maga-
zines-To Parade on the
Fourth Of July.

Camp Merriam, Santa Cruz, June
%, 1893.
Eds Record Union: 1 thought
would just drop you a few lines to
let you know how we are getting along.
The health of the command is excel
lent. Last week quite a number of
our boys had Slight colds, the result of
over-heating themselves at the Young
Ladies' Drill Corps dance, and then
walking three miles to camp after II
O'Clock. Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz
ladies have always treated our boys
well, and on this occasion we have
nothing to complain of. The Red Cross
here are very willing to do everything
in their power to help us along
There is one thing the whole army of
Volunteers are indebted to the Red
Cross for, and that is the Medical De-
partment. Our regiment, when in San
Francisco, had to depend entirely on
them in this department for drugs
The citizens of Santa Cruz requested
Captain Lucey to take part in the
Fourth of July parade. He referred
them to General Merriam, who in turn
granted Captain Lucey permission to
parade with one-half of his command.
pose to have a grand fete on the water
front with the Naval Reserves as
Americans and Company as Span
iards. Our boys would certainly hate
to go back on their colors, and we have
Americans will meet with their first
setback.
Our recruits are fast getting into
g.
noon in hard drill, and are showing up
finely. By forenoon / mean getting up
at $50, drill half hour before break
fast, eat breakfast, and then go at
| it with a will till 11:3O We manage
to march all over the surrounding hills
getting our lungs full of health giving
ozone and having the kinks taken out
| of our legs and backs.
The afternoons the boys have to
| themselves, and they manage to put
this time to good use. We have a first
rate baseball team, who practice quite
often. To-day Sunday they met the
Naval Reserves and defeated them The
other day our team ran up against the
Stanta Cruz baseball club and man
aged to make quite fair showing.
! Score g to o. 1 call it fair when they
/ can hold professionals down to eight
runs.
| We have In our midst men of all
| trades. To-day and yesterday our
| masons took a hand at damming the
San Lorenzo River so as to have a
swimming pond, and succeeded quite
nicely. Sergeant Milliken was the
overseer of the job, and Ben Hancock
was his right bower, and to have seen
4
to any doubling minds that when we
have occasion in the future to throw
up breastworks these lads are the ones
| to undertake the job
Our camp is pitched on an ideal spot
In fact, / never camped in any place
more nicely situated. with woods for
shade. and plenty of water. We are
located in valley, with mountains on
both sides. The only drawback is that
we have to travel so far to get proper
drill grounds. Then again, we have to
keep a sharp lookout for fire, as we are
in the midst of danger. We are placed
in a spot that is surrounded on all sides
by powder magazines. To our rear is
placed a glaze mill (finishing). Some
thirty years ago this mill exploded and
| killed one man and some eight or ten
|
| sight. A fence 100 feet away was
blown down. The mill then contained
| about seven and half tons of pow
der. Captain Rotanzi, our surgeon, on
interviewing one of the employees. was
told there was no danger now (fifteen
tons on hand) He expressed surprise,
| figuring it out this way. If on for
mer occasion one man and eight horses
| We're killed, where would we be with
fifteen tons? There would be no one
who might be in camp left to tell the
| tale.
Our boys were real sorry for Com
pany G when they read the papers and
found that they were left We have
quite a number of former members OF
Company G in our ranks. and they
make the most excellent members that
a commander could desire. We only
regret that we did not draw heavier on
the company for material. j. L. II.
Still