Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-19
NM

numerous methods of indicating tn, dis
IKE Tor these occasional steerage coasting
voyages between two harbor-protecting
heavy artillery stations About two years
ago the Navy Department first tried the
experiment of shipping considerable bodies
| OF biucjackets and marines across the con-
tinent' from ocean to ocean, by rail. The
innovation Delighted thu enlisted raen of
the navy, and proved satisfactory all
around 1t was found to be more expensive
| than the system of transporting discharged
or newly recruited men hither and thither
between the Brooklyn navy yard and the
Mare Island navy yard-the two most i'm
| portant naval recruiting stations in this
country-on the steamers IF the Pacific
Mail line, via the istEmus, put the advan-
tageS or rail travelling for enlisted men in
the naval service were shown to be suffi-
clently important to more than counter
Daiahce the increased cost of SUCH means of
transportation. In the first place, the over
iand trip from sea to sea only consumes
one-slxth or thu time, thirty days, neces-
Sary for the double, all-hands- C nange-ship
oyase between New York and San Fran
cisco, or vice versa, and this saving of time
was a point the department Thought worth
! considering. Again, the department had
IN mlhd, IN establishing the new system of
TRANSFORMATION for navy men forward the
perpetual danger of yellow fever infection
or injection, by other fevers prevalent in
the tropics. to which unacclimated men are
| always mora or less liable in ports on The
west coast OF Mexico and Central America
and in crossing the isthmus by rail,
There Is more or less yellow jack on the
lsthmus all the year around. Still an
other matter that the department mad in
| mind IN contemplating the change was
that 1t had always been found fairly diff
| ficult to prevent riotous hilarity and devil
try from breaking out among the patches
Of fifty or 1OJ or 300 lacks and sea SOL
ClerS kent within the Of of ~.
wise steamers. Finally the men liked the
transportation by rail- and the two mill
tary departments of this country have
discovered the good policy of giving en-
listed men anything within reason that
they like
As 1t Used to BE.
The abandonment of the big army re-
cruftirg stations couple of years ago.
when the system CT direct enlistments at
| military posts or in cities contiguous to
| military posts was established. put an
end to the frequent heavy movements of
| army recruits from the stations to remote
posts. The heavy cost of the recruits
transportation under the former system
was in large measure accountable for the
doing away with the recruiting stations.
All or the infantry and artillery recruits
VINO took on east of the Mississippi were
formerly sent shortly after they enlisted
70 the recruitil stations at Davfd's Island
N: T., and Columbus barracks, Ohio to be
licked into" soldierly shape by old-time
enlisted drillmasters. They were put
through the setting-up and Knocking
around ordeal at the recruiting stations
Tor from two to four months before they
Were DC smed fit to be assigned to regi-
ments. The men who enlisted for the cav
airy had to put in periods of about equal
length at jefferson barracks, Mo-, before
they were considered capable of CARRYING
Troop letters and regiment numerals on
their fatigue caps. AS the regiments
throughout the country needed men they
were sent in patches from the recruiting
stations generally in charge of non-com-
naissioneo omcers. Non-commissioned Off
GERS attached to the recruiting stations
never shrank from this duty but II very
oftea happened that they had their hands
Iuil on these expeditions. Some of them
ioT example. found it a matter Of no minor
dih1culty to safely convoy patches of fifty
or more raw. undisciplined recruits from
David's Island to the Pacific coast A hip
sergeant of the 4th Artillery part Of which
is now stationed in Washington related TO
sort. u IN"
In the winter of o." said he. when 7
was sergeant on special duty at the re-
given charge of a batch of fiftv-four ra IN,
rockies. to take them to two of the artillery
stations on the Pacific coast-Fort Candy
Wash, at the mouth of the Columbia river.
or the men were booked for Fort Canby
which Is as far west in this country as YOU
can go without swimming, and / was to
tow them to that point, shaking the fellows
bound for the Preside at Ogden and letting
them make the remainder of their trip on
their own hook. l presume the fellows I
abandoned, under orders, at Ogden. have
reached the Preside by this time, although
I've been bit in doubt about it ever since
for that whole batch of fifty-four men was
surely the most fiery, untamed gang o. In
dams that l ever got tangled up with.
Al Fair Start.
I'VE left Davids Island all proper and
in good shape. heavy marching order, with
the grub for the trip-canned co-ned beef.
canned pork and beans. and hard bread
along with us. and each of the men had
months pay in his pocket, besides his cof-
fee moEey-for recruits starting out on trips
like this were given in advance Is cents a
day to buy coffee with. Well, nfty-four men
with only couple o. months army discip-
line behind them is a pretty hefty bunch
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