The San Francisco call., 1898-07-04
CAMP BARRETT
 CHEERS SAMPSON
Members of the Eighth Elated Over News of the DestruC- : ton of the Spanish Fleet.

.. CAMP BARRETT, FRUITVALE. July 3-News from Shafter's army has had a somewhat depressing effect on the boys in blue to-day, but it has only made them the more anxious to get to the front. The youngsters are eagerly discussing the probaMlity. of being hurried to Cuba as soon as the regiment is mustered in, and confidently talk of being on the road within 2 week.
 The officers, especially the field officers, know that such move would be the worst possible misfortune that could befall the regiment, for while no finer body of men could be found than those in the Eighth only a small percentage have a rudimentary knowledge of the duties of a soldier, and all are unseasoned and totally united for the hardships of q campaign. It would be wisdom to allow the regiment to remain right where it is for at least a month and become accus- toned to the discipline and the drill and the camp life. unless. indeed, the Ameri- can forces are in such a position as to call for the immediate reinforcement of every man capable of bearing arms.
 Nobody appreciates this more than Colonel Henshaw. Lieutenant Colonel Darlington and Majors Whitton and Forbes, and while they stand ready to re- spond to any summons instantly and will ingly. they hope, for the sake of those under them, that the call will not come
 Drill has. been entirely suspended to- day and the boys have been allowed un- usual latitude in the way of receiving wis ltors and being absent from camp. All . day long the roads surrounding the camp have been .Ened with vehicles of every description, while summer girls with and Without escorts, brothers, mothers and sisters from Oakland, Alameda and other points whence came the companies have fairly overrun the. camp During the from . the Columbia Fire Company of Berkeley, headed by Chief Kenney. The 'firem6n brought their apparatus as well as several wagon loads of provisions became the. hostS for the occasion and soon they had a repast spread that for easily be iupijea5ed Tb s3ldiers f9uid np not more than glad of the change from army Tatiohs; and testirled' to- their appreciation by, SweepEng the table. clean.
 The mastering. officers continued their work By eXamining Company F and those of the; Ene officers. who presented them sel%es..: of 1O6 men in the company ten were rejected; while all the. officers ex- amfped @Were. passed. So far 960 officers and Tnen have. passed through the hands of the: surgeQhs, the percentage of re- jecti6ns, being between 9. and 10. Three oornpanies, femath to be examined, and the mastering officers hope to finish their work on "Wednesday. and have the entire comnland enrolled in the volunteer serv- five reflected. mllitameh transportation home and will return the remainder by WedneSday.-
 Colone1 Henshaw has decided to send a detachment. of 400 men, under command of; Major WhittOn, to participate in the Fourth: of. July parade in Oakland to- morrow: The men will be picked from all ,:the companies, and will comprise the best drilled and equipped men in the regiment. The citizens of Oakland sent special invitation to Captain w. S. Barnes to parade, but the captain thinks that his accordance of an invitation to de- : liver an orauQn at the exercises is enough for him to contribute to the cele- .bration.
 =. At guard mount this afternoon Captain Partridge went on as officer of the day for the second time, a compliment to his abilities which he does not relish in the