The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-25

sent on, and that all who wanted to, go
would then be taken. For a long time
it was a promise held out one day 10 be
broken the next, and then renewed 70 Dc
broken again until the cessation of nos
tilities. Since then the men of the corps
have become resigned to the lneVltaple,
and have made fresh start as national
guardsmen. They have discovered from
the experience of the recent war that
the chief requirements in the signal corps
are wigwag work or flag signaling ana
telegraphy That the men of the corps,
which had been recruited to forty-three,
within two of the full strength, may be-
come familiar with telegraphy, lnstru-
ments have been placed in the armory
ton in telegraphing line building and
repairing will in the future be part OF the
duties the men VIII have to Decome pro
ficient in. Signal work with flags will be
extended A new map OF the city ior
signal work has been prepared, ana thls
shows twenty-five points that have been
selected as stations, and 1t Is the purpose
of the captain to nave trequeht 4 fnr1,s
a Gordon around the city. From the
several heights selected men Will pc
able to wigwag from Fort Point 10 the
Preside Heights, from there to Sutro
Heights. to Twin Peaks, to South San
Francisco. to the Potrero, to the top of
the ferry tower to the top OF the SIaus
Spreckels building. to the top Oh LAY a;s :
street hill. and in that way to teach the
men the art of short and long distance
work.
The corps returned a few days SINCE
from a sojourn In Mill valley. me
there the men had exercise in signaling
by flag and heliograph, and had target
practice with carbines at 200 yards, firing
by squads and as individuals;
CAPTAIN James w. Dumbrell, command
ing Company c, First Regiment of Cali
fornia Volunteers, one of the companies
of the Nationals of the Ellis-street ar
mory, in a letter to Captain J. N. Plke
esting account of the fight before Malate,
and of the part the First California took
in it. From a military standpoint 1t is
most interesting, as II gives Wirh Id h,,
each company during the several en-
ragements the men had with the soldiers
from Spain. In his letter he writes:
At l2:45 D. m, August 1, Company c dunn
brelD ordered TO relieve Company + sMlle
ler). 1 stationed nine men on the right OF
Company *. Cunningham and then TOOK pc.
sition with the balance of my command ABOUT
twenty-five yards in the rear or our line and De-
hind an irrigating ditch, which had trees grow
ing upon its bank. This offered a natural en-
trenchment The men had to lie in the water.
Then the enemy was quiet, save the sharp
shooters, who were working toward our line.
taking advantage of grove OF trees on oar oar
right. This gave us the impression that the
enemy were moving forward in numbers so as
to get crossfire on our right flank l posted
the advance and then fall back to our line.
Just before daybreak August the enemy
drove In picketS and opened IRE company
C returned the fire with platoon volleys and
now and then 1t was fire at will. The enc
my replied with shell and it was hot night
for thirty minutes. 1t was Cs fight from start
to finish No other command had hand in 1t.
Every one did his full duty--it was a ma
tionar' affair.
Whenever the First Regiment has been
called on it has responded with will
and performed it's duties satisfactorily to
the powers that be.
Emmett Jones, who enlisted from the
signal corps of this city in the volunteer
signal corps and went to Manila. has
been promoted from corporal to sergeant,
and William ]. Stock, enlisted from the
same corps with Sergeant Jones, was
promoted corporal.