The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-04

Soldiers Doing Well.
MANILA, Aug. 3.-FOur transports
In harbOr; cargOes discharged.
Pennsylvania nearly cOaIed; takes
on recruits; received ORGANIZATIONS
i'm southern waters; leaves 9Th inst.
returns all men discharged under
general Orders-fOrty. Sheridan
being cOaIed; leaves for San Fran
cisco sth inst, with Montana and
South Dakota troops. Valencia and
ZeIandia require 1900 tons of coal;
time of sailing indefinite. ms an.
preaching typhOOn interferes.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3-(SpeciaI. I.)-Of-
fcials and others in Washington who are
interested in the Thirteenth Minnesota
were surprised to learn today, upon the
publication of an official dispatch from
Gen. Otis, at Manila, that the Minnesota
men would not return on the Sheridan.
but that the transport had been assigned
to the South Dakota and Montana regi-
ments.
This means an indefinite delay in the
sailing of the Thirteenth Minnesota. Gen.
Otis dispatch is blind, owing probably
to errors in transmission, but the fact is
plain that the Thirteenth regiment will
not leave Manila either on the Pennsyl-
vania or the Sheridan, which will sail on
Aug. and Aug. s, respectively. This
leaves the Zealandia and Valencia as the
only available transports for an early re-
turn, and it is practically certain that
they will be used to fetch the Minnesota
boys across. The Zealandia has a capac-
ity for sixteen officers and $40 men. and
the Valencia for thirty-five officers and
500 men. Both boats will be required to
handle the regiment. The ZeaIandia will
probably be about thirty-ffve days in
making the passage; the Valencia day
or two less.
The order of Gen Otis assigning the
Montana and South Dakota regiments to
the Sheridan is a radical reversal of the
rule which has not heretofore been
broken, of returning the volunteer regi-
ments from the Philippines in the order
In which they sailed for Manila On June
q, last year, the North Dakota, Idaho.
Wyoming and Minnesota regiments sail
ed from San Francisco All of these save
Minnesota are now on the high seas en-
route home. Montana and South Dakota.
which Gen Otis now proposes to send
home ahead of Minnesota, did not sail
from San Francisco until nearly month
later, the former getting away on July 19,
and the latter on July 23
An estimate made at the war depart
ment this afternoon fixes the sailing time
of the Valencia and Zealandia at about
Aug. 15 and it may be considerably later
if storms Interfere. Under the most fa-
vorable conditions, therefore, the Mime
sofa troops, which it is assumed will re-
turn on them, will not get to San Fran
cisco earlier than the middle of Septem-
Der.
The regiment will do exceedingly well
under these condition to be in Minnesota
in time to meet the president when he
makes his trip to the Northwest to lay
the cornerstone of the Chicago postoffice
on Oct. g. The only way to get the regi-
ment home by that date is to have the
muster rolls made out on board the ships
en- route to San Francisco.
Gen. Corbin this afternoon said: 'I
am sorry Minnesota is to be disappoint-
ed in the time of the return of her regf-
ment, and sorry, too, that we canont give
you any further information than is con-
tained in Gen. Otis dispatch. We were
informed by him some time ago that your
troops were to return on the Sheridan,
and no information of change of pro-
gramme was received until today. We
assume, of course that the change was
necessary or it would not have been
made"
Aside from the delav. the Thirteenth
Minnesota will not suffer from the change
of plans made by Gen. Otis. The Sheri-
dan is first-class ship in every respect,
and for years did high grade passenger
and freight trade between New York
and Liverpool. Her appointments are
perfect and in every way modern The
Zealandia and Valencia, on the other
hand, are cheap boats, having less than
half the carrying capacity of the Sheri-
dan, and lacking in a hundred ways the
conveniences and comforts of that boat
The Valencia was chartered from the
Pacific Steam Whaling company, and for
years was in the passenger business be-
tween San Francisco and Alaskan ports
She is 252 feet long. "a wide 10 deep. and
has speed of eleven knots per hour.
The coming trip will be her fourth return
trip from Manila for the government
The Zealandia was picked up on the
Pacific and is owned by the Oceanic
Steamship company. She did passenger
and freight trade along the coast south
of San Francisco, and occasionally made
a trip to Japan or China. She is practi-
cally the same size as the Valencia This
will be her fourth return trip from Ma
Mia, also. She took part OF the Tenth
Pennsylvania to Manila last year. Her
average speed is thirteen knots. If both
boats leave Manila on the same day they
may be almost a week apart in arriving
at San Francisco.