The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-03
Transports to Carry the Reinforce.
of by Way of the Suez Canal.
DEWEY In NEED OF GUNBOATS
NAVY DEPARTMENT URGED TO SEND
HIM LIGHT-DRAFT VESSELS.
Hottest Day of the Season at Manila
General Otis's List of Casualties
Work of "a River War Ship.

WASHINGTON, March 1.-The secretary
of war tonight ordered the reinforcement
of General Otis by six regiments These are
the Sixth Infantry, now at San Antonio;
the Sixth Artillery, scattered along the At
lantic coast stations; the Ninth Infantry,
at Madison Barracks; the Thirteenth In
fantry i'm New York State; the Twenty
first Infantry at Plattsburg n. Y, and the
Eighteenth Infantry at Fort Crook and
neighboring posts in the middle West. These
regiments have been ordered to make ready
to proceed to San Francisco and thence to
Manila.
In answer to the direct question as to
whether not these regular troops are
intended to relieve corresponding number
of volunteer soldiers at Manila it was said
at the War Department that while this
probably would be the case, it was not
possible yet TO make a positive statement
This means that if when the reinforce
ments arrive at Manila the conditions are
satisfactory the volunteers will be brought
home; but if Otis shall have need for all
of the combined force then they must wait.
The reinforcements made up of troops
who are rot only regulars in the full sense
OF the term, but who have been through
the Cuban or Porto Rican campaigns. They
hunt Indians and also how to fight in trop-
ical jungles. With them replacing the same
number of volunteers General Otis will have
majority of regulars in his command.
something the War Department has earn
estly desired to bring about at the earliest
possible moment. The position Of the
American commander at Manila also will be
safeguarded against the effect of sudden
and forced discharge Of volunteers by the
ratification of the peace treaty
General Otis reported to-day that the
Morgan City hal arrived at Manila this
morning with all passengers in good health
and no deaths or the way. The Tacoma ar
rived yesterday with animals in excellent
condition and loss en- route
Anmlral Dewey is again pressing on the
Navy Department the urgent need of YES
sells OF light draught as means of COM
murlcation among the numerous small
islands of the Philippine group. To this
end the gunboat Vixen which figured
bravely for vessel of her light caliber at
the outset of the Cuban campaign has been
ordered to be Immediately fitted out at the
Norfolk navy yard for sailing for Manila
This Will take about month. and II prob
ably will be three or four months before
she joins Dewey's fleet Besides the Con-
cord, which is perhaps little too large to
be classified as one Of the small craft. the
only light vessels now in the Philippines
available for running about those waters
are the Petrol and Helena. The Castine and
the Princeton, however are now speeding
in that direction, but the small craft equip
ment there will still be inadequate. The de-
partment is anxious to afford Admiral
Dewey all the assistance possible. He has
repeatedly called attention to the great i'm
portance of this work and has emphasized
the fact that it is the light vessels. fit to
skirmish about in the shallow waters and
to run in and out of harbors where the
larger ones would be useless. that he wants
rather than the heavier types.
The War Department officials pronounce
absurd the characteristic Filipino Junto
story TO the effect that Agulnaldo has taken
several hundred American soldiers prisoners
and removed them to the interior As a
matter of fact General Otis's bulletins have
accounted for every man in the American
army at Manila and there is not on record
a single case Of missing. Secretary Alger
has brought the report TO the attention of
General Otis with a view to securing the
most specific denial