Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-22
QUARTERS AT PRESIDE,
Special to the Inter Mountain.

San Francisco. Cal. September o.
When the regiments marches into camp
tomorrow. officers and men will find
vastly different quarters than those
Wnlcn awaited them on their first ar
rival in San Francisco fifteen months
ago. Then they were taken out to Camp
Merritt. a spot on which it We're almost
suicidal to quarter body of men, Orig
inally the site of a race track, situated
on the extreme outskirts Of the city where
the winds and fogs from the ocean had
full sweep. it had been filled in to depth
of twelve to twenty feet with fine white
sand in some places, while in others sand
nils had been cut away to level off the
track. The FIRST Montana was located
just outside the site of the racetrack
proper, where the first Chinese cemetery
IN the city had been. 1t had been aban-
doned for many years. however. for
burial purposes, and it had been supposed
that the bodies had all been removed.
Yet when the Montana boys dug their
sinks and trenches they unearthed sew
eral skeletons barely covered with sand,
and 1t is only fair to suppose that other
skeletons Of Chinese lay buried under
their tents. On this fine sand many feet
deep, and as penetrating as dust, their
wall tents We're pitched and their blan-
kets spread.
ARRIVAL AT CAMP MERRITT.
Not a member of the gallant First will
ever forget the day he first saw Camp
Merritt. The regiment had been well
coined at the ferry depot by the ladies
of the San Francisco Red Cross society
and Hospitality entertained. Then fol-
lowed the long march through the streets
to camp. It was late in the afternoon
when the regiment reached the square
assigned to it; bitter cold g-laden
wind swept in from the ocean enveloping
the men in its folds. sending the shivers
-chasing up and down their spines and
making their teeth rattle like castinets.
Many were in citizens' clothes, blankets
were scarce and overcoats We're an even
greater rarity. The regiment had been
hurried from home under the assurance
that equipments would be supplied i'm
mediately on arrival here.
The baggage wagons had not arrived
bagSage wagons are invariably delayed
|-h,sd the tire.; men divested themselves
nj their accoutrements and stretched
the coming of their tents and mess equip
ments. Finally the baggage arrived and
1t was speedily ascertained that the tents
brought by the regiment were wholly in
adequate to shelter all the men.
AN AMUSING INCIDENT. ..
At this dismal junction occurred an in
ci1ent that has never before been printed
but of which the writer was an intensely
amused spectator. Colonel Kessler and
cussng the situation when Lieutenant
Jack Neall OF the Fourth United States
cavalry rode up. Neall was acting quar-
termaster Of the camp and was known
near and far as one of the most whole
souled fellows In the service, albeit, he
WAS strict discipllnarian and a stickler
Tor military etiquette as we'll. But every
thing. had gone wrong with Neall that
day. To begin with, there had been a
big dinner in honor OF the army officers
given at the Bohemian club the night be-
fore, and Bohemian club dinners are not
noted for their early breaking up. Then
troops had been piling in on Neall for
days and his duty was to provide for
them all. You at home know how lily
supplied with equipments your own boys
were when they started for the war
When it is said that they were one of the
best equipped regiments that arrived in
San Francisco you can imagine the
amount of work that fell on Lieutenant
Nealrs shoulders in those days Of Camp
Merritt.
Well. that day there was first the after
effects Of that big dinner of the night be-
fore weighing on Neall in addition to his
multitude Of duties. The First Montana
was only one of many and Neall had lit
tie time to waste on them, so for the once
military courtesy was forgotten. Per-
haps he thought the Montana officers
were all Of the usual run of civilians and
not versed in army uSages. At any rate
he did not recognize in Lieutenant Colo
mel Wallace a brother officer of the same
rank in the regular service and refining
up before the two colonels without dis
mounting and without even saluting, he
demanded:
rs either OF you the colonel of this
regiment?"
II Colonel Kessler noticed the omis-
sion he paid no attention to it and was
about to reply when Wallace winked at
l., i'm, nd rod
I'm the Lieutenant Colonel can l do
anything for you?"
How many tents have you?"
II can't say exactly. but I'll count
them for you II you wish.''
"Oh, that's not necessary. OF course,
you haven't half enough"
mo: ! think We'll need some more II
you have any to spare. Will you bring
them over"
"How many do you need?" paying no
attention to Wallaces last innocent
query.
larger than others. Are you going to
bring us the large or small size?"
"Oh, you'll have to estimate how many
you require. and let me know when l re-
turn. I'll be back in few minutes"
Again forgetting to salute Neall rode
off and Kessler and Wallace chuckled
over the "joshing" the lieutenant had re-
ceived.
Hell come back in a few minutes and
we'll have some more fun with him." said
Wallace.
Neall did come back and as before ig-
noring the courtesy due his suepriors in
rank called out:
II saw there Colonel. how about"
He did not finish. for Wallace. whose
back had been turned towards him.
wheeled and in tones that froze the fog
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