The San Francisco call., 1899-07-18
TROOPS WOULD
SAVE AS MUCH
As POSSIBLE
Are Hoarding 6 I heir
Allowance.
MORE WATER FOR THE POST
UNCLE SAM NOW A CLIENT OF
THE SPRING VALLEY.
The Presidio Supply Was Steadily
Failing and Tt Was Found Neces-
sary to Connect With the
Company's Main.

Out of all the rumpus over the shivertng
volunteers there rises the fact that the
Oregon troops can get clothing in plenty
/ If they will apply for it. There are hun
dreds OF overcoats on hand. both in the
! regimentaI headquarters and at the de-
/ partment headquarters, and all the SOL
| diers have to do is 10 apply for them. The
! trouble is, however, that the men are
more anxious to save the price or the
overcoat than to keep warm in Govern
rnent clothing for the remaining weeks Of
/ their service and therefore they are not
asking for overcoats. The garments are
| allowed the troops at a price Of su 90; II
/ they do not draw them they Will be al
lowed the same amount IN money, and the
/ Government do not allow the men TO
! draw the overcoat and get the money as
well.
| The clothing allowance to each man is
! liberal one. In the first year of his en-
! listment he is allowed about SIS. If he use.
/ all this he is clothing himself much better
/ than the average soldier; If he use but
| part of it the balance will be turned over
! to him in cash. The Oregon regiment is
| now working upon its allowance for the
| second year and the men all have from
/ SIS to $50 of their allowance coming TO
| them They wish TO draw ii all IN money.
! and so they are purchasing civilian over
&
ey. for only last Saturday they were paid
for the months of May and June. Before
they are mustered out there viii be
/ another months pay due them ana they
will be given the two months extra pay
/ allowed by act Of Congress TO all troops
( serving beyond the limits of the country
This viii make three months, pay. Desloes
/ travel allowance, which Will amount 20
over $50 a man. This travel allowance Is
practically a gratuity, for the Government
could save money by Transporting the
troops to their home in Oregon and mus
/ rering them out there, but yielding 20 Ine
demands Of the men II mas aeeldso c,z1 10 70
/ travel allowance With all this coming 10
I them there is no one to blame put ehem-
( selves II they are not properly clad
! General Summers has the power 70 or
der his men to provide themselves VIII
| overcoats, but hesitates 70 90 so IN, IN we"
/ Of the short time the regiment VIII re-
main in the service. The clothing ques-
/ rion is not one of neglect nor inattentlon
! nor indiference-it is personal one with
ment arrived at the Preside y was met
by Colonel Marshal. the Department
| Summers that the men would probably
need warmer clothing and that II they
made application {hey 6ongb c0u59 haTe fror II ,as
{ storehouse in the city; but no applications
have been made. Weeks ago General
Shafter brought the matter to the atten-
tion of the authorities at Washington
! and his answer was that IL IS against lie
/ law to issue any clothing TO any soIdler
The need of warm clothes is felt by
l those on guard more than by any Of the
/ others. and General Summers has not!-
! fed his captains that when they detail
! a man for guard duty they shall see that
( he makes some arrangements with some
/ one who has an overcoat, SO he may Dor
row it while exposed on his post. Inc
guard is a very small one being merely
/ for the purpose Of preventing violations
I of the police rules of the camp, and so
there are plenty Of overcoats in the regi-
ment to go round H. Il IS de the ont men u VINO mo
post again on the fronts of the cars that
are in most danger. So far. however
/ there is no increase in the sick list
The Spring Valley Water Company
/ placed the Government upon its list of
/ customers yesterday and hereafter IT will
draw a fat monthly bill from Uncle Sam
The water question has been one over
| which the authorities at the post have
been worrying themselves for some time
The reservoir has been lowering steadily
and .he pumps have all been going full
1 power while the wells they drew from
have been falling. II was found that
something had TO be done, and yesterday
/ the matter was settled by connecting lle
post main to the Spring Valley service
The post has now nearly 500 men quar-
tered in its various camps and barracks,
| and they have been using nearly $50 600
| gallons Of water a day Both the post
/ buildings and the camps have been kept
/ supplied from the Presidio reservoir, but
/ now only the camps are so supplied The
| head of the Spring Valley main does not
! give pressure enough at the camps so
/ fhey stfII draw from the reservoir; but
| lower down among the buildings the
| Spring Valley service is all that will here
! after be used.
| The Nineteenth United States Infantry
| will arrive here about July q and two
| battalions of 1t will go directly on board
| the new transport Tartar; these, with us
| recruits. will make the transports load
/ The Ohio and Newport are booked to sail
| on the 25th inst, but their allotments
/ have not yet been made.
| General Shafter spent yesterday at
Santa Cruz, where he was the guest Of
the Chautauqua gathering now in session
at that place. He was accompanied by
his aid, Major Noble
| Upon the recommendation of the chief
! surgeon of the department, Acting Assist
| ant Surgeon William Grey Miller, T. s.
| A.. now at the United States General Hos
! pital Preside of San Francisco, has been
! assigned TO temporary duty at the deten-
ton camp, Angel Island.
| One OF the recently arrived recruits
| from Indiana brings with him romance
| that came near being tragedy. He is
! Mark Eaton of Terre Haute, and because
he ioined the army and started for the
! Philippines his sweetheart, Emma Finni-
! gan tried to poison herself with carbolic
acid Eaton saw her try to swallow the
stuff and stopped her before she had done
| more than burn her mouth. The affair
took place on the platform of the railway
| station at Terre Haute and caused quite
/ a sensation. The young lady has been
! reconciIed to Eaton's departure and has
/ decided to wait for him until he returns.