The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-14
Fixed on England While She
Is Engaged
In MObilizing an Army For
African Service.
is TWICE AS LARGE
As That Sent to the Crimea
and Exceeds WellingtOn's.
Last Years Scenes In America
Are Duplicated.


London, Oct14-An Europe is watch
ing Great Britain at this critical mo-
ment in her military affairs. Foreign
statesmen and military experts regard
the result of the war with the Beers as
a foregone conclusion. What they scan
with such anxious interest is England 5
tremendous preparations for the con-
test. BY the result of these efforts will
her strength be gagged In assembling
an army twice as large as that which
she sent to the Crimea and surely
greater than WelIington's force at Wa
terIoo. England, is offering ar illustra-
tion for the first time in many decades
of her ability to fight on land.
Although her naval strength has Of
ten been demonstrated to advantage, it
has still been a matter of doubt whether
her military arm would compare favor
ably with that of continental nations,
and in the throes of such a test she
has been engaged this week day and
night.
Gangs OF men are working fncessant-
" at the ports that dot England s
shores. transforming liners into troop
ships. Largely augmented forces are
ceaselessly turning out ammunition and
ordnance stores. Some idea of the ac-
tivity in this branch can be gained
from the fact that three million rounds
of small arm ammunition left Wool
Wich last week.
Although the manufacture OF the IA
VOrite new bullet Mark 3" has been
retarded by an outbreak of lead poison
ing among the employees this depart
ment is working day and night. Tons
of scrap zinc are being shipped to make
gas for the war balloons which are be
ing taken out on an extensive scale.
Meanwhile the men for whom these I'M
plements of war are being made, are
pouring out of barracks to the ports,
standing by to embark, drilling, ma
nOeuvering and practicing at targets
every spare hour. The reserves are
sWarming into AldershOt in unheralded
patches and reshOuldering their rifles
as if the transformation from civil to
military life were merely an every day
occurrence.
The huge mobilization at AIdershot is
now in charge of Major General Thorn
as Kelly-Kenny, inspector general of
auxiliary forces and recruiting who has
succeeded Gen Sir RedveTS Butler. All
the work is new. 1t is the first time
that anything of the kind has been at
tempted since the short service system
went into effect. A visit to AadershOt
produces the impression that every
thing in going like clOckWOrk but it is
too early yet to express a definite Opin-
ion regarding the British mobilization.
For the reserves themselves, who are
obliged to leave their wives and fami-
lies on a pitifuI pittance from the gov
ernment much sympathy has been
aroused eXemplifying the truth of
Rudyard Kipling's jeer "A special train
for Atkins when the band begins to
play"
A number of reserves who We're not
called out have asked to be allowed to
serve in South Africa and a similar
spirit of spontaneous patriotism is seen
on all sides.
Sir Redvers Buffers force includes
the flower of the English nobility. The
excellent Boer craftsmanship combined
with the fact that it is an unwritten
rule in the British army that officers
must always stand under fire even
though the men are lying down, makes
mourning probable in many a noble
British home
The admiralty isperhaps, more on trial
than the army, especially as it is well
known that Gen. Lord WOlseley COM
mander-in-chief does not approve q
system which gives the navy such far
reaching power in transporting troops.
In 1882 Great Britain dispatched $1,000
troops in three weeks to Alexandria
Egypt, feat that elected the admira-
tion of Count Won MOltke but the task
of shipping more than $4,000 men has
no parallel in the history OF ENGLAND.
Already the two branches of the ser
vice are beginning to blame each other
for various delays; but it is scarcely
apparent that there has vet been anv
serious lack of facilities.
The ship brokers have undoubtedly
worked something like a corner on the
admiralty, as they did during the His
panO-American war, and the recent
break down of two transports is still
the cause OF considerable abuse of the
admiralty. The weakest point in the
whole mobilization seems to be the
army service corps, corresponding tc
the United States cOmmissary The
various stations have been depleted tC
obtain the necessary officers and men
vet many line officers assure the Asso.
ciated Press that the arrangements ara
gravely Inadequate for such a corDs
In this connection, the naval and mill.
tary Record says:
Tt is quite clear that if England baC
to provide a second or third army corr!
for foreign service, these or either o.
them would have to go out without {
full equipment That this unpleasan
discovery Will form the subject of in
qufry in parliament, goes without say
ing"
The new battleship Bulwark will h
launched on October Is. She will havl
been under construction less than sever
months. This will create a launchins
time record and a weight record TO
time undercOnStructiOn, her dispIace
ment being $4,000 tons. The admiralt,
IS experimenting with a new wireless
biography invention, the contrivance q
". II sullivan, which includes a de
vice Tor determining distances betwee7
snlps. Ihere is considerable specrIa
t1on as to whether Signor Narc0ni vii
be able to induce the United state
navy to adopt his system
The Associated Press is authorized +,
deny the reports printed here 11ndar
New York date that the three power
conceIhed IN samoa are at loggerhead
over the claim of British subjects fo
damages during the bOmbarCInent
Ihe reports regarding combina tiO-
or Russia and France against E,nsrlan
and the United States are ridicuIed al
though it can be asserted yvitso,7f . :
tempting in any way to give credenc
90 such storiess that Russia's naya