Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-11
How the Troops Will Be Carried to
the Philippines.
GOVERNMENT and CHARTERED SHIPS
A Problem Solved by the Quarter
masters Department.
COME FORT OF THE MEN

The plans Of the War Department for the
mobilzat ton of the new army for the Philip
pineG contemplate the landing of the last
of the troops in Manila by November o.
The number to be moved over sea aggre-
gates 1870 enlisted men and SOB officers.
This army is to be carried across the Pa
cific ocean by the transport service which
has been organized within a little more
than a year by the United States army
The service consists of fleet of commodious
passenger and freight vessels, owned or
chartered by the government, and operated
by the Quartermaster's department of the
army.
When the war with Spain broke out last
year the army knew nothing at all of sea
transportation. The officials were imme-
diately confronted with the great big
problem of transporting army of 10000
men or more a distance of 1000 miles. The
army did not own a ship, and furthermore
the opportunities for chartering ships were
then limited.
But the army set to work upon the prob
lem and solved it. The troops We're carried
to Cuba and Porto Rico, and brought back
again, the journeys attended, of course,
with discomfortS, but this was inseparable
from the conditions. All this time the quar-
termaster's department was studying the
problem of sea transportation and aScer-
tanning what was necessary to make a good
service. Then the necessity of sending
termaster's department went to work in
earnest to provide a fleet.
A Fleet of Transports.
Today the government owns a fleet of
eighteen big steamships for carrying troops,
four hospital ships and twelve small YES
sells. Some of these are on the Pacific and
some ON the Atlantic. In addition, there is
a chartered fleet consisting of fifteen
steamships on the Pacific, which will carry
men and horses
The big transports owned by the govern
ment are model troop ships. When the
Grant, which took regiment from New
York to Manila, via Suez, landed at Gibral-
tar the British officers who boarded her
were amazed at the completeness of the
vessel. They knew the United States had
never possessed a transport service, and
they could not understand how a service
could be gotten up so quickly. Further
more, the vessel had arrangements for the
comfort of the men which eXcelled the
usual army transport used by European
governments.
The Grant, the Sheridan and the Sherman
are beautiful ships, complete in every way,
and several other vessels are now being put
into similar condition at ship yards on the
Atlantic coast.
The sleeping quarters are as comfortable
as those at an army post. The men lie in
iron-framed hunks, with clean bedding,
plenty of fresh air and light. Electric fans
iuIiSH cOollHS DTeeZeS, ana VentlldtlnR
pipes are ranged along the sides of the ship,
so that by turning a stop-cock stream Of
cold air can be thrown into the cabin Law
atorfes are furnished, so that the men can
Keep clean; the mess arrangements are
good. and the soldiers are supplied regular
army rations, well cooked and plentiful
Without Aid of the Navy.
The War Department operates the trans
ports without the aid of the navy. The
masters and crews of the ships owned by
the government are employed Just as in the
merchant service, but are uniformed and
are considered civilian employees of the War
department. An officer of the quarter1nas-
ter S department goes on each vessel and
tne shlps carry staff of medical officers
Commodious sick bays are provided. and
when they fall i'll they are taken care of by
Skillful surgeons.
The vessels of the fleet which the gov
eminent owns were bought outright and the
war Department fitted them UP for the re-
quire1nents of the service. Large sums were
expended for this purpose, and it costs
heavily to operate the steamers
The chartered fleet, comprising at pres
ent about fifteen vessels, all on the Pa
clnc, represents an enormous cost to the
government. The steamship City Of Para
costs $500 day for the charter alone She
Will carry about 1000 men and she and
the others will make two round trips to
Manila. The Indiana costs s25,O0O a month
and Will carry nearly 1000 men. The char
ter price of the Newport is $1,000 A day
with a capacity of about COO men. The
Tartar costs 81 600 day These are all
troop ships. The charter price of other
troop ships in the fleet ranges from sfOO
a day up to 500.
Several vessels have been chartered which
have capacity for freight and animals
only. They will carry the cavalry horses,
supplies and baggage. The government pays
from $500 day to 5000 a day for these
The names of the vessels, owned or char
tered, comprising the Philippines fleet, with
their passenger capacity, are as follows:
Grant. 800 men; Sheridan, 1900; Sher-
man, 1,SO0; Hancock 125O; PENNSYLVANIA.
LOO; Valencia, 800; Zealandia, 600; CITY
of Para, 1000; Tartar, 200; Indiana, 800:
Newport, 500; Ohio, 1884; City of Sydney,
100; Senator, 712; st. Paul, $50; Morgan
City. $50.
Men Made Comfortable.
On the chartered transports the men are
made very comfortable. After taking over
the vessel the government proceeds to
equip the ship for the service The men
sleep in wooden hunks, but they have good
army bedding. The fare is the army ration
for the enlisted men, furnished by the SUBJ
sistence department. The officers live in
the cabin, of course, and have a mess of
their own, for which they pay 81 a day.
Electric fans and wind sails are installed
in the chartered ships, and extra port
holes are cut in the side of the vessel to
admit air and light.
The distance from San Francisco to Ma
Mia by sea is 1850 miles. From New York
to San Francisco by rail is 1896 miles, and
the average time from New York to Ma
nila, rail and sea. is thirty-six days On
the other hand, from New York to Manila
via the Suez canal, the distance Is 1905
miles, and steaming at a rate of twelve
knots an hour the average length of the
passage would be forty-two days.
The handling he live
Philippines is to be a very interesting work.
About 5000 horses and several hundred
mules will be transported. The freight
ships will have special arrangements for
stalls for the animals, and they will re-
ceive every attention which humanity sug-
gests and policy requires for the animals
will have to be in good condition for hard
service.
1t is proposed to send the freight ships
by the northern route, stopping in Alaska
and also at Nasasaki, Japan, where the
horses and mu.es will be put ashore and
exercised.