The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-19
BATTERY HERE
FROM Fl. RILEY
Nineteenth Now at Post, Having Ex-
changed With Twenty-SecOnd.
CAPT. BROOKS IN COMMAND
WEST POINTER AND HAS SEEN
MUCH ACTIVE SERVICE,

The Nineteenth battery. formerly of
Fort Riley, Kan, arrived at Fort Doug
las yesterday morning in accordance
with the army order transferring it
and the Twelfth battery. which arrived
at its new post, Fort Riley, yesterday.
The officers accompanying the battery,
which at present numbers ninety-five
men, are Captain John {. w. Brooks,
D. IN command, and Second Lieutenant
, Edward L. Gruber. The absent officers
are: First Lieutenant Z. n. Mason.
, First Lieutenant r. II. Donnelly, Second
Lieutenant Adam f. Casad and Second
Lieutenant Ned 3. Rehpopf 1t is pos
sible that the last named may Or the
only officer TO join the battery al Fort
Douglas, as he is on a months leave
OF absence, while the other three are
az present on detailed service else
where.
The Nineteenth left Fort Riley the
morning of Nov IS. and if their one
disappointment could have been ex-
pressed on arriving in Salt Lac il was
that they had not been permitted to
nike the entire distance, as at first
planned. The Nineteenth has the rec
ord Of being one of the best marching
batteries in the service, and the long
the keenest pleasure. Captain Brooks
is convinced that had he and his men
been allowed to make the march they
would have done it in record time.
The Nineteenth battery was organ
lzed four years ago, about half is
number being men who had seen ser
vice and the other half recruited. 1t
las been at Fort Riley since rs organ
iZation.
Captain Has Seen Service.
Captain Brooks is a West Point man.
having graduated from there in 1885.
In his class was Captain ). d. Sturgls.
one OF the officers of the Twenty
infantry at Fort Douglas. When the
war with Spain was declared he went
10 cuba as Chief Quartermaster of the
First division of the Second Army
corps. He saw service throughout the
Cuban campaign and later was a. mem
Der of the American commission which
arranged for the evacuation of Cuba
Captain Brooks warmest experience
was during the early Instructions in
the Philippines. he had charge OF all
cable-ldying in the islands, being in
command of the Burnside. a vessel
especially titted for this purpose. The
connecting of the various islands bv
cable was of the utmost importance.
and during this work Captain Brooks
saw not a little hot work at close range.
During his stay of two years, l-O3
IN the Philippines. during which he
was aiding in the assimilation of the
natives, Captain Brooks was accomDa-
MED by Mrs. Brooks and his little
daughter.
Returning to the United states, he
- a Il 70. 10. 4
ward 10 Fort Riley. He is now nth
on the list of those eligible for promo
ton as captain OF artillery, and intends
Ia take the examination for this office
in san Francisco during the coming
spring.
Battery Has New Guns.
The Nineteenth is the senior battery
OF the First regiment, organized TO fest
the new ssyle of caisou artillery Guns
The battery has been making n test Of
The new type Of artillery guns for the
past three months. The principle is
entirely different from that of the artil-
leIy guns at present in use. With the
new guns the hatterymeu may direct
fire from the bottom of a hill toward
the enemy on the other side. Angles
apparently cut no figure. for the ex-
periments thus far conducted have been
highly successful. The only man Ia
see the enemy is the captain of the
battery, who directs fire from the tor
Of the hill through telescope communi-
cation with his men several thousand
'1eet, or several hundred feet. as the
case may be, below
Captain Brooks, whose wife and two
children arrived with the battery. ex-
pressed himself as highly pleased with
the new post, and in this sentiment his
men Joined him. With scarcely an ex-
ception none OF the battery members
has ever been in salt Lake City be-