The San Francisco call., 1908-10-02
MEN IN KHAKI
BEGIN THE REAL
WORK IN FIELD
BugIes Give Signal for Troops
TO Move Into Action at,
AtascaderO
Preliminary Movements Break
in Soldiers for Sterner
Tests Later
Problem Confronting the Mule
Battery Closely Watched
by Army Experts
SPECIAL: DISPATCH TO THE CALI
By Harry DaVids

CAMP ATASCADERO, Oct. L.
The formative period of the encamp-
ment has passed, and early this morn
ing the r1aneuvers proper began. The
blithe calls of a. dozen bugles an
nounced the fact and ere their echoes
had ceased to answer from surround
ing hills the columns were moving
from their camping grounds, sweep
ing across the large plain and losing
themselves amid the oaks and hills.
Throughout the morning could be
heard the rumble and hum of the
guns, the clash and clatter of cavalry
and moving in and out. on hillside
could: be seen tiny atoms, mere dots of
khaki standing out momentarfly
against the dark green of the oaks.
The maneuver was merely prelimi-
nary movement. and each organization
acted. individually, the purpose being
to break in the troops gradually to
sterner concerted movements, which
will come later. Each worked out it's
own problem. The artillery Numbered
up the county road acting as an imagi-
nary advance guard from Pine noun
tain to Corral hill. In the infantry
the companies were worked as advance
rear and flank guards and patrols.
MULE BATTERY's PROBLEM
The problem which confronted the
jackass battery was to advance TO
Tarantula hill, a point some six miles
from the camp grounds, and there give
battle to an imaginary enemy which
was travelling up the trail to Dove
postoffice. The theory was that the
machine guns were attached to a body
of infantry, but inasmuch as the only
available infantry had its own troubles
at the time, the eight guns, compactly
packed on panniers, ratified away by.
themselves.
The enemy consisted of one man with
"A pair of field glasses and a supply of
blank cartridges, with order to. fire
every time he spied the battery The
desire. Of the battery was not to be
seen. and to- this end it wormed,
worked and worried its way through
scrub and rayine, up hill and down, in
"a way which would. have broken the
heart Of ain. Alpine climber. It took
bare. spots with rush, and in such
moments the men gleefully swung i'm
der to the .panniers and, running and
3. =
with the mules. The enemy had only
time to. fire two shots before the bat
tery~ was on top of a hill, higher than
Tarantula with the. guns trained to-
sweep road: and hillside alike
WORK CLOSELY WATCHED
,.The work. of this organization is be-
ing. watched closely in Washington:
Captain John Henry Parker in COM
Jisand is recognized .as.an authority on
machine guns. and the report of Colonel
Marion p. Maus: on. the present work
will determine the standing of the
corps in: the. future
Captain Parker has perfected a. new
method, of fire, greatly superior; TO that
formerly IN: :use;- and it will be put
into practice during the present ma:
neuvers.
All arrangements for the comfort
and convenience- of the militia have
been completed. -.
'.grhe state militia. said. Colonel
Maus, will he broken in gradually
For three or four days the men. Will be
given no severe exercise. There will
be no hard or long marches until they
have BECOME hardened and accustomed
to their new surroundings
With the exception of a balloon and
a pontoon bridge, this encampment has
every requisite of modern warfare. 1t
has its own telegraph, telephone and
wireless service, a sanitary system far
superior to similar encampments. and
throughout is regarded as model in.
struction camp. The. whole has. been
worked out with great care and detail
and the greater portion of those trifing
.annoyanees which have hitherto been
regarded as a part of army camp life
have m this instance been eliminated.
According to reports, the militia
forces To arrive Monday morning will
have more than the requisite number Of
officers. This probably will. bring about
difficulties when the pay rolls are
made up.