TO HONOR THE VETERANS
Story of the Programme of the Three Days' Reception Told in Pictures.
THE CALL FIRST TO HERALD
THE RETURN OF THE TROOPS
Glad News Flashed by Wireless Telegraphy From Behind an
Ocean-Haze Curtain,
<< C HERMAN in sight."
message
■
epresenta
f The In rpired it
inge ■■.ystic
trument at
•' the wel
■:d to the
■■ the beach the glad
' rnia's heroes
■ 'teir long journey
ivars and zvere ap
'hing the Golden Gate. The
■ ■ the city and
the streets of
'■am. Cannon
ming "les were
. ir shrill blasts and
. - men and women,
to excitement
■■-■■ ■ *red in an
tasy of honest gladness. The
Call -- la double tri-
It had the f an-
People of
■- : f the
\nd in .
■ absolute
licabUity f the latest of
man -els — wireless tel-
It is a matter of un
: that the home
' Californians was
heralded in a test that is beyond
thorough and
application of wire
less : ver made in the
■ lies.
The message came from out
of the sea. For
- the watchers of The Call
"ing for it. Dax
and ■ - ith keen exes
i bx the telegraph
• in the basement of
the Cliff House. Now and
Treated, as far as
'.' could tell, by
magic power v ottld be heard.
H. J. WOLTZRS.
The instrument moved bx the
of some subtle influence in
the air. Messages were corning
through the air from the sea.
A nezc physical miracle teas
happening under the very eyes
of those who watched.
As the time approached far
the return of tlie troops Tiie
Call determined to send the
nezes ahead of all other agen
cies into the city. There was
but ofie possible means to ac
complish this feat and that was
wireless telegraphy. Six weeks
ago experiments zvere made in
telegraphing from the dome of
the Clans Spreckels building to
Telegraph Hill, but with indif
ferent success. Local disturb
ances prevented accuracy and
then the effort was made at the
ocean beach. For five weeks ex
■- ■ electricians and telegraph
operators labored on the strange
■:m and at last success was
-
Messages were sent and re
ceived at stations on the beach
and then an attempt was made
to telegraph ozrr the water, to
said words through the air to
a determined point. Receiving
instruments were placed on the
xacht Lurline and the experi
ments began. They zcerc in the
highest degree successful. Mes
sages zcere sent and received a
distance of ten miles out at sea.
In order that there might be no
possibility of failure more sen
sitive instruments ziere secured
and the watch for the Sherman
began. Through the courtesy of
Federal officials transmitting
apparatus was placed on board
the Lightship Xo. ~0. which
was anchored nine miles outside
the Golden Gate. Charles M.
Fisher zvas placed in charge
and Lewis McKisick and H. J.
Wolters. expert telegraphers and
electricians, superintended oper
ations at the shore end of the
strange line. The receiving in
struments were placed in the
basement of the Cliff House.
Day after day messages were
sent and received. The wire
less line zcas working perfectly.
At noon yesterday there zcas no
longer doubt of success. Dur
ing the afternoon a heavy haze
settled dozen over the ocean.
Gradually it prczc deeper and
THE SAX FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1899.
LEWIS McKISICK.
blacker and dropped dozen like
a great curtain over the i\
ship. From the ocean beach the
guardian ship was no longer
visible, but the watchers at the
Cliff House, alert, keen of car
and sharp f <■ \ sat at their
instrument. Then, shortly after
5 o'clock, the instrument began
to tick. Behind the haze cur
tain of the ocean the man on the .
lightship was sending the \
words, "Sherman in sight."
Time and again the message ■
came from the sea, thrilling '.
tlwse that heard it and spurring ]
them to send it in all haste into •
the city. For the first time on ■
the Pacihc Coast and most sue- '.
cess fully in the United States '
The Call had utilized wireless -
telegraphy to herald the home- I
coming of the California Vol- *
untecrs. i
And after all the mystery of h
the message from the sea seems ]j
simple. In the sending station j
at the lightship was a Ruhm-
korff coil, which transmitted the }
waves from the electric dxna- "•
mos on the lightship. The Morse
characters were made bx the -)
opening and closing of an or- ]
dinar y telegraph key. This ]
charged an aerial wire which *
was suspended eighty-two feet h
tft a vertical direction from the 1
topmast of the lightship. Elec-
trie waves were pulsated 1
through the air and were re- \
ccived through a coherer from a '
similar wire suspended from -
the top of the Cliff House at the -
receiving station. This coherer 1
actuated the Morse relax, which '
in turn zcorked the ink writing -
register, making the characters *
on the tape. i
The boys who had served their country
so well and who are the pride of their
native State w^re peering over the white
sides of the big steamer, shouting first
ar.d then listening with strained ears for
news me or the sound of a fa
miliar voice from the tugs below.
Colonel Duboce, senior military officer
with 1 regiment, walked from a state
onto the deck. The black line
gave way. a voice from the rigging shout
ed "T lone] Duboce." and tnat
officer lifted his cap in response to the
cheers of a thousand men. Colonel Du
b <-\ his tall form silhouetted against the
plar- 1 from the open stateroom door behind
him. advam ed to the rail. The voice of a
friend rang out in greeting to him, and he
responded. ,
"I, in fact, all of us. are giad to be
home again We are now contented be
ire. To tell the truth, we
. • ■ id anything to eat since we lett
home almost a year and a half ago. and
- a long time to deprive the stomach
food. We're home now,
however ■•- I w "■'" -
••Right the colonel Is," came from the
voice in the rigging. "It's nothing but
stew three times a day."
" "And not enough of that." rang out a
voice from the bridge.
THREE "PRISONERS."
As soon as The Call's tug got within
' hailing distance Pilot Jordan or. the Sher
man called out that no newspaper repre-
s entatives would be permitted on rsoard.
i Here was a setback for an instant, but
: only for an instant. "We have papers
: and" letters," cried the leader of the expe
i dition. "We'll send a boat." And with
i cut waiting for anything further a boat
was launched and into it jumped Report
ers Fred Healy. William Britt and Louis
Honlg. When they were alongside of the
transport the customs officers called for
them to send up the packages on a line.
It was done in a manner not in accord
! ance with the quarantine regulations or
the officials' expectations. The three men
sprang up and before the astonished offi-
I cers realized what they w»re doing they
had mounted the rope ladder nearly to the
deck.
There a halt was called and the small
boat drew away from the side of the ship
and there was nothing to do but to let the
reporters go on board or throw them over
board A few minutes later they were
safe on deck, and the rope ladder drawn
up which prevented any one else from
getting aboard. However, the reporters
were arrested for violating: the quaran
tine laws, but thi? did not prevent them
from getting the news. From officers and
soldiers they gathered the latest item?
of interest, which will be perused with so
much concern by thousands of the anxious
relatives of the returning soldiers this ;
morning. ■■ -■"'-. "-'
The next difficulty encountered was
getting the news to those remaining on
the tug. Again the small boat was called
into service, and under the glare of the
searchlights the rowers pulled to the
great rolling transport. The "imprisoned"
reporters made up their reports item by
Item, and these precious scraps of paper
were heaved overboard. A few fell into
the water, and the difficulty of recover
ing the wet reports was no mean task.
Others were lowered by means of strings,
the soldiers furnishing tin cans, etc., to
keep the paper from getting wet. In the
meantime The Call's- tug was plying
around the ship, much to the concern of
the master of the latter, who seemed to
fear that his vessel might be boarded by
the tug men for the purpose of rescuing
the prisoners. When the last of the news
was handed down, or thrown down, the
dingy pulled away from the Sherman and
The Call's newsgatherers started for the
•shore" The tug gave a parting- toot of
the whistle, which was answered by the
transport. accompanied by the wild
screech of the latter's siren, and one hour
later the wet reports were in The Call's
editorial rooms. »
STORY OF THE VOYAGE.
In keeping with the regulations of the
"War Department a record of all happen
ings and noteworthy incidents from the
time Colonel Dubocc received word that
the boys from California were to embark
on the Sherman and begin their voyage
home until the anchor was dropped eft
the heads was kept. This report, as
given out by Colonel Duboce, is as fol
lows
On June 8 Colonel Duboce received cable
advices from Manila to the effect that the
First California Volunteers would be re
turned home on the United States trans
port Sherman, and was instructed to have
his command ready for embarkation by
June 20. The regimental headquarters,
with two companies, band and hospital,
were located at Bacolod, the capital of
the island of Negros. and the other com
panies were scattered along the coast
towns and through the interior of the Isl
and, in most cases by single companies,
but in several cases by a half company
and smaller detachments. As soon as the
order could be sent to the many localities
occupied by the troops, all the heavy bag
gage was transported to the coast lines
in accordance with the programme, while
♦he otHcers and men counted the hours
until the Sherman would arrive. The
transport was delayed somewhat at Ma
nila and Iloilo and arrived at Bacolod on
July 2 with the Sixth United States In
fantry on board, which command relieved
the Californlans.
At this time of the year the monsoons
and typhoons prevail and it was with the
greatest difficulty that the companies of
the Sixth Infantry were debarked at the
several pbinks around the inland, and the
companies <W the Californias embarked.
The coast line ■ ( U Is md '" N _ros Is
irregular and of a coral and rocky forma
tion, and in many cases shallow water
necessitated the Sherman lying two or
three miles off the shore, requiring trans
portation by small boats under tow and
sail. It required two weeks' time to em
bark the command, the transport having
to make the complete tour of the island
under many disadvantages in the way of
shallow roadways requiring the detour of
other islands. Several narrow escapes
from what would have been serious ca
lamities occurred, for at times the wind
and rain were severe and vicious For
tunately the regiment finally was boarded
without a casualty, although very few
reached the transport's deck except in a
wet and half-drowned condition, in sev
eral cases some of the detachments being
out in the open twenty-four hours or
longer.
At 3 p. in. on July 16 the trans
port sailed for Iloilo. where, after a stop
AS CHARLES C. COONLEY SAW THE FUN IN FAR-AWAY JAPAN.
The artist is home with his comrades from the land of the common enemy. With the same spirit that
characterized his fighting from the trenches and charges across rice fields in the face of the enemy's fire he
charged the guards on the Sherman and tossed his pictures out on the deck of the waiting Call tug. The guards
tried to head him off and defeat his purpose. They only succeeded in demoralizing his aim and the picture struck
near the tug rail and bounded overboard. It was soon rescued from the deep, however, and here it is.
of three hours, it shaped Its course for
Manila arriving there at daylight on the
ISth. At Manila ail the extra quartermas
ter, commissary and ordnance stores were
turned in and accounts in general settled
with the several departments. Eighty
odd men availed themselves of the privi
lege of discharge in the Islands and quite
a number accepted their discharge to re
enlist in a new volunteer regiment then
being organized, In which Major Hugh
T. Sime obtained a commission. Two bat
teries of the California Heavy Artillery,
under Major Rice, were taken on board
at Cavite. as -well as some 250 discharged
soldiers and numerous other passengers.
At midnight July 26 the Sherman
sailed out of Manila Bay with the two
California commands homeward bound.
The weather had somewhat moderated,
and after a pleasant voyage of four days
and a half the good ship passed Into
Nagasaki harbor, one of the most
beautiful in the -wcrH. where the ship
coaled and obtained oth*r necessary sup
plies, the officers and nieii enjoying
thoroughly the characteristic beauties of
Japan.
On August 3 at 5 p. m.. the transport
left Nagasaki and after a most delight
ful voyage through the Inland Sea, with
its thousand islands and wondrous
beauties, Yokohama was reached early
Sunday morning, and by special permis
sion forty-eight hours was devoted to
sightseeing, Colonel Duboce having giv»n
full shore leave to all the offiers and men.
An agreeable surprise was in store at
Yokohama, where the American ladies,
assisted by many of the local inhabi
tants, had formed themselves into a re
ception and entertainment committee,
with headquarters on the Bund, with
ample accommodation for disbursing re
freshments and other delicate attentions.
Many of the '/"nvalescent sick were taken
ashore from the hospital and here en
tertained and cared for by the ladies.
The trip through Japan, including the two
stops with the opportunities for sight
seeing and shopping, were thoroughly
appreciated by all. and when the time for
sailing arrived it was with some" regret
that a longer time could not be given to
fathom the wonders of Japan.
At 5:30 p. m.. August 8. the Sherman
started on its last and longest run. tak
ing the "great circle route, which would
carry her Into the 48th degree north lati
tude, but after thre<= days out the weather
became so cold that on the fourth day,
having reached the 45th degree north lati
tude, and it not being considered wise to
subject the command to unnecessary
hardships, the commanding officer re
quested the captain of the ship to modify
the course, and the same was changed
3