The San Francisco call. [volume], June 19, 1898, Page 21, Image 21

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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With Roosevelt's rough rider
and
Astors PetArtillery.
IF the Spanish military autl.
in Havana could get a momentary
glimpse of a regiment of soldit-rs
encamped in the sand at West
Tampa ;hey would see one of the
numerols sights calculated to cause
them unealiness. Colonel Roosevelt's
rough ri'Ufs are there, to the number
of a thousand, and they certainly de
serve the name that has been given
them.
They are not "roughs" by any man
ner of means, but they art; rough,
rtheleijß, and will play rough when
th*- y get a chance at the enemy. They
don't knov a great deal about the man
ual of ams, as practiced by the Amer
ican array, and they can't load a rlile
and fire it with the trained regulation
of a veteran soldier. But they can
handle a Winchester with a swiftness
and deadly precision that is astonish
ing, anc what they can't accomplish
with tlut weapon their heavy slx
.>. ill take care of.
The rough riders are not men select
ed and graded as. to size, weight,
soundress of teeth and waist measure
ments Some of them weigh close to
250 pcunds; others won't tip the beam
at over a hundred. But the little fel
lows' grizzled by years of exposure on
the tvestern frontier, are as, tough as
pine knots and can shoot as fast and
as straight as a man who weighs three
times as much.
•Teddy's" rough riders . can't ride a
horse at all — that Is. according to mil
itary regulations. They do not grasp
the reins at a point one-third from bit
to end; they do not all sit erect, with
line of back ranging with the line of
the horse's spine; they don't all sit
with chin erect and eyes front, knees
straightened out and toes only touch
ing the stirrup. In fact, every man
apparently has his own way of riding
and when he start* for a horse the
half-wild beast knows something is
coming. | .1 "•' . . '-'
If doesn't make tie slightest differ
ence to one., of theafc-mjen, whether ho.
•uounia froia Ina Tietit aid* ca from iha
, left side. lie finds the horse, which
j nine times out of ten is standing on his
hind legs in the air, and in a jiffy there
is a man in the saddle.
The horse rears and plunges, tries to
throw his rider by every means known
to bronchos, but the rider, turning
i half-way around in his saddle, yells to
i "Bill" or "Snuffy" or "Shorty" to do
something that he has forgotten, and
then darts off with the speed of the
wind. Once the horse is started he
has to go. The rider is the master, and
his unmilitary seat, his supple, swaying
body, meeting every motion of the
horse, is a picture of grace and skill
such as can be seen nowhere except
l in the far West, or with this outfit of
men who come from there.
And to top it all off, these men can
not fight at all, according to the rules
laid down in the tactics for cavalry- i
men. But they can drop the reins of
their horses, guide them with their
knees, whip out a six-shooter with each
hand and get In about three shots to a
mounted cavalryman's one, with the
distinction that every shot goes very
close to where it is intended to go. They
are a picturesque, devil-may-care lot of
hardy men, whose hearts are in the
right places and whose hospitality is as
broad as the limits of the earth. Their
language Is sometimes more pic
turesque than polite, to be sure, but
they are used to emphasizing their re
marks when obedience is not imme
diately forthcoming. They have a
wholesome' disregard for rules and
regulations and books on field instruc
tion. They haven't much use for Junior
lieutenants of the army, as a rule, and
particularly for those of , State regi
ments. But they, uphold their officers,
who are to a large extent regular army
officers, In everything they say or do.
If any one wants to see .an aurora
boreal Is in midsummer or a shower of
i shooting stars in midday, let him go
' into the camp of the rough riders apd
criticize any of its officers, * before the
men.
The camp of the rough riders lies
directly west of , the town of Tampa, is
an open sand flat where the sun beats
down > all day with ! ,the; heat of a fur
nace. Any regiment of volunteers
camped there Vi'hout shade and. with
1 out tents .would die off like eaeeD.^But.
THE PAN" FEANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JTT3s T E 19, 1898.
these hardy fellows, inured to heat,
cold and exposure in Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas, never think of mak
ing a complaint about their camping
place. What suits their officers suits
them, and it would be all the same to
them if they were told to camp in a
swamp.
I visited the camp in the forenoon
and found Colonel Roosevelt at his
headquarters, chatting with some of
his officers. I was given the freedom of
the camp and told to make all the
photographs I wanted.
"Here is a strange thing," the colonel
said. "I have here among a lot of re
cruits Bob Wrenn, the champion tennis
player bC America, who wants to join
this outfit. He's a strapping good fel
low, with plenty of nerve, and I've
sworn him in. Isn't he an odd char
acter to have with a cowboy outfit, well
sprinkled with ex-United States mar
shals, sheriffs of formerly 'hard
towns,' and such types of Western life
as I have in this regiment?"
These rough riders all adhere to the
.45 caliber Colt pistol, which has been
in use In the West since pioneer days,
and which has not yet been equaled.
They will not use the Government 38
caliber revolver, claiming that it is too
'light and jumps too much for accurate
shooting. That their judgment is sound
is evidenced by the fact that since the
45 was replaced in the army by the 38
the average of accuracy in pistol shoot
ing has dropped almost GO per cent.
Through the influence of their
commander the regiment has been
equipped with two Colt rapid fire guns,
using the small 27 caliber steel jacketed
bullet, and capable of firing accurately
600 shots per minute, at ranges from
200 yards to two miles.
The regiment is not well supplied
with tentage, having only the little
"dog tents" which are carried by the
men on the march. They don't seem
to care anything about tents, however,
as almost every man has lived out of
doors all his life, and has been accus
tomed to sleeping under a tree, with no
roof but the starry sky.
As types of the make-up of the
rough riders, three men who have been
selected as scouts may be taken as a
fair average of the men. One of those
is B. F. Daniels, and his last address
was Cripple Creek, Colorado. He is a
Marshal of that famous type that has
rid the West of its hard men. He has
thr- reputation of having always
brought in his man, when he went af
ter him, although not infrequently the
man was sent in, in a wagon, feet first.
Ben Daniels has a record. To those
who do not know him well he Is a
_cold. Dfissignless. secretive man, of Hex*.
culean frame, who goes about his busi
ness of thjef catching as relentlessly as
a bloodhound, and with scarcely less
certain results. To the few who know
him well he is a stanch friend and
ally, who never was known to desert
a comrade, even in the most trying
straits. Those who have seen exhibi
tions of his marksmanship, with the
old-fashioned, single-action six-shoot
er, which is his favorite weapon, mar
vel at his rapidity and skill. He never
does any talking, but when the instant
comes to use a gun It is used so quickly
that the "hard man" never knows any
thing about it.
Daniels has had a long and varied
experience In the West. He was Mar
shal of Dodge City, Kansas, years ago,
when that town was considered the
hardest town in the country. He is and
has been for years a close friend and
companion of Bat Masterson, the fa
mous Sheriff, now in Denver. He has
been tried for years as a scout against
Indians on the frontier nnd against the
cattle thieves and rustlers who almost
caused a war in the early nineties.
There are seventeen notches on the
handle of Daniels' six-shooter, and
every notch could tell a thrilling story
if it would. In person Ben Daniels is
a giant. He stands nearly six feet one
inch and weighs 240 pounds. There
isn't an ounce of fat about him.
Colonel Roosevelt said, in speaking
of his three scouts, that too much could
not be said of Daniels as a man and a
fighter in a just cause. Armstrong, he
says, is another type, and Is also an
other of his scouts. He is highly es
teemed by his commander. Bell, the
third man selected as scout for the out
fit, shares equally in the confidence of
Colonel Roosevelt and is equally valu
able. All three men are distinct types
of the West, and each is invaluable in
his particular line of work.
J. T. Armstrong is from Refugio
County, Texas. He has long been a
Deputy Sheriff in that county and has
had a list of experiences similar to
those of Daniels. The organized bands
of thieves who a few year 9 ago ter
rorized that section of the State have
good reason to remember this nervy
man, who was largely instrumental in
breaking them up and sending many of
them to their last accounting.
Sherman M. Bell, who is seen at the
right tn the picture, hails last from
Cripple Creek. He is equally important
as a scout with the outfit of which he
is a member, and his past record is al
most equally thrilling. He is a man of
quiet demeanor, but crafty, keen and
untiring in the discharge of hie duty,
either as an officer in the West or as a
scout.
A book of goodly proportions might
be compiled in this camp, for it teems
with Western •; celebrities. •I * have '• se-
Jpflfrefl thPKi^hrpp aimnly &3JtYJ}fiS of tllS
men. Reminiscences of every Western
Indian campaign, cattle war or other
disturbance that has occurred within
the last twenty years can be found
here, for of such men as have passed
through these oxii.-ii.Mnes is the regi
ment of rough riders made up. There
isn't any question as to whether they
will fight There is one order, however,
they will be likely to ignore and thnt
is an order to retreat. They are not
made of the sort <>t" stuff that goes into
a fight with any such end in view. 1
cannot conceive of any human force
that could withstand the onslaught of
this thousand rien once they are turned
loose. All. the tricks of Indian flghjting,
coupled wtth the great expertness they
possess in the use of weapons, will ren
der them an uncontrollable force, and
the first body of Spaniards they run
against will have reason to believe that
inferno has been turned upon them, if
any of them* get away to tell the tale.
By the time this reaches the eye of the
reader the rough riders will be in Cuba,
if present plans are carried out. I can
ask no better assignment than to be
permitted to report their first meeting
with the Dons, who fire from the
shoulder, shoot high, and form in solid
phalanx.
New York special to the Sun
day Call: It is now definitely
settled that John Jacob Astor's
battery will go to the Philip
pines. Final orders to this ef
fect were sent to Captain March
last night. The battery will start
immediately. It is expected it
will embark from San Francisco
with the rest of General Mer
ritfs troops, comprising the
third shipment, about June 23.
The horses and mules pur
chased by Colonel Astor will not
be sent to San Francisco. Gen
eral Merrltt will take only a few
horses with him as an experi
ment. He believes the native
horses to be more serviceable
and less expensive. The animals
purchased by Colonel Astor will
be bought by the Government
and sent to Cuba,
Special Correspondonce of The Call.
NEW YORK. June 15, 1898.— The
Astor Mountain Battery, so
called because of the munifi
cence of John Jacob Astor, the
well-known millionaire, is about:
to leave its temporary quarters^
for San Francisco, en route to the Phil-)
ippines.
Mr. Astor conceived the scheme to»
equip and sustain a company entirely*
at his own expense for emergency work
in our present war. This desire he made
known to President McKinley, and
upon its acceptance Mr. Astor formed I
an entirely independent organization
which should go at once to the front,
preferably to the Philippines — an ar
tillery company, in truth, which
should be of mountain and emer
gency equipment In conformity to
the regulations of the regular
army, but individual In name and dis
tinctive in object and support. The
mountain battery is indeed a modern
light artillery. It is the first appear
ance of such a battery In this war, as
well as in the war service ot tbJa Gov
ernment.
The enrollment calls for ninety-eight
men. A rigid examination is to be
pased similar to that required of the
regular army volunteer for the East.
The company is, of course, volunteeiv
and for the most part from in and
about New York, although some hail
from Montreal, and one or two from
Detroit. A fine, healthy, intelligent set'
of young fellows they are, too. They
average between 25 and 30 years of age.
Among the vocations and professions
represented are eight lawyers, several
doctors: the late superintendent of the
Presbyterian Hospital. New York City;,
a United States marshal from Texas, a
barber from the West, and men from
the regular army and the artillery, and'
over half a dozen boys whose fathers
rank high on the list of United States
millionaires.
As soon as the organization had
shaken hands all around a vote of
thanks was sent to Mr. Astor. In an
appropriate resolution they told him of
their appreciation of the chance his
munificence had given them; they said
they hoped to be an honor to the coun
try and to the name of their benefactor,
which they proudly bore, and that they
should always "remember the Maine."
Of late days the men have found
time to form a glee club, dignified by
the name of Astor Battery Glee Club.
Its orchestration include three
violins, four banjos, three guitars and
two mandolins, which the members are
expecting to take with them to camp.
The battery has a mascot, of course,
a rescued Irish collie. He is the pet of
the battery and answers to a list of
names worthy of royal imperial blood.
His collar bears the following inscrip
tion:
"ASTOR BATTERY, U. S. A.
We Remember the Maine."
Thanks to the voluntary contribu
tions of his mates, he is to go to the
front with full uniform, excepting only
the trousers and pedal paraphernalia.
Mr. Astor has been most generous in
giving orders for the personal equip
ment of the men. Each man receives
two uniforms, one the blue cloth of
light weight of the regular artillery, a
brown campaign hat, brown canvas
leggins and gauntlets. The other uni
form is of brown canvas stuff, known
as kaki cloth, trimmed in scarlet,
pockets and shoulder straps included.
With this canvas suit is worn a cork
helmet— white— such as Stanley wore
during his African sojourn. Similar
helmets are worn by the British ser
vice in the far East. These helmets
are water proof, with top and side ven
tilation. A protection hood which falls
over the shoulders is made to adjust to
each. ' The entire headgear weierhs
only seven ounces. The outfit further
includes three suits of underclothing,
three blue woolen shirts, six pairs of
socks, three patrs of canvas leggins,
two pairs of tramping shoes, six hand
kerchiefs and a pair of buckskin gaunt
let gloves.
The men enter for three years' ser
vice and receive $15 60 a month. A ru
mor has it that the day the battery
moves each man will receive $100 in
gold.
The field equipment includes twenty
horses and 100 mules and six Hotchklss
rapid firing guns. Each man carries
a self-cocking Colt revolver of the lat
est pattern with a shooting bullet of
40 caliber and five chambers; and a
saber with a long curved blade, the reg
ulation artillery saber.
The six Hotchkiss guns are known as
three-inch mountain guns, throwing a
twelve-pound shell. These guns are
a very powerful little weapon, especial
ly designed for mountain service.
The Hotchkiss is a French gun: the
factory is in Paris. It is thought by
experts to be superior to the Krupp
make, though similar in construction.
The breech mechanism is strong and
simple and is operated by the turn of
a lever, sliding the breech block to the
right. Each gun is forty inches long
and alone weighs 204 pounds, with car-
Hage but 'little over 300 pounds. When
ready for action the gun stands thirty
inches from the ground. It Is in two
pieces — gun and carriage. Four men
are required to handle each of the two
parts and they manage each piece with
forming a sling, a contrivance made for
the purpose. The carriage consists of
a cradle supported by a tripod. Into
this cradle the gun is set. The cradle
is fitted with spring clamps. In mount
ing a gun all that is required is to set
up the tripod, drop the eun into the
cradle and the clamps hold it in posi
tion by automatic action. Two minutes
is required to unsllng, mount and load,
and two minutes to return the gun to
the mule's back. When the battery is
moving on level ground the guns are
placed on their carriages and drawn
by mules hitched tandem, but over
mountain trails the guns are taken
apart. The gun proper is carried in
a sling between two mules pack-sad
dled, while its complement of wheels,
ammunition boxes, etc., is distributed
among the beasts of burden.
The officers in charge of the Astor
Battery are: First lieutenant, Peyton
C. March, late of the Fifth Artillery, in
command. Lieutenant March is a
warm personal friend of Mr. Astor'a
and it was at his solicitation Lieuten
ant March was put in command. Sec
ond Lieutenant Koehler and Second
Lieutenant Williams, late of the Sixth
Artillery, Junior officers. Among the
non-commissioned officers are: Ser
geant dimming, late of the Fifth Ar
tillery, U. S. A.; Sergeant Burton
Holmes, who has seen active service In
the British army in India and Africa;
Sergeant Young, a member of the fam
ous Young family of Salt Lake City,
and identified with the Mormon settle
ment of Utah. Sergeant Sillman, of
late a commander of a battalion sta
tioned at Detroit, Mich. All commis
sioned and non-commissioned officers
are mounted.
Among the supplies which arrived
last week were 120 red flannel blankets
of fine quality for the horses; also long
brush hooks and axes for clearing the
way when the battery operates in a
wooded country.
Lieutenant March has reported to
Washington that, except for some un
foreseen delay in the arrival of sup
plies, his battery will be ready to move
Wednesday, June 8. The shell boxes.
Immediately upon arrival, were sent to
the Government magazine at Fort
Wadsworth for loading with ammuni
tion, and they will be shipped probably
directly to the Presidio at San Fran
cisco.
Mr. Astor has made arrangements for
a special train to convey the troops. It
is to be made up of sleepers and bag
gage cars. Each man has been given a
brierwood pipe and a pouch of tobacco.
Lieutenant March has orders from Mr.
Astor to keep the boys well supplied
with tobacco until they sail from the
Golden Gate.
The men are most impatient to be off
and hail with delight each new delivery
of equipment. They are being housed
in one of Mr. Astor's buildings on
Broadway, Just above Spring street,
and though the lower windows are
whitewashed, hiding from public gaze
the rows of neatly made cots and mesa
tables, in the upper story the men sit
watching Broadway and its traffic. An
American flag has been pasted upon
one of the large windows. The groups
of civilian-clad young fellows have
created general comment and the start
ing day promises to be an event in
New York life heralded with enthusias
tic crowds wishing them godspeed.
According to the best authorities less
than one thousand-millionth part of the
sun's rays reaches the earth. It is fortu
nate that this Is so, as any considerable
concentration of the rays upon our planet
would speedily destroy It According to
the same account, if all of the ice at the
north pole were so pi.cd that the heat of
the sun could be focused on It, it would
dissolve at the rate of 300.000.000 miles of
solid Ice per second. The heat is esti
mated to generate energy at the rate of
10.000 horse-power to every square foot of
space. The beginning of the radiation of
heat from the sun must date back some
thing like 100,000,000 years. Like every
thing else it had Its start and must have
its finish. It may continue for 15,000,000
or 20,000.000 years longer, but there is a
limit and it must be reached. One cannot
but wonder at the condition of the uni
verse at that time and what will cojn«
21