Show SLOW MOVEMENT TO HELP OEM Expedition May Start During the Summer SENATORS IMPATIENT OVER LONG DELAY Cruiser Charleston Will Reach Manila In Three Weeks But There Is No Apparent Attempt to Expedite the Movement of TroopsStrong Expedition Will leave Spain This Month Volunteers Volun-teers From Eastern States Assigned t signed to the Expedition Merriti Given His Pick San Francisco Mar 18The Charleaa ton has not passed through the Golde Gate at 545 oclock this evening although al-though she left Mare Island shortly after af-ter 10 oclock this morning bound for Manila It is generally understood that her compasses are being adjusted near Angel Island but there may be other reasons for the delay as this operation J opera-tion usually requires but two or three hours Her commander may be awaiting await-ing further instructions from the department de-partment at Washington as his vessel Is within easy reach of the government boat which plies between this city and the garrisons at Angel Island and Alcatraz Al-catraz Island Major General Otis who arrived from Denver last night today assumed charge of the organization outfitting and the sailing of the troops bound for Manila He held a long consultation with General Merriam this morning and the first step decided on was the Inspection of the City of Pekin which I is scheduled to transport the first regiment reg-iment to the Philippines Her accommodations i accom-modations were thoroughly examined j and a few alterations will be made I which will delay the departure of the i vessel until Saturday next When read for sea the Pekin will I carry four fourpound Hotchkiss rapid fire guns two being placed in her bow II I and two in her stern She is being prepared for the reception of 1400 enlisted en-listed men 72 army olfleers eight navy officers and 112 sailors The latter with their officers are to man the Spanish ships captured by Admiral Dewey NOT RUSHING THINGS Work on the transports City of Sydney Syd-ney and Australia Is proceeding in avery very leisurely manner The former vessel ves-sel is being coaled and painted and a few carpenters are at work in her interior in-terior but that is all Unless a force of mechanics is put at work on her at once the vessel will not be ready to leave for a week or more Little is being be-ing done on the Australia but as she is less in need of repairs and alteration than the other vessel it will not take so long to fit her for service when orders are once issued to get her ready for departure de-parture There are now nearly 4000 men camped at the Presidio and nearly as many more will be here by the middle of next week The second battalion of the Oregon volunteers under command of Colonel Summers arrived here today from Portland and were received with great enthusiasm They are a fine body of men and are better equipped than any of the sildiers that have arrived here from other states They were met at the fem depot by the Second artillery artil-lery band and headed bj a platoon of police They marched up Market street to Van Ness avenue thence to the Presidio Pre-sidio where they were enthusiastically received by the soldiers already encamped en-camped there There were C50 men and officers in the second batch of men from the webbfoot state The health of the men camped > at the Presidio is generally good m spite of the hardships and exposure that the men have had to endure There are one or two cases of incipient pneumonia and a few cases of fever but that Is about all One man from McMinnvllIe Ore has been stricken with some disease resembling re-sembling measles but the army phj sicians are not at all sure that this is his malady He has been quarantined as a matter of precaution Special notices to Pacific coast manners I man-ners were issued today by the hydrographic hydro-graphic service to the effect that all the principal ports on the Atlantic seaboard have been mined with torpedoes and I warning has been given to captains of vessels that an infraction of the law may result in the shore batteries opening open-ing fire on the intruding vessel |