Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-20
THE NORTHERN FRONTIER.
The improvements and Enlargement
of Fort Niobrara.


Gen. James s.. Brisbin writes in the
Chicago Tribune as follows: Fort Mo.
brara is i'm the northwestern part OF the
state Of Nebraska. and we are justno very
busy building. The post is u very pleas.
n one, and being enlarged from a five
TO an eight company post. When the
present improvements are completed it
will be one of the best and most comfor-
table posts in the Department of the
Platte. All the quarters, for both officers
and men, Will bc supplied with bath
rooms, and contain all the modern i'm.
provements except electric lights. The
new sets are three company barracks.
three double sets of officers quar-.
tcrs, and three cavalry stables. Capt.
Lunn'S company, Fourth infantry, are
making the adobcs for the new buildings,
and are doing their work well. The cap
tain has enormous yards and four mills
Mt work. turning out f,jO) adobcs each
per day. The yards are being gradually
extended and the capacity OF the mills
beng increased, so that it is expected
that the yards will soon yield 10000
adobcs per day. 1t will take fully $50.
003 adobes TO lay up the walls of the new
buildings here, but az about one-third
break in manufacturing, Captain Lunn
will have to make over 8 5000 to do the
work required. Captain William Bis.
be company II, Fourth infantry is out
in the timber cutting saw-logs. The men
have cut about 600 so far, and will con
tinuc to cut until 1000 logs are scored.
was SURPRISED to find so much lumber in
this section of Nebraska. | had sup.
posed there was none, but we are getting
out pine saw.logs two and ever three
feet in diameter within two miles of this
post. We have n good saw-mIll, with
planning mill, shingle-mill, etc, attached.
always like TO have plen V of lumber,
and a big undergrad at n military post
is a great comfort. | expect to ret out
100000 feet this fall, which | think is do
ing very well in a no.timbercd country.
WELL PLANNED AND BUILT.
This post was originally laid out and
built by Col. Upham, Fifth cavalry, and
a better planned or constructed post |
have never seen. Every building in the
post is large, roomy, and airy, having
onc of that squatty, contracted appear
ance so common in our forts. From the
large parade-grOund down to the small
est building, everything is upon that
large and liberal plan so agreeable to
those who have to live here. ] do not
know Col. tpham, hUt he must be alargo-
minded man, and knows Just how a post
should be built. | hope the government
will remember this, and when it has other
posts to build send Uplam. Army arch
itecturc is, as q rule. the mcancSt in
the world, and hen | think of the places
and houses where we nave had 10 live in
ont west it makes me sick. Low ceilings,
little cramped-up rooms, bad ventilation,
small barracks where the men were
crowded together like a herd of sheep
this was the rule in army buildings, and
the eXceptionsYere few and far between.
There is nothing of the kind here. The
barracks are large, and every man has
room to move about; the ceilings are
high and the ventilation perfect. In the
officers housdS the rooms are large, the
ceilings high, and the buildings all well
ventilated. There is no cheap paper on
the walls to hide the cracks and dirt, bnt
the walls are painted and the rooms
solid and clean. The houses have the
appearance, inside Mt least, of city resi-
denceS. and the evidences ofcomfort and
convenience appear the moment one
opens the wide doors. How Upham did
so much work..hcre with so little money
is Il puzzle; possibly he did what so many
officers do-helped himself and relied
more on the resources of the country
than the appropriations. A good saw
mill a~d 80 or 400 wiling men are Il
great help in building ii post. Many
hands, dropping wen Il pebble each,
soon make a great pile.