The evening times., 1898-09-05
TO BE SEEN AT MoNTAUK.
What the Camp WiI<oG NeiGhbor-
hood Is Like

(From the New York Evening Post.)
The sand dunes of Montauk Point and
the desoIate fiatlands lying TO the west
have become, suddenly, and apparently u
their great cons ternation, n locality of in
terest TO the nation at large. The sparse
year-round inhabitants of the Out-of-the-
way corner and of the vicinity. immediate
and remote. though they have been quick
10 appreciate the money making possibili-
ties in the sudden influx of gOld-buttoned
army officers and interested civilians,
! have hardly awakened 10 the unfamiliar
undreamed-of conditions that the estab-
lishment of Camp Wikof has precipitated
upon them They have not, at any time
accepted the situation philosophically.
The news of the coming of the unknown
startled them into clamor of protest
unorganized, and, whether or not quite
futile. Simple-lived. credible folk, they
are easily thrown into panic by the rumor
or danger they have not known before
and only 10 be quieted by contact with IT,
intimate and without hurt So they are
still afraid of the fever and grunbling
ana threatening the gov 'ment' darkiy
They are not sure that the soldiers will
be agreeable neighbors in any way: and
the expectation of brawling and thieyiny
keeps them in a state of high trepidation
But having. with an eye 10 the main
chance, thrown their houses open to
strangers, they are being constantly re-
assured and are now in a fair way to the
recovery of their equanimity One serene
faced old lady. however. was heard de-
voutly 10 thank God that the town had
gone teetotal."
Inc little village of Montauk is COM
posed of half-a-dozen houses. scattered
widely and not TO be seen from the sta
uon. 1here Is nothing at Montauk Point.
now. to repay casual spectator for the
discomfort of being there, and will he
nothing for some time 10 come The sta
ton, the only resting place is the center
of all confusion. The offices and waiting
. room are tust large enough to fit the
needs of business under ordinary circum-
! stances; they are crowded from early
morning until late az night in these davs.
The company has force OF carpenters
at work putting up a passenger shack"
and the long platform is heaped with lum-
ber and scantling, and crowded with
busy workmen, who are ready with a.
! belaboring tongue when civilians get in
! their way. The telegraph room is in the
station house, and has a guard at the
door to keep out ununiformed persons
who have elbow room for work One
! telephone has been placed in the waiting
| room and may be used at the usual rate
! of seventy-five cents for three minutes
! conversation. Even on payment of this
| the civilian may be interrupted at any
| moment by the Government officials
! who have the first call upon all facilities
! There is always a crowd in the waiting
! room, and always others pushing in and
/ out as though their business were mat
ter of life and death. The company off,
/ cials have distracted faces, and hardly
time enough to answer the questions put
| to them.
! The station is a long, hard way from
| the camp, which is hidden behind range
! of steep sand hils-a mile or more from
| the general hospital, the nearest point.
| The camp is spread over an era of several
| square miles and the only approach TO it
| is over a military road of recent making.
! This road is impassaiole to pedestrians
| in wet weather, and makes hard walking
! even when the sun has dried the sand
! The residents of the district have hitched
| their horses to every vehicle in their pos
| session, and put them in service as cabs
| for hire at high rates They have been
| warned. however that in an emergency
! they will be called on by the Government
and be required to carry officials at a
much less compensation. There is not
much to the camp proper-groups of tents
| here and there that the 1,500 cavalrymen
have put up for their quarters. the hos
| pital and Red Cross headquarters, the
| tents of Gen. Young and staff, and some
| isolated tents with no apparent purpose:
! in all. nothing whatever of a spectacular
| chara cter.
The station is the one point of inter-
| est OFF to the north from the platform, If
| the freight cars do not obstruct the view,
| one can see a few tents of a detachment
| of colored cavalry 10 the south are the
| quiet waters of the Sound to the east lie
| the sand hills of Camp Wikoff. and to
| the west the railroad yards stretch and
widen into a confusion of freight and
| passenger cars sheds, newly laid tracks
| and sand and gravel. a number of tugs,
| fishing sloops, and government vessels
ride at anchor in the Sound, and on the
| horizon white sails and trailing smoke
| show against gray sky. The immediate
| vicinity of the station is crowded with all
| kinds of temporary sheds-sheds for the
| commissary stores, for the quartermas-
| ter's stores. for the laborers, who refuse
| to sleep in tents; for harnessing the
| mules, and for many other purposes. On
| the beach twenty-odd tents are UP for
| the accommodation of the commissary
department, and near them is the place
| where the ambulances and commissary
wagons are kept when not in use. The
whole locality is in a consested state,
heaped with supplies, with hardly room
| for the wagons to move about in.
The station platform is a busy place.
for the camp headquarters is located
there. to all intents and purposes The
chief officers and their orderles come and
| go, give and are given orders in loud
voices. Rows of accoutered horses are
| tethered to the platform rail, and ambu-
lances stand in waiting little beyond
! them Rough Riders and regular caval-
rymen hang about, sitting on boxes and
| barrels, and talk over their experiences.
The former attract great attention Their
| uniforms-brown duck with bright yellow
| MISUNDERSTANDING them clearly enough.
Those of the regiment there now are out
of the West mostly-ail well-built men.
| with straight noses and pointed chins and