Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21


| rated The utmost caution was observed
and an advance guard and fankers thrown
| out. A picket soon breathlessly reported
that he was certain the constantly increas-
ing volume of melody emanated from
| nearby tent. The more fearless OF the
scouting detachment very cautiously spread
apart the flaps. The light from the lanterns
was hastily flashed within and the source
of the disturbance located. The searchers
gazed upon Staff Sergeant Eugene P. Cor
| vaiZier, fiat his back asleep.
1t was merely the story Of previous Dis
| trict National Guard camps repeated-the
| Snore of the snorer who shores.
| The searching party was about to infct
violence upon the rotund. but very neces-
| sary and always obliging staff sergeant when
| another crash rent asunder the air. There
| was no installing this outburst. 1t had
been heard before and was familiar-too
familiar, in fact-to those whose fortune or
misfortune it has been to be located at or
near headquarters. Everybody instantly
| recognized the tumult the copper-lined.
| dnuble-riveted. copyrighted, all-powerful
and non-conquerab.e snore Of Major George
! Henderson, the efficient and faithful sur
| geon general OF the militia. All hope for
| restful night, instantaneously forsook the
! scouting party, and Sergeant Corvalzier was
allowed TO remain on his cot undisturbed.
! The little gathering silently disbursed. and
the duet of the snorers completely eltIniina ted
| any possibility Of sleep for several hours.
| Even the horses, tied to the picket line a
| half mile away grew FESTIVE and showed
| signs of fright. The heavy thunder storm
/ put in appearance about midnight how
ever, and drowned to slight extent the
volume of the SHORES. The thunder storm
| was welcomed with sincerity.
Il was stopped out here just now by
! tongue-tied sentinel remarked a flustered
late last night. He added, Il had a terrible
| experience.
! What happened?' inquired several of
! those in the tent
/ | In wit 1IN-
busness-l!ke bayonet point against my
/ heart until he could manage to say Halt "
Lieut.. MattingIy a Busy Man.
! First Lieut.. Francis Carroll MGttingly,
| signal corps. has his ha:ds full. He is the
| only officer on duty with the corps. and. in
addition to The thousand and one things he
| is called upon to look after he has been IN
| charge of the engineer corps in the alb
SERGE of Lieut.. Hayes. ever since the tents
| were first pitched at Camp Ordway. Mai.
| F. L. Averll. chief Of engineers. directs
| the technical work of the corps. but all
matters Of administration and discipline.
messing and general managing Of the en-
| gineers has to be looked after by the signal
| corps commander.
| The body Of engineers consists of twen-
! ty-three men. Among these there are only
| two commissioned officers. Sergt. Gle
mons and Corp. A. NJ. Smith. both of
whom saw service in the United States en-
gineer corps during the. Spanish war. These
| two young men keep the organization busy
| with engineer drill, building facincs and
| constructing entertainments. All day from
| one to three parties of two three men
| each are out on reconnaissance duty. sur
| veying and making maps Of the wheat
| fields. the hills, the dSleS, the woods and
| the barn yards around this quaint Maryland
| town. The maps will be used by the in
| fantry commands on their practice marches
| and field maneuvers, and. to use an express
| sion common among the officers OF the
| brigade. Gen. Har1tes Is using the engineer
corps in such a way as to put his troops
| up against genuine service conditions.
! Before tents will have been struck in Camp
| Ordway. the District of Columbia National
| Guard will be in shape to sail for China,
make maps of the Boxers country. dig
| trenches around Pekin. and telegraph the
| news back to Washington. IL necessary.
| The work of the signal corps Is winning
| compliments from everybody who visits,
| or who has anything TO do with the camp.
| detail of its men. under Sergeant VIM.
| Nfemeyer. left the armory in Washington
| about o'clock Wednesday evening with
the signal corps wagon and the telegraph
and telephone apparatus This party pro-
| ceeded over road to the camp. They ar
| rived about 2:15 o'clock Thursday morning
and at o'clock. while it was still dark
| that one could not see to write a message,
| Sergeant Niemeyer. who had already ef-
| fected connection with the Western Union
| telegraph system, wired Lieutenant Mat
| tingly, announcing the arrival OF the party
and the condition of the horses. Ever
| station has been in complete order and do
| ing business up to the handle.
A Striking Picture.
When General Harries and the main body
| Of the brigade marched upon the camp site
| perhaps the most striking picture around
| Gaithersburg was Sergeant Niemeyer in q
khaki uniform. operating the telegraph sta
| ton on a cracker box in the broilng SUM-
| After while the signal wagon was brought
| up and in few minutes the lines were
deftly changed and for the next lay and
| a half the telegraph station was located
| in 1t at the operators tables.
The Gaithersburg telephone system. which
| operates something over 900 instruments
| located in the business houses and private
| residences Of the town and vicinity. has
been tapped, and the whole system Is now
able to be used from the signal station
while the camp is strung with wires. and
| every important point in it is reached
| through the signal corps switchboard. 1t
| would seem that the amount of work In
| volved In preparing and operating this line
work would occupy the twenty men on duty
with the signal corps. while. as a matter
of fact, 1t is only perhaps half of their
work. They have established and are OPP
Grating heliograph and wigwag stations on
the high places about the camp.
One notes quite a contrast between the
courier service used In delivering kilograms
received by the signal corps and that of
| the Washington messenger boy service.
Here. in Camp Ordway. there is no loaf
ing" over message. 1t is typewriter as
it comes from the wire: showed into an
| envelope. addressed. handed to a mounted
| orderly. and rushed at a gallop to the off,
Ger or enlisted man to whom 1t is address,
| ed. so that not more than two or three
minute elapse between the receipt of the
message and its delivery. These things
| are new to the District Guard. They are
things unheard Of undreamed of. in the
| days of the old signal corps and the dis
patch and accuracy with which they are
| done by the present body make the old
| time militiamen wonder what is coming
next. The veterans Of the Guard can re-
| call the days OF the old camps at Fort
| Washington. when It was . commonplace
| thing to have to walk 600 or . thousand
yards to deliver q message which ID trans
| mitted at Camp Ordway almost instanta-
nsously over the telephone. Perhaps the
| have put up the system now IN use here
little more quickly than It has been put