The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-05
PREPARING FOR CAMP
IMPROVEMENTS IN ELxDALE
 PARK AT sELkA.
Soldiers of Second Infantry Will Find Beautifully Shaded Grounds Sanitary Conveniences.
 Central City News.
Advertiser Bureau,

Advertiser Bureau,
 st " Selma. July {. In company with Colonel Abbott, Pres- ident of the Street and Suburban Rail- way. The Advertiser representative boart1- ed an electric car this morning and rode to Elkdale Park, where the 2nd Regi. ment will go into camp on July 8. s,>,
 The Park has been put in beautiful con- dition for the encampnneut. Scores of hands were at work putting on the fin- ishing touches and everything will De tu the best of condition by the day that the soldiers come to Selma. Hundreds of stunps have been pulled and negroes and mules were busy bling these stumps In heaps and burning them. so as to make the park present good appearance for 2 ElkdaIe Park consists of ffty-four acres and there is not day when the sun shines that every foot of the park trees. It is an ideal place for an en- campment and Colonel Abbott has spared no means to make things comfortable for the soldiers L and they have been constructed with a great deal of care. Two immense tables run from one end of the mess halls to the other, with a long seat down each aisle of the tables. so that practically the whole regiment can be seated at the table at once. A water pipe has been run from the nearest watermain to the mess hall. and the supply of water for culinary purposes will be most plentiful:
 A little in the rear and to the right of the mess halls four bath rooms have been erected and pipes have been strung over head so that the soldiers can have show CT, baths whenever they feel like 1t. work and the mess halls will be it up with 150 incandescent lights while a string of lights will be attached to the main wire clear through the park. The finishing touches were put on the guard house today.
 A force of carpenters and painters was also at work constructing 100 benches, half of them twenty feet long and the other half ten feet long. As soon as the took it in hand and as soon as the benches had dried sufficiently. laborers took them and carried them to dtmerent parts of the park so that the soldiers ments will not get weary from having to ! At the loop, at the far end of the park, two plank platforms. sixty feet long. have been built on each side of the rail- way track and benches will be placed on these platforms. so that the soldiers will have a place to rest while waiting for
 The Improvements that Colonel Abbott dation of the soldiers has already cost him over $1 600, but he says he wants to do 1t right and make the visiting soidiery as comfortable as possible while In Sel- ma.
 Colonel Abbott has let the contract for a six-inch bored well near the center ot the park and series of small lakes will be made in the woods from the east to the west side of the park. These little lakes will have gravel bottoms and ce- ment sides and the borders will be made little flower gardens. A swimming pool and plunge will be one of the features.
 The ladies will have a little lake to themselves. where they can learn to swim. Steel row boats will be placed on the bosom of these lakes and Elkdale Park will be one of the most beautiful resorts in Aiabama.
 The work of boring the immense six inch well to supply the water for this chain of lakes, will commence just as soon as the machinery can be brought here from Linden.