Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-31

four hours. To trust to the ordinary tactli-
ties of the railroad matter how extern
sive the system might be. would have RESULT
ed in causing blockade of the road and
delay of traffic during the time the troops
were being detrained. Therefore, after
consultation with the railroad officials, nu-
merous spurs were run from the main line
direct to the camp and separate space was
prepared for the men and the baggage
For unloading the former one system of
sidings was constructed and for getting out
the latter another system was used. The
number of tracks laid for the reception of
the baggage alone exceeds that of any
freight yard in Washington. For the stor-
age of the cars after the men and baggage
were unlOaded another system of spurs was
built and. by the careful work of the quar-
termast a system has been evolved which
seems to defy any element to cause confu-
sion of the slightest kind. The system was
put to a most severe test at Thoroughfare
on Sunday, when eight troops of the 7th
Cavalry. horses and men, on five trains
were rolled into the sidings. 1t required
just exactly seventeen minutes to detrain
every one of those men and horses, the
quickest time for such work on record.
Gen. Bell. a cavalry officer of many years
experience. was amazed al the performance
and stated openly that he had never seen
The officials of the Southern railway share
the credit of this work with the army quar-
termaSterS.
Wood and Water.
OF the second great problem the quarter
masters have had to solve a book might
be written. It must not be expected that
all the work has gone on smoothly, for it
has not done There have been many
Eindrances, but the difficulties have made
the results more satisfactory to the officers
in charge Two things most necessary to
good camp from the quartermaSter's point
of View are WOOD and water. 1t was neces-
sary for the officers of this department to
provide these necessary commodities for
their men. the ordnance department being
expected to furnish the tents and the COM
riSsary the food supply. Bat If there was
no wood water and no camp laid out,
neither of these two departments could do
anything for the troops. Therefore the
QuartermaSterS were put to 1t to provide
these three necessaries. A man building
house will contract with one man to dig
his well or run his water pipes from the
mains, another to make the plans for the
buildings. still another to build the Struc-
ture and entirely different sort of a
man to finish It, while another fills his coal
cellar and yet another supplies him with
light and heat, all these being done after
designs made by yet another individual An
army quarterm2ster is all of these rolled
into one. He must know the work of all
the artisans mentioned to complete his
tasks, in addition to knowing all about
transportation and the men who have been
charged with the work of preparing this
camp have shown that they possess the re-
Qulred Knowledge. Ihey nave aug wells,
piped every section of the camp and have
erected MIGRANTS: they have measured Off
the space to be occupied by each company.
troop and battery, and by each regiment.
brigade and division. They have secured
mans of their carnps and have marked on
these maps the exact location of every
map. The colonel of an infantry regiment
detrains his regiment at the proper place
and is given a map of the camp prepared
by the Engineer Corps and furnished by
the quartermaster; he is met by guide,
furnished by the quartermaster: he is
taken to the place designated as the camp
for his regiment and shown a space mark
ed off by dark blue flags.
At one side of the space there are three
flags and at the other side two flags. placed
by the uuartermaster. The colonel Is tod
that the side with the three flags is ms reg
mental front. At regular intervals along
the space are hydrants. erected by the
quartermaster. The colonel is told that
these represent his company streets Near
the hydrants is stacked fire wood. That IS
where the kitchens are to 60 At the OPP
posite end of the space from the piles OF
wood and the hydrants are holes In the
ground. These are the sinks and. best or
all. in the middle of the upper end OF the
space marked off, is a small tent In which