The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-07-23
PREPARING CAMP
FOR THE SOLDIERS
THE WORK OF PREPARING CAMP
NOEL FOR THE COMING OF
THE MILITARY MEN Is
NOW IN PROGRESS.
Adiutant General Fridge and His As
sistants Are Here, and Work
VIII Be Rushed as Rap
idly As Is Possible.

In less than two weeks the State
encampment will begin, and officers
of the Mississippi National Guard are
now busily engaged in preparing for
the large body Of men who will as
semble here. Adjutant General Ar
thur Fridge, accompanied by Major
e. W. Nall, Capt. s. P. Walker and
Sergeant Cole, arrived in Columbus
last Saturday, and, together with
Capt. J. F. Pope, of this city, who is
on the camp detail, began the work
of getting things in readiness for the
soldiers on Monday morning. The
camp, which is to be known as
Camp Noel" will be located at
Washington Park, where the soldiers
biyouacked last summer, but as the
number of men in attendance viii be
greater than last year, the camp will
naturally be larger.
IN addition TO the members of the
National Guard, there viii be five
hundred regulars here during the en-
campment. These regulars will come
from Chickamauga, being a battal-
ion from the Seventeenth United
States Infantry, which is now en-
camped at Chickamauga. General
Luke E. Wright, who was recently
appointed to succeed Hon. W. H.
Taft as secretary OF war, will review
the troops at Chickamauga at an
early date, and efforts are being
made to induce him TO come to Co
lumb and inspect the camp. Col.
John P. Mayo, who has been untiring
in his efforts to make the encamp-
ment a success, has sent Gen. Wright
a telegram inviting and urging him
to come here, and it is hoped that
he will accept the invitation.
Col. Mayo also sent a telegram to
Hon. William Jennings Bryan invit-
ing him to come here and deliver an
address to the soldiers, but the com
moner finds it impossible to accept
the invitation. In a letter to Col.
Mayo the Democratic candidate for
president states that he would be de-
lighted to accept the invitation, but
is very busy, and finds it impossible
to leave home.
Capt w. S. Mullins, of the Column
bus Rifemen, is in receipt Of a let
ter from Col Sam McCants, COM
mander of the Second Regiment, in
which he states that a school of in
struction for officers will be opened
here on July 31st, and remain in ses-
sion until the opening of the en-
campment on August 4th. This
school is for the purpose of giving
instruction to the officers of the Sec
ond Regiment, and Col. McCants has
written to the commanders of all the
companies composing the regiment
urging them and their subordinate
officers to attend.
The camp will not only be on
more elaborate scale than last sum-
mer, but will be more complete in
detail. the lighting arrangement be-
ing especially effective. There will
be an arc light at headquarters, while |
incandescent bulbs will mark the
location of all of the officers tents. |
There will be more than two score |
of these tents, which means that I
about half hundred electric bulbs /
will be scattered about the grounds, I
giving the camp an exceedingly pic /
turesque appearance during the noe
turnal hours. The city water mains /
rr;II fvrricb p1ap+x IF xyatar for oh
lutionary purposes, while a splendid
bored well will give forth a copious
supply of pure artesian water for the
men TO drink. The flag staff which
was erected last year has never been
removed, and the stars and stripes
now fiaunt from the summit of the
pole, the flag having been hoisted to
its position yesterday.
The Mobile & Ohio Railroad, the
Southern Railway and the Southern
Railway in Mississippi have granted
d rate of one fare plus twenty-five
cents from all points touched by their
lines in Mississippi and Alabama on
account of the encampment, and it
IS probable that the Southeastern
Association will issue an
order instructing all railroads in Mis-
sissippi TO participate in this rate.
Already local hotels are receiving
etters requesting the reservation Of
rooms, and it seems a certainty that
he encampment will bring to Colum- :
bus the largest number of visitors
hat ever assembled here.
The music will be a special feature
of the encampment. The Corinth
band, which made such a favorable
Impression here last year, will again ,
in srr Ianh La Il J,