The Washington herald., 1909-06-20

Chicago, Ill. June 1s.-Three thousand
embryo jackies daily maneuvering on the
lake front On the far north shore. Half a
hundred officers. commissioned and non
commissioned. engaged in Transforming
raw recruits into fuil-feeged sailor men
Half a dozen trim gbnboats and practice
vessels stationed in the vicinity OF the
good sized city that Uncle sam has been
silently engaged IN building in the last
five years.
That Is what another year viii bring
forth up at Lake Bluff. when the great
est naval training station IN the world
VIII be opened and ready for business, II
all continues 20 go we'll
It will be completed July 1. 1916. and
the total outlay up 70 that time will ap-
proxinate $3.5O0.eo0 or this $2.560,000 is
the cost OF thirty-nine buildings. S25o.01
the cost Of 1s2 acres Of ground. $4,000 the
cost OF equipment and furnishings, and
$4,000 the maintenance cost during the
course OF construction.
The first legislation for the station was
passed by Congress in 1902. authorizing
the appointment OF a board 10 secure a
site on the Great Lakes. Lake Blur was
selected and then in 1904 the work was
begun. Included in cost OF buildings are
six miles Of road az $4,000, FIVE miles OF
walks SO 90. sea wall and harbOr $4,000
and walls and fences totaling 5000. The
total cubic contents OF the buildings viii
be 100000 feet
Cost of Buildings.
The approximate cost OF the buildings
follows:
Administration building. 10000: in-
struction building. $4,000, driU han. S20,-
600: four dormitories. $4,000; mess han,
$4,000. power house, Sll5,oo0; guard
house. $4,000; receiving building. $500;
six receiving dormitories and one receiv-
ing gallery. $4,000: general store. $1,000
boat house. $1,000. stables. $500; brig
| Cprison). So. ZOO. commandant's house
$50 90: ten officers houses, El32 000; fve
hospital buildings. including medical off,
/ GERS houses. $4,000.
Since the United States took its place
in the ranks OF the world Powers follow
ing the Spanish-American War the navy
has been growing az a rapid rate. The
completion OF each battle ship meant the
employment of al least so additional sea
men, and occasionally IL was necessary
10 resort 10 strong measures 10 get sum
cient recruits.
The heads of Cae Navy Department
took the problem in hand. and, recog-
nizinE that the Great Lake district had In
the past furnished a large number Of sea
men 70 the navy. IL was decided 10 es-
tabllsh a vast naval training station at
the most favorable site that could be OBJ
tained. Accordingly. after a dozen sites
| had been submitted and examined. the
Lake Bluff site was selected as the most
centrally located and az possessing more
natural advantages than any other.
/ The site Of the new institution is about
an hour and a halfs ride by railroad
train from the center Of this city and q
I little more By electric line. The ride IS
/ through the Gristocratic suburbs OF
/ Evanston. Lake Forest. Highland Park,
/ Wllmette and Winnetka- The station is
/ located about a mile and a half beyond
/ the station Of Lake Bluff and IS marked
/ by a trim little depot Of the electric line
/ You are first apprised Of the fact thar
/ Uncle Sam IS engaged upon some project
/ from the signs which pientifully ad0rn
/ the boundaries Of the reservation warn
/ ing the passerby that he is In the vicinity
of government property and that he
should keep or
Hidden by Trees.
The larger buildings Of the station are
so completely hidden by trees that the
1 general public passing by on The
/ trains or the way 20 Milwaukee
or WaUkegan would have no idea OF the