The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-01-05
ERRONEOUS REPORTS.
Statements Made Against Manage
ment Of Grading Camp Unfounded.

Texas, have charge of the boarding
camp near Wheeler on the pipe line
now bein" built from that place to
Ardmore. This company operates
grading boarding camps all over the
uthwest-having charge of forty
eight such places between Kansas
City and Fort Worth.
During the past ten days reports
have been brought to this city by for.
mer employees on the line, which have
teen very derogatory to the ones ii
charge of this particular camp. 1t
las been charged among other things,
most unsanitary, that the sleeping
quarters afforded the men were most
ihadequate-many of them being COM
PEELED to sleep on the ground-and
that the food was abOminable. it
vas alleged that the meats upon
which the men were fed were old and
stale-in many cases being in an ad-
vanced stage of decomposition-an
The supply at each meal of everything
was stinted and not of a sufficiency
to appease the hunger of hard work
ing men.
These complaints became so num-
erous that the ladies of the town and
Dr.. Hardy as health officer decided
that an investigation of the conditions
as they might exist at the Wheeler
camp should be made. DR.. Hardy no
tifed the home office of the HUT Con-
struction company at Fort Worth, of
the great number of complaints and
told them, through the mails that lie
would investigate the charges. The
company at once notified him that
they would lend him every assistance
IN their power and at once dispatched
a representative, n. E. Donnelly, 10
this city. On Friday, DR.. Hardy, ac-
companied by Mr.. Donnelly and by
Mr.. Rodgers of this city, autoed out
to the Wheeler camp. Arriving there
tie gentlemen found things directly
tine opposite to what they had been
reported to be.
DR.. Hardy in mentioning the mat
Ter to an ArdmOreite reporter. said
chat upon their arrival at the camp
he was most pleasantly surprised 1T
the extreme neatness with which the
camp was handled while the sanitary
were as nearly perfect as
it. as possible to make them. Sam
uel Reed, the superintendent in
charge, the doctor says he found to
be perfect gentleman with the mark
o fthe shamrock on each cheek and
the brogue of Cork upon his tongue.
Mr.. Reed has been away from Erin's
green isle thirty years and has been
in his present business almost con-
Linuously ever since. when advised
Df the purpose of the visit Mr.. Reed
conducted the doctor and his party
all over the camp-show ed them the
sleeping quarters, the cook tent" and
The commissary-in fact, everything.
The first charge which DR.. Hardy
found to be false was the statement
that the men were not furnished with
adequate sleeping quarters. In the
sleeping tent there were forty-three
double bunks, each one of whick was
provided with a mattress and three |
double blankets. The kitchen
was found to be scru
pulously clean and the dining tent |
vas in the same condition. When the |
Charge that some of the men were |
to sleep on the ground was
Investigated it was found that upon
cne occasion three wanderers who
we're not employed by the company
-ame in at nightfall and were fed and
put up for the night. There We're no
hunks for these three men SO each of
hem We're given two pairs of blankets
md allowed to sleep in the tent be-
SIDE stove. That they could not
ave suffered, even as guests, is dem
by the fact that night |
yatchman is employed by the COM
>any, a part of whose duties is to at
end to the fires in the sleeping quar-
ers of the men and keep them burn
ng all through the night.
When asked about the charges rel
tive to the food supply-'its quality
nd quantity, DR.. Hardy stated that
he reports which had been brought
o his ears were absolutely without
I'VE were there at sup
er time" the doctor said "and ate