The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-19
CHATTANOOGA IS
READY FOR REUNION
Elaborate Plans to Enter
tain Veterans
PLENTY OF ROOM
Three Months of Hard Work by Com
mittees Completed and Ten
nessee City Stands Ready
to Receive Visitors


Chattanooga, May 1s.-(Speclal. 1.-THE
reunion of the confederate veterans be-
ing only a week in advance of the pres
ent date, makes some observations and
statements concerning the prepa sedness OF
Chattanooga to entertain the veterans
and visitors pertinent in this correspon-
dence.
NO reunion organization ever worked
harder to be ready for the event than
that of Chattanooga. Three months have
been devoted to the work, and IL is com
pleted The last meeting of the general
executive committee was attended by
every member and reports from sub-com-
mittees were submitted These reports
showed that everything was in readiness
and that Chattanooga is merely waiting
Tor the date of the reunion to arrive.
Camp Stewart, by far the largest single
job on the list, has been put In first class
condition, ready for its thousands of
guests. Tents are up and cots and blan-
kets In place. The dining tent and
Kitchen equipment are complete in every
detail. force has been engaged to
handle this end of the big enterprise.
More than 200 helpers are necessary for
the dining room and kitchen service.
Nearly all of the tents are on heavy blue
grass sod, under good shade and supplied
with an abundance of fresh water
From points in Camp Stewart the vet
eran has a fine view of Lookout noun
tain to the west, rising like giant sem
| tinel over a plain that has been likened
to the plain of Marathon by more than
one writer. Missionary ridge lies to the
south and east of the camp. In fact,
the camp is situated about half way be-
tween the mountain on the west and Mis-
sionary ridge on the east, adjoining the
beautiful national cemetery where more
than 1900 union soldiers We're buried In
this cemetery there are a great many
native forest trees, some of them older
than the burying ground The large en-
closure is sodded in blue grass, and all
of the grounds are well kept by the
federal government.
The shrubbery is carefully tended and
some of the most beautiful plants and
shrubs in the south are to be found here.
As a matter of fact a camp for veterans
of the civil war could not be Of greater
possible interest than Camp Stewart.
Neither could one be constructed in more
complete order and detail.
Plenty of Room
Letters come to the officials of the Chat
tanooga Reunion association from various
points of the south asking if there will
be room enough in Chattanooga to ac-
commodate the crowd. There seems to be
some fear that the community will not
be equal to the emergency. When Chat
tanooga invited the Confederates to hold
their reunion here, there was a clear un-
derstanding of what would be expected of
the community in the way of entertain
ment. All of Chattanooga realized that
ii would be no chld's play to entertain
the reunion, but all were equally sure
that it could be done.
At the outset of the preparations for
the reunion il was decided to make all
necessary arrangements for the enter
tainment of not less than 100000 people.
and not more than 10000 Chattanooga
can comfortably entertain 100000 and by
crowding little 10000 can be accommo-
dated. If it becomes necessary even the
school houses and churches of Chatta-
nooga, and every public building of the
city and county. will be used as places
where men may sleep on cots. However
that will not be necessary, unless double
the number of people that have attended
other reunions present themselves al
Chattanooga. People who desire to at
tend this reunion are assured that they
will find comfortable lodgings and all of
the hotel and restaurant service that may
be necessary to supply food. That much
is assured
Waiting for the Date
To sum up the situation here. Chatta-
f.r
union Gay to dawn. Everything is in
readiness; organization is complete and
perfect. The crowd will be handled with
as much ease as large crowds are han
died anywhere. This assurance is given
after a careful survey of tine entire field
In this connection it may be of interest
and value to explain that the leading
spirits in the reunion work are leading
business and professional men of Chatta
nooga. They are men who have large
interests of their own that need theil
attention, but in order to make sure oil
the reunion entertainment in order to
make 1t as nearly perfect as possible
these men left their private businesses
In the hands of their employees and have
devoted almost undivided attention tc
the work. The organization was put to-
gether by men who have made successes
of large businesses, and the Cha ttanooga
Reunion association is in all respects a
great, business institution with sufficient
brain and capital to make success OF
the undertaking. The south has but poor
knowledge of the Chattanooga spirit if IL
so much as imagines that any detail OF
this enterprise mas been neglected. Chat
tanooga has undertaken to entertain the
survivors of the confederate army, and
there is no doubt whatever that the goods
will be delivered MAY 27-29.