The Washington herald., 1916-07-06
The Herald's Army and Navy Department
Latest and Most Complete News Service and Personnel Published
In Washington.

Some of the dangers of transporta-
ton over the line of communication
between the border and Gen. PERISH
lngs punitive expedition were pointed
out by army officers at the War De-
partment recently. in explanation of
the difficulty the army has expert
enced in obtaining an available supply
of motor truck drivers for this work.
The work Is still difficult, but PERISH
lngs camp is nearing the border now,
and these difficulties have decreased,
yet the work is still hard and danger
Gus.
Motor transportation was the only
answer TO the problem Of getting
supplies to the expedition. and al
through few motor trucks were avail
able at first, the Quartermaster corps
got the trucks. but II was hard to
get the men to drive them. In fact.
the matter OF getting the trucks was
easy compared to filling the demand
for drivers.
The personnel of the available mo-
tor truck companies was unframed,
except that they knew how to drive a
truck. The country through which
these trucks were forced TO operate is
waterless. roadless, treeless waste
Of desert. sandhilIs and mountains,
rugged with arroyos.
To add still further difficulties TO
the going. much of this country is Of
a distinctly rocky formation and pre-
sents an apparently unanswerable
transportation problem. The alkali
dust rises in clouds, almost smothers
the drivers and at the end of run
both drivers and trucks are almost
unrecognizable. Nevertheless, the
supplies have gone forward and con-
tinue going forward.
These trips are never without their
element of danger. Always confront
ing the driver of a supply truck is the
danger of a sniper hidden behind a
sand dune or a rock. waiting for the
chance to take a, pot shot at the driver
and when the supply trains are camp
ed for the night, no man is permitted
to leave camp.
Violation of this order has cost the
life Of more than the inexperienced
many of these men were apparently
eager to make the first run to PERISH
ing's camp and back, but one trip was
enough TO disgust many of them with
the service and the army authorities had
to go out and hunt up fresh men.
The Navy Department has decided 10
give yachtsmen throughout the country
an object lesson in the purchase of
would also embody characteristics 70
make these vessels available to the navy
in time of war. In order to make this
lesson more pointed, the navy has
ordered the construction of two vessels,
each of a different type. which will en-
body the principles of motOr-boat con-
struction suitable 10 the navy.
The department has received many re-
quests from motor-boat enthusia SITS who
are also of a patriotic turn, asking for
Information as to what features should
be Incorporated into boats these men con-
template building for their own use. To
all these requests, the department has
paid close attention and the requests have
been answered promptly with details of
construction. but this idea Will be even
more forcefully presented in the two
vessels which have been ordered.
One OF these vessels will be about 60
feet long the other about 10 feet. As
soon as completed, they will be placed inH
commission. One will be assigned TO the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, while the other
will be sent to Boston.
The Navy Department wrote number
Of letters to boating journals throughout
the country, stating the idea Of the new
craft and soliciting the broadest competi-
ton in an effort to obtain the widest
range of ideas on the subject. After
careful consideration of these outside
suggestions, the contracts for the boats
were placed.
A number of men in the crew of the
L. s. S Paulding have been officially
commended by the Navy Department for
their prompt action in putting out an oil
fire on the Paulding last month. The
men are W. J. Keefe, chief watertender;
H. NJ. Beerly, watertender: H. J. Dono-
hue. watertender; A. Chamberlain, fire.
man, first-class; H. E. Gardiner, fireman,
second-class, and E. B. Lester, fireman.
first-Class.
At the time the FIRE broke out the
Paulding was undergoing a full-power
trial An oil valve blew out, stream of
blazing oil struck the boiler and within
a very short time. there was tire posi-
bility of a serious oil fire aboard the ves-
sell The quick work of the men named is
thought to have prevented a probable
loss of life.
A hero commission in st. Louis has
awarded a medal to Eugene E. Orvis, jr.,
ordinary seaman aboard the Kearsarge,
who recovered the body OF a boy who
had been drowned outside the limits OF
the Philadelphia Navy Yard. orvis made
two dives into dirty water. notwithstand-
ing the presence of old logs and piling.
and brought up the boys body from
depth of 20 feet.
Officers of the Army Medical Depart
ment are deeply interested in the report
OF a board of equipment on the new belt
devised by Mai R. B. Miller. A. NJ. c,
which is designed TO be worn by medical
officers in the field.
Hayass= = samele- OF thA things this belt