New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-26
Soft Beds Disappear and
Plattsburg Recruits Land
on POnchos in Mud.
A TENT AND A HALF
FOR CAMP FAT MEN
Quarter of a Ton of Or. Murphy
and Mr.. Harris to Go on
Six-Day Hike.
rFrom star Correspondent, o, Tn. Tribune

From star Correspondent o' tn. Trihunel
Plattsburg, June 25.-When the
rockies pitch their pup tents tomorrow
night near Beekman town after half
day march with full field equipment on
their backs there will rise above the
level of tentage hump. 1t will be
caused by one overgrown pup tent, and
beneath it will sleep the two regiment
fat men, DR.. NJ. J. Murphy, of Proyi-
dence, and Horatio Harris, of Boston.
DR.. Murphy weighs 267 pounds, with a
girth of five feet two inches, while
Harris is stripping of 21O.
1t was the engineers who planned the
method of increasing the size of the
tent, and it was the camp commander
who granted a special dispensation for
its use. Thus was one great problem
in putting the regiment on the march
as an unbroken unit solved. With a
delighted smile on his great face DR..
Murphy, who is twice as good-natured
as he is fat. explained tonight how 1t
had been made possible for him to go
on the hike.
Each man carries half shelter tent
in his infantry pack" he said. When
the front and rear rank men hitch their
I two halves together and support them
on their rifles IL makes a pup tent that
is ample for two ordinary men. Harris,
who is my rear rank file, and | couldn't
! be accommodated by an ordinary tent,
so they worked out plan by which
we will carry three halves between US.
Thus our tent will be half as big again
as the others.
Poor Harris, He's Heavy.
81 haven't lost any weight, but my
girth has gone down six inches" he
added, proudly showing the slack he
Rad taken up in his belt. 81 am harder
than was. But Harris he weighs 2lO
and is going up"
The rockies as a whole said Goodby
/ to-day to a lot of the ioibles OF clvlll-
zation. For one thing, for the next SIX
days they will sleep In their clothes
Pajamas and other forms Of nighties
that have been prevalent in the camp
will be left behind. For these SIX days
| they have sworn 10 a man TO 90 UNI
shaver, and by the end of the week
their collective whiskers are expected
to make an ambush for the regiment.
/ But the most uncivilized thing OF all
will be TO sleep on the ground, soaked
and marshy as it is from the last
/ twenty-four hours Of deluge. Their
/ cots were taken from them tonight
/ leaving only a poncho and blanket
/ between them and the earth.
Hike as Final Test.
The six-day hike will put them to
| the final test 10 determine whether
| their three weeks at camp have made
soldier material of tnem. The tents
in which they will seek sleep are three
| feet high, four wide and seven long
/ The march win start az 7 o'clock TO-
morrow morning, and the distance COW
cred the first DAY will be nine miles
| and a half.
The quartermaster's department will
| be busy tomorrow opening bids for
| supplies for the July camp. With full
assurances from the War Department
! that there will be officers maintained
| here to man the camps, and with the
latest figures from the enrolment of
! fees before them, the camp command
ers are making arrangements now TO
accommodate 10000 men. The food
bids will call for more than 100000
worth Of supplies.