New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-30
War Department Details
1000 Men to Depot
Near Raritan
But Where 1t Is
Nobody Knows
Option on Stock Farm Is
All First Contingent
Can Discover

gARITAN. y. j, Dec. % Some
Mace in tho agricultural districts about
his town the War Department is con-
,inced 'hat 10 has a well equipped ord
nance depot. The War Department has
information Of such conclusive nature
hat j., has detailed something like
1000 men 90 occupy the quarters sup
posed 70 be a part Of that depot-50o
Of those men 20 report for duty imme-
5iste,y. according 20 advices from
Washington this afternoon.
But the mystery surrounding the
whereabouts Of this depot became ap-
parent for the first time when the first
contingent Of the men assigned 10 duty
within ITS confines. arrived here from
thc West Thursday afternoon.
Until % late hour tonight they had
used every agency at hand 10 locate
'he alleged depot and had been uni
formly unsuccessful iu getting any IN
formation that might lead them 10
bed supplied by the government. lem
porar'.y. they are accepting the hospi-
talty Of the village of Raritan. When
they may find the quarters so optimis-
tically promised by the War Depart
mont is a question as yet unanswered.
TIE first three men Of the first 500
10 be assigned 20 the elusive ordnance
ccpot a.ightcd from q train here Thurs
dav morning. They inquired OF rail-
road employees and various citizens
found on the streets as 90 the where
abOuts OF Tic depot.
Nobody was able TO do anything
more definite than pass them on to
somebody else. The next person met
succeeded only in sending them 20
Thomas Gallagher, president Of the
Board Of Commissioners who preside
over the dcstinies Of the town Of Rari-
tan, popularity supposed 20 possess all
The knowledge CXtant on any subject
concerning the districts within 100
miles of this town.
Bat for once Mr. Gallagher was az
Joss for information. lie had q vague
recollection. he said. Of q stock farm
near here on which an option had been
taken by the War Department. L was
said, be told the men, that an ordnance
depot might be established there. But
30 far as anybody here knew, no such
Depot has been established there as yet.
So 10 was agreed that the state
adJutant general. Colonel Gilkyson,
g. Trenton. should be called upon 10
state the exact location Of the depot.
The long distance telephone was i'm
pressed into service and the colonel
was asked where the depot might be
concealed. The answer was that an
option had been obtained on stock
farm and-woll, he agreed 20 telephone
20 Major General CroZier. Chief Of
Ordnance. no Washington.
"Why. yes. We have such q depot at
Rar. an" General Crozier was quoted
Dy adjutsnt General GilkysOn SIS say
me a levr minutes later, at is q
depot capable Of housing at least 500
men right now-in fact, that is the
number Of men we have assigned for
immediate service there. Eventually
we will have 1000 men there
So the adjutant general told the
president Of the Board of Commits
sioners, and the president of the Board
Of Commissioners told the soldiers, and
the soldiers told their waiting hack
man. that there was an ordnance depot
"a few miles out Of Raritan and that
il was up 90 them TO find IT If they
desired TO sleep there that night.
had arrived i'm quest of the still invis-
IDLE depot. But no depot has been
found. Everybody talks about the OPP
zion on the stock farm near here, but
nobody knows where a location may be
found for FIVE hundred engineers VINO
have travelled here from Montana,
Minnesota. Kansas and Illinois 70 serve
the government.
Hospitable residents OF this town
have opened their homes 20 the re
cruits, with the result that everybody
is comfortably sleeping between clean
sheets to-night-that is, except those
who disgustedly boarded trains 70 take
them back TO the West to-day. 1t is
more than likely that there will be
more OF the recruits tomorrow, in
which event there is every probability
that they will have TO sleep in cold
places, since accommodations here are
not as elastic as the War Department
may imagine.