The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-07-06
By Mabel Abbott

NseS>s
AMERICAN LAKE, July e.
Any one who has ever been
present at the birth Of from
tier boom town has very fair
idea Of the impression given
BY the firs, stage Of the con.
airuction OF the army canton
ment AZ American lake.
The beginning OF the canton
rent construction 10 really
four miles beyond the mobili-
ration camp At the lake, near
the little town OF Dupont. In
the middle Of a brown ard ycl.
low prairie. airdled BY nea;
cver9rcens, like Christmas
trees.
Multiply a typical boom town By
dozen or 40. station guards on
the roads by which you enter II.
add row Of tents for the ciyil On
gineers and truck company. and
substitute huge gray army trucks
for the buckboards and hrnnchos
OF an earlier day. and you have the
cantonmcnt as Il Is at present
lmagines Dance Hail
Save for Is niFc. tho Admlnistra.
ton building. in its raw. rcctAngu.
lar newnrss. might be the dance
hall without which no frontier town
would be complete the telegraph
building aud noucommissioned OF.
flcsrs barracks. on either side.
trlshf 30 r..H .asuta .fffem .,a a
general store. and the giant ware
houses across the dusty road might
be saloons And far across the
prairie. toward the distant rim OF
cvergrcens. stretch irregular lines
OF little wooden stakes. like tho
trail OF n fronzied town-iot locator
They are not to~n.lot stakes.
however They mark the center
line Of the approaching Northern
Pacific railroad spur. the course o.
streets-to-bo. and the sites OF build
ings and stlll more buildings
So fast Is the mushroom army
city growing that what j. written
Of u one day is not true the next
The 500 workmcn who were on the
Job the day construction headqupr
ters moved ont TO the cantonment
we're swallowed up In the size Of
the project as n they had been so
by the end Of the week there will
by 300. housed In the first unit OF
II 200-man barracks nov rising be-
tween the forks OF the spur track
The contractors. Hurley Mason Co.
OF Tacoma. estimate 5000 or 5000
men will be at work before long
Guard Against Aliens
These men. OF course. are civil.
ians. The few men In khaki belong
to the constructing quartermaster's
department or the truck company
AZ precaution against alien on.
emies entering the cantonment with
this great temporary population OF
workmen from all over the North.
west. every man must give a full
account OF himself before he Is
hired. including his nationality. the
place whore he was last employed.
and much other information. on a
card which Is filed away. This
serves also for Identification In case
OF accident
Each man Is given n number.
which IL registered on another card.
and as he passes the guard In the
morning brass tag is pinned on
him. showing his right TO be AT
work.
Providers Quickly Examined
And any one prowling around the
site unexplained is stopped and ask
ed TO state his business with dis
couraging frequency.
Near the edge OF the present
work. the truck company's tents /
stand in row. and the trucks trun-
die up and away again like ele-
plants.
Motor Truck BusIncss-LIke
The army truck Is the beast OF
burden OF the constructing quarter.
masters department.
The British "motor.lorry" has be.
come famous for It's exploits along
roads in France and
as much as any one feature. the
motor truck is the thing
tAAhA iihhfN wv kAdNFliN lOhUN ~
lake grim and business
like
A string OF 30 army trucks. load
ed with. for instance. wooden water
pipe for the cantonment. somehow
carries sudden conviction to the be-
holder that this war is not Fourth
OF July parade.
II also inspires a willingness TO
concede the larger half OF the road.
The russet-clad drivers have their
own pet names for their mounts,
coined on the spur OF the moment
and according TO mood
"Thrce-Ton Baby Carriage"
A truck that Is rumbling obedl-
emily along Is affectionately referred
TO as a "three.ton baby carriage"
Should the same truck misbehave
on an upgrade. however. its master
may describe II contemptuously to
his neighbor at mess as down