The midland journal., 1917-10-26
HARTFORD SITE
TAKEN OVER
President Wilson Issues Prov.
ing Ground Proclamation.
MAY CHRISTEN 1T ABERDEEN
The Territory Includes About 5000
Acres-Farmers In the Territory
Will Be Given Ample Time To
Harvest Their Crops.

ington.-President Wilson, by
proclamation through Secretary of
State Lansing, has taken for an
ordnance proving ground the territory
generally known as Gunpowder Neck
and Halls Crossing in Hartford count.
AS matter of fact, the proF--e
grounds as defined by metes and
bounds in the proclamation, extends
into Baltimore county.
The exact lines are now being run
by the engineers on the ground, foI
Secretary Baker announced last week
that this site had been approved by
the President and the issuance Of the
proclamation is only a formality by
which the President, through the Sec
retary of War, on next Saturday will
take possession of all the ground
whose owners are unwilling to sell to
the Government.
The land on Gunpowder Neck will
be the first to be purchased, as it is
concentrated in the hands of few
owners, who have been willing to sell
and who have already given formal
permission to the officers Of the War
Department to enter on their lands and
to make the surveys for the railroad
spur which will run from the Pennsyl.
vania tracks into the proving ground.
No name has as yet been officially
selected for the ground, hut it will
probably be known as the Aberdeen
Proving Ground. 1t is not a part of
the present plan to use the proving
ground as training school for artil-
lery officers, but it may be done Incl
dentally as the general plan Is develop.
ed At present all the energies of the
War Department will be devoted to
building emplacements for the guns,
and preparing testing grounds and
ranges for the munitions to be tested.
The tract includes about $4,000
acres. 1t runs irregularly about 20
miles from east to west, and is about
miles on the western boundary and
4 miles on the eastern boundary. Much
of it is water.
While the proclamation fixed Octo,
Der 20 as the date on which land which
cannot be procured by purchase will
be taken over by the Secretary of War,
there is no intention OF dispossessing
any residents at that time. Every
20, ha- civ IN
harvest all his crops and remove all his
live stock, farming implements and
household goods and all factories can
continue at work on supplies on lands.
Indeed, it is promised by the War De,
partment that many need not leave
their present homes before December.
The government fully appreciates the
sacrifice it is demanding, and will exer,
else the greatest forbearance and patti.
ence.
The Presidents proclamation makes
provision for acquiring the land whose
owners are not able to reach satisfac.
tory prices with the government A
commission will be appointed by Sec
retary Baker, before which all per.
sons whose interests are affected may
appear to obtain compensation. The
governments agents will be instructed
to deal generously with such claim
ants. When the House of Represen.
tatives struck the original appropria.
tion of $3,000,000 from the bill, Sen.
ator John Walter Smith had it restored
~, or
600, in order that every one who suf-
fered loss or injury of any kind would
be amply compensated. In the event
of irreconcilable differences between
the claimants and the governments
commissioners, the latter will fix a
price, of which three-fourths will be
Immediately paid to the claimant, and
the claimant will be permitted to sue
the government in the Court of