The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-09-04
City of 40, 600 Barrack
Homes Nears Completion
At Camp Devans, In Aver

hc SSl0Cltu IOOhleS from NEW
England cities and towns will find
many men from their own localities
among the officers.
During the days this last week,
when there was little to do except
make out vouchers and orders and
other red tape forms, the gatherings
OF officers were something in the ma
ture of college reunions and Platts-
burg talkfests.
Outside each barrack is a spacious
lavatory building, containing shower
baths and toilet arrangements. The
floor is cement. The fittings in all of
these buildings have been completed.
Hot and cold water is running already.
The officers quarters are one-story
buildings. long and narrow, with a
cookroom and messroom at one end;
and along each side of the center
hall running through the building are
the bedrooms, about ski, one for
each officer. These buildings are COW
cred outside by tarred paper and are
easily distinguished from the company
barracks by complexion as we'll as
size; and the regimental and divisional
headquarters buildings are the same
in outward appearance
The heating arrangements have not
yet been installed, There will be 20
| resimental group, from which will ex-
tend steampipes to the radiators in all
the barracks and officers buildings.
Electric lights are as plentiful as
in an office building. The transform
ing station receives 5000 volts from
the Connecticut Valley Power and
Lighting Company and steps it
l>down" to the required voltage.
The water for the cantonment will
come frora the biggest dug well in
New England, probably, SO feet in cir
! conference and a feet deep, sunk on
! the side of hill of water-bearing
| gravel, a mile and a half from the CEN
| ter of the scantonment. From the well
| the water is pumped through Cali
| furiia redwood pipes-a new thing in
! New England, used because it could
be secured more quickly than metal
pipes and said to be quite satisfac-
tory for use up to 10 years.
! Through the underground maze of
pipes, gridironed all over the camp,
the water is pumped to four tanks Of
100000 gallons capacity each on hin
at the other end of the cantonment, so
] that with these tanks full at one end
| and a pumping station at the other
end Of the water system there is good
| pressure.
+ The three fire fighting companies
4 have found pressure enough to give
streams to douse every one of the rs
| or so fires which start up every week.
! Lookouts are stationed on three or
/ four hills in the Scantonment, scanning
4 the horizon with field glasses. Giant
4 floodlights sweep the hillsides at night
/ and a weird siren shrieks the fire
| alarms No buildings have burned
/; yet; most of the fires have been in
| thebrush.
These fire companies are officered
| by men Of fire fighting experience
/ from Massachusetts, cities, headed by
/ Arthur H. Strong of Springfield, chief,
and Lieut. w. H. Kirk, fors 80 years In
the calling at Worcester.
! You may gather something Of the
4 size and thoroughness Of the Aver
4 cantonment plans for the arrange
ments for the hospital unit erected
on a hill at the northwest end Of the
area, a mile and a half from the IN
| fantry section. near the old Shirley
1 turnpike and overlooking the Nashua
i River Mai G. I. Jones is in charge
4 Here will be 1900 hospital beds
scattered in SO ward buildings; and
! there will be an isolation ward, an or
i thopedic ward, q NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ward, and pretty nearly all the other
wards you could find in a large city
lhospital, with this besides-a glorious
! grove with the best birdseye veiw OF
| the environments where convalescents
may spend their days.
II Scientific sanitation has been insist
ed upon by the Government Officers
: since the first days of the camp build
) ing. They condemned mum berless
J springs, ordered change after change
in the living arrangements for the
u workmen. made the catering company
. which fed the workmen, cut haH-incf
cracks through the dining tables 81
that grease would not collect whers
the boards are joined-and the sans
: care has extended to arrangements II
all the Army quarters.
Last week the cantonment seemed
flyless, mosquitoes, insectless ex
| panse. Everyone has spoken of thu
healthy natural conditions, with thu
: dry, sandy location, and what natur'
hasn't done the sanitary squad is do
ing. Three hundred men from For
Renian,in Harrison have been on thu
: Job for several days, a sanitary de
: tachment of the Regular Army.
Another advance guard on the jof
Is the baking and cooking scnool:
/ Three hundred men of some exper1'
ellce in hotel ana T6SLdurdnl COohAli-
) who enlisted in the Regular Army
{ have been sent to Aver.
A few days before they appeared
| the contractor was told to have
: home and workshop ready for them
t 1t was ready before they arrived
Now they are being taught what ev'
erybody is having to learn, the art o.
, conservation of food.
The huge storehouses alongside the
, railroad track are already piled witt
, provisions for the inner and QUITE
! man. Aside from standing in line
. land waiting for their outfits. there
, would seem to he little for the frs
selected Army men to do. when the!
( arrive. in the way Of making a home
| | for themselves.
I The home is there. When the COT
. are placed and the beds made the
| home will be furnished.
, In the front and back yards" there
, is some tidying up to be done. Only
, 1.-THE divisional headquarters has beer
graded with care, and this looks the
. way every company will want its yart
} to look Next spring grass will grow
on these new lawns and the canton
ment should be as pretty a sight a.
the new regiments will be with theil
/ training finished.
To the laymen the chief feature
do nd