Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-06-02
COL. ROOT AT HEAD OF
PARTY THAT VISITS
OTTAWA TODAY
SITE IS INSPECTED
CAREFUL SURVEY is MADE OF
TERRITORY WEST OF CITY BY
GOVERNMENT AND STATE OF
FiCERS WHO WILL DECIDE ON
NONSTOP MILITARY HEAD
QUARTERS.

Ottawa as a site for the federal can
tonment camp will be recommended
as one OF the possible sites by the
army committee of five which visited
this city today
The visiting committee was headed
by Col. f. A. Root, of Chicago, and
accompanying him was Major j. NJ
Phalen. j. A. G. Badorf, T. b. Mayton
and o. W. Richie.
The army committee arrived in the
city last night at II 30 o'clock and this
morning arose at A. 80 to meet the com
mittee from the Ottawa Chamber of
Commerce and go over the proposed
encampment site. The committee left
Ottawa in several automobiles at
o'clock this morning and drove first
to the top of the Watts hill and from
there west to the Crawford's hill, and
from there to the foot Of the Dimmick
hill. This gave the committee an op-
portunity of viewing the entire tract
Of about 5000 acres OF land, which is
required for such an encampment
The matter Of railroad Transports
ti0n was gone into very carefully J.
s. Miller, road master and assistant
trainmaster of the Rox River and |. V.
N. division OF the G., b. 4 q. came to
Ottawa on purpose to confer with the
committee relative to the extension
OF the Burlington side-irack along the
river in South Ottawa township.
Tho committee of officers were well
pleased with the showing and will re-
quire written brief and statement
signed by the Ottawa Chamber of Com
merce. as to what the property can be
secured for and the necessary railroad
advantages and Il guarantee that the
encampment will not be overcharged
for any food products or building ma
teiial or any other commodity they
might use during their stay in this
vicinity.
The army committee will send their
recommendations to the war depart
ment tomorrow. The committee Wis
tied the Rockford site th safternoon
The war department will then make
their selection from the three or four
possible sites that will be recommend
ed by this committee.
In case the camp located here there
is a probability that it will be per
manent one. There is a growing de-
mand that the concentration camps in
Michigan. Wisconsin and Montana be
moved further south to a more tenn
perate climate and il this Is brought
about the Illinois camp would be a
permanent one.
One of the officers of the encamp-
ment said that such an encampment
would mean a tremendous big thine
for the city of Ottawa. 1t will bring
from five to ten thousand visitors to
the city daily and the regular pay roll
and expenditures for such caml
would amount to couple million dol
lars annually In order to build such
camp, 1900 carpenters would be re
quired and car loads of material thai
would keep an engine running on the
side-track every hour Of the day dur
ing the encampment period. The sup
plies required for the camp will bt
purchased In Ottawa with some eXcep
tiOns, Lumber and building material
which will be used in the construc
ton of 1900 buildings, would have t,
be shipped here by the train loads
Roadmaster Williams, Of the Bui
lington, informed the committee tina
they had the necessary rails and tie
to nut down two miles of track in
short notice. This morning Mr.. Wi
liams guaranteed that such trac
could be in operation after coupl
of weeks notice.
The general plan Of the encampmer
would be to have the tents and heat
quarters just west Of the tovel cree
bridge. The 1900 acres of land in her
would extend suitable opportunity fc
both camping and parade ground
Rifle ranges would be across the III
nois river to Buffalo Rock with tn
rock MS background. The lllino
canyon would be pistol ranges an
the Starved Rock State Park Tor {
tigue and parade purposes.
The water supply is an imperial
one and they were shown that with
this territory there were several a
tesian wells in operation at The pre-
ent time and that new wells could
secured at depth of two to three lli
dred feet.
The G., b. & @, train was held IN
morning until 8 o'clock and the arm
men left here for Rockford, where
site Is to be inspected before I'm