Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-06-07
Army Cantonment
Possibility for The
City Of Watertown

City Of WATERFOWL
Many cities Of the military district
n which South Dakota is located have
been deeply interested III the location
Of the cantonment.
Watertown, among others, has sub
mitted its claims from the standpoint
Of availability.
What the chances of this city are
with regard to the matter is prob
lematical, since such a large place as
st. Paul is actively in the field for the
distinction.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press report.
edlast Saturday that its business and
professional men were moving for
the raising Of a fund approximating
fifty thousand dollars for the purpose
of reducing the initial cost to that
extent for the government.
Some Of the Competitors.
Among the aspiring cities are the
following in the state: Sioux Falls,
Mitchell, Aberdeen and WATERFOWL.
Outside of the state, st. Paul in Min
nesota and Fargo in North Dakota
are pressing their respective claims.
Certain cities in both Iowa and Ne
braska have also submitted PROPOSE
lions.
But the best available information,
from a Watertown newspaper stand
point, at the hour Of going to press,
seems to point to the narrowing Of
the G:ontest to st. Paul and Water
town.
A committee of army men, repre-.
senting each branch Of the army serv-
ice, met in st. Paul last Saturday to
receive propositions, which have gone
forward to Chicago, where they are
under consideration by representa-,
tives of the army, and then the mat
ter will go up to army headquarters
for final decision. 1t is expected that
the site will be selected within the
next ten days.
The Factors.
There are several factors that pre-
sumably will enter into the selection
of the site, the principal ones of which
relate to initial cost, transportation.
cost OF supplies for the commissary,
healthfulness Of site, and environ.
ments.
OF these the matter Of health for
the men will perhaps be the great
est factor, with the cost of supplies
and plenty Of territory for evolutions
ranking second in Importance.
WatertoWn's H~eaIthfulness.
From the standpoint of health
(Which includes pure water n SAM
tary surroundings and adaptability OF
soil to the easy maintenance of SAM.
tary conditions), it is believed that
no city anywhere in the United States
could make a better showing than
Watertown has made.
The experiences in some OF the
southern camps at the outbreak OF
the Spanish.American war have con
yincea army authorities that camp
sites should never be permanently
located on gumbo soils, it is said.
Range for Maneuvers.
It is also stated that, so far as ter
ritory for maneuvers is concerned
Watertown stands ~unexcelled in the
northwest, since the range of lakes
extending northwest of the city fol
upwards Of hundred miles furnish
grounds that are available, at reason!
able rental values, for the maneuyers
al al army many times greater than
tina likely to be concentrated At any
one cantonment.
THE site selected for the buildings,
should WATERFOWL be chosen, lie pc
tween the city and the lake.
1000 Buildings.
ii ii expected that upon the camp
site chosen the government Will pro
coed 1T once to- prepare for the erec'
ton III 1T least two thousand build;
ings capable Of housing q hundred
and ATTY me each, #inter and sun
mer.
For, ii THIS warshould continue l s loI
two 81 three years, there vii y urgi
entneed for training auarfers 81 Z
rious places throughout