Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-13
COL. HARTS MAY Be
GIVEN WAR POSITION
Application for Field Assign
ment Probably Granted
Within Few Days.
LIKELY TO HEAD BRIGADE

Col. William W. Harts, Corps of En-
improvement of the public parks of the
District since he assumed charge OF
public buildings and grounds in this
vicinity In October. 1913. has made q
strong plea for assignment to duty with
troops In the field and the indications
are that his application will be granted
within the next few days.
There is immediate need for expe-
rienced officers to arrange for the or
ganization of the new national army
and the National Guard increments
shortly to be called into federal service
Many additional general officers, In
cluding mayor generals and brigadier
generals. will be appointed by thN,
President within the next few days, to
provide the officers necessary to the or
ganfzation of the sixteen cantonments
and the sixteen National Guard camps
Each of these is a divisional camp and
1t is planned to have each commanded
by a major general with a brigadier
general in command of each Of the
three brigades in each camp.
PRESIDENT Wilson Is known to have a
high appreciation of the services of
Col. Harts. both in his special capacity
as his chief military aid in charge Of
official functions at the White House
OF public buildings and grounds. That
was shown when he personally directed
the continuance of Col. Harts In his
present duties. beyond the four-year
limitation usually applied to the de-
tail of officers in this city. which in the
case of Col. Harts expired In August
1915.
May Be Made Brigadier General.
During the two years preceding Col.
Harts appointment in charge of public
buildings and grounds he was stationed
in this city as instructor and lecturer
at the Army War College. The impress
sion obtains In military circles that
Col Harts is booked for military ad-
vancement TO the grade Of brigadier
general. with a view to his immediate
assignment to duty with troops in
training for service in Europe So far
as known the President has not yet in
dicated his preference among the tu-
nior officers of the Engineer Corps of
the army as Col. Harts' successor at
the White House and in charge of pub
lie buildings and grounds. It Is fully
expected. however. that the matter viii
be settled within short time.
Col. Harts Is from Illinois and is one
OF the star graduates Of the Military
Academy Of the class Of June, 1889. He
also is graduate Of Princeton Uni
VerS1ty and was awarded the degree
Of master Of arts by that Institution.
During HIS service in the Engineer
Corps he prepared plans for The Dalle.-
Cello canal. in Oregon; for the reclama-
tion OF the lower Sacramento valley,
for the big post at Fort Mckinley.
P. l.; for the brigade post at the Pre-
sidio of San Francisco. for the i'm
provement of the Tennessee and Cum
berland rivers, etc. During the Span
ish war he was a major of engineers
in the volunteer establishment and
was severely wounded in the head by
the explosion of a mine in ST. Johns
river, near Jacksonville, and was un-
der hospital treatment for five months
1t was narrow escape from death.
Two men who were with him at the
time Of the explosion were killed in
stantly. His standing as an engineer
Is shown by the fact that the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers award
ed him the Rowland prize several years
ago and the British Institution awarded
him the Tilford medal in 1910.
About year ago the residents of
this city gave a banquet in his honor
and many prominent men paid high
tribute to the great value of his serv-
Ices for the artistic and utilitarian de-
velopment of the park system of the
District