The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-09-12
HOW CANTONMENTS
ARE PROGRESSING
Nine of the Military Cities Built by
Government to House $4,000
Men Are Ready.

Washington, Sept. s. Colonel /.
W. Littell, in charge of the canton
ment construction for the United
States Government, authorizes the
following:
With the arrival of the first con-
tineent of the new national army at
the cantonments the status of con-
struction at the various cantonments
will undoubtedly be of public inter-
est. IAltogether sixteen military cit
les have been built by the govern
ment to house the $4,000 citizen
soldiers selected for service by the
draft. Of these cities, seven were
ready to receive their entire quota Of
officers and enlisted men. These sew
en- included Camp Taylor at Louis
vile, KY, Camp Travis at Fort Sam
Houston, Texas, Camp Lee at Peters
burg, Va, Camp Lewis at American
Lake, Washington, Camp Sherman at
Chillicothe, Ohio, Camp Devens at
Aver, Mass, and Camp Grant at
Rockford, III.
Seven other cantonments were
ready Thursday to receive all the
officers and two-thirds or more of
their entire quota Of enlisted men.
These comprise Camp Dodge at Des
Moines, Iowa, Camp Funston, at Fl.
Riley, Kansas, Camp Custer at Battle
Greek, Michigan, Camp Pike at Little
Rock, Arkansas, Camp. Dix at
Wrighttown, New Jersey, Camp Jack
son at Columbia, South Carolina,
and Camp Gordon at Atlanta, Ga.
The two remaining national army
cantonments, Camp Upton at Yap-
hank, Long Island New York, and
Camp Meade at Admiral, Maryland,
have already received and are taking
care of more than their full quota of
officers and are ready to receive the
number of enlisted men originally
ordered there on September 5th.
An army of approximately $4,000
men was employed in the construc-
ton of the sixteen national army
cantonments up to the first Of Sep
tember. Since that date the force
has been gradually reduced. There
are certain units in connection with
each of the cantonments which were
added after the original schemes was
under way and which are in some
cases not complete. These are gen.
eral hospitals in additional to the
regimental hospitals, and remount
stations to take care Of some $4,000
horses each. The completion of these
buildings will not, however, interfere
with the reception of the citizen SOL
diers on the dates they have been
ordered to report at the respective
cantonments.
A typical layout such as is required
for accommodating the officers and
men at a cantonment comprises in
round numbers 1,500 separate build
ings requiring approximately 100000
900 feet Of lumber. Each canton
ment requires complete system of
water supply and sewerage disposal,
the piping alone for which amounts
to more than fifty miles. Ten gen.
eral warehouses with necessary
trackage have also been provided
where the facilities are not available
in nearby cities. Complete refriger-
ating and laundry plants have been;
built at each cantonment. !'f."<
Up to September list it has been
necessary to complete on an average
Of one building per hour, or for all
the cantonments an average of one
building every four minutes. In the
construction of the cantonments to
date over fifty thousand carloads of
material have been transported to
and delivered at the sites--an enor-
nous tax upon the already overbur-
dened railroad facilities of the coun-
try. The railroads, however, have
given splendid service. All govern
ment orders have been given prece-
dence and the lumber and other sup
plies needed have been rushed to the
cantonments in record time.
The cantonments in the east have
been handicapped by the fact that it
has been impossible to secure sites
without going away from the rail
road lines and labor markets.
Every national army cantonment
has required the building and install
lation of transmission line for cleo
trical current. At Camp Upton it has
been necessary to take electrical
power from Northport, on the north
shore of Long Island, a distance of