The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-07-27
SIXTEEN MILITARY CITIES TO Be
BUILT in RECORD-BREAKING Time
Homes to Accommodate 100000 Soldiers Of the National Army
Must Be Ready by September Each Cantonment Is to
Have 900 Houses With Population Of 10000
Men-Food Needed for Army.

the contracting engineer who holds a
majors commission, and under whose
supervision the city Is now being built.
An idea of the size of this job may
be gained at a glance at the material
estimate for typical cantonment.
Lumber is the big item, some 26,000,-
600 feet or 1925 carloads being the re-
quirement Roofing nails alone will I'LL
one modern freight car, Crushed stone
for the roads will make S12 carloads.
Here are some of the other items ::
2S,O00 squares of roofing, 60 cars; 20
carloads of nails and hardware; 20
carloads plumbing; 1872 carloads of
tanks, heaters, stoves, ranges, piping,
electrical materials, refrigerators, and
the like; railroad materials for five
miles of track, divided into 80 car
loads of ties and other timber 20 car
loads of spikes, rails, flshplates, etc,
and LA carloads Of ballast; 10 car
loads of electric light poles, wires, in
sulators, etc. Materials for 1900 cubic
yards of concrete will make 20 car
loads of cement, $50 carloads Of stone
and 175 carloads of sand.
The men of the cantonments will
sleep in double-deck hunks. This
means there will be $1,000 separate
hunks, each with its mattress. To
transport the mattresses, 125 cars will
be required, and the hunks will take
62 more. Water and sewer lines will
make 60 carloads each, and $50 car
loads of hospital equipment will be
necessary. Three carloads of screens
are also included in the estimate, as
are 20 carloads Of construction tools.
Where water cannot be obtained
from already utilized sources wells
must be driven or reservoirs construct
ed. The problem of sewage disposal
will be met by connecting cuntonment
sewage maiEJ to already existing sew
age systems where possible, or by
building reduction stations where nee
essary.
Provide Rifle Ranges.
Areas of the environments will vary
with the topography, the minimum be-
ing from 1,500 to 1000 acres. In addi-
ton to the city itself, parade grounds,
maneuvering spaces and rifle ranges
must be provided.
Each cantonment will contain close
to 1000 buildings, the typical company
barracks being twO-Story structure,
built Of wooden frame, covered with
boards. Roofs will be well COW
cred with prepared roofing. They will
be well ventilated with flues, lighted by
heated in the North by
steam and in the South by stoves.
Each will have u kitchen and mess
hall.
Col. l. w. Littell of the quartermas-
ters department of the army, who is
in charge of the work of building the
made public the fee sys-
TEN of the cantonment contracts. The
fees vary from 10 per cent on small
contracts of 100000 or less to 6 per
cent on contracts of more than $780,
900, with a final upset limit of $780,
000 The fees in all cases cover both
profit and overhead expense. They
were fixed upon by the department
acting with the assistance Of the emer-
gency construction committee of the
general munitions board and other
civilian advisers.
"In deciding on the cantonment con-
tracts we have had to consider three
main poin+c oP pro otico1Iy ao,,o1 inn
Colonel Littell said. "The |
first has been the absolute necessity |
Of speed the second, proper COnstruc-
tiOn, including sanitation and cOmmu-
nication and transportation facilities |
the third, economy. Taking all three |
into consideration and also the fact |
that time will not permit the compile
ton of drawings and specifications |
which would be necessary in order to
lsk for competitive bids before the
work must be started, the quartermas-
.er's corps, acting in conjunction with
he emergency construction committee,
decided to make contracts on the per-
,entage or cost plus basis, ut the
same time using all possible safeguards
n the shape of guarantees from the
as to their capacity and in
.eGrity.
1.-THE profit system has been decided
IN only after weeks Of study to find
lasiS for the fees which would assure
he country Of the highest grade Of
work from the contractors and at the
,ame time prevent extravaganza
through the payment of excessive prof
is. 1t is a pleasure to pass tribute to
he loyalty and patriotism Of the great
majority Of contractors who have come
lere to discuss the question with us.
With a few exceptions, they have ac-
luieSced willingly in our contention
hat the profits must be kept down to
he lowest level consistent with high
,rade work. Some firms have offered
o do the work on a cost basis, but we
lave considered this an unwise policy
10Th economically and nationally. The
Utmost speed and efficiency must be
developed in these and future build
ng Jobs for the government, and the
acceptance of offers of free service
night easily disrupt the high-grade
firms best qualified to do
he work effectively.
"On all amounts between $685., ia
% and $3,000000, which will probably
over the majority of the important
the fee, including the con-
ractor's overhead profit, will be Z
,er cent"
There is probably no more interest
ng feature of the great cantonment
~~-o-~~-~-~-~-~~-~-~o-~~~
og, which had disappeared some days