The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-21
IT'S BEWILDERINC!
Camp Funston Now City of
$500 Buildings.
Phantom Growth From Placid
Hay Field in 10 Weeks.
ANXIOUSLY AWAIT SUPPLIES
Plenty of Underwear, but Few
Uniforms Available.
Good Lesson in Preparedness,
Says Army Officer.

Camp Funston, Kan, Sept. 21.-The
magnitude of the preparations for the
war being made by the war depart
nent cannot be realized by people who
have not had the opportunity of see
ing just what is going on. Articles in
the magazines and newspapers show
ing costs that run into the billions and
even pictures and blue prints, fail to
impress the ordinary person with the
gigantic work now under way.
Can one imagine a city twice the
area of Kansas City, with every in
habitant physically perfect, with the
necessary number of stores, and bar
Der shops and amusement places,
springing up literally over night? That
is what is happening now
Ten weeks ago Camp Funston was
low, flat hay field. All was peace
full and quiet, broken only by the low
hum of the moving machines and the
occasional whistle of the engines. To-
day the same piece of ground is
boiling, seething mass OF hustle and
hustle, with teams and motor trucks
and motor cars, soldiers, civilian
workmen, Officers on horseback and
newspaper correspondents on foot,
running here and there, everyone in
hurry, everyone, hot, tired and dusty.
There are acres and acres of buildings,
sheds. warehouses, lighthouses, offices,
sleePingiH quarters, mess halls, fire
houses, garages, Y. NJ. c. A. buildings
and every other sort of structure that
go to make modern city.
Easy to Get Lost
The place is so big that men who
have been here three and four weeks
get lost and can only find their way
out of the maze of barracks by locat-
ing a known object on some distant
hill apd following direct course un-
til they reach the edge of the reserv-
AT Eara hi rtU HIM
buildings.
Camp Funston is only one of sixteen
environments for the national army
that are being built over night. There
are all the national guard camps, the
camps for the regulars, the officers
training camps. the aviation schools,
the signal schools, all being prepared
and many of them being used at the
same time.
Everything seems topsy turvy and
chaotic. But such is not the case. In
about three weeks, when some of the
odds and ends are cleared up, Camp
Funston, as well as the many other
camps, will be running along smoothly.
Shortage in Equipment.
There was shortage in equipment,
due to the fact that there was not
enough in camp. Most men We're is
sued only one blanket, but some didn't
even get that much Nearly all of
but there were no mattresses or bed
sacks for them, so they had to roll up
in the one blanket and sleep on the
springs.
The only thing that every man was
provided with was underwear, which
seemed to be plentiful. Underwear
and light blue hat cords were the most
popular things in camp. Some men
received overalls and some uniforms
and a few didn't get anything. The
supply of field shoes ran short early
in the evening and the men were is
sued the heavy trench shoe. This shoe
is higher than the ordinary shoe, with
extraordinary heavy soles, filled with
hobnails. A steel rim surrounds the
edge of the heel. The shoes were
made for heavy outdoor wear and
they are the kind now being issued to
the men in the trenches overseas
Many of the rockies today are wear
ing trench shoes, silk socks and palm
beach suits and blue hat cord around
their straw hats.
Preparedness Illustrated.
They haven't anyone to blame but
themselves" an army officer remark
ed, when told of the condition of the
men. Every one of them is a voter,
and if they would have insisted on a
program of preparedness when it was
advocated they would have clothing
to wear today instead of having to
sleep on cold steel springs. War has
been declared seven months, and our
supplies are only starting to come in
Maybe when the war is over these