The Washington herald., 1917-06-16
Army and Navy News
Best Service Column I'm City.

Another sketch OF q prominent army
MAJOR GEN. HENRY G. SHARPE
Quartermaster General.
Born in New York April 2o,ls5s,
Academy June iS 1876. -Four years
later he was commissioned a second
lieutenant of infantry. In 1881 he re-
signed. but the following year he re-
turned to the army and was COM
misstoned captain in the Commits
pointed poi q colonel Of Of Vol Toiunteers mt % and
served In that rank during the Span
ish-American war, after which he re-
turned to the regular establishment
in the Commissary Department, which
in 1872 was consolidated with the
Paymaster's Department.
Mai. Gen. Henry @. Sharpe, as
quartermaster general In the army,
in the present emergency, has before
him one of the greatest tasks in the
entire service. His department Is
charged with the duty Of providing
means Of transportation OF every
character. This includes the trans
portation of recruits to mobilization
points, to concentration camps, and
from there to points OF embarkation,
and the arrangement OF transport IA
cilities for the carrying OF our armies
TO Europe.
At the present time the War De-
partment expects, IL the war lasts,
to transport armies totaling 5000, 900
to the European battle front. The
transport feet at the outbreak Of hos
tilities was entirely inadequate to
of this task. 1t has been enlarged
as If by magic, and by the time for
shipment OF the first great army Gen.
Sharpe is confident that all facilities
will be availible for the speedy trans
portation.
Through a system perfected by Lieut..
Col. Chauncey Baker, under the d.
rection of Gen. Sharpe, the railroads
of the United States have been CO.
ordinated and In cases of emergency
will operate as single system.
The feeding and clothing of S,O9O,-
900 men is another task which has
to be performed by this department.
Already food and clothing have been
purchased in quantities which will
have factories working continuously
in turning out their products. Auto
mobiles, automobile trucks, motor
cycles. wagons, horses and mules and
their equipment also have 70 be pur-
chased under the supervision Of Cen
eral Sharpe.
The one perplexing problem that
inconYepienced this department was
how to house the armies while train
w nGn lnG war pIOhe OANg llAt
Quartermaster General found that
there was not sufficient tentage in
the United States to more than shell
ter the National Guard. To build tenn
porary wooden barracks for half the
troops solved the problem, and now
as fast as cantonment sites are 10
Gated the necessary shelter is being
provided.
The Payma ster Generals Corps is
branch of this department, ana
wherever the American troops hap
pen to be a paymaster and his stafr
which furnishes as much enjoyment
to the fghtiEg men of the nation as
did the coming of Santa Claus in
childhood days.
The Council of national Defense has
approved the recommendation OF the
munitions board for the preparation
and maintenance of a list OF all ma
terials and finished products in the
procurement OF which industrial lin
itation appears imminent and co-ordl-
nation Of action appears to be essen
tial.
In connection with such a list no
proposals or purchase orders will be
issued by any department until sub
mitted for clearance to the board, eN-
cept in cases of emergency. in which
event prompt report OF the purchase
will be made to the board.
The item on which shortage al
ready exists or is probable includes
gun and shafting forgings, steel cast
ings, acids. steel sheets, leather goods,
machine guns. cotton goods, woolen
goods. knit goods, sheet tin. lumber.
wrought iron pipe, raw rubber, rubber
goods in quantity and coal and gaso-
line and oil in quantity. This detail
in the new arrangement will be in
charge of PaymasIer J. NJ. Hancock.
OF the navy and Major Palmer Pierce.
OF the army.