Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-20
WEATHER PROVES
NO DRAWBACK ON
CAMP DODGE men
Time Spent by selective Soldiers nj
Cantonmeni Not TO Be Wasted
Despite Conditions.
TRAINING OF NEW BUNCH EASIER
Major Hayes, Regimental Adiutant,
Believes instruction for Next Qnota
win Be Speedler.
Especial to The August

Camp Dodge, Iowa, Dec. 2e,-The
business Of war Is making good pro
gress at Camp Dodge this week, and
training conditions, somewhat below
normal during the intense cold wealth
OF. are again normal and every man
in the camp IS making progress to-
ward fitness for work st the front.
The officers are being given num-
Der Of courses Of instruction IN vari-
GUS phases of modern warfare, and are
In turn passing these down the ranks,
The English and French officers
are given lectures on gas and gas
masks. field fertilization work, artil-
lery as used at the front, and up TO
date methods of giving the Hun a
dose Of bitter medicine.
officers who have been assigned to
special schols Of instruction in ma
chine gun fire, hayonet drill, etc, are
returning to camp, and their knowl-
edge is being impaired to the enlisted
men
Major Hayes. regimental adjutant,
believes that training of the new in
crement soon to arrive will be much
speedier and easier thar was the for
nation Of the division organization
y when the first draft reported.
I'VE have the machinery to do bust
ness with now" he said THE non
commissioned officers promoted from
among the first arrivals have learned
their duties and. further, will have a
great amount Of prestige when the
new men get here which viii make
their work more efficient"
Artillery Is Busy.
Artillerymen in training at Camp
Dodge are now being given a daily
routine Of training lasting from s. e
o'clock in the morning until 4 o'clOcl
in the afternoon. with "a single lapst
Of an hour az dinner time. which giyel
tho men very little time 10 conslde
anything but licking the kaiser during
the period
The days routine Of training be
gins al s 80 o'clock with an hour o
physical exercises From $40 unit
10 o'clock rife instruction is on tn
program From 1910 until II drill
formations and hikes are scheduled
and from i1:i0 20 II 80 firing data i
given. illustrated by lectures dia
grams, or actual field work
On Monday, Wednesday and Thurs
day, from ] TO In the afternoon I
another period OF drill and the hm
from 2:15 TO 3:15 Is given over to sig
nal practice From 3: 20 until 4 o'cloc
the time is devoted 10 a study of me
tor artillery apparatus, In regiment
which are TO be motorized, while tn
use OF horses and maneuyers with tn
guns is taught other organizations.
a series of lectures is now bein
given to the enlisted men Of the Thre
Hundred Thirty seventh on gas an
gas masks by Lieutenant NJ. :. Robb
The infantrymen are ready for az
tuai practice as soon as Major Smlt
Br0okhart returns from Washington
Negroes Hard at Work.
The Negro units are getting som
stiff course Of drill and are a ia
different OUTFIT than the somewhs
frightened Alabama lads who repOrte
here only a few weeks ago.
The northern Negroes are a bette
educated group, and the great pc
centage OF their number has alread
been promoted to noncOmmissione
rank, or az least has been advanced
the rank OF first class private
Almost 20 per cent of the southel
Netroes Will be found defective ply
ieatly il is believed, and about 81
have already. been returned to the
homts.
Thu, excellent morale Of the men
indicated by the splendid spirit
which the order resembling Christina
leaves was received. Hardly a ma