The Robesonian., 1917-09-10
FAYETTEVILLE MAY
LAND BIG CAMP

It Has More Than &C, Chance .
Lard One Of Biggest Camps to De
Established by the Army-16o,oa ,oao
Acres of Land Required for sia
chine Gun School
Fayetteville Dispatch, Sept: 7.
That Fayetteville now has more
than an even chance to land one OF
the biggest camps to be established
bv the United States army during the
war was brought out at meeting OF
the membership Of the Chamber OF j
Commerce last night. The meeting
following an inspection of the lani
available in the vicinity Of this cry
by an army board, and was for the
lurpose of getting down to work on
the tremendous task Of securing op-
tions on 25 square miles Of land.
The camp for which the war de-
partment is seeking an available site
is for machine gun school Of fire, to
be in the nature of finishing schooll
! fo, men assigned to the harding OF
the all important machine gun. The
site must be large enough to accom-
modate an average of 10000 men
and five or six ranges not less than
five miles in length, as the machine
gun is deadly at that distance. Each
squad will remain in training from
so to 90 days, to be succeeded by an
equal number of men, thus keeping
the population Of the camp up to 40,-
900. While the encampment, owing
to the large number of men to be sta
toned in it, it will be more than usu-
ally attractive proposition, the con-
ditions to be met, on the other hand,
are so exacting that few cities can
hope to make good on them.
One hundred and sixty-five thoT-
. Sand acres of land must be obtained,
an adequate water supply for 10000
man mGst be at hand, and the ter
rain must consist Of mile after 11iie
of perfectly level surface, suitable
for a rapid fire range, and must be
sparsely inhabitated that little in
convenience will be wrought by the
taking over of the land by the army.
The city will have to see that en-
ployment is secured for those persons
whose homes are removed from the
site. The expense incident to the Sc
curing of the options on the land
alone will be something like $4,000.
The options will be for two years and
will be made out on the governments
own option forms.
Some idea of the magnitude of the
encampment and range is obtained
from the fact that the site under con-
sideration begins three miles from
Fayetteville's water filtration plant
at Glenville and ends in Hoke coun-
ty. The camp to be established will
be cantonment, composed Of wood
en- buildings entirely. This land on
which the cantonment will be erect
ed must be furnished free by the city
getting the camp. The government
will pay for the leases on the land
for the range.
Fayetteville business men already
have in hand more than enough land
for the cantonment site, options on
10000 acres having been secured for
! the national guard camp designated
for this place in June. Only about
1000 acres will be needed for the
cantonment.
1t is estimated that not more than
! $500 of the 10000 acres under con-
sideration here is cleared land. In
clearing the land the government will
carry out it's settled policy of forest
; COHoeIVdtlOiI Ill CuCClIS OUT no IdISe
, timber except where absolutely nee.
essary.
That Fayetteville is we'll in the
lead in the contest for the machine
gun school is a we'll established fact
1t is said that the inspecting board
= which has just left there-composee
Il of three officers of very high stand
! ing who have absolute power in tht
selection of the site-were so deepl!
impressed with the remarkable de
: gree in which the site here meets th'
. exacting conditions that Fayetteville
will be" made the standard by whicl
|, all sites proposed will be judged. I
n any other city can beat the advant
ages offered by Fayetteville that cit,
o. will get the camp-but they will hav
8 to "go some" to do that.
A highly systematic plan on whic1
!. the chamber Of commerce will set t
- work to meet Fayetteville's obliga
~ tions in the matter was worked ou
= at the meeting last night and 10 com
w W mittees are already on the job Q
SS getting options on enough land t
J. make a tract one-fourth as large a
= the State of Rhode Island
The gasoline consumed in ridin
about to secure options will cost 81
900. Notaries public will be drafte
II to secure options.