Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-05
CANTONMENTS OFFER
A COLOSSAL BUILDING
PROBLEM To ARMY
Military Authorities Expect
Mistakes Will Be Made Due
To Short Time Allowed for
Construction of Camps.
BY RALPH SMITH.


reflects upon the magnitude of the di-
visional training camps, or canton
ments, for the army, and considers in
the same connection that they must DE
ready for occupancy within four short
months. one marvels that IT was ever
contemplated that the construction of
each of the thirty-two should be of a
i permanent character. 1t is small Won
I der that the original plans have been
l changed and that instead of attempt
ing the construction Of thirty-two per
manent cantonments IL has been de-
cided to establish sixteen camps, undN
canvass. and sixteen cantonments to
be built of wood
| Think of attempting to rebuild the
city OF GAINESVILLE o., or Bangor. Me-,
l within sixteen weeks time and you
get good idea OF the undertaking, for
any one Of the sixteen permanent can
tonments will accommodate all the in
habitants OF either Of these cities. The
decision to place some of the troops
under canvass has of course relieved
the difficulties somewhat, but the es-
tablishment of sixteen tented cities, TO
accommodate upwards of 10000 men, is
of itself no small problem. The disl-
Guilty is aggravated by the fact that
while the tented cities are being thrown
up, the government must proceed with
| the construction of the sixteen perma-
nent cantonments.
WHAT 1T ALL MEANS.
| The construction of the cantonments
all building at the same time, involves
engineering problems of the first impor-
lance There is the qeustion of water
| supply and swerage system for each cam
torment. A mistake in either of these
! essentials would jeopardize the whole es-
| tablishment, and result in illness and
possible epidemic. The question of illu-
| mnation, heating, refrigerating and
laundry facilities loom largely among
| the problems to be worked out before
| construction actually is begun.
The actual building, or construction,
is huge undertaking. Each cantonment
will require over $4,000, 900 feet of lum-
Der. and several thousand car loads of
construction freight. The question of
transportation is one of Importance. In
| some instances il will be necessary to
put in many miles of railroad track,
which after the war may be useless to-
| the railroad.
Considered in dollars and cents. the
yard stick by which most building pro-
| jects are measured, the hugeness of the
| operation becomes even clearer. The to-
tai cost of the Panama canal, which is
the greatest single building project in
the world, was approximately S375,OOO,-
O0O The work extended over a perio
of ten years, and the largest amount
expended in any single year was $4S-
100000
COST ABOUT s4SOOO,OOO.
1t is estimated by the government
/ that each army cantonment will cost
/ around $4,000. 900, so that the sixteen.
| which must be constructed within six
teen weeks will cost approximately S4S'-
coo. 900. or within one million dollars as
IA 1V.Wf In. hnI
/ year in constructing the big canal
The current fiscal year has been per-
haps the biggest building year in the
| history of the city of Washington, yet
| the expenditures during these twelve
! months in the national capital has not
exceeded s15.O00.O0O, so that the army
! is going TO spend four times as much
| for building in four months as was
! expended in the City of Washington IN
the biggest building year of its history.
Obviously. many mistakes and blum
| ders will be made in putting through
this tremendous building program with
/ in the time allotted. Concerning this
possibility. W. A. Starrett, chairman,
/ of the committee on emergency con-
struction and engineering works of the
council OF national defense, has written
a letter TO Colonel Littell of the quar-
| termaster's department, of which the
| following is an extract:
"It is nearly physically impossible
! to carry out this great operation-cem-
| pletely. in the time given-without Sc
| rious mistakes-yet il must be car
ried out The best engineering or
| ganization i'm the world could not handle
this mass of detail in this time with
| ont blunders The need of haste
| makes IL certain that much of the ma
| terial used in the camps will b. I'M
| satisfactory. The same need OF haste
| makes IT certain that the business ar
rangements for the transportation and
installation of all this material will
| frequently be unsatisfactory.
1t is inconceivable that all of these
thirty-two operations can be fully COM
| pleted by September l, and equally in
| conceivable that any of them will be
| an entirely satisfactory product up to
, the usual peace standards by that date.
| The most that can be hoped is that the
| majority of the camps will be laid
out In a reasonably systematic way,
and that the sanitary provisions will
be sufficient TO prevent serious sick
ness.
| The tremendous drive required by
| the emergency should be thoroughly
| understood. The physical limitations
should be equally understood, and the
department should have clear con-
| ception of just how much IL is rea-
| sonable to expect under the time HInll
| SET.
1t is the judgment of the commit
| tee that to devote more time to plan
| ming or to proceeding in anything but
the most vigorous fashion would re-
| suit in failure to deliver housing for
| ANYTHING like the force of men that will
| be called The failure to deliver even
faulty housing is too serious TO con-
| slider.
Under these circumstances II seems
to our committee that the quartermas-
ter's department has no choice but 10
| take the most vigorous measures pos
sible to produce what we both frankly
recognize will be an unsatisfactory
product clear realization of these
facts should stimulate the tremendous
energy which must be put into this
work.
The authorities should be made TO
understand at the outset that any ham
pering of your efforts, any delay
through criticism Of details will GER
tain result In a stin more serious
situation than we are now facing. You
should be free from criticism Of ue-
tails of plans. details of quality. de-