The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-27
COLD AT FUNSTON
No Heat Supply for Soldiers OF
the Draft Army.
Men Sit Around and SILVER
All Day Long.

Camp Funston, Kan, Sept IL
There won't be any heat in the bar
racks occupied by the men of the
Eighty ninth division of the national
army until the latter part of October,
and maybe not until Christmas This
is the statement of men and officers
who are familiar with every phase of
the present plans of the war depart
ment for heating Camp Funston. If
everything needed was on the ground
now, the work might be finished in
three weeks.
The weather for the last few days
and nights has been cold and miser-
able. 1t rained from midnight Tues
day until almost noon Wednesday,
cold and driving rain, that chilled to
the bone. There isn't barracks in
camp that is heated. There isn't a
man in camp, except the OFFICERS, who
have a plentiful supply of warm
clothing The men, today sat around
in their barra cks for the most part
wrapped in blankets and shivering.
1t was so cold and wet and muddy
today that every man who had an
overcoat raincoat or a pair of Roots
wore them, and those who didn't have
them and had the money went to
town and bought supply. In many
places in camp the water was more
than knee deep and almost every
place the mud was ankle deep to be
conservative.
lays installing the heating system has
been the fault of the manufacturers.
Day after day has been lost because
some manufacturer forgot to ship the
necessary fittings for pipes and boil
ers, or because they didn't feel the
need of filling the orders at once, or
because they had to wait for one thing
or another.
Short on Boilers.
The entire number of boilers neces-
sary has not arrived. There are still
sixteen boilers short. There isn't a
foot of 5-inch pipe in camp, and this
is the pipe suspended overhead to
carry the steam from the boilers to
the barracks, and $500 feet was or
dered more than six weeks ago. There
isn't a foot of S-inch pipe, the pipe
that is necessary to carry the steam
from the boilers to the mains, on the
grounds Some # this pipe left
Youngstown, o., September IA; some
on the 18th and some on the 22d, but
none of it has arrived here. In the
meantime work on the heating system
Is practically at a standstill and the
men are shivering from the cold
For instance, when the boilers were
shipped from Kewanee, Ill, someone
forgot to put in the anchor bolts. As
result only a few of the boilers are
completely installed and the rest are
awaiting the arrival of the bolts. Then
the stacks arrived, but no guy wires
came with them-another delay. There
is a complete system of radiators in
stalled in 1913 barracks. with the ex-
ception of one of two 5-section radia-
tors Nm each one.
The war dc partment specified 5-sec-
ton radiators should be placed in GER
tain specific spots, and consequently
the work cannot be finished until they
arrive from Chicago. The entire heat
ing system is one continuous radiation
e.fo oh fnff sF-a
allowed by the war department. This
means the heat cannot be cut off at
any one place, and the steam cannot
be turned into the radiators until the
entire system is completed. These
were ordered six weeks ago.
Fittings Ordered.
Fittings were ordered six weeks
ago from Chicago, including Is and
IT'S" and crosses for the pipes, but
nothing has been heard of them.
Capt. Fred J. Herman, constructing
quartermaster, realized some time ago
what was going to happen, so he sent
men to different places to hurry the
shipments along and to ride right to
Camp Funston with the cars to see
they were not lost or delayed. One
man arrived today with eleven cars of
fittings in tow, and another is on the
way here.
Capt. J. S. Smith will leave today
| for Kansas City, Chicago and other
! eastern points to either hustle up the
shipments or buy from other firms in
the open market. ALL the main build
ings were to have been heated by
steam and the isolated small buildings
| by stoves. Captain Herman ordered
! 279 stoves, but the government
thought 423 could be used There
are on the ground 375, but they are
small and one of them wouldn't even
| take the chill off one of the big bar
| racks built for two hundred men
/ The stoves were being set up in offices
! today, and tonight Captain Herman
appointed an officer whose entire
duty will be to direct gangs of work
men to put up what stoves are on
hand where they will do the most