The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-06-28
Marine
dtocom Ir *
Citizen Soldiers to Be Made as
Comfortable as Possible in
Cantonment Cities
BY gibson sGARDNER.t

Washington, ID. c., June 2S.--The
task of housing half a million soldiers
while in training is now we'll started.
Preliminary contracts have been let
and the cantonments, as they are
called, should be ready by October.
A premium Is to be paid for speed
of construction. The army must be
trained and it cannot be trained until
it is housed Therefore, the building
of these cities before the snow flies
is more important than the saving of
a few dollars. e. =
Sixteen cities each of 10000, popu-
lation, are to be constructed in 80
days. This is some job. Each city
must have its wooden houses, it's
streets, sewers, water systems, cleo
trio lights, railroad yards, water mains,
garbage incinerators, 'nusement halls.
storage structures ana scores of other
incidentals to the life of q military
city.
.i.r&si , Cost Is High.
y AZ much money will be spent
in 90 days as the government
spent on the Panama canal in
year.
The cites have been selected and
most of them surveyed and laid off
into their future streets, drill grounds,
ball fields, freight yards and residence
sections. In some instances the lum-
ber and other materials are on the
way. .~
Each cantonment will require about
1000 carloads of material, and it is
estimated 100000 cars will be divert
ed from their usual business to take
care of the cantonment work.
Each of these wooden cities will
require 26,0O0,O0O feet of lumber, or
1895 carloads. one carload of roofing
nails, 812 carloads of crushed stone
for the roads, 28.00O squares of roof
ing 20 carloads of miscellaneous hard
ware, 20 carloads of plumbing mate
rial, 1872 carloads of tanks, heaters,
stoves, ranges, pipes, electrical mate.
rails, refrigerators and the like; 30
carloads of ties and other timber; 20
carloads of railroad spikes, rails, fish
plates; ia carloads of ballast; 10 car
loads of electric light poles, wires, in
sulators; 10000 cubic yards of con-
crete, and 175 carloads of sand.
The typical cantonment house is
wooden affair set up on posts about
four feet from the ground; the peaked
roof is about 25 feet high, and the
floor of each house is about 255 feet
wide and 125 feet long.
~k
are to sleep in doubIe.tiered
hunks.
Each house has it's little book
case, wooden table and wooden
dresser.
$500 Bunks.
The window is screened with metal.
lie screening.
Each city must have 37.5O0 separate
hunks and mattresses, which will re-
quire 125 cars to move them.
Each city will require $50 carloads
of hospital equipment, three carloads
of screens and 20 carloads of construc-
tion tools
Each cantonment will contain about
900 buildings. The kitchen and the
mess hall are separate from the living |
buildings; each company having its
own kitchen and mess.
The government already has had
some experience in rushing up these
mushroom cities for the army. On
May IA the quartermaster's depart
ment received orders to have quarters
ready on June Is for 100000 men.
This meant the erection of $7,0O0,000j
worth of new buildings at nine differ
ent posts. That work has been COM
pleted.
A typical city of this sort is located
at Quantico, Va. where 5000 marines
are to make their home.
At one end of the cantonment site
one sees the virgin forests, next he
sees where the forest has been burned
and felled: next to this are the scant-
lings and posts stuck into the ground
which are to be the foundations Of
houses, and then come the houses in
all, stages of construction, with the
product at the far end of
the camp. ..
Three weeks ago this land was as
Capt. John Smith discovered it. Soon
it will be a city with paved streets.
modern Improvements and teeming
population. sH: