Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-07-19
GuARDsMENs WINTER HOME
Charlotte q Centrally Located
and Typical Southern City.
Site Selected for Training Camp for
Members Of National Guard In
Vermont and Other New Eng
land states.
Of the Free Press.y

Correspondence Of the Free Press.v
Charlotte. N. c., July 16.-Charlotts.
North Carolina, designated as the site
for the camp at which the New Eng
land national guardsmen will under.
go a period Of intensive training, pre-
paratory to taking their places In the
European trenches, is the largest and
most important city in the state, al
though 1t has a population of only fifty
thousand. 1t; however, is rapidly
growing city, as its population de.
cade ago was only about fifteen thous.
and. 1t is also becoming an important
Industrial center, particularly in the
cotton industry.
The city is located in the south.
central port of the State, near the
South Carolina line. In the upper
reaches of the famous Piedmont Sec
ton. and is the most northernmost
city of any Importance In the cotton
growing section of the south. 1t 10
also just below the southern extremity
Of the famous Virginia-North tobacco
belt. 1t is also a city Of historical in
terest. and Is typically southern in
every respect.
$500 ACRES IN CAMP SITE.
The site selected for the camp at which
the New Englanders will soon begin
their daily drills Is two miles west Of the
city, and comprises twenty-five hundred
acres Of comparatively level land. Some
Of it is under cultivation, part is aban-
doned fields. and considerable stretch
Is still thickly covered with timber. That
part that is under cultivation Is in small
farms, on which leases have been taken
and the owners or tenants are already
IA
options on the property in order to off,
er it to the government having paid the
the farmers for the crops and having
taken lease on the land for a period OF
five years, for which time It will be avail
able for military purposes. II needed.
The timbered section will be cleared ex-
cept that patches Of woodland will be left
here and there to afford shelter from the
heat for man and beast during the hot
summer days. and also to afford recrea-
tional places for the soldiers.
Between the camp site and the Catawba,
eight miles to the south and west the
| country is comparatively level and open.
with few fences. and all Of 1t will be avail
able for the use Of troops in the many
maneuvers they will be put through a.
a part of their training course. Near the
river. too. the target ranges will be es-
| tablished, for both artillery and rifle
practice. to which more attention will DO
paid than to any other feature, during the
| training on this side of the Atlantic, be.
cause 1t can be done as we'll here as in Eu.
rope. and because there will be certain
disadvantages on the other side.
WINTERS NEVER SEVERE.
In order to give street car service to the
camp. the local street railway company
has already started double-track ex-
tension Of a half-mile. while railroad
sidings are being laid to where the
quartermaster and commissary depots will
be located. Water mains are being laid
and power wires strung. and all the work
Of preparation Of the camp expedited in
every possible way. Army engineers are
here marking OF the camp. and whom the
New England troops come. they will Tina
their streets laid out. their kitchens built
and everything ready for them to pitch
camp and make themselves comfortable
in their temporary home. The camp here.
1t is understood. Is to be semi-permanent,
as II will be both canvass and wood. and
the tents will be fioored and walled. 20
that quarters may be made comfortable
during the winter season. and there will
probably not be q day during the entire
season when the temperature will be su
low as to make outdoor drill uncomfort-
able.
lsOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FEA-
TURES.
On the social ana recreational side. the
people of Charlotte plan to give tine visit
srs every possible attention. Leading IN
this, Of course are the Y. M. c. A. and Y.
w. C. A. The former will establish branch
for every division. while the Y. w. c. A.
plans to take up army work by arranging
social events to which the soldiers will be
invited.
On the moral side. Charlotte is doubtless
as clean as any city Of its size in the
country. North Carolina has been dry
for q number Of years. and is now bone
dry" thanks to recent federal enactment.
and the "bootleggger" not only finds II
difficult to get any stock to peddle. but
must be very ely at his peddling II he
would not be sent to the changing. There
IL no restricted district in the city. 50
that the two greatest evils with which
camp commanders have to contend usual
ly virtually do not exist here. The town
and State authorities have promised
General Wood. commander OF this depart
ment. complete cooperation In seeing that
the moral conditions are kept to the
highest standard possible. General
Woods warning. issued during a recent
visit here to inspect the camp site. VA
that the city In his department that doea
not cooperate with the military author.
tiles in reducing such evils to minimum
will soon find it has no camp.
Nowhere IL the famed southern hos
pitality better exemplified than here. and
the National guardsmen from New Eng
land will find a hearty welcome when
they arrive to occupy the camp site new
being prepared for them.