Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-03
DRAFT MEN WILL
HAVE STOVE HEAT
Seleetive Forces Barracks Will BE
Heated IN Odd Fashioned Ysy
&C Camp Dodge.
OFFICERS WILL HAVE STEAM
Medical Department II Ready for
FIRST Five Per Cent Of Mea 10
Arrive Next Week.


Although recomue .dat5ans were for
the installation Of heating plants IN
ali Of the buildings. + was discovered
that the cost would make susc1 plans
prohlb{t{ve Stoves, heating plants
and q hot water plant viii cost ap-
proxIlnately s460 900. Had the en-
tire caDfounent been hea1ed with
steam, equipment would have cost
$4,000
The immensely Of the heating
proposition at the camp is not
realized uutI It. IS known mat ioa
steam plants Will be installed IN tha
quarters Of officers and medical build
ings. aud almost two hundred build
ings VIII be supplied with stoves.
Forty-five buildings viii constitute
quarters at the base hospital TO
heat these structures a central heat
fnging plant will be constructed. hot
water for the hospital buildings VIII
be furnished by a separate plant.
with work of arranging heating
system at She cantonment already
started. not until Oct. 20 will the
stoves and plants be N operation.
Cold weather will not set In before
that date. and there viii beeno par
ticuIar rush about the work.
Sou-Coms From Smelling.
Many candidates for commissions
at Fort Smelling failed 10 pass
the examinations reported at Camp
Dodge Sept. ] as aoucOmm1sstoned
officers. The system followed out at
Smelling was that if man was not
educated Sfor a commission, ne could
enlist n the national army and be
sent to the cautonment as first
sergeant or duty sergeant
Eantoument officers point out the
= asf mo will hE
very efficient ucncommissioned Off
GERS because *0f the training they were
given which was identical with that
given reserves corps officers. If these
men demonstrate later on that they
viii make good officers, they viii an
donbt6dly 5be commissioned in the re-
serve
Major General e. II. Plummer and
his acting chief~Of staff Major Harry
T. Crockett. have completed the work /
Of assigning officers to regimental and /
brigade units. Brigadier generals
assisted I'm this task and when mat
tiers were brought down to d reggie /
mental basis, regimenjal officers were /
put to work
Reserve corps men we're assigned
bs entire companies to the various
regimentaI units keeping the COM (
pany designation given them at Fort
Smelling.
The medical department il ready /
fop the FIRST 5 per cent Of the national
army A a00-bed hospital has been /
established at the camp with Major /
Croft in charge The major has been
relieved from duty as chief sanitary /
officer and Will have complete super /
vision of the base hospital. The ca
pacity viii be increased 10 1000 beds /
when the selective draft men report |
more beds they viii be installed
Major H II. Polk, L. s. r.. has been I
honored by receiving the appointment /
rs adjutant Of the depot brigade. Su- /
pervisIon Of the entire supply system /
OF the cant0ument viii be the duty /
of Major Polk.
Huge ditching machines are being /
pushed to their limit in an effort to /
finish up the work of laying sanitary /
sewers and complete the water sup
ply for the camp. Each barracks Will /
he supplied with water for cooking /
and other kitchen purposes and for /
the enlisted men.
Dust Six Inches Deep.
The streets and roads running |
through the camp are from four to /
six inches deep with dust and are
causing Inconvenience to everyone /
compelled 10 pass over them. Major /
General Plummer IL a trip through +
camp yesterday morning was inn /
pressed with the fact and ordered !
that all OF the roads be oiled as soon I
as possible. Ruts and chuck holes
will also be filed and streets put in .
good shape.
Everyone Is struck with the size /
or the camp and also with The /
preparations that are being made TO {
make the camp a comfortable place /
for the men of the national army
Guard duty at the cantonment has .
ceased To De q trivial matter. with
new Buildings going UP every day /
and the camp stretching several yards +
northward each day. guards are com /
PEELED 10 walk quite a distance In 7
order 10 get 70 their posts.
Eight companies OF the First Iowa +
now furnish men for the details. All
guard duty IS done by the doushboys. /
for the reason that they are equipped I
with rifles Engineering organizations +
furnish the headquarters guard and .
orderlies.
Little Room 10 Driu.
Reserve corps omicers are wonder
ing where the national army sent to4
the cantonment viii be drilled With
all land between the railroad tracks
and the summit Of the hill covered /
with barracks and depot buildings
appearances are that there will be
but small space 10 drill in. even II
the drill and parade grounds are es-
tabIished on the west side OF the
railroad.
When the national army men re
port. they Will be assigned 10 com
panfes and will be tsaght ordinary
camp duties AS other I%Gn arrive.
they viii he formed into squads and
platoons. The school OF the soldier.
squad and platoon will be taught
the men before any attempt at fur
Their division IS made. After they
have become proficient, however. vari-
Gus divisions Will occur in the or
CARNATIONS.
In each outfit OF $50 men there
viii be or least one platoon OF hand
grenade boEbars formed, A machine
gun platoon will be organized and