The Dickinson press., 1917-11-10
Camp Dodge Is Among the Best


tonment and in the city of Des Moines
than are the draft men at any or
the other western concentration
camps, declared Wardmaster Merrill
Modglin, Of the regular army. "I
have been stationed at five canton
ments during the past few months" :"
said Wardmaster Modglin, who is de-
tailed to hospital attendants. "In
none of them have I found conditions
SO nearly ideal as they are at the
Des Moines Camp" Food served the
boys at Camp Dodge is more plentl-
full, better cooked and in more variety
than II any Of 1t camps to which he
has been assigned, asserted Ward
master Modglin. He has acted as in
structor at base hospitals at Camp
Funston, Kan:, Camp Taylor, Kan,
Camp Lawton, CAL, American Lake,
Wash.
Consumes Much Food
One million pounds of potatoes and
100000 pounds of onions will be re-
quired monthly for soldiers of the
8Sth division at Camp Dodge. Orders
have been received from Washington,
= -. Instruct as commissary officers
80 az, ertise lol bids fcc his '::r:,c
amount of potatoes and onions. Care
full attention is to be given food con-
servation. Waste is to be elimina ted.
Lieut.. Col. William R. Grove has been
placed in charge and will within a
short time have plans completed for
saving food. In addition to food con-
servation, waste products will be
handled by this department. An eff
fort will be made to sell all waste.
Liberty Bond Sale Popular
The most enthusiastic stunt pulled
! off since the establishment of Camp
Dodge was the Liberty Bond sale
among the officers and men. A thor
ough organization enabled systematic
work and at the close of the campaign
the total bond sale footed up nearly
one and half million dollars. The
selected men are not only willing to
fight but they are ready to help fin
ance the great war. TO the Three
Hundred Forty ninth infantry, made
up of Illinois men, goes the honor of
purchasing the largest number Of
bonds, their total being $182,250. The
:: Three Hundred Fifty second infantry
! is second with subscriptions amount
ing to $175,850.
Deserter in the Tolls
A Norwegian by birth and Oscar
Johaihen by name awaits trial at
Camp Dodge upon the grounds Of de-
sertion. He is 26 years old. When
he registered June 5, he did not claim
exemption, but announced that he was
| a Norwegian citizen, having taken
out his first papers here. When his
call came, he refused to go, claiming
that as a Norwegian citizen, he was
not forced to report. Investigation
located him working on a farm near
Clinto, Iowa. He was taken into
custody by the United States marshal
and turned over to Camp Dodge au-
thorities. AS his case is the first on
record with the Eighty y-eighth divis-
ion, it is expected he will receive the
full penalty of the desertion law, so
that his case may be pointed to as an
example and stop future desertions.
The modified law as applied in other
camps of the country calls for dis
honorable discharge from the army
without pay and ten years imprison-
ment.
Chaplain A. B. Boyd Busy Man
About the busiest man in the camp
is Chaplain Rev. A. B. Boyd. His du-
ties are manifold and he takes a livery
interest in every movement for the
betterment of the men. He is just
now busy teaching foreigners enough
of the English language to enable
them to understand the commands Of
officers. He says that it is a surprise
to many to hear that literally hun
dreds of men in the camp are unable
to speak or understand English. You
may imagine the annoyance and cha
grin of an officer who gives COM
mand to find a number of his men
smiling amiably but not moving. At
once we began to organize classes to
teach English to foreigners. General
w. D. Beach of the One Hundred
Seventy sixth brigade was deeply in
terested in the plan and detailed one
of his lieutenants, H. D. Ramsen, to
translate army commands and phases
into Finnish, Swedish, Italian, Russian
and Greek. The books are made to fit
the pocket of the shirt or blouse and
will give the student a working
knowledge of military English. These
BOOKS are USED only in this canton
lnent.
Trench Digging Now in Operation
A regiment composed of the 318th
engineers began work Saturday upon a
great system of trenches. A system
900 or 700 yards long and 800 yards
>;eep is to be built, with all the ac-
,essories of barb wire entanglements
hidden machine gun emplacements,
;lugouts for the men and officers, com
.lunication trenches, and other ad-
luncts Of the fighting line: When fin
shed the men, by battalions, will be
given thorough training under condi-
-ions approximating those on the war
. Ironts, the soldiers living in the
trenches for three or four days at a
/ vinle, then being replaced by another
detachment. All the incidentals Of the
front, including target practice, bomb
throwing, trench raiding at night and
the gathering Of military information
from the enemy trenches will be in
cluded in the course of instruction
J. w. Jamagin.