Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-30
MAGIC TRANSFORMATION
ABOUT CANTONMENT SITE
City, Accommodating $4,000 People,
Erected at Camp Lee in Less
Than Three Months.
sPERTEcr IN EVERY DETAIL
Buildings Spread Over Miles Of Ter
ritory-Amount of Materials Used
Almost Beyond Imagination-Hos-
pitfalls and Warehouses Numerous.
fFrom a staff Correspondent. !

1 ta.esss -
eSSss tFSrom n staff Correspondent
CAMP LEE. VA. September "a
Three months 6 the site on which
now stands Camp Lee consisted of fields
Sof growing crops and acres of wooded
Islands. Much of it was ground which
had remained unused for years. with
trees whose size bespoke their age.
and thick underbrush that told It's own
story of neglect. To-day the same fields
and woods have been converted into
q city for tho accommodation Of about
500 people, almost double the popu-
lation OF the town Of Petersburg. In
thu preparation Of the cantonnent for
{ IRIS inhabitants, nothing has been over
looked in the way of comforts mat any
8 city In the country affords.
e. Within two months after the first
blow of the ak in the work OF clearing
the grounds OF the immense pines that
I cover a large portion OF II, the camp
i was ready for thousands of It's popula-
ton. In that time rows Of substantial
buildings had been erected, a water sys-
tenn installed, electric lights provided
for, a post-office erected for the ham
ding Of mail in excess of that handle
in the majority OF the cities of the State
all on such a gigantic scale and so
rapidly done that 1t appears almost as
Z though the magic Of an Aladdin's lamp
had been used.
And the work goes steadily on. TWEEN
~ thousand people. more than two
thirds that of the city OF Petersburg
are living IN the military city and the
work Of completing the camp for the
10000 yet to come. which is being Wig
orously pushed, assures the total COM
pletion of the camp within n
s. afvA1v hort lima Alrno6V mara t1,Dn
100000 has been expended in the
construction OF the c~antonment. and n
survey OF the amount of materials used
in the building of the city almost star
ties the Imagination.
1t was the latter part of June that
the contract for the c~antonment was let
by the government and the work
started. On August %, when the $500
officers took up their quarters in the
camp. 1t was 90 per cent completed. All
OF the yiSar1er@@.wnfs ~3iad BEEN done,
practically all of the barracks were
ready Nor occupancy, and there re-
mained.only the erection OF n building
here ana there and the finishing touches
to be APPLIED.
HUGE HAsk ACCOMPLISHED
s,DURING ABOUT SIXTY DAYS
In about two months from the be.
ginnin&.of the work at the camp, $500
buildings were erected. One OF the
largestHwater tanks in the country had
been installed, roads had been cut. heat
ing systems put in working order. and
the gHunds drained of the little
swampE. that dotted them here and
There. ~ total Of 5000 carloads of ma
terials lRere handled. and. so we'll was
1t done. that less than s25 dcmurrage
no Tns ! s ssmaH is built miles in ,s the share ape Of ,x a
miles Eeep. In all, there are nine
square, rniles covered by barracks and
used IS drill grounds. The barracks
cover a'strip OF land n half-mile wide,
extendS.g the length of the horseshoe
about six and one-half miles. Fifteen
miles of roadway has been cut through
the camp, and there are seven and
one-haE miles OF railroad track on the
ground5
Moresithan &C. 900, 600 feet OF lumber
has basn used in the construction OF
the caHfonment. Twenty carloads Of
nails Were required, and as many as
1000 men were employed at one time
in building the camp. The use of 1000
teams 5fas necessary.
All pf the buildings have a form
of patertcd board used in some part
ofnthein interior construction, and 400
900 feel! of this material was required.
Five Kindred acres Of roofing paper
was uSed for the barracks and officers
Z quartefs. and about 500. 900 panes OF
Z glass. SSeveral carloads of small hard
ware were used.
The Observation-Disclosures is extended
to all Of Tire buildings, and the streets
OF the ecamp are also supplied. Moro
I than $4,000 incandescent bulbs are re-
I quired Sor the entire cantonment. The
water supply Is equally complete. and
& $50 mills OF ten-inch and twclve-inch
I pipe was used, in addition 10 miles OF
v pipe ofafmaller size. Thirty-fve miles
of WE pipe have been laid in the
The sbase hospital covers hfty-two
acres OF, land. and is a series of small
buildings, all connected by inclosed
corridoSs, which themselves total sew
eral miles in length. There are ac-
e cpmmonhtions for 1000 beds, and the
/ hospitad!, is equipped with every mod
I -ern nathod for treating the sick and
lnlured~. II has a complete operating
room and also an X-ray building. The
ashhcatinE plant of the building
requires, an S5o-horse-power boiler.
= IMMESSE WATER TANK HAS
I,000.000 GALLONS CAPACITY
The @mensc water tank on the camp
{ is said 70 be among the largest in the
f counting. IT has a capacity of 1000, 900
I G%allonsf. and stands l3o feet from the
groundsi a centrifugal electric pump
is capable OF pumping 5000 gallons OF
I water R.minute.
The TGmount station at the camp has
Z also beeh completed. and there are ac-
u commodations for 10000 horses.
X Fol- the storage of supplies and re-
) tions akithe camp ten warehouses have
been ERECTED. These measure sixty by