The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-06-09
PETERSBURG CONFIRMED
AS SITE FOR GREAT
ARMY TRAINING CAMP
Preparations TO Be Rushed to Care
for $4,000 Men and $4,000
Horses.
THOUSANDS OF MEN
WILL SOON BIZ AT WORK
Buildings viii Cover Twelve Hundred
$500 tcrcs addftionaI at Once.

Petersburg Va, June s--A tele-
gram from Senator Thomas S. Martin
to Secretary William A. Martin, OF
the Petersburg chamber of commerce.
this afternoon stated that the senior
Virginia senator had been officially
advised by the war department today
Of the selection Of the Lakemont site
for the location of one of the sixteen
cantonnent camps IN which the new
national army will be quartered while
in training for service in France.
Senator Martins telegram sets at rest
any doubt which may have existed
since the receipt of the first informa-
ton that the order. had been signed
from John l. Vaughan early this
morning. ..- .+t ...t. "a
II is estimated that s5. 900 men will
he chartered in the camp and in ad-
ditIon $4,000 horses will be quartered
in the remount station. requiring the
services of several thousand men in
addition to the regular unit of the
army
Build City To House Men.
More than $4,000, 600 will he spent
in preparing Lakemont and other ad-
Joining property and In -buiIding~the
huge city TO house the men. Com
struction work on the several hun
bred buildings VIII begin almost i'm
mediatelv In order to prepare the
site for the reception of the men
drafted under ths@new army draft
bill on Septem her l. In addition II
is expected that fully $4,000 900 will
he expended in erecting stables for
horses to he assembled here ana
trained for use in artillery. cavalry
and other branches of service.
The remount station will he built
between Petersburg and Iakemont
park, II Will reach the eastern limits
OF the city
The coming ~ the camp will mean
that untold numbers Of contracts for
the erection OF parts of the new dj-
visional camp will be let to sub con-
tractors in Petersburg and other sec
tons of the state. Thousands of work
men will be rushed here to complete
the building at the earliest possible
date.
In the camp will be chartered all
the men drafted from the states of
New Jersey, Delaware. Maryland and
Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Railroad to Build Spur.
The Norfolk and Western railway
will begin Immediately construction OF
ten miles of new track, which is 10
be laid through the camp for the
handling of supplies expeditiously.
The Petersburg and Appomattox
Railway company will also begin nm
mediate construction Of seven mites
of track through the camp for the
handling of freight and passenger
trafTic.
The city of Petersburg Will begin
immediately enlarging water mains IN
the eastern section OF the city in or
der to furnish the camp with an ade-
under contract to furnish water for
the camp at the. corporate limits and
the government will undertake the
work Of constructing pipe lines
throughout the camp and Install its
own water system.
The buildings will cover an area
of 1900 acres, which will be cleared
and put in shape Immediately. The
government will lease $500 additional
acres and 1t is s2pected THAT $4,000
acres will be required for maneuver-
ing purposes.
Each of the three railroads, the
Norfolk and Western. the Seaboard
Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line.
is at work making preparations for
the handling of the freight and pas
senger tratf1c.
The Virginia Railway and Power
company has signed contract for
lighting the camp and work will be
commenced Immediately by the COM
pany on enlarging its local power sta
ton to practically double its present
capacity
The Petersburg site for the canton
ment camp was selected in competi-
ton with several other Virginia and
Maryland cities, for which special
praise is due Secretary William NJ.
Martin. of the chamber of commerce..
John L. Vaughan. and other Peters
burg business men. who labored in
aAfatiGably in the intersak q the city.