Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-09-24

When the War Department published
Its most recent figures showing how
nearly completed were the various can
tonments, it put Yaphank, Long Island.
at the foot of the list. Only 80 per cent
OF the construction had been done
there. This was on September 9, the
eve of the delayed departure of the
first contingent of the New York City
draft troops for Yaphank. All of the
other fifteen environments, with the ex-
! ception Of Camp Meade in Maryland,
had been near enough to completion
to receive their first contingents on
September 5, the day originally set.
Meade was only "A per cent finished,
and so was the next lowest to Upaon.
There is a touch of sad irony in the
name of these thousands of acres of
confusion at Yaphank. The camp was
named in honor of the late Major
Gen. Emory Upton, part of whose
great distinction as an Aemrican Of
ficer was due to the fact that he was
pioneer in the preaching of prepared
ness. His remarkable report on the
American Military Policy" not pub
lished by the Government until long
after his death, was one of the factors
il. bringing about army reforms and
in convincing the country and Con-
gress that the the present draft law
should be adopted in place of the
faulty volunteer system. Major Gen.
Bliss of the General Staff said the
other day that he National Army and
it's cantonments met all the Upton crit
icisms, except for the fact that the plan
had been adopted as temporary wa1
measure and was not yet part OF the
permanent military policy of the coun-
try. But Camp Upton itself forms
melancholy exception in the matter of
preparedness.
1t would be stretching a figure OF
speech to say that New York City's
selected men were rallying to the col
ors when they marched into the Yap-
hank reservation a few mornings ago,
for there were no colors to be seen.
The big Flagstaff which, with the Stars
and Stripes at its top, should nave
dominated the landscape for the re-
cruits as they arrived, was lying on
the ground somewhere back OF the
Division Headquarters-one Of the
thousand and one things that had not
been put in place, even after five
day postponement of the opening of
the camp.
The flagstaff lying on the ground
NAV be taken as fairly sybolical OF the
whole situation. The only flag flying
ir the entire camp upon of the ar
rival of the first drafted men was one
of nocket handkerchief size, such as
Won can buy in a candy store for
nickel. A patriotic laborer had nailed
il TO the mast of a hosting derrick.
The Lucky Thirteen" from Draft
BOARD Division SO of Brooklyn, brought
flag of their own and carried it at
the head of their squad in the mar
through camp to aarracks. 1t was
happy thought.
Rut even at Yaphank there was
noticeable a sharp distinction between
nrenaredness and unpreparedness be-
+uaen what the army officers and men
did in spite of the difficulties and what
the people responsible for construc-
tion had been unable to do. The draft
svstem worked perfectly at Upton as
at the other cantonments. The TWO
thousand and odd men from New YORK
citv and vicinity arrived on the minute
and the Division Quartermaster was
ready for them with supplies OF food
ond unifors and bedding and cots'
And the first meal was served on
time in the few barracks which had
been turned over as ready
vision bv the Construction quarter
master, Major OK. Meyers.
All the company officers were on
hand ready to do the preliminary
work of receiving, enrolling, and class
living the men according to their pre-
v;ous experiences in trades, etc., ana
assigning them to quarters. These
oomnany officers, together with many
reular army sergeants and corporais
ond nriyates assigned to Yaphank tof
the nurpose, were also ready from the
outset to give the first training by
drill But there was no cleared place
IN the reservation big enugh for the
handling of more than handful Oh
men No such thing as an adequate
drill ground had been begun. Large
.oo+;ons which were referred to by
"nlp4TeQ