The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-09
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INF M ALTON
Blu RE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. c.
CONSERVATION OF WATER IN
THE ARMY
Washington. D. C.

conservation of water. At the front,
drinking water is above rubies, and
even at the environments in this coun-
try it cannot be wasted. All of which
is very disconcerting to the American,
who has been accustomed to SWIM
ming in extravaganza quantities OF wat
er; to daily showers of unlimited dura-
ton; to sprinkling his sidewalk and
lawn with gallons of water. and to
having a whole fountain in his back
yard, if he wanted it.
Water is scarce in the army because
it is difficult to supply-especially
when an army is on the march-and
because the construction of a water
supply system is an expensive and la
! boriouS business. Each camp must
have system as elaborate as that of
an American city of the same size.
Artesian wells must be dug sometimes
| without striking water), pumping sta
tions installed and pipes laid. In some,
cases, a river is tapped. and pipes ex-
| tended from the river to the camp. In
any case the total needs of the camp
! must be carefully estimated and the
consumption kept within that esti-
mate
The American soldier entering
| training camp is at once informed of
| this calamity. A sentinel on police
| duty scrutinizes him carefully as he
mops his perspiring brow and fills his
! drinking cup at the camp hydrant,
while a minute later his attention is
called to a sign in large letters.
Halt" it reads Serve by savingi
| There is plenty of water if you don't
waste it, Don't leave water running.
Don't turn on a stronger stream than
you require. Report every leak you
see. If leakage and waste are not
/ checked there won't be enough water
for you. Shut it OFF,
/ And experience has shown that this
| is no mere vain warning. In one camp
not long ago there was not enough
situation was finally relieved by dig
ging another well. But later it was
| proved that this we'll would not have
| been necessary if so much water had
| not leaked out and been wasted. In an
| other camp the wastage was so great
that the wells failed to supply the de-
| mand; whereupon. it was decided to
tap a nearby river and get water from
it. News that the river was polluted
| reached the camp just in time.
| The soldiers water ration in the
| camps of this country is fairly liberal,
altho not SO liberal as that permitted
| him by his municipality. The allow
ance is fifty-five gallons of water a
fifteen gallons per head for horses
and mules. Since there is one horse
or mule for every three men in camp,
the soldiers ration is fifty gallons,
which is nearly eighty per cent more
water than the French or British or
German soldier receives. Moreover,
it is the best water that can be had.
| 1t is clear and free from sediment; it
contains no Objectionable quantities of
iron, sulphur or magnesia, and it is
absolutely sanitary. The medical de-
partment of each camp sees to this.
Besides drinking water. there must
be supply for showers, laundry, Gull
mary purposes, for washing animals
and an occasional sprinkling of the
camp roads. All of these things are
apt to place a great strain on a water
supply system unless carefully regu-
lated. Hence, the use of water fol
J animals must be timed so as not to
occur when the soldiers are taking
their showers Only one brigade Of
men must use the showers at giveI
time. And in case of fire no one car
get a drink of water. At the frs
alarm, even tho false, a section of the
of every fixture with the exception o,
the fire plugs, and the whole water
system is diverted to fighting fire.
These are only few of the man,
regulations for conserving water de
: veloped by the quartermaster's de
t partment, which is in charge of tht
water supply at environments in thi
country. In France the army watel
supply is handled by American by
draulic engineers, many of whom
e have built important waterworks. il
the United States and Canada. On
: company of these men is already dis
e tributed among the American Expedi
n tionary Forces, and another waite
a / supply company is now training a
Camp Dix. N. J.
The water supply for the American
:. army in France is separated into tw
II divisions-one for the army in tn
rear, and one for the troops at tn
front. That for the army in the rea
Il Is built and regulated much the sam
A as the system in vogue in the camp
q in this country, but to keep movin
army supplied with water Is quite
I different problem. For example
Fl American engineers have had to wor
II out a method of sterilizing water o
,. the field. (The method itself is nc
70 new, but its use in war ISL The
II have had to find a means of protect
ing waterworks from the shells of TIL
IL enemy. They have had to figure i
fractions of gallons just how littl
l. drinking water a soldier can get alon
ly,I with; how much he requires for
a. shower. and how often this luxur
-, should be permitted him. And tn
% answers to these questions Deepen
Sc chiefly upon where the soldier is.
In In the trenches, men consume
u great deal of drinking water. bl
- they seldom battle In camp a ma
! Is 6ilOWSO I'LL ~ 0dyf
te more, but when the order is given I
IN advance, he is suddenly cut down
half gallon day. which starvatio
"a ration lasts for three days. At IL
ID end of that time the amount is il
IN creased to three gallons. This is b.
- cause for the first three days all IL
- water must be hauled from the can
n in the rear, by light railway or
X mule transport. An army cannot a
lv ford ever to get more than ten mil
away from its water supply, for
France there are few springs alor
en- the wayside. BY the third day Il
We water supply men are able to esta
- lish "first-aid" pumping stations,
lay the necessary pipes, and build W
no ter points. Often this work must
IT. carried on under a heavy bombar
re ment from the enemy.
- The water point is a product
III the engineer corps, developed for a