Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-08-05


reys Soon Available for instruction
of Candidates for Commissions
Probably Largest of it's Kind in the
World.
When the Engineer Central Off
GERS Training School at Camp
Humphreys gets we'll under way it
will graduate weekly more engineer
officers than have been graduated
from West Point in the past three
years. This statement is made to show
the magnitude of the school in process
OF formation out at the cantonment
now. 1t is in fact the only engineer
school which will be conducted here
after in this country, and probably the
largest in the world.
With the opening date of the school
Kutz, former Engineer Commissioner
of the District of Columbia, in COM
mand, plans now under consideration
for the improvement of transit faclll-
ties from Camp Humphreys to Wash
ington will be speeded up. In order to
afford the thousands of soldiers who
want to leave camp every week end
adequate transportation facilities
there is choice of three propositions.
The dock at Belvoir can be extended
out over the sea-grass flats to the
main channel; the narrow channel
leading to the Belvoir dock can be
widened so as to accommodate the
steamer Manchester, or an entirely
new dock may be built at White Stone
point, where there is enough water
q few yards off shore to accommodate
an ocean liner.
Opening Date One Week on.
With the opening date of the school
only one week off, the campaign to
obtain civilian candidates for COM
missions as captains and first lieuten-
ants s now on it's last lap. Expert
enced mining, civil, mechanical and
electrical engineers are offered an
opportunity to train to become Off
GERS under more favorable circumstan-
ces than are afforded in any other
+; branches, practically speaking, the
candidate for a: commission must en-
list as a private at $33 month and
serve for the period of the war in
case he. fails to qualify as a commits
stoned officer.
Now the engineers take man eX-
perienced in one or more Of the sev-
eral branches of his profession and,
after examination, commission him as
a first lieutenant or captain at once.
Although the appointment is a pro-
stationary one, the holder of it never
theless receives full pay and allow
ances of his rank while in the train
ing school. The candidates. are not
required to stay in the service, in the
event that they fail to make good,
but may resign. In any case they
are retained in the service only as
officers. This fact enables the corps
to attract the very highest type of
professional engineers as candidates
in the training school with mini
mum of hardship to their families.
Men Above Draft Age Eligible.
Men above the draft age, that is,
between the ages Of 80 and AZ, at
the present time, therefore, have an
exceptional opportunity to enter the
corps of engineers and should not put
it off, It's contended, until October
or November, for there is no telling
how suddenly the War Department
may close up these 1000 vacancies.
Although the bulk of the student
officers will come from civil life, the
school also is open to the enlisted
men of the Army. There are 500
vacancies in the Engineer Corps for
second lieutenants at present and all
vacancies in this grade will be filled
by commissioning enlisted men who
qualify at the training school for such
rank. Although the regular course
for students will be three months, If
man can attain the necessary pro-
ficiency for the handling of troops in
one month he will not be required to
remain in training longer than that
period and will be at once assigned
to active duty as an officer. This IS
in line with the practice at aviation
amps, where the regular course is
tx months, but if man can qualify
S an aviator in one month by reason
f special aptitude he is allowed to