Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1918-07-18
Lively Work of Major Fawcett
and Captain ThraII at
Camp Blank.
SPRUCED UP FOR OVERSEAS
Hungry and l!l-Clad Soldiers Well Fed
and Made Spick-and-S Span for
the Voyage to Battle
Front in France.

w dSllIuSlOH.-Md GEORGE w. raw
cett is the camp quartermaster at an
American embarkation camp. 1t is his
first business to see that troops going
overseas find comfortable, healthful
temporary quarters, and have plenty of
food. The camp is more than a rest
resort for travellers. When it was
established less than a year ago in
coming troops were warned that they
must not rely on getting any of their
overseas outfit here. This is so COM
pletely changed under Major Fawcett's
administration that there is nothing
an organization can possibly need
which this camp will not supply nearly
as fast as the men can be marched
up to his warehouses to take the sup
plies away.
Major Fawcett has a ten-foot square
office in an implanted shack. He sits
at little desk with two clerks, one be-
hind him and the other at his side. A
telephone receiver is strapped over his
head all the time. The officers requir-
ing supplies for the present and fu-
ture who come into this camp make
mistakes, big and little, but not one
of them has ever got anything worse
than an amused Or an astonished grin
from the camp quartermaster. "It is
easier and quicker to give a man what
you know he wants." the major says,
"than to waste your time, his, and the
governments, by quarreling with him
because he has not put his needs in
proper shape"
Makes 1t Easy for Them.
Army regulations require particular
printed formulas for acquisitions, pre-
pared with scrupulous attention to
small details. Major Fawcett has
taught his men to accept any scrubbed
memorandum on the back Of an envel-
ope or bit of wrapping paper, tell the
applicant for supplies to come back
in half an hour, and, then, when he re-
turns, hand to him perfectly arranged
form of requisition, stating all his
needs with military exactness, and at
the same time directing him to a store
house where his supply is already
waiting.
The interior traffic Of the camp has
increased until 100 big motortrucks
are tearing through the streets from
dawn until dark, and half Of them
work far into the night. The more the
camp speeds up the more troops Major
Fawcett invites the war department to
send through the camp. The ideal Of
seeing to it that no man crosses the
seas for service with clothing and
equipment which is not new, or as good
as new, has just about been reached
Troops are detrained from the interior
in dusty, faded clothing, patched and
pulled out of shape, and go onto their
ships in an incredibly short time dress
ed up like q show window display.
His lieutenants in charge of money
disbursements, subsistence, construc-
ton, transportation, and reclamation
are at his door with brand-new COM
plications every few minutes. Bewil-
dered supply officers, who have come
to the camp without the slightest idea
of what is expected Of them (and who
would have resigned before coming had
they known) appear at his door look
ing scared; they listen for few min
utes to the general run Of his tele-
phone conversation, forget their scare,
answer his questions with prompt
ness and a defniteness which seem to
surprise the men themselves, and go
out with their heads up, smiling conf
IDENTIFY, and accomplish changes and
refittings and substitutions such as
they had never dreamed of.
Work Well Divided.
The work under Major Fawcett sub
divided itself naturally so that no dis
proportionate burden falls on any one
department, with one exception. For
accounting purposes it is absolutely
necessary that one man should have
charge of what, in quartermaster Ian
guage, is called property" He must
sign every invoice and assume respon.
sibility for 1t financially. This job
under Major Fawcett is that Of Capt.
G. E. Thrall, @. NJ. r. @. Captain
Thrall has counted it big night when
he has had more than four hours sleep
since the war started.
Captain Thrall has never been
caught ratified. He swears now and
then, but laughs at himself when he
swears and he never lets anybody else
get ratified. Captain Thrall is much
more tired looking man than he was a
year ago-but like bis chief he has
found that the best way to keep men
moving is to meet ignorance and stu
pidity alike with friendly grin and
straighten them out as they go along.
Major Fawcett left the regular army
II years ago and was for many years
purchasing agent for the Philippine
constabu1ary. Captain Thrall came
from the ranks of the regular army.