Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-07-01
Yankee Engineers
Transform Forest
into Military Camp

OF n forest INTO great military CdHip
in four months is one Of the achieve
ments Of which the American corps OF
engineers boasts.
Early in February, Camp Allen A.
Humphreys, at Belvoir, Va, was Writ
ually unknown. But American engi-
neers were put on the Job and today it
is a thriving, pulsating camp, a great
city in itself, housing some 1900 men,
and growing day by day until by August
it will accommodate 10000.
Camp Humphreys named for the
first chief of engineers of the United
States army, is some twenty miles
south of Washington. just below the
town Of Acotink. Va It's confines cover
the historic Lord Fairfax tract: to one
side Is Mount Vernon, home of George
Washington, and In the other direction
is Custom Hall, plantation and typical
old southern home Of George Mason.
illustrious virginian, author of the Bill
of Rights. the famous document which
Thomas Jefferson made the corner
stone of the American Declaration of
Independence. Camp Humphreys is
peculiarly adapted for engineer train
Ing school. In the hills and valleys
AIuSIlSdS aiS
ling, mining. quarrying. excavating, fit
ting themselves for work on foreign
battleields.
The camp is the only engineer re-
placement camp in the country and 1t
| is here the vast supply of engineers Is
! to be kept, upon which General Perish
ing will call for men to expand and
replace engineer units working with
the American overseas army. Already
| replacement units have been sent
across. Early in June $500 men train
ed in all branches of engineering work
We're sent to Pershing. The camp can
train, equip and dispatch men to
France at the rate of 5000 month.
and by the first of the year the capa-
city will be raised to 5000 month.
Washington newspaper correspond
ents recently were guests of the corps
of engineers on an inspection trip to the
camp and its vicinity. Every detail
of the work was explained to them
by headquarters officers of the staff OF
Lieut. Col Richard Park. U. S. A. an
engineer of engineers, who has been
placed in charge Of the greatest re-
placement camp.
at present, most Of them drafted men.
and new ones are arriving from civil
| life every day. There is a continual
ebb and fow Of troops, men being sent
! across the Atlantic as fast as they can
be accommodated in France, and new
| ones arriving to take their places at the
schools. Even after the war it is the
governments intention to make Camp
Humphreys permanent training camp
for engineers and all work is being
done with the scheme in mind.
One of the most interesting features
OF Camp Humphreys is the light. com :
bat railway which has been constructed
for the carrying of supplies thru the
reservation, as we'll as for training men
in the construction, operation and main
tenance of battle-line railroads. 60
centermeter, narrow gauge road tW elve
miles in lenegth, similar to the French
| roads. covers the camp, and all day
trains OF fiat cars and gondolas run
back and forth with construction ma :
terial and supplies. The locomotives
are built especially for foreign service,
and the power is furnished by four
| cylinder, fifty horsepower, gasolene
motors. So we'll trained are the Hum
phreys engineers that the construction
gangs can lay track at the rate Of half
mile a day.
These railways will be taken to
France with the railroad engineers and
| it will not be long before they will be
running from the rear lines to the
front, loaded with shot and shell and
guns for American infantry and ar
tillery. AS rapidly as the battle line
changes, the combat railway can be
moved to conform with it.
All phases Of engineering are taught
at the camp. When the recruit arrives,
he is put thru the three principal
schools-the sapper. gas defense and
pontoon schools, in order that he may
get the rudicents Of the engineers
work. If he Is found to possess special
qualifications or technical ability he
Is sent thru one or more Of the follow
ing supplementary courses: Highway
and trench construction, railroad con-
struction and operation, water supply
work, forestry, animal transportation,
camoufiage. surveying, map production.
electric wiring, reclamation, gas and
flame, gas offense, mining, quarrying,
bridge building, trestle work, and
others.
On the correspondents inspection
trip. three regiments of half strength
were marched in revlew-approximat
ly 1000 soldiers filing past the COM
mandant his staff and his guests, with
healthy stride and military bearing,
marching to lively music of the camp
band. In the outfit was one regiment
whose drilling was especially attrac-
tive. With snap and precision, the
men of this regiment marched across
the parade ground, heads high, eyes
front-men who eight days before were
engaged in civil pursuits They were
the latest arrivals and eight days after
they had answered the nations fall for
men, these young Americans were, to
the civilian eye, trained outfit Of AM
erican engineers apparently ready to
face the foe, to do or die FOR the free
dom of the world. Negro troops Of the
service battalion also commanded at
tention OF the spectators.
When man has been graduated
from Camp Humphreys and Is sent
abroad he is an engineer in the strict
est sense Of the word. He Is more than
an ordinary soldier-he Is an expert in
his line, the best engineer his officers
can make him. and his officers are the
pick of the engineer department-West
Pointers and civilian engineers who
have "joined up so the country may
have the benefit of their knowledge and
practical experience.
eEnMAN 81 Ana sHATrEREn