Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-07-10
Lively Work Of Major Fawcett
and Captain ThralI at
Camp Blank.
SpRUCED UP FOR OVERSEAS
Hungry and III-cisd Soldiers Well Fed
and Made splek-and-spsn for
the Voyage 10 Battle
Front In France.

nrst business 10 see that troops ecinr
overseas find comfortable. heaithful
temporary quarters. and have plenty Of
food. The camp Is more than q rest
resort for travellers. When II 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 30 com
pletely changed under Major Fawcett's
administration that there In nothing
an organization can possibly need
which this camp win not supply nearly
a. fast as the men can be marched
up 20 his warehouses 10 take the sup
plies away.
Major Fawcett has ten-foot square
ONCE In an implanted shack. He sits
az little desk with two clerks. one be-
hind him and the other at his side A
telephone receiver Il 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. hut not one
Of them has ever got anything worse
than an amused or an astonished grin
from the camp quartermaster. 1T IL
easier and quicker 20 give a man what
sou know he wants." the major says.
'than 20 waste your time. his. and the
governments. by quarrelins with him
because he has not put his needs In
proper shape
Makes u Easy Tor Them.
Army regulations require particular
printed formulas for acquisitions. pre-
pared with scrupulous attention TO
small details. Major Fawcet; has
taught his men TO accept any scrubbed
memorandum on the back Of an envel-
ope or a bit Of wrapping paper. tell the
applicant for supplies 20 come back
IN half an hour. and. then. when he re-
turns. hand 10 him perfectly arranged
form OF requlsition. 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 trafiic 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 10 II that no man crosses the
seas for service with clothing and
equipment which IL not new. or as good
~ 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 M like n show window display.
His iIeutenants In charge OF money
disbursements. subsistence. construc-
ton. transportation. and reclamation
are nj his door with brand-new com
plicailons every few minutes. Bewil
dered supply officers. who have come
20 the camp without the slightest Idea
Of what Il expected Of them (and who
would have resigned before coming had
they known) appear az his door look
ing scared they listen for n few min
utes 90 the general run OF his tele-
phone conversation. forget their scare.
answer his questions with a prompt
ness aud definiteness which seem 20
surprise the men themselves. and go
out with their heads up. smiling conf
IDENTIFY. and accomplish changes and
refitflngs and substitufions such as
they had never dreamed OF.
MARX Wall Divided.
The work under Major Fawcett sub
divided itsslf naturally 50 that no dis
proportlonnte burden falls on any one
department. with one exception. For
accounting purposes II Is absolutely
necessary that one man should have
charge Of what. In quartermaster lam
guage Is called property" He must
Sign every invoice and assume rcspon-
slbllity for Il financially. This job
under Mailer. Fawcett n that Of Capt.
G. n. Thrali, o. NJ. r. @. Captain
Thpll has counted Il a big night when
he has had more than four hours sleep
since the war started.
3 Captain Thrall has never been
caught rattled- He swears now and
then. but laughs nj himself when he
swears and he never lets anybody else
get ratified. Captain Thrall Is amuch
more tired looking man than he was
year ag0--but like his chief be has
found that the best way 10 keep men
moving II 70 meet Ignorance and stu
pldlty alike with-a friendly grin and
stralrhten them out as they go along.
Major Fawcett left the regular army
n years ago and was for many years
purchasing agent for the Philirpins
constabulary. Captain Thrall' came
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