Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-08-01
ENG|NEER'S CAmP Isl
MOST UNUSUAL PLACE
Oncle Sam Transforms Forest
Into Busy Community Hous-
ing Men In Training.

CAStALOCkS UOdSlS.
Early in February. Camp Allen, A
Humphreys, at Belvoir, Va, was Wiz,
tually unknown. But American en-.
gineers were put on the job and TODAY
1t Is a thriving. pulsating camp, a
great city in itself, housing some 1900
men, and growing day by day until by
august 1t will accommodate 10000.
camp Humphreys, named for the
first chief of engineers Of the United
States army, is some 20 miles south of
Washington, just below the town of
Acotink. Va. Its confines cover the his
toric Lord Fairfax tract; to one side
is Mount Vernon, home Of George
washington, and in the other direction
IS Gunston Hall, plantation and typical
Old southern home Of George Mason. il
lustrious Virginian. author Of the BIN
OF RlghtS" the famous document which
Ihomas Jefferson made the corner
stone Of III American Declaration Of
independence, Camp Humphreys is
training school. In the hills and VAL
!eys Americas citizen soldiers are
tunnelling. mining, quarry1ng, exca-
waiting. fitting themselves for work on
foreign battlefields.
Tho camp is the only engineer re-
Placement camp in the country, and
fs to be kept. upon which General Per-
shing Will call for men to expand aud
replace engineer units working with
the American overseas army. Already
across: Ea.,y in June. $500 men
war ,Re %e IN an. az 9 n peh.s, Of engineering
ean train, equip and dispatch men
I France at the rate Of 5000 a month.
n by the first Of the year the ca.
pacity will be raised to 5000 a month.
Ths Work Explained.
washington newspaper correspon-
dents recently were guests Of the corps
OF engineerH on an inspection trip to
the camp and its vicinity. Every de-
by headquarters officers II the star Of
Lieut.. Col. Richard Park. U. g. A., an
engineer OF engineers, who has been
placed In charge OF. the greatest re-
placement camp.
Seventeen thousand men are at the
camp at present, most Of them drafted
men. n new ones are arriving from
civil life etery day. There Is q con-
tinual b End flow Of troops. men be-
Ing sent ACROSS the Atlantic as fast as
they can b accommodated in France.
ana new ones arriving to take their
places at he schools. Even after the
to make Camp Humphreys a perma-
nsnt training camp for engineers, and
AL work Is being done with that scheme
In mind,
One OF tho most interesting features
OF Camp Humphreys is the light, COM
bat railway which has been construct-
ed for the carrying Of supplies through
the reservation, as well as for train
ing men In the construction, operation
and maintenance Of battle. line rail-
roads. A '60-centimeter, narrow gauge
road IL miles in length, similar to the
srencn roads. covers the camp. and all
0AV fYQfnR nf f0Qf a ~n o~H -@-SN--
run back and forth with construction
material and supplies. The locomo-
tlVes are built especially for foreign
service. and the power is furnished BY
four-cylinder, 50-horsepower motors.
so Well trained are the Humphreys
can lay track at the rate Of half a
mile a day.
These railways will be taken to
n with the railroad engineers,and
1T Will not be long before they will ba
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
ne Is put through the three principal
scnools-,the sapper a defense and
pontoon schools. in order that he may
get the rudiments of the engineers'
work. II he IL found to possess special
qualifications or technical ability he Is
sent through one or more of the fol-
owing supplementary courses: High
way and trench construction. railroad
construction and operation. water sup-
ply work. forestry. animal transpor-
tati0n. camOuflage, surveying, man
production. electric wiring. reclama-
lion. = n flame. g.s offense. min.
ing Quarring, bridge building. trestll
On the correspondence inspection
trip three regtments Of half strength
were marched in reviow-approximafe,
~ 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
tho parade ground. heads high, eyes
front-men who eight days before wsrs
tho latest arrivals, and eight days az
tor they he'd anawered the nations
CAN for. men. these young Americans
Wote. 70 the civilian eye, . trained
ooGue OF American engineers. appar-
emily ready to face the foe, to do or
dc Tor the freedom Of the world. Ne
er0 troops Of b service battalion also
commanded attention Of the epecta.
tors.
When . man has been sraduassd
from Camp Humphreys. and % sent
aosoad. be = An engineer IA the strict
81 g the word. He 10 more
psf 10 hts Tine the best engineer hin
offlcefs can make him. and his OFF,
eeFe are the pick Of the engineer de.
peremsnt-Weet Pointers and civilian