The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-10-03
DISEMBAR Men
IS A MONSTER TASK,
Record Time Made In Landing
$4,000 Soldiers and Get
ting Them to Camp.


miles. II was four miles and up hill
most of the way-through city, suburbs
and country lanes. from the sea front
to the great reception camp located
outside the town, one of the largest
camps in the world and capable of
caring for the population Of a metro
politan city. Hour after hour from 6
in the morning until late in the after
noon the steady tramp of marching
thousands had been going on, for this
steady stream is the army Of $4,000
just arrived on 10 American transports,
making the record debarkment from
ship TO camp within IL hours
With Major x, the engineer officer
OF the camp, we skirted alongside this
moving stream, from the landing to the
camp, and had an opportunity of seeing
each stage in the huge movement up
to the time the tired marchers pitched
their shelter tents on the soaked
grounds and crawled inside to sleep.
Stirring as it was to see these men
come to swell the million men in the
American ranks, yet there was grim
ness and grayness to the scene sug-
costing the stern reality of war.
A steady downpour swept across the
ranks and the men were dripping as
they trudged through the rain soaked
mud They We're at route step, without
the regularity Of parading troops, and
each man carried, beside his rife, all
his belongings on his back, 10 pounds
of tent, blankets. clothing. shoes, and
all the miscellaneous equipment of a
soldier headed for the front. Their
last camp was in the well equipped
environments in the United States,
where they slept on cots and had
semblance OF modern comfort. Now
they We're on the war swept soil of
France and had seen the last of cots
and comforts. 1t was their first glimpse
OF real war conditions, and anyone who
says II rs cheerful shuts his eyes to
the grimnesS of war
There are more troops arriving"
said the major as he led the way, than
the total strength of the United States
army short time ago." And with
such an influx we have to provide
very elastic camp, capable of immedi-
ate expansion from 1000 up to 100000
men,
The mater was well qualified to ex-'
plain the magnitude of the work, for
he had been chief constructing engi-
neer of the New York subway system,
the system. and had made the popula-
ton figures onswhich subway construc-
ton was based.
said. Compare Il With &c cen eampi par as
We have $500 acres here, Central
area of Nass ycS.. city on Manhattan
island is OILY 1000 acres"
On both sides of the road, for mile
after mile as we sped along in an army
car, city Of tents was rising and
there was the hum and hustle of camp
activity on a vast scale. This morn
ing all the ground had been stubble
field from the newly cut wheat and
barley. But now every available foot
was being laid off by the army engi-
neers. working with tripods and in
struments like a party Of surveyors
Tented streets and avenues, headquar-
ters tents, mess, kitchen and hospital
tents. and vast parks for supplies and
artillery and horses, were rising in the
fields and spreading for 40 square
miles over this huge enclosure.
Never Modest Growing Grair.
1--WE never take a field of growing
grain" said the major, but as fast az
the grain is cut we take over the fields
and with harvest time well advanced
this entire farming section will soon bt
turned into an American camp.
In one Of the fields where we stopped
TO see the men, two battalions Of S0'
men each just marched in and were
preparing to pitch their tents, The
great stretch Of plowed ground, JUS
cleared Of grain, was rain SOAKED ant
men stood ready, each with half OF
shelter tent, to drive the stakes ant
last fl against the clements, ana thel
crawl in. 1t semed an endless wal
for all the formalities Of laying out tn
camp with engineering exactness, we
Ali OF thts was essential to the smootl
running of such large concern. a
last tho stakes were driven and 500
the great field was dotted with thou
sands Of little khaki mounds, about a
tents" by the soldiers probably be
Gauge they look like dog houses. Un
der the tent there is just room for tw
wing down, and II the ground !
soaked, az 1t il tonight, the rubbe
noncho keeps out some OF the waite
ana kindly nature and the iron c
youth must do the rest.
This WAC only one typical camp {
the hundreds lining the roads Tor mile
in this vast reception camp. fiei
Kitchens and water carts Weis W nee
ing up to all the camps az the tent
went up Filtered water ls brougl
in hcs.sheads and each command IN
its apportioned lot Of hogsheads, Late
on there will be a splendid system
water mains for tho whole camp. ~
here are the men, and a water syHtc'
is not Installed In day: Sn instc'
of waiting for 12-inch mains, the prin
tive hogshead Is filling the gap, E',e
man carries his emergency thtioh !,
three days. some or t'eih WV. ~ ~,
bling IL before climbing into ticir pu
tents. but most Of them waited tof y
smoothing field Kitchen to get lntn az
ton with hs cooks, SERVING oa' ~, ~
coffee and hot soup and meat !,
item Of feeding an army WIN ptee'sie
III In Itself gigantic lnsis !.
1--WE served 100000 meals M
month"; said Major y, "et sOo,0nn, q =.
ratious III three meals - 'ie fa',"lt,
And begidcs MI the feeding anu Wa
eri1g and ganitation there IL 'lr III
meDse paper ~or,e Of such Az .
ganizatiopi There ni'e In sena, "a
organizations In tho $1,000 'nen ~
arrived. Each OF the I'm ,nuAi
aorf.d n,it and brought tognthrr ~
every Individual soldier OF the avn
must be identified end accounted e
20 ms to gnard agalnst Losses, am W
EACH organization ana man must ~
fig detail to one of the sectors or ~, y
fghting front This "papef wv',t,
II ii called, In prodIgions, anu 'ihe
srything military n Must be done W
absolute precision Ny NM, NV n. 'ap ~,