The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-10-03
DISSEMINATING men
a IS A MONSTER TASK
Record Time Made In Landing
$4,000 Soldiers and Get
ting Them to Camp.

first camp, packed the streets from
curb to curb and stretched away for
miles. 1t 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, n 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
just arrived on 10 American transports,
making the record debarkment from
ship 10 camp within IL hours.
With Major X, the engineer officer
OF h 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 n crawled inside to sleep.
Stirring as 1t was to see these men
come TO swell the million men in the
American ranks, yet there was a 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 were at route step, without
the regularity OF parading troops, n
each man carried, beside his rife, all
his belongings on his back, 70 pounds
OF tent, blankets, clothing, shoes, and
all the miscellaneous equipment Of q
soldier headed for the front. Their
last camp was In the well equipped
cantonments in the United States,
where they slept on cots and mad a
semblance of modern comfort. Now
they were on the war swept soil of
Fra NEG and had caan tho last IF pntS
n comforts. 1t was their first glimpse
OF real war conditions, and anyone who
says IL is cheerful shuts his eyes to
the Rrimness of war.
There are more troops arriving"
said h major as he led the way, than
the total strength OF the United States
army a short time ago" And with
such an influx we have to provide a
very elastic camp. capable OF immedi-
ate expansion from 1000 up to 100, 900
men," TX.
The xsajcr was well qualified to lex-
plain the magnitude Of the work, for
he had been chief constructing engi-
neer Of the New York subway system,
had planned and built a good part Of
the system. and had made the popula-
tion figures on which subway construc-
ton was based.
ITO get AN idea of the camp" he
ssid, compare 1t with Central park.
1--WE have $500 acres here, Central
park has 800 acres. Why, the entire
area of New York city on Manhattan
island is Only 4 1000 acres"
On both sides of the road, for mile
after mile 0s we sped along in an army
car, a city Of tents was rising and
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
Tented streets and avenues, %headquar-
tiers tents, mess. kitchen n 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 Grain.
1--WE never take a field OF growing
grain" said the major. but as fast as
the grain is cut we take over the fields,
and with harvest time well advanced
this entire farming section will soon be
turned into an American camp"
In one Of the fields where we stopped
20 see the men, two battalions of 500
men each just marched in and were
preparing to pitch their tents. The
great stretch of plowed ground, just
cleared of grain, was rain soaked and
the storm had set in for the night. The
men stood ready, each with a half OF a
shelter tent, to drive he stakes and
last it against the elements, n then
crawl in. 1t seemed an endless wait
for all the formalities Of laying out the
camp with engineering exactness, yet
all of his was essential to the smooth
running Of such a large concern. At
last the stakes were driven and soon
the great field was dotted with thou
sands Of little khaki mounds, about as
high az q mans waist, called pup
tents, by the soldiers probably be-
cause they look like dog houses. I'm
der the tent there is just room for two
lying down, and il the ground is
soaked, as it is tonight, the rubber
poncho keeps out some OF the water
and kindly nature and the iron Of
youth must do the rest. ,
This was only one typical camp of
the hundreds lining the roads for miles
in this vast reception camp. Field
Kitchens and water carts were wheel
ing up 10 all the camps as the tents
went up. Filtered water Is brought
in hcgsheads and each command has
its apportioned lot OF hogsheads. Later
on there will he a splendid system of
water mains for the whole camp. But
here are the men, II a water system
is not installed in 81 day. Sn instead
of waiting for l2-inch mains. the prim-
tive h%ogshead is filling the gal Each
man carries his emergency ration for
three days. Some OF them were nib
bling il before climbing into their pup
tents, but most OF them waited for the
smoking field kitchen TO get into &C
ton with its cooks, serving out hot
coffee and hot soup aud meat The
item Of feeding an Army with precision
Is in itself a gigantic task.
1--WE scrNed l,S0G, t0U meals last
month" said Major X. or 100000 s,iny
ratiuns OF three M us to the ration
And besides all the feeding and wat
ering and sanitation there il the i'm
mense paper work" of such an Or
ganizatiOn. There are 1913 separate
organizations in the $4,000 men just
arrived. Each OF the l2S must be
sorted out and brought together. and
every individual soldier Of the 81, 900
must he identified and accounted for,
80 as TO guard against losses, and then
each organization and man. nust have
Y It's detai, to one OF the sectors OF the
hghting front. This paper work" as
IL Is called, is prodigious. and like ev-
erything military il must be lone with
absolute precision And the paper
work calis for paper. which is very
hnrd Ia get.
m.p the other day" said theetaoin
When headquarters called FOR a
man of the camp the other day" said
the Major, they got Ii all right. on The