Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-23


II HE engineer replacement camp. A.
n. Humphreys. was organized
January 10, and the first work, cut
ting way through the woods to make
a road to the site, was begun. The OBJ
ject Of the camp is to train engineers
for duty in the Army abroad. It now
contains $4,000 in various stages Of
their education, and soon it will have
a student body of 10000, besides the
number sent abroad-some $500 q
month in the past, a number steadily
growing until, when the camp reach
es its full strength. 1t will send more
than that number every two weeks
The grounds contain 1900 acres OF
land and are part Of the original tract
Of Lord Fairfax, the early friend of
George Washington; and they lie on
the Potomac river on the peninsula
next to Mt. Vernon.
Some of the work now going on is
permanent in character, and it Is
hoped that ultimately this may be-
come complete school for military
engineering. 1t is the only engineer
replacement camp in the United
States and is the largest anywhere.
The men in the camp are having
training in the same work that they
will have when they reach the other
side, and with that end in view the
engineering features Of the camp are
as nearly as they can be made iden-
teal with those which obtain behind
the allied lines in France. The Off
GERS in charge have organized various
training units and special schools of
instruction. The sapper regiment,
formerly known as pioneers, receives
q two-months' course in such practi-
cal subjects as the building of trestles
and pontoon bridges, construction of
barbed wire and other entanglements,
digging trenches, laying mines and
meeting countermines.
The railroad section has construct
ed nearly five miles OF standard track
railroad as a spur from the nearest
railroad into the heart of the camp,
another branch of engineers building
a three-tier trestle bridge sixty-five
feet high from timbers cut and hewn
on the spot. The same section has
laid some ten miles Of standard mar
row-gauge line in and through the
camp itself. This line is exactly
like those used by the allies, and
the tracks are laid on ties made of
narrow strips of metal thrown down
upon the ground. The tiny cars are
drawn by small engines built on the
principle Of the ordinary automo-
bile, but they have great power and
draw supplies to points close to the
front.
The school turns out about a thou
sand qualified commissioned Of
ficers a month for the sappers, and
the camp is now training in all about
5000 men to be. non-commissioned
engineer officers. On August 1 it will
open an officers training camp, where
the best of these men will have a
chance to try fer commissions in the
Engineer Reserve Corps. It is pos
sible that some men from civil life
may be taken into these schools, al
though preference will be given to
the men who are enlisted. 1t is ex-
pected to take about twenty-five hun
dred candidates in the first class.
and they will receive the same prsic-
tical training as that for the nOn-
commissioned officers.
The camp has a school for instruc-
ton in sound-ranging. or determining
the distance of enemy batteries by
means of underground telephones; for
teaching officers the art Of gas de-
Tense; they, in turn. to instruct Of
ficers and men Of the Army. In short,
every branch OF practical training
for engineers 10 to be found in this
camp in the woods.
The Commanding officer OF this