Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-13
CAMP DIX PROVES
HEALTHIEST OF ALL
Said to be the Most Sanitary of
All of the Army Canton
mentS.
CAMP DIX lfEB I3


The camp still holds the record as the
healthiest cantonmcnt America. Only
tive deaths, less than the average n
civil life for men OF like age, occurred
in January One death was attributed
TO pneumonia, one TO meningitis, one TO
strangulatcd hernia, one 10 scarlet fever
and one to pleurisy, following measles
Claude G. Thomas, of Florence, y. j n
member of Company III, Hath Infantry
at G mp Mcclellan, Ala, viii spent Is
years at hard labor III the Federal penl-
tentlary at Atlanta, Ga, under the pen
atty imposed by a court-martial that tried
him here on the charge Of dcscrtion The
verdict and its approval by Major
Gen raj Scott were announced today
Thomas was a memger OF the New
Jersey National Guard and disappeared
from his company October >. lie was
captured at Rr.dyeton, November H.
and was brought to Camp DIX. where
military authorities later ordered that
lie be tried lie admitted being absent
from hls company without the ncees-
sary permit, but claimed he was not
= descrter The verdict OF the court
martial included forieltug all pay and
dlshonorable discharge at the end OF his
prison term
actual occupation OF soldiers themselves
today when conyalescent patients OF the
fracture ward of the hast hospital were
introduced 10 the newest form of mcdi-
cal efficiency Physicians called il oc-
cupational therapeutics, and say il has
been found OF great value in Fastening
cures in French war hospitals Ihev
predicted the plan will be widely adopted
in army hospitals III this country. If
the experiment here meets with the an
tIcipated success The value Of the new
treatment, surgeons explain, lies IN the
fact that II gives convaleScent patients
some actual creative work 10 90. Many
cures are hampercd hy the fact that
time drags slowly upon the patients III
the conValescent wards especially among
the surgical eases
Great SHOW banks, melting away rap
idly under a spr!nglIke temperature have
CODED the parade grounds ia many
parts Of the camps and in some in
stances left the barracks standing IN
the centre OF small lakes The frozen
ground prevented the water sweeping
away naturally and ordinary drains IN
der new roads failed TO carry OF the
overflow Drainage canals are being
constructed at several points TO handle
the unexpected freshet On some OF
the lower levels oi Marine Hill the
water stands six feet deep in the trenches
Success of the drive for war risk IN
surance again has brought a cominenda-
tory message to Camp DIX from the Fed
eral Insurance Office at Washington
The message complimented General
Scott and the division upon having the
first brigade IN the American army with
every member insured The l55th In
fantry Brigade, composed OF he 309th
and 3l0th New York Infantry Regi-
ments and the 30sth Machine Gun Bat
talon, is designated The division also
leads in per capita insurance issued in
the drive, which ended today Total fig
ures have not yet been announced
To weed out inefficient officers is the
duty assigned TO a division board APP
pointed by Major-General Scott TO
pass upon the fitness OF any officers
whose merits are questioned The board
is composed Of Colonel Bunker. Of the
30Sth Field Artillery. Lieutenant-Colo-
mel Watson, Of the 3l2th Infantry. and
Major J. L. Wilson, OF the 309th Field
Artillery.