Evening star., 1918-02-26
HANS TO ENLARGE
CAMP MEADE SCOPE
May Be Made the Largest
Cantonment-To Hold More
Than $4,000 Troops.
GERM CARRIERS ISOLATED

CAMP MEADE. Md. February 20
In the evet that plans being consider
ed by the general staff of the Army are
carried out, and it seems highly prob
able they will be- Meade will become
probably the largest cantonment in
this country. and capable of acconlmo-
dating between $4,000 and 100000
i troops.
Whether the camp viii be trebled or
merely doubled in size depends upon
= definite decision as to how the camp
will be used after it is vacated in part
or IN toto by the men now in training
here Three plans involving radical
changes in the use of the cantoment are
being considered. They include: !. Ma
chine gunners' camp. 2. Concentration
camp. 8. Signal Corps camp.
Ideal Location for Training Camp.
The location is regarded as ideal for
the establishment of a great central
training camp for machine gunners
only. so as to enable officers and men
: in this branch of the service to spe-
cialize.
A cantonment for training engineer
troops from all over the country has
been established at Belvoir. The plan
=
camps in other branches of the service.
Announcement already has been made
that a camp for artillerists alone Will
be established at Admission, Ala, where
there is an excellent range for light
and heavy artillery. Practically the
entire southern section of Texas has
been converted into training camps for
cavalry, and aviation camps from the
start have been limited to officers and
men in the aviation service.
Big Increase in Buildings.
Present plans call for an increase of
about so per cent in the number of
buildings at Camp Meade. 1t is gener-
ally supposed that in case it it decided
to make Meade concentration camp.
sesfboard will be equipped for overseas
service while awaiting their turn to
embark. further increases in the num-
Der of buildings will be authorized
The base hospital els now being en-
iarged by the addition of convalescent
barracks. mess halls and Kitchens
which. il is estimated, will cost in the
neighborhood of s350,000. A new con-
struction quartermaster to take charge
Of the improvements will go over the
plans in a few days.
No New Meningitis Carriers"
Cultures for bacteria taken from
specimen 'smears' of the members of
Headquarters and B companies of the
District Battalion. who were placed un-
der quarantine following the discovery
that Sergt. Maj. Earl Lyles had the
germs. so far have not resulted in the
report of any new meningitis car
riers." Sergt- Lyles, although not ac-
tually suffering from the disease, has
been placed with other carriers" in
the camp isolation barracks. Germ car
ffers OF meningitis or diphtheria are not
themselves necessarily seriously affect
ed by the complaint. but may communi-
cate the disease to others.
Inc mortality rate at Camp Meade
from spinal meningitis, as shown by
the wee KY reports to the surgeon gen.
efal, have been very low Through
cures effected by the injection of a
serum in the spinal cord many of those
treated at the base hospital have re-
covered and been returned to duty.
Iiuring the week of December Sis six
cases were admitted and one patient
died: December % to 2S. two cases ad-
mifted and no deaths: December 30 to
January 5. three cases admitted and
one died; January to L. three cases.
admitted and no deaths; January - to
fiye cases admitted and two died:
January IS to IS. five cases admitted
ana one died; January 26-February 9
three cases admitted and three patients
died. but not three admitted during
week. '
0eAcIS III ASOtdClon barracks.
Fifty carriers. not all meningitis, but
soldiers who have recovered from mem
xSnx1tis and other infectious diseases
thought still to have infection in their
tnroats, were recently sent to the iso-
latfon barracks C-3T, where they viii
oe permitted to perform duty as usual
but viii Dot be allowed to mingle with
soldiers from other units until the
germs leave them.
An aggregate of 5000 new Pennsv,-
yania and Maryland selectives have re-
ported at camp in the past three days.
In assigning the new recruits to units
no attempt will be made to keep men
from the same locality or state together
IN commands made up from one section
or state This would seem to indica: q
lhaf IN the new draft men from the
district of Columbia will not be as
signed 10 a distinctive battalion or regi-
men as was the case with the men who
came here with the first dra fl >ouo.,