El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-18

I hiNIH engineers (mounted), located
Nat Camp Courchesne, are much
/ elated over some Of their accomplish
ments recently. not to mention the
prowess Of their football players.
The Ninth had some fine practical
/ experience in the mountains near the
MescaIero Indian reservation this
year, when It constructed. blew up
and rebuilt a bridge 10 see how quick
" it could be done by a real engineer
unit The Ninth has had some SPLEEN
did practice also at Camp Courchesne.
The Ninth was organized Nay p,
( 1917 from company a. mounted en-
sineers, and from companies a, Z. e
and D., OF the Second regiment Of en-
gineers. stationed at Camp Baker, FL
Paso, Tex. and the following officers
were assigned 10 this new battalion;
Capt B. c. Chynoweth, corps Of en-
gineers. commanding battalion.
First Lieut. George Mayer, corps OF
engineers, one master engineer, junior
grade; three sereeants, first class
one mess sergeant. one stable SER
geant. four sergeants. seven corporals.
two buglers. one saddler. These and
one horseshoer. 10 privates. first class.
81 privates and q recruits, composed
the entire enlisted personnel OF this
battalion at the time Of its organize
ton.
on Nay %. 1917. the battalion
moved TO Camp Stewart. and on June
8 Mai. James A. O'Conner was placed
in command Of the battalion, whose
enlisted personnel had increased to
A Fully Equipped Outnt.
BY August Is. 1917. the battalion
had received full engineer equipment.
and made a practice march TO New
man, " n, returning i'm good condi-
tion, and by August 30 had received
its full complement Of officers. bring
ing the total commissioned and en-
listed personnel Up TO is officers and
$50 enlisted men. The present strength
OF the battalion is 800, with a head
quarters company consisting Of 81 en-
listed men, which was formed some
time ago.
On October /. 1917. the Ninth
marched to Courchesne bridge AMI
camped on the New Mexico side OF
the Rio Grande, and did not return to
Camp Stewart. hut took permanent
camp at this place, which was named
Camp Courchesne. Here this bGttal-
ion had spent many months training
other engineer units.
In the group OF pictures shown
with this article Is q photograph OF
a heavy pontoon bridge built by the
Ninth engineers across the Rio
Grande. showing q three ton truck
transporting a house ISIS feet by q
feet across the river. 1t took only
II minutes TO construct this bridge.
which is 1G0 feet long.
Night Pontoon Bridge Work.
Another photograph (top) shows q
pontoon bridge built by the Ninth en-
gineers at night by searchlight. and
photographed by searchliCht. From
time OF starting tn the finish I'm the
construction Of this bridge it took IS
minutes.
Another photograph shows a sus-
pension bridge built by the Ninth
across the Rie Grande. The distance
between towers is $50 feet and the
width OF the bridge is feet This
bridge is capable Of unfolding any
number OF troops that one might
want to transport over It, II took
six hours TO complete this bridge from
the time the order TO build was given
This battalion has conducted many
district reconnaissance schools. Off
GERS and men being detailed from ar
tillery, cavalry and other organiza-
tons IN the FL Paso. Arizona. Big
Bend and the New Mexico subdis-
tricts TO attend.
The Ninth engineers have been re-