Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-14
DOLLHOUSE JOB
ON CIRCUS GROUND
IS SPEEDING UP
Some to be Ready for Occupants
Sept. ! and Whole Operation
by Jan. l.
LIKE A CITY IN A CITY

More or less vaguely wilmington ) Clti-
Gems know there's big building operation
going on out at Front and Union streetS'
where visiting cIrcuSeS were wont 10 pitcn
their tents; that there are To be about
500 houses: that it's a government Job
for the benefit of the city S new army ol
shipyard workers-and that about lets
them out.
What thew don't know is the immensely
of II in labor, material, size and speed;
that it's one of the most important jobs of
It's sort Uncle Sam has in hand anywhere
that it's a veritablc Self-contalnIng city,
that II is an improvement actually, and at
This present time worth millions and po-
tcntiallv worth many millions more IN the
future of the city. and that Wilmington
has 10 thank the war for IT, because other
wise it wouldn't exist.
The lob started about July l. About 20
houses will be ready for folks 10 move IN
on September |, and after that they Will
be turned out at the rate of so many day
until the work is done, which, II things go
on as they are now gong. Will be within
few days of January
Just get that fact, please, and absorb II
500 houses in five months, IN these war
times. when IT seems to take as many
weeks to get a chicken coop 90 feet by
30 feet built.
JUST A FEW FIGURES
The actual construction work Is being
done bv the Lynch Cons tructlon Go. OF
New York. which is also doing two other
similar. but smaller. Jobs at Waterbury
and South Manchester. Conn. Balhnger
4 Perrot Of Philadelphia arc the archi-
tects and John Nolen, the noted MasSa-
chusetts city planner, laid the thing out.
There are to be built just 500 houses, most
Of them of the six-roOm type, but some OF
them larger, two 30-famlly apartment
houses and one community building and
one school Everything IS TO be Of the
most modern and up-to-date type.
The cost viii reach s., 100000, and OF
this no less than S350,000 Will go for
utilities. such as streets, sewers, sidewalks
and lighting These things had TO go IN
because they didn't exist. The only thing
that did exist when the Job was projected
was the land, unimpToyed, unkempt, I'M
slightly.
Uncle Sam said, Go ahead, but don't
lose time" when the work was decided
unon. That meant an appalling amount
of labor and material must be collected
and concentrated speedily, because every
thing must be done in six months. No
less than 2,400 feet of railroad track waS
built as a spur from the B. x. O, TO the
site. because the material for the Job
figures up to 400 carloads, which Is now
being received and unloaded at the rate OF
20 cars day. Storage houses and plots
for lumber, brick and stone. plumbing
material, inside fittings and all the welter
of things needed for building were con-
structed or laid out and are now In full
blast. receiving, discharglng as fast as the
stuff is needed, and there are temporary
buildings for woodworkers, painters, cleo
tricians, plumbers, blacksmiths, so that
the details OF the Job can 60 on right on
the spot.
THE LABOR END.
Today there are between / POO and
I.5OO workers of all classes busy on the
site When the apex of the Job Is reached
In month or six weeks there will be
about $500
Where do they live? Right on the job,
most OF them, in barracks put up for the
purpose. just now there are q thousand
men lodged and fed there, lodged IN
comfortable, airy quarters conforming
with all of Uncle Sam stringent regula-
tions regarding light and air space, and
fed III big dlnlngrOOms on 'chow" which
likewise conforms with that chin-whisker-
ed gentleman generous ideas as TO what
good working food Is. The food store
houses are chock-a-block with meats,
vegetables, fruits and supplies of the
best grade Each meal costs the worker
81 cents. He could not duplicate it in a
restaurant under 30 cents at the very
least What loss there Is In serving such
food Uncle Sam stands. His first con-
sideration is good food and plenty of it.
There's first aid-hospltaI on the
premises that 5 marvel of efficiency
= If man is too sick or too badly hurt to
be treated there he goes TO one Of the city
hospitals which isn't often necessary.
The daily grlst OF cases treated is about 80
Yesterday there were ,424 persons
on the Job Recruiting offices IN New
York and elsewhere send in a batch every
day, all of whom are quartered and fed
To-day more than 80 cellars have been
dug. More than 100 houses are going
up, so are half done, and has been said
20 Will be ready to live in by September
And finally, the workers are going to
have their own community sing. 1t
is now being organized. 1t will even
provide its own orchestra-WhIch is
only another instance Of the going some
the Job is doing
incidentally, this story is only scratch
ing the surface of the facts Go out to
what will eventually be Union Park
Gardens yourself and take look As
a patriot it Will do you good As a
Nilmingtonian it will do you heap of
good.