The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1918-08-17


in July will sail Tor France about
Oct Is II the plans OF the war depart
ment as announced at Camp Custer
are carried out.
When the S5th division left last
July 1t was announced that new d.
vision. the. 14th. would be modified
at Custer and as nucleus, those
who remained In the camp. the two
regiments OF regulars and the officers
ordered there from other camps were
assembled. To that number was add
ed the raw recruits sent there in
July and to that will be added those
sent this month.
In less than two months, II is now
apparent, the new Fourteenth division
will have been modified, the quickest
mobilization In the history OF any ma
tional army cantonment.
The $4,000 men now in camp in
clude those left behind by the Eighty
fifth division, the July draft. two regi-
ments OF regulars from Fort Sheridan
and Fort Benjamin Harrison and g.
900 new Negro seletcs from Pennsyl-
vania, West Virginia, Wisconsin and
Michigan. To these will be added the
August draft of 5000, of whom Michi-
gan will furnish 5.275 and Ohio 2,725
With men and equipment for a new
division on hand September l, Camp
Custer should set a new record for
training. BY September /, the July
draft men will be sufficiently trained
to act as coaches for the August draft
men. June draft men were trained
for overseas service in less than
month, through just such coaching
No such speed will be attempted Will
the Fourteenth division, but it is de
clared that six weeks after the diyis
ion Is filled. that Is to say by mid
! October, II should be ready to take III
place on the sailing list.
There Is another factor to be con
tended with, however There Is NJ
promise yet that men will not be TAX
en- from Camp Custer to fill other or
ganizations, the thing that kept tn
Eighty-hfth division continually upse
and delayed its sailing for months. Eek
perience has taught officers the foil,
OF feeling certain over the strength
or personnel OF their commands unit
the division is leaving camp. Howev
er, with the need of massing Ameri
can troops in France. preparatory L
a spring drive. emphasized by tn
war department, IL Is expected tina
the Fourteenth division will be lef
alone to train as an intact organiza
tion and be ready for the call to over
seas service in October or November
The organization OF the Fourteentl
divisions trains has begun. The san
itary train will consist of ambulance
and field hospital units NUMBERING
from 253 to 256. Eight companie
have been organized by Major Her
bert C. Mallary, who is in temporar
command. The personnel of the OF
icers Is to be built around group o
156 medical reserves from the train
ing school at Fort Riley. These me
are already in camp.
For the present, at least, the SAM
Etary train will make use OF motto
ambulances left behind by the Thre
Hundred and Tenth sanitary trair
when 1t left with the Eighty-fifth di
vision. The Three Hundred an
Tenth took its motor trucks alonl
however, so the new train awaits IN
receipt of this variety of equipment
Other supplies are now being requi
sitioned.
Though the camp population Is In
creasing daily, the number OF patient
at the base hospital is on the wan,
The present number OF cases is 522-
the lowest in many months The Jul
draft men were indicted into servlc
without development OF contagion 4
any form.