The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-28
LIFTING CURTAIN
ON SCENES
CAMP HOLABIRD
For the First Time Details
of Great Motor Beehive
Are Given to the
Public
PERMANENT CENTER
FOR AUTOMOBILES
Thousands of Trucks Ship
ped Abroad to Help the
Yanks in Their
Final Drive

Final Drive
The Evening Caledonian is pleased
to- present to its readers tonight the
following story of the great accomp-
lishments at Camp Holabird which is
sent us by Sergt. Pearle L. Griggs,
Repair Unit No. S06, NJ. T. c., and
one of the st. Johnsbury boys now in
the service:
Due to the fact that the Committee
of Public Safety has not allowed the
papers to publish anything about the
operations of Camp Holabird, compa-
ratively little is known of it..
Camp Holabird is located about ten
miles east of the city of Baltimore,
Maryland, bordering on the shore of
Colgate Greek. This strip of land was
of little OF no value because of it's
rlarshy nature. Perhaps the reason
for choosing this place was for the
exceptional commercial values it had.
Camp Holabird is the smallest army.
cantonement in the United States, but
dare say it deserves as much credit
as any of them.
The first appearance of the No.
BOG Repair Unit was at Camp Meigs
just .sut of Washington. There were
at that time only few hundred en-
listed men. In March the Unit was
transferred to Camp Holabird, where
it has been permanently stationed for
all times. Skilled men were selected
from all over the United States to
come here and repair. government
trucks, until now the camp personnel
shows 1000 enlisted men.
The Motor Transport Corps is a
new branch of the service and it has
charge of all repairs, convoy and
storage of all army motor vehicles.
There are in service in the United
States 10000 trucks, 1900 passenger
cars, $4,000 motorcycles and bicycles;
and 5000 ambulances. Of this nuns
bcr 80 per cent come under the juris-
diction Of Camp HoIabird The gov
cinlnent now has in the parking fields
in this camp 5000 three to five ton
trucks besides hundreds of passenger
cars and thousands of motorcycles.
Colonel sLeisenring, Commanding Of
ficer of this Post, has several times
received requests from Washington
for reports on the number of horses
and mules he has under his command,
but each time he has had none" for
horses are of no use here.
Uncle Sam uses the very best
makes of trucks such as Packards,
Whites, Pierce-Arrows, and one de-
signed by the Packard Motor Car
Co., especially for army use, the
Liberty Six, without question the
hest motor truck ever built.
The buildings in this camp are of
the most modern type, constructed OF
steel, cement and glass and as near
fre-proof as any shop can be built.
The headquarters shop for the No.
306 Repair Unit is in just such plant
as this and may well be called the
100000 motor beehive. 1t is 480
feet by 497 feet, and is divided into
a dozen sections or bays as they are
called, each having it's own particular
work to do, for example, magnetic and
carbareter department, machine shop,
chassis department, etc. These sec
tions arc equipped with everything
imaginable in the line of machinery
and apparatus. In turn each section
is subdivided into small groups OF
mechanics so that every detail is
handled by men who are familiar with
the work AS an illustration, take
the machine shop. There are so many
different kinds cf work that the
crankshaft grinding, piston grinding
bearings, etc, are taken care Of sep
alately, in this way first-class work
nlanship is insured.
The efficiency of the plant has beer
planned to such perfection that the
entire overhauling of truck can bt
accomplished in three days, with al
average of fifty trucks daily.
To add to the production the camI
has assigned detail of men to sor
the ears and trucks as they come intC
the receiving park so that at all tim'
they are able to tell in few minutes
lust how many are awaiting repairs.
Perhaps the most interesting place
in the camp might be the Grating
shop, for there Uncle Sam had
watchful eye all during the month
of June and July when General Per
shing was calling constantly for NOR
trucks. The American forces II
France have received from this CAM
alone over $4,000 trucks since Jun
( 1st, 1918. During the first thre
weeks in July nealy 1000 were Grated
This building though comparativel,
small is $50 feet by 200 feet. On
making tour of this shop will Sc
travelling cranes from to 10 ton
capacity, stationary cranes both han