The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-29
SW|MS FOR SOLDIERS
IN ''CRAcKER" STATE
War Camp Community service Re
freshes Dusty Fighting Men at
Camp Hancock. Near Augusta.

Augusta. Ga. July 2s.-It is hot
down in Georgia. Nobody is more UNI
comfortably aware of that fact than
Private Smith and his tens of thou
sands of comrades who sweIter through
drills al Camp Hancock near Augusta.
A big army cantonment is not a sum
mer resort, especially in the Southland.
The sun is always on the Job. 1t is
not easy TO get away from it. There
Is much dust. The men toiling at the
task of learning how to kill Germans
work and play. eat and sleep in an at
mosphere always more or less torrid
Suppose you were one of these boys
suppose all day you had been bucketed
through infantry tactics or hammered
through bayonet attacks on make be-
lieSe boches. What would you want
more than anything else in the world
as you liked back TO your baking quar-
ters and waited with hundreds more
for an all-too~brief sprinkle under an
inadequate shower An ocean. a lake
pond, of course-any body of cool
water big enough to get into.
Viewing with expert eye Camp Han
cock and its perspiring thousands. war
camp community service saw this.
realized what a boon would be a bath
ing place, and because 1t is the busi-
ness Of war camp community service
to provide what is good for soldiers
minds and bodies. set about to make a
reality out of the dream of these men
In khaki.
Today Camp Hancock bathes; Camp
Hancock swims, dives, and otherwise
disports itself in clear. cool water A
walk of ten minutes from the center of
camp and the soldier may plunge over
board with such qualification as can be
imagined only by those who have
dipped in lake or sea after a taxing
day of work and heat.
1t came about thus--one more ac-
conplishment like many war camp
community service has brought to pass
in hundreds of communities adjacent
to the great military camps:
The organizations man in the field
found a lake, 1t was an artificial body
of water two and a half miles from
Augusta built as part of real estate
development which for one reason or
another was not a success. This lake,
known as Lake Almond. served no pur-
pose except to breed mosquitoes and
worry the United States public health
service The shores were lined with
ssdge and water lilies. the latter the
great Egyptian variety with blossoms
a foot across. The lake was pretty to
look at. but the war camp community
service man was interested in thousands
scapes. He set to work.
Today the lake was turned over to
the men. On a dam which cuts the
ten-aCre body of water about in the
middle. stands a commodious bath
house, accommoda ting 500 men at a
time. 1t is equipped with box locker
system. Bathing trunks are sold at
cost. A canteen supplies soft drinks,
sandwiches and smokes. Leaving the
bath house, a man may drop into the
water from either side, and enjoy him
self as long as he will. all for moth
ing.
The lake is leased by the war camp
community service. The United States
public health service has ended it's
worries as to mosquitoes by cleaning
out all the water lilies and sedge. at a
cost OF several thousands dollars. The
United States bureau Of fisheries has
stocked the lake with -minnows:
these are to war on any mosquito
larvae remaining. Military police keep
order. sanitary squad safeguards
the health of bathers
So private--Smith---the endless pro-
cession OF him that VIII tread the sum
baked ways at Camp Hancock before
this war Is done-will be a better and
lot more comfortable soldier because
of war camp community service.