The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-11
U. S. TROOP ARRIVAL
nv ENGLAND DESCRIBED
Events Leading Up to Their Service in
Europe Graphically Described-The
Camp as Large as a
Good-Sized City.

just debarked from American transports
and now on the way to their first camp,
packed the streets from curb to curb and
stretched away for miles. 1t was four
miles and uphill most of the way
through city, suburbs, and country lanes,
from the seafront to the great reception
camp located outside the town, one of
the largest camps in the world and capa-
Bile OF caring for the population of a
metropolitan city. Hour after hour from
in the morning until late in the after
noon, the steady tramp of marching
thousands had been going on, for this
steady stream is the army of $4,000 just
arrived ON IL American transports, max
ing the record debarkment from ship TO
camp within II hours.
With Major X, the engineer officer of
the camp, we skirted alongside this NOV
ing stream, from the landing to the
camp, and had an opportunity of seeing
each stage in the huge movement up to
the time the tired marchers pitched their
shelter tents on the soaked grounds and
erawled inside to sleep. Stirring as il
was to see these men come to swell the
million men in the American ranks, yet
there was a grimness and grayness to
the scene, suggesting the stern reality of
war.
A steady downpour swept across the
ranks and the men were dripping as they
trudged through the rain soaked mud
They were at route step, without the
regularity of parading troops, and each
man carried, beside his rifle, all his be-
longings on his back, 20 pounds of tent,
blankets, clothing, shoes, and all the
miscellaneous equipment of soldier
headed for the front Their last camp
was in the well-equipped environments in
the United States, where they slept on
cots and had semblance Of modern COM
fort Now they were on the war-swept
soil of France and had seen the last OF
cots and comforts. 1t was their first
glimpse of real war conditions, and any
one who says it was cheerful shuts his
eyes to the grimness of war.
"There are more troops arriving" said
the mayor, as he led the way, "than the
total strength of the United States army
a short time ago And with such an in
hux we have to provide a very elastic
camp, capable of immediate expansion
from a thousand up to hundred thou
sand men,"
The major was well qualified to explain
the magnitude of the work, for he had
been chief constructing engineer Of the
New York subway system, had planned
and built good part Of the system, and
had made the population figures on which
ITO get an idea Of the camp he said,
compare it with Central Park. We have
$500 acres here, Central Park has 500
acres. Why, the entire area of New York
City on Manhattan island is only Al 900
acres"
On both sides of the road, for mile aft
er mile. as we sped along in an army car,
a city Of tents was rising, and there was
the hum and hustle of camp activity on a
vast scale. This morning all the ground
had been stubble field from the newly cut
wheat and barley, But now every avail
able foot was being laid off by the army
engineers, working with tripods and in
struments like party of surveyors.
Tented streets and avenues headquarters
tents, mess, kitchen and hospital tents,
and vast parks for supplies and artillery
and horses, were rising in the fields Rnd
preading for 40 square miles over this
huge enclosure.
1--WE never take a field of growing
grain" said the major, "but as fast as
the grains cut we take over the fields
and with harvest time we'll advanced this
entire farming section will soon be turned
into an American camp"
In one of the fields where we stopped
to see the men, two battalions of 500
men each, Just marched in and were pre-
pairing TO pitch their tents. The great
stretch of ploughed ground, Just cleared
of grain was rain soaked, and the storm
had set in for the night. The men stood
ready, each with half of shelter tent,
20 drive the stakes and lash it against
the elements, and then crawl in 1t
seemed an endless wait for all of the for
malities Of laying out the camp with en-
ginecring exactness, yet all of this was
essential TO the smooth running of such
a large concern At last the stakes were
driven and soon the great field was dot
ted with thousands of little khaki
mounds, about as high as mans waist,
called pup tents" by the soldiers, prob
ably because they look like dog houses.
Under the tent there is just room for two
lying down, and if the ground is soaked
as it is tonight, the rubber pauncho
keeps out some of the water and kindly,
nature and the iron of youth must do
the rest.
This was only one typical camp of the
hundreds lining the roads for miles in
this vast reception camp. Field kitchens
and water carts were wheeling up to all
the camps as the tents went up. Filtered
water is brought in hogsheads, and each
command has its apportioned lot OF hogs
heads. Later on there win be splendid
system Of water mains for the whole
camp. But here are the men, and a water
system is not installed in a day. So in
stead of waiting for l2-inch mains, the
primitive hogshead is filing the gap.
Each man carries his emergency ration
for three days. Some Of them we're nib
bling at it before climbing into their pup
tents, but most of them waited for the
smoking field kitchen to get into action
with its cooks serving out hot coffee and
hot soup and meat The item of feeding
an army with precision is in itself a
gigantic task.
"We served 100000 meals last
month, said Major Y, cor 100000 army
rations of three meals to the ration"
And besides all the feeding and water.
ing and sanitation there is the immense
DON'T BE BALD