El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-21
Base OfArmly
Supply WILDE
At Fort Bliss
Rapidly Becoming One Of
Largest Ordnance DepOts
In United States.


With hundreds Of guns. tractors and
other articles Of supply for an army
arriving in Fort Bliss daily. there is
rapidly growing in this city what is
TO be one Of the largest ordnance de-
pots in the United States.
The depot here is 10 be a perman-
ent institution and is TO include an
ordnance mobile repair shop, which
viii be the first Of its kind ever used
at Fort Bliss
Seven large steel storehouses Of
the Truscon type viii arrive at the
fort within a few days, which. in ad-
dition to the six store houses and nine
magazines already there viii make
Fort Bliss the largest housing area for
an ordnance department in the state.
To euumerate the equipment which
has been ordered sent here and part
Of which has arrived would require
pages. Among the articles. however,
TO comprise the local supply outfit are
4S British type - nm guns; 90
French type 75's. so six ton whippet
tanks; go five ton tractors; complete
equipment for an entire infantry
division, six machine shop trucks;
five artillery supply trucks; 10 ten
ton trailers weighing $500 pounds
without a load)- is. 600 rifles. 2G2 ma
chine guns. $50 automatic rifles, am
IuunlLlQn LOT NuE s. CNulNAtAe alLl4-
lery replacement sets and a number
OF 81 nm guns
The tanks VIII be equipped with the
81 nm guns as the artillery, for one
half, and machine guns for the re-
Wen Trained OFFICERS.
The personnel OF the ordnance de-
partment offices has increased under
pressure Of the rapidly increasing
work. from eight 10 more than $50
with as many more ordered 20 report
here at once. 1t is expected that
permanent quarters are to be given
the troops.
A soon as the equipment which
is due here has been received,
checked and stored, the Officers
Of the department have been or
dered TO conduct demonstrations
with the - MN. guns, mnrhlne
guns and tanks, and the artillery
repair shops, IN order to show the
training necessary to complete
the knowledge Of m ordnance
man. These demonstrations VIII
he held on n vacant lot. probably
near Union station. and the tanks
to be used will be transported TO
the scene in motor trnilerH to
nvoid injury to the soft pave
ments.
The local ordnance Is differed by
Capt F. T. Nickum IN command. and
Capt J A. Landers. while in the mo-
bile repair shops viii be Capt n.
Frank Stratus and First Lieut. Lucien
ROeke.
Capt Nicllum is a soldier OF q
years experience. during which time
he served in the Philippines, twice in
Cuba and over the entire Mexican
border from Laredo 10 the Pacific
coast He is a 52nd degree Scottish
Rite Mason and Shriner.
Capt Landers has IS years expert
enee in the REGULAR army and spent
two years In France Capt. Strauss,
an artillery expert. spent 2 wear in
the battles Of St Alihiel and the
Meuse-Argonne- Lieut. Rookie snent
a year in France. being attached to
the SIND division. in which was Capt
sons. as are the majority OF the men
in the outfit.
Fl Paso Base Of Border Supplies.
UDon completion Of the installation
Among the men who viii be esnecialy
for recruits in this department.
sought and carefully trained are am
munltion workers, armorers. black
smiths, cabinet makers. clerical work
ers. forgemen. gas engine experts
gunsmiths. instrument makers. instru-
ment repairmeu. leather workers. ma
chinists. metal workers. motor We
hicle men OF all kinds. including
chauffeurs. tool makers tractor men
aeetylene welders and electrical weld
ers- In each OF the various lines a
school is 20 he maintained. ranging
from six months TO a year for the
completion Of the course.
While the officers Of the DEPART
ment have not discussed the estab-
hshment Of so large a depot here,
other than the fact OF its being or
dered. II IS Eeneral1v understood that
the local depot will be the base Of
Supplies Tor all military operations
along the border. with probably the |
blishment Of subdepots to the east
and west OF here