The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-04
STRONCBARRIER
Being BUILT ON
MEX. BORDER
Army is Spending Nearly
Seven Millions Erecting
Outpost Stations" and
Barracks.

Uncle Sam Is building a giant fence
| along the Mexican border!
It's 1900 miles long. and while its
posts are of wood and other building
materials, its rails will be American
soldiers.
Assistant Secretary of War Crowell
until recently acting secretary of war,
has given me special authorization to
tell for the~first time the facts about
this big fence, placing all the informa,-
tion at the army's command at my
disposal.
The huge barrier isn't a fence in
the real sence of the word, though it's
purpose is the same.
It's double row Of calvary patrol
stations, barracks buildings and mis-
ceIlaneous structurs, stretching from
Brownsville, Tex, on the Gulf of Mexi-
CO, to Arivaga. Ariz., on the edge of
the great desert.
At each of the fifty outpost stations
one troop of cavalry-about 100 men
will be on guard all the time, patrol
ling the border between stations.
Some distance back from these pa
troll stations will be another series of
twelve posts which will constitute a
sort of second line of defense" against
the Mexicans. These twelve posts will
be larger and each of them will serve
as base for four or five of the patrol
stations on the boundary. The COM
plete system will house 10000 sol
diers.
The whole project viii cost the war
department approximately $6,750,Ooo.
according to an estimate made by 1t.
Col. o. P.-Chamberlain, of the con-
struction division of the army.
The twelve main posts probably will
be given the name forts" but the
war department emphasizes the fact
that they will not be forts in reality.
but merely army posts, such as Fort
Bliss( Fort Ringgold and the other
forts" already on the border.
In explaining this project, Assistant
Secretary of War Crowell declared it is
primarily for defense against the ele-
ments and not against the Mexicans.
1t is admitted. however, that the patrol
stations are for the purpose of guard
ing the border against invasions by
Mexican bandits and cattle thieves. If
any real trouble with Mexico should
develop in the future-weI the posts
are there. That seems to be the attt-
tude of the war department.
There are at present about 10000 SOL
dfers on the border-an cavalry with
the exception of the 25th Infantry, at
Camp stephen G. Little. These men
have been out ofsluck during the war
with Germany. Not only were they de-
MED the privilege of going to the front
and getting a crack at the Germans,
but they have been living in tents
for about seven years with few COM
forts and many hardships.
Mai. Gen. Sabel1, commander of the
southern department of the army, has
spent almost his entire military career
on the border. He is typical of most
of the other officers.
Since the armistice was signed these
soldiers have been making their COM
plaints heard, with the result that the
war department decided to do some
thing for them.
The forces on the border are not to
be enlarged now-but when these bar
racks are completed it will be an easy
matter to accommodate twice or three
times the number of men now there, if
necessary.
The buildings in the main will be
small structures one story in height,
some wooden, some brick and some
adobe.
Two large cantonments are being
built at Fort Bliss, FL Paso, to house
two regiments of Cavalry. These will
be brick structures. A 250-bed hospital
is proposed to be built at Fort Bliss
also, but this is not yet authorized.
The lumber for the construction work
will be drawn largely from the large
unused stocks held by the war depart
ment when the armistice was signed.
At Camp Hancock there are 16 million
feet OF unused lumber; at Camp Bragg
20 million feet.
The border has been split up into
IL patrol districts. These are named
as follows:
Brownville, Rio Grande, Laredo,
Eagle Pass, Fort Clark, Del Rio. Big
Bend. Sierra Blanca, Ell Paso, Column
bus. Douglas, Tenth Cav. Dis.
One of the main posts will be erect
ed in each of these districts, following
the line of the Southern Pacific rail-
road.
Each post will be the base for four
to six of the patrol stations. One
troop Of cavalry viii be constantly on
guard at the latter, which are located
from so to $50 miles from the main
posts, and each troop will be relieved
and return to its base once a month.
Here is a list of the patrol stations
at which construction of barracks of
barracks is now authorized: