Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-01
GIVEUP BARRACKS
ATCAPEMAY,N.J.
Rear Admiral Helm An
nounces Wissahickon Sta
ton Will Be Closed
1900 MEN ARE THERE
Most of Them Will Be Dis.
charged, Though Some
Will Come Here

wissahlckon Barracks. Cape May win
be abandoned as a naval training sta
ton
Thfs announcement was made this
afternoon by Rear Admiral Helm, COM
mandant of the Fourth Naval District.
acting on authority from the Navy De-
partment
Most of the 1900 men still at the bar
racks. many of them Phlladelphans. viii
be discharged, the remainder going.
either TO Newport News Training sta
ton or the training ship at the navy
yard here.
Instructors at the barracks will go
10 Newport News where they probably
will continue in charge of the men now
under them at Cape May. A few OF
the instructors may be assigned to this
city
sewelIs Point Not Included
The order to close the naval bar
racks does not affect the operation or
the Sewells Point Naval Base, also sit
uated on the outskirts OF the New Jer-
sey town.
A telegram from Washington directs
that Wissahickon Barracks be aban-
doned as soon as possible, and only a.
small force of men left to make an in
yentory Of the government property. ana
to continue in charge until the property
Is disposed of In some manner TO bel
determined later
Wissahiclxon barracks was established
as a naval training base shortly after
the United States entered the war. The
barracks was designated as the training)
ground of the naval reserve force of the
force was at it's greatest strength, more]
than 1000 men were in training there.
in the winter of 19I7-1S the barracksl
becoming so crowded that many of tiiel
men lived in tents.
1000 Men Out Already
The work Of demobilzing the men at
the barracks who are to be discharged
from the service is proceeding rapidly.
This week 1000 men were given their
honorable discharge papers and several
hundred more will be let out during the
next few days.
When the United States was called
upon TO supply hundreds of thousands.
of troops to stop the German advanced
in a hurry, Secretary Daniels sent CALL
TO tie Wissahickon Barracks and mora.
than four-ffths of the men. most
whom had enlisted for coast defensV
ports. Their offer was accepted.
wissahicl<on Barracks was distinctly
Pennsylvania and Philadelphia in
stitution. When the barracks was
opened on September T. 1917. less than
two months after construction began, e.
big ma jority of the men who reported,
were from this city
Many Pbiladelphians There
During the time the base was in oper-
alton Philadelphians held a commanding
place in the personnel, This was partly
due to the fact that this city Is the/
headquarters of the Fourth. Naval D1s-i
trict and much of the recruiting for theI
reserve was done here and in the vii
cnity.
of the more than 700O men trained
at the barracks the first year, 170 at
tanned the rank of ensign, $50 were
made petty officers and put in active
service, more than hundred gun crews
were trained and put aboard cargo
ships or transports, 900 trained men
We're placed on supply ships under the
naval auxiliary, thirteen were made as
sistant paymasters. ranking as ensigns'
225 were sent to the officers training
school at the University of Pennsyl-(
vania and 1872 men We're transferred to1
the naval aviation service.
Not one man was court-martialed fo71
intoxication during that time and the
percentage of breaches of discipline wasV
very low, a remarkable record for civil
lians placed under the stress OF In
tensve training. I
Built on Battleship Plan
The barracks. twenty buildings in all
is built on the lines of the 'tween-decka
section of a battleship and the men Were
subjected at all times to sea-going disX
cipline. So far was this attitude taken
that to get a pass off the reservatior
the men were forced to apply
"shore leave"
The climate at Cape May was su
and the sanitary precautions so extei1
sive that the percentage OF illness W.
very low. Even during the infiuens
epidemic the number of cases was con
paratively small. Recently the ba
racks was quarantined for two weeI
because OF the discovery of one case
smallpox.
The naval base at Sewells Point
expected to be made permanent baq
under the direction of the Fourth Navo
District