The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-25
CAREER N HAITI
FORMED START Of
MARINES FAME
lntantTymen of Sea Have Had
Task of Chasing Bandits in
Tropical Heat During Part
OF Past Few Years.


from the mountains and depsely
wooded areas Of the island Of Esii,
ealAie the backbone Of that
Ioh OF sturdy and rugged marines who
iuAoe world history in France. The
Two little countries. the Republic If
haltl and the Dominican republic. have
never had sufftctent military forces OF
sneII own TO suppress rowing bands OF
bandits which infest them, SO ala wss
ootatnsd from the United States, which
estao1shed a military government In
each country. :"
During the past few years marines
nave driven the bandits from the major
portion, OF the island, but numerous
oands still remain in the deeply wood
ed eastern provinces. Here the bandit
are well protected. Only the spsaT
cane plantations and a few small plaIns
SAied break the forest ont
lhe, n the steeply sloping, sharp
9 mountains Of the interior are
- InicAiy wooded as the table lands
Bandits Await Troops.
IhrouEh the forests run numerous
Mlndtng trails, so narrow in piaces
mat mounted troops can not ride two
aoreast. Detachments OF troops have
9ro eeen amnushed from the under
sToWth along these trails, but thanks
10 the bandits lack of skill with fire
arms, casualties have been few. OnIv
the noise of the bandits making auay
" the underbrush offers a target for
the troops. va
Recently, as an experiment. an svia.
tlon force was sent to this district ia
operate with the other marines The
WORK II has accomplished in a few
months is worthy of mention from a
scientific as well as a military view,
ReiRt. The First division, Squadron
u. marine aviation force, compFisinT
nine OFFICERS and 1S1 men, under COM
msnd OF. Capt W, f. Caughtry, dis
smoarked AZ San Pedro de Macoris on
Feb. rs, 1919.
This organization proceeded nine
miles inland to Consuelo, where a
camp site was established and work on
a flying field begun. One month later
ths ~. 3 Lake Superior arrived out
sfds the harbor of Macoris with 17s
tens OF aviation supplies, including sir
lumber.
From the ship to the Consuelo suRa,
company docks on the Magua river Is
dlStaRee Of 10 miles. With the aid
of a barge obtained from the suga
company, five trips were made from
q snip to the docks at Consuelo, the
material there reloaded on flat carr
n hauled over a narrow U rail-
way to the flying field.
the ship arrived off Maooris or
Tuesday, March rs, On Friday morn.
ing, March 2S, all material was on thu
flying field and that evening the first
plane took the air. making a success.
ful flight. Three days later the 81,
planes were in commission and read,
for service.
Quite recently a plane was bsdl,
damaged in landing at a point IL mile,
distant by air line. Early the follewins
morning a rescue party of Is men ar,
rived: The entire plane was torn dow
and loaded onto an Ok cart, the onl,
available "a Of transportation. /
was hauled In this manner over
rough trail for four miles to the en-,
OF a narrow-gauge railway. BY rail |
was hauled to the docks OF a suea,
company, loaded on a barge, towed fo
distance Of eight miles down on
river and up another to the Consuel,
docks, and again hauled by railway /,
the flying field, arriving there at
o'clock the same evening, The follow
ing afternoon the plane was agar
ready for service,
These two instances of mechanical
efficiency are hard to equal, and IL /
needless to say that the men look witt
prlde on their work for which the
have. already been officially com
mended. w.
From q military standpoint the avia
ton force has been equally successful
due largely to Col. J. c. Breckenridge
IN command of all troops in this dis
trict. Though there are no enem,
planes or anti aircraft guns to haras
the aviators, they find plenty of usefu
work to perform.
Their work is entirely in cooperate,