The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-03-25
Greater C,amn Dix

Greater Camp Dix
Decision of the War Department tc
purchase fifteen army camp Sites
including Camp Dix, New Jersey, and
thirteen balloon and flying fields has
been announced by Acting Secretary
of War Crowell Less than SIS, OO0 00C
: will be involved. Mr.. Crowell says
and it will not be necessary to await
action by Congress, as the department
has the necessary funds. Twenty-seven
camps, including Camp Merritt, New
Jersey, and fifteen aviation fields will
be abandoned. 1t cost the Govern.
ment So, 30O 900 to construct Camp
Dix and the site will be bought for
s675, 200.
In connection with the announce
ment that Dix is to be a permanent
camp comes the practical assurance
of the enlargement of the cantonment
to be the greatest training station and
military post in the United States.
Rumors of the big project, circulated
/ for weeks and creating much interest
among military men throughout the
country, now have confirmation in the
completion of the surveys by War
Department engineers and the decision
of army officials that no site on the
Atlantic coast is so logically situated
and so we'll adapted for the purpose.
The greater camp extends from the
present camp to and including Camp
Kendrick and the Chemical Warfare
Proving Grounds at Lakehurst.
Surveys as completed by the War
Department for the proposed greater
Camp Dix cover, including the pres
ent reservation, the portions of five
townships. These are New Hanover and
Pemberton, in Burlington county, and
Plumstead, Jackson and Manchester,
in Ocean. There would be a total of
upward of 10000 acres of pine land
added to the present reservation. The
new area as surveyed connects with
the Camp Dix rifle range in the rear
Browns Mills, extending on its north
ern boundary to Brindletown, three
miles from New Egypt and thence in,
more or less regular lines to the pres
ent proving grounds at Lakehurst.
The southern side of the, greater camp
would follow the Browns Mills-Lake-
hurst road, except that it would pass
around and exclude valuable cranberry
lands at Whites Boys. The land in.
side these lines is chiefly covered with
a scant growth of scrub pine and
oak 1t is considered of so little value
that, according to recent State reports,
thousands of acres have never been
levied upon for taxes. Yet for needs of
the army, officers declare, it has
unequaled in any other
available section of the East.
Briefly stated, the advantage of the
location. as considered by army officers,
in addition to those already pointed
out, include the small cost at which
the land could be procured; the healthy
climate of this section, with sandy soil
and good drainage affording excellent
sanitary conditions; the absence of mud
that might interfere with the mobility
of heavy artillery, and a sufficient sup
ply of pure water for mounted troops
in maneuvering. There are less than
a dozen houses on the great reservation
as surveyed, and only two small
swampy areas, which engineers have
found can easily be drained.
The present artillery ranges, both at
Dix and at the Lakehurst proving
grounds, have limit of three to four
miles in distance. The artillery sector
in the proposed new reservation would
have direct range of $4,000 yards, or
more than 10 miles, surrounded by a
wide safety zone. Military men say
that one of the greatest advantages of
the location is that because of it's isola-
ton from thickly populated centres,
the Government can more easily con-
troll the area surrounding the reserva-
ton. Thus the public can be easily
shut off from danger zones, while in
protection of the morale of the troops
as in the present training camps, the
problem would be reduced to a mini
mum.
The infantry training opportunities
provided at Dix have repeatedly been
pronounced by inspector generals as
the best to be found in any
The greater Camp Dix,
as proposed, will afford opportunity for
the training of every branch of the
artillery, cavalry, en-
gineers and the air service, and the
out of tactical problems when
desired by all branches in conjunction.
The buildings Of the present canton
ment will quarter nearly $4,000 men,
while barracks at Camp Kendrick and
the proving grounds, now accommo-
dating about 1000 each, can be readily
if desirable.