The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-08-11
READ TO
VISIT CAMP !. READ RE
AT BARIRACKv|LLE
Formal Inspection of National
Guard Here to Be Made
by Commander.

Maj-Gen. George w. Read, COM
manding officer of the Fifth Corps
Area with headquarters at Col
umbus, Ohio, from whom Camp
Read was named will visit Barrack-
Vile and Fairmont either Tuesday
or Wednesday, according to an an
| nouncement this afternoon by Col.
Thomas G.. Davis of Camp Read.
Major-General Read will INSPECT
the camp named for him while here
and there will probably be formal
inspection.
He willH be accompanied here by
Col. F. B.Shaw of the Fifth Corps
Area, also from the esColumbus head
quarters. The regimental band
probably remain hereI until after
the inspection, after. which 1t will
proba bly, go to Charleston.
Gas Attacks Demonstrates
Dramatic and realistic in every
detail was the storming of a ma
chine, gun nest by the nse OF a.
smoke screen and hand genade at
tack staged this afternoon at
Camp Read. Barrackville, under
the direction of Lieutenant John K
Ashby, assisted by Corporal Fred
A. Wallenfelsz.
Protected by new model gas
masks detail of twenty men ad-
ranced through a heavy screen Of
poison gas, While the enemy kept
up steady rifle fire and laid down
a barrage from the smaller cannon
the detail of twenty men followed
) their own smoke screen acros sthe
field to the machine gun nest,
seized the gun and exterminated
the ina aginary enemy.
The first smoke screen laid down
rolled ahead of the men, carried by
the air, but soon rose from the
ground on account Of the light at
mosphere. Then scouts ran ahead
with lighted smoke candles, which
darkened things up considerably
for their size.
There was real rifle fire going
on, from the enemy's side. One
man had been sent to the opposite
side or the field, at some distance
from the Imaginary machine gun
nest, and kept up a steady fire. The
ping-ping of bullets as they tipped
off upward through air sounded so
realistically that many of the num-
erous spectators forget they were
in no danger what ever and began
to look about for some place of shell
ter.
The attacking party was we'll
equipped with genuine hand
grenades which they tossed into
the imaginary machine gun nest.
So accurate was their aim that
little was left of the spot selected
for the machine gun point and
had there actual been a gun
there little would have been left
of it.
Large parties of spectators lin
ed the banks about the camp and
all were impressed by the spect-
acle. An especially Interesting
feature of the demonstration OF
the new gas masks which have
just recently been adopted by the
government. This gas, mask Is a
considerable improvement over
the old gas mask in many ways
1t has no mouth piece and is
therefore more sanitary. It is
more flexible and more comfor-
table to the wearer and allows
him to go about his regular duties
"hA1S WSdAiA6 II. ne Olua uldSh'
was so stiff that it was almost i'm
possible for a man wearing it to
turn his head.
Camp Health Good
Maj. w. W. Point, Camp Read
medical officer, reports splendid
health at Camp Read, sBarackvlle-
He attributes this to the fact that
Ices meadow is a splendid camp
site, with excellent drainage.
This is one of the best camp
sites I have ever seen," declared
the major this afternoon. I'VE
have had only one case of Illness,
a case of diphtheria, now. conval-
escing. innoculated eighty men
yesterday and ten this morning,
all for typhoid. All except three
drilled today"
The band is hard at work prac-
ticing and plans to give a concert
either today or Sunday, probably
on the latter day.
The director of the band is
Warrant officer George II. Crum.
The title held by Director Crum is
a new one, just. recently created
by the war department. BE ranks
between a non-commissioned and
a commissioned officer.
CharnoclS in Camp
Another interesting character
was discovered at Camp Read this
morning in the person of Private
John N. Charnock. He is the son
of Adj. Gen. John II. Charnock OF
I Charleston, and is getting his first
taste of soldering here.
Reports were received this
morning that an army truck bear
ing supplies to Camp Read had
been "hung up'' near Friendly on
account of bad roads. The officers
at the camp were advised that the
supplies had been transferred to
freight car and would be brought
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