Evening star., 1922-12-10
MARINES PRAISED
ON PEACE SERVICE
Commandant Cites Guarding
of Mails and Theater Wreck
Among Deeds.
ACTIVITIES AT QUANTIC0
Building of Clubhouse and Ath-
letic Stadium Explained
by Lejeune.

Reviewing the operations of the
United States Marine Corps during
the past fiscal year. Mai. Gen. John
A. Lejeune, commandant, invites par
ticular attention to valuable peace
time services given by members of
the corps. Three instances cited are
the guarding the mails, trains. truck 8
and post offices in order to put a stop
to a long series of daring robheries:
about 200 marines in saving lives and
assisting in the removal of the in
jured at the knickerbocker Theater
disaster in this city. and in the re-
moval of snow and ice from the
tracks and switches of the Union sta
ton. this city, during the Severe
storm of last winter. when no other
assistance was available and when
the trains were all blocked and could
not. for that reason, get milk and
other supplies into this city.
Much Work nt Qunntico.
great deal of work has been per-
formed at the marine station at
Quantico. Va, with comparatively
small expense. including the build
ing of a clubhouse and an athletic
stadium. The latter building. he
says. is being constructed out of the
post amusement fund and IS design
ed as a memorial to all men who have
died in the uniform of the Marine
Corps since it's foundation. The
estimated cost of this stadium by
contract was about S650,0OO. but as
the marines themselves are build
ing it. the commandant says it will
not cost more than $4,000. Surplus
scrap at Indian Head and Winthrop.
Md, is being used as reinforcing ma
terial Sand and gravel are obtained
from the river nearby. Sandstone
used in the retaining wall is quarried
on the reservation. About the only
thing that has to be purchased is
Portland cement, and the marines are
getting that at half price from the
manufacturers.
Stadium Worlds Largest.
Describing the stadium. Gen. Ie-
jeune says the bowl proper is $50
feet long and 326 feet wide-probably
world. The seats will be made of
steel and concrete and the frame
work of seventy pound railroad rails
There will be 100 boxes around the
bottom of the bowl and thirty rows
of seats There will be about 10000
seats, and the idea Is to have each
seat commemorate a marine who died
in the line of duty. The names or
these men also Will be inscribed on
bronze tablets to be placed on the
great arch which will form the en-
trance to the stadium. Around the
top of the bowl will be an automo-
bile road, where machines can park.
and their occupants see what is going
on. The road will accommodate about
$50 machines and is an unusual
feature.
Inside the stadium viii be a quar-
ter-mile circular running track.
22O-yard straightaway track. two
base ball diamonds and foot ball
field. 1t is also proposed to put up
gymnasium or dressing building.
Part of the equipment will be motion
picture machines for outdoor shows
in summer. Also. a hardwood floor.
made in sections. which can he bolted
together and laid over the field, will
be constructed so that the mems
dances can be held in the stadium
in the summer time. The wood for
that purpose is now being cut on the
reservation and dried out