Evening star., 1926-04-11


r. Taggart, all new men, and James
M. Lynch, transferred from the Head
quarters and Service Company Of the
121st Engineers, and l.. ]. Mccarthy,
transferred from Battery A, 26Oth
Coast Artillery.
Several improvements in the facili-
ties for the use of the local troops on
the rifle range at Camp Simms, Con
gress Heights, D. c., have been made
during the year, among them IN
pool. These include a larger water
main and greater outlets, so that the
bathing pool may be more quickly
filled and emptied to keep 1t clean and
sanitary.
In connection with the authority
given the local High School Cadets to
hold their annual encampment on this
range and permission given for target
practice, Maj. Gen. Stephan has ex-
tended to the local school soldiers the
privileges of using the recreational
facilities at the range, including the
use of the swimming poo
The following men enlisted in the
local Guard during the week, it was
announced: James r. Russell, 141O
Hopkins street, band. 121st Engineers;
James p Quigley, GIT Varnum street
northwest, Company Il, l2lst Ensl-
neers, and Irwin Fillmore Newman,
S04 Sixth street southwest, Company
b, 12lst Engineers.
Commissions in the local. Guard,
both promotions, were presented at
drill last Tuesday night by Maj. Gen.
Anton Stephan to Capt. c. Earl Smith
son, who has been made adjutant OF
the 121St Engineers, and to capt.
Fletcher NJ. Bernsdorff. Quartermaster
Corps. who has been assigned to the
administrative staff. The commits
sion of Capt. Bernsdorff dates from
January % last and that of Capt.
Smithson from February last.
Capt. Smithson was promoted from
first lieutenant, he having been ad-
jutant of the I'd Battalion of the En-
gineer Regiment until his promotion.
He is veteran of the old Guard and
of the World War. having gone first
to the Mexican border during the
troubles there just prior to the world
conflict, and from that scene of op-
erations to those overseas.
Capt. Bernsdorff went directly from
the ranks, where he was a master
sergeant in the Headquarters and
Service Company of the Engineers,
jumping over the two grades of lieu
tenant. He is in duty in the quar-
termaster's office at Guard headquar-
ters.
The following reassignments of en-
listed personnel of the Engineer Regi-
ment have been directed in orders
issued by Adjt. Smithson: Sergt.
James J. Skelly, Headquarters and
c.
to staff sergeant and assigned to duty
as sergeant major, I'd Battalion, vice
Aull. discharged. He has been or
dered to report to Maj. Julian S. Olif,
battalion commander, for duty.
Corp. Henry j. Krumm, jr., Head
quarters and Service Company, has
been appointed sergeant and assigned
as sergeant major, I'd Battalion, vice
Skelly, promoted, and has been di-
rected to report to Col. Oehmann,
regimental commander, for duty.
The following named enlisted men,
having qualified in competitive eX-
animation, have been placed on the
eligible list for appointment as second
lieutenantS of Coast Artillery in the
National Guard OF the. District of Co
lunbia as vacancies occur: Sergt. Il.
S. Thompson, Battery B, who made
an average of 90.S per cent on exami-
nation, and Sergt. J. w. Crockett, Bat
terry A, who made an average OF 85.5
per cent.
The recent benefit entertainment
given at Keith's for the local Guard
netted S241, which will be divided
the various units in proportion
to the number of tickets sold, and will
he placed in the company funds for
and other purposes.
= Special legislation is to be sought
of the present Congress by the local
Guard to enable it to get the first floor
of the Pension Office Building for an
armory with the use of the rotunda
as a drill hall.
tant general of the 10Th National
which will be submitted to Congress,
which would authorize the Public
Buildings Commission to assign this
space to the Guard. This action grew
out Of the recent letter from Senator
Reed Smoot of Utah, chairman of the
Public Buildings Commission, in which
the latter pointed out that the COM
as at present constituted did
not have authority to grant to the
Guard permission to use this space, as
its duty was confined to that of allo-
eating space in the Government build
ings to activities of the Federal Gov
ernment, and the Guard did not come
under this head.
1t is expected that the proposed
measure will be sent to some member
of the House and Senate this week
for Introduction in both houses of
Congress, and every effort will be
made to have it passed promptly, as
the Guard must vacate it's present
armory at 472 L street on June 80.
It's present lease expires at that time,
and the owners of the building have
refused renewal of the term lease.
While city-wide search continues on
the part of the Guard officers in an
effort to find a suitable building within
the limits Of the appropriation for
rental purposes allowed by Congress,
so far nothing has been found. While
many propositions have appeared,
they are either for greater rent than
the Guard is allowed or the buildings
are too small and inaccessible.
The move to get special legislation
for the use of the Pension Office Build
ing is last resort, and there is every
hope that the effort will be successful
and that the law will be passed in time
to permit the Guard to vacate it's
present quarters by the time the pres
ent lease expires.
Althor IN Virginia Beach, Va, where
the State rifle range and camp
grounds of the Virginia National
Guard is located, has been selected
as the camp site of the 29th Division
Staff and the 29th Military Police Com
pany of the local Guard, and theplace
and dates in~ August have been ap-
proved by the Sd Corps headquar-
ters of the Army at Baltimore, there
is some uncertainty as to whether
this camp can be held there, due to
certain litigation pending in the Vir-
ginia courts, according to informa-
ton from Richmond.
Certain interests at Virginia Beach