Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-27
ROAD MAKING LAST
PROBLEM OF GUARD
121st Engineers Called Upon
to Cut Passage Through
Heavy Forest.
BY WILLIAM T. WHEATLEY.
staff Cotrespondent of The Star.


FORT HUMPHREYS, Va. Au-
gust 27.-Through a forest thick in
underbrush, the 121st Engineers, Ma.
tional Guard of the District of Co
lumbia, today laid down a road wide
enough to accommodate brigade
of infantry and its accompanying
combat train. They cut it through
the banks of Accotink Greek. where
the soldiers worked waist deep In
water to place the pontoon bridge
over which the Army theoretically
will pass In fighting the mimic battle.
While one detachment cut it's wag
through the woods another branch
procured the heavy pontoons and
poled them up the creek for a dis
| lance of more than a mile. and by
the time the road was constructed
to the edge of the water the bridge
was ready for the crossing.
Men to Return, Sunday.
The troops We're given full day
to carry out the problem. the last
in the general scheme of training,
spection in the morning and the
afternoon will he given over To
recreation for the men. giving them
an opportunity to rest for the re-
turning trip to- Washington Sunday.
when they will be demobilized
At 7:20 this morning the battalion
commander Joe X. Mickey. and Mai.
Julian s. diff, were handed their or
ders in the combat problem. The
troops left camp ten minutes later.
and men armed with bolos Went
ahead to cut their way through the
heavy underbrush along the line
xxyl1i on JvcII, hn1
out by the surveying squad under
Lieut.. William I. Mushake.
Other men armed with axes AMI
cross saws. proceeded to cut dow
trees i'm the line of the road and to
use the logs for making corduroy sec
tons through the area. a part ~
which is in marshes. These heavy
timbers were carried for hundreds of
yards by the interested troops.
After the roads had been marked
by stakes, another force dug deep
bitches along the sides and threw the
dirt into the center to form a crown.
while still others removed stumps
which might obstruct the passage Of
the motor trains.
Grade Cut Through Bank.
Reaching a steep bank near the
waters edge, the men cut a grade
through 1t and used the earth to cover
the Corduroy road.
The speed and thoroughness with
which they carried on brought forth
concentrations of the officers. and to
prove that it was practical job Capt.
Ralph S. Childs, Company Il. drove
an automobile to the creek and then
on across the bridge.
Lieut.. Col. Harry T.. Gladman. ex-
ecutive officer of the regiments, was
superintendent of construction, while
Maj. Mickey was detailed to handle
the dirt section of the roadway and
Maj. Cliffs battalion the second Sec
ton and the pOntoOn bridge. the lat
ter construction being assigned to
Company e, Capt. Clarence S. Shields
commanding.
Col. Gladman was high In his praise
of the work of the men and the spirit
they displayed
The Engineer regiment was operat-
ing theoretically as part of a Red
Army, which Is planning an attack
against Blue Army. now reported to
! he preparing to assail Washington.
The enemy" is supposed to be i'm
control of the hill west of Accotink
Creek.
While the working troops were out
in the forest the band had little to
do and started In little practical
Joking to use up the surplus energy
| Two of the band members, Edwin
Panclll and w. Il. David. were found
wandering around the parade grounds
TWO members of the guard with fixed
bayonets were sent out under ser
geant to bring them into camp. They
we're taken before Capt Goodwin
Gum. commanding the Headquarters
nv rH-hn
giving them a preliminary hearing, di-
rected that they be again placed in
the guard house. Pancill and David
took the matter quite seriously, while
their fellow members stood around
the guard house trying to suppress
smiles. An hour later they were re-
leased and appraised of the fact that
this was part of their training, and
a method of getting back at Pancill
and his fellow bandsmen. who had
played many practical jokes on others
Pvt. Adam G.. Mouton. Company f,
today was ordered by Col. John W.
Oehmann, commanding the regiment.
to be tried by summary court-m
tial for refusing to put on proper
uniform and prepare for drill when di-
rected by Lieut.. Quade. He will he
tried before Maj. Mickey
Deli neNIeWS troops.
The District Engineer regiment yes.
terday put on parade and review
which also was participated in Ivy
troops of the 18th and 29th United
States Engineers, the whole composite
brigade being commanded by Col. Och
mann. The review was staged before
Lieut.. Col. j. Franklin Bell, Engineer
Commissioner Of the District of Co
a a
mond. chief of the Militia Bureau OF
the War Department, also witnessed
the ceremony, and these two officers.
with other Federal and District Off
Gals and civic leaders OF Washington.
were the guests of the officers at the
dinner in Harris Hall and later at a
lecture on America and Verdun, given
by Lieut.. Col. Thomas j. Dickson,
former chief chaplain of the Army. at
q u \