Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-04-23
CAMP IN FOREST
RAPIDLY SHAPING
First Flag Raised to Top of
Pine Where Capital Youths
Are Working.
BY staff Correspondent Of The Star.

CAMP ROOSEVELT, q OR G e
WASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST,
PAGE COUNTY, Va, April 22.-m
this Virginia mountain country, the
first forestry camp in President Roose-
velt's experiment with the unemployed
rapidly is taking shape.
Less than q week ago the first con-
tingent Of 200 undernourished city
youths Of the Nations Capital were
est wilderness, supposedly ready to re-
habilitate the woodland and, in turn,
to rehabilitate themselves.
Today, trim, neat camp Is rising
out of sea of mud left by heavy mid
week rains. Rows Of Army squad
tents raise their blunt noses among
the lofty pines. Crushed stone roads
went their way through the trees,
ready to carry the expected burden Of
sight-Seers, curious to view this I'M
usual effort to build substantial citi-
zens out Of dazed and cynical young
people, unused to work.
The sound of the carpenters ham,
mer now is heard in place Of the wood
mans ak. as these soft "city fellers"
make their community among the
pines. The hammers may be in
strange hands. but their weilders have
tildt yuutAi1uA OCtcIAluldt1OAl W 8Ct
through with the job, to build them
selves a home. And for some it is the
first home they have had in these
years of economic unrest.
To 25-year Palmer Lee, lately Of
Beaumont, Tex, has fallen the job Of
construction superintendent" and he
Is directing the work of erecting the
more permanent buildings Of the camp
with the experience Of q veteran.
Construction Task Easy.
This Is easy work for me-" said
Lee. II used to make $500 month as
field superintendent for the Chemical
Construction Corporation Of Charlotte,
N. c. In that job I Travelled all over
the country. and into Canada and
Mexico, supervising the construction Of
chemical plants.
wife and baby and haven't cared what
little money I had saved for an auto
mobile, then took the rest and spent it
high, wide and handsome, trying to
forget my grief.
Finally. I ended up here. in the
Civilian Conservation Corps, a remod-
eler of the rustic wilderness
His last sentence struck a note of
the cynicism that Is apparent among
the older OF the young men in this
camp, who range between 10 and IS.
But this Is a cosmopolitan camp
If there ever was one. There are men
from all walks Of life-carpenters, brick
layers, university men, clerks. stenog-
raphers. bookkeepers and what not, to
say nothing of plenty of kids who have
never done a lick Of work."
Tt{c nvo ntin ~ yxy tho Rrc& dou ov,1y
real work could be done, due to the
heavy rains. Capt. Leo Donovan of the
Regular Army, assigned from Fort
Washington as head Of the camp, said
that Thursday and Friday water came
down in such torrents that it was i'm
possible to accomplish thing.
Staying dry was our most difficult
job" he said. Nov that the sun Is
out again we are rushing our work so
everything will be ready If President
Roosevelt comes down next week. This
road you see here Che pointed to IT.
was put in for him and the rest Of the
visitors we expect will pour In on us
as soon as the weather gets better"
Flag Raised Over Camp.
The American flag was flown over
the camp for the first time tonight. A
young fellow, able to climb trees like
a monkey, shinnied to the top Of . tall
pine, cut of all the limbs and hung
Old Glory at the top.
Attractive signs bearing the name
Camp Roosevelt, Civilian Conservation
Corps, Camp No. l." and directing en-
trance and exit traffic, are being painted
by former apprentice sign painter,
James E. Whelan, 10, Of Washington.
Jimmy spent two years in the Abbot.
Vocational School in the Capital, learn
ing how to paint signs But when he
completed the course, there were no
jobs to be had. Now, as head sign
painter at Camp Roosevelt, however, he
has opened a school Of his own. AL
ready he has one pupil and is willing
to teach ony other who want to learn.
Luckily. he brought his own equip
ment along from Washington. When
the supplies with which to paint the
signs were ordered, it happened that a
heavy, round pointed brush was sent to
him.
This thing is no good to me-" he told
Lieut.: R. B; Carhart, the quartermas;-
square pointed brush like this one" Che
held up the one he was using.
Where did you get that?" asked the
ofhcer.
"Oh, I brought 1t along from home
I kind of figgered there'd be some sign
painting to be done and probably moth
ing to do it with"
But out on the rock pile" they are
not so lucky as Jimmy in being as
signed to work they can do. The ''rock
pile" is a spot on the roadside near
the camp from which stone is hewn
for the camp road. Men assigned to
this hard labor" are those few NAL
contents who are perpetually growing
about the tough life" Of the camp.
They are the ones usually who have
failed to raise their hands to do q
lick Of work and have let the other
fellow do 1t.
Check ON Discomfort.
Segregated outside the immediate
camp area they are unable to breed
discomfort among their fellow CORPS
men, and this makes them all the more
angry.
this writer talked to as he approached
"say," shouted one fellow as we
drove up. do you want good story
for your paper?"
"sure, what have you got'" was the
reJolnder.
"Well, this Is q hell OF q camp" re-
torted the embroyo forester. The FOODS
terrible and they work you to death
and there amt nothing but rain"
what are they feeding you?"
"They call 1t ham, but it's nothing
but fat"
"And we get potatoes for breakfast,
potatoes for dinner and potatoes for
supper" his companion chimed In.
"Yeah, it's lousy" the other declared.
Abruptly, the interview was termi-
mated. The Regular Army man assign
FEW EREE OF ST.