Evening star., 1940-06-03
Ground Broken
For Armory;
1900 on Hand
Talk of War and
Defense Omitted
At Ceremonies

Ground was broken yesterday for
the new District National Guard
Armory. Nothing was said about
war or preparedness for war. Only
prayer was offered, asking that
the massive limestone structure be
laid on the firmest of foundations,
to insure liberty and justice in this
Nation for all time.
The guardsmen arrived at the site
at the end of East Capitol street in
rumbling trucks. The color guards
took their stations as the 26Otn
Coast Artillery Band, led by War
rant Officer Joseph Berst, and the
121st Engineer Band, conducted by
Warrant Officer Meyer Goldman,
played martial airs. Chairman May
of the House Military Affairs Com
mittee was present. A crowd of
1900 was on hand.
The program opened with Amer
lca' by the artillery musical group
and then Chaplain Arthur A. Me-
Callum of the artillery gave the
benedlction, praying for the con-
tinuance of those principles for
which the Nations founders fought.
Gen. Cox Gives Talk.
Brig. Gen. Albert l.. Cox, COM
manding officer of the Guard. then
reminded the assembly of the long
struggle for an appropriation.
He theh. introduced three men
who were in the forefront of the
fight - Representative Collins of
Mississippi, who introduced the
original measure calling for an ap-
preparation for the building; Sen
ator Overton of Louisiana, chair
man OF the Senate District Subcom-
mittee on Appropriations, and Col.
David McCoach, jr., Engineer Com
missioner for the District.
Presentation of officers Of the
Guard followed, Gen. Cox introduc-
ing Col. Walter w. Burns, 26oth
Coast Artillery; Maj. William T.
Roy, special troops, 29th Division:
Maj. Fletcher F. Bernsdorf. LIST
battalion, l04th Quartermaster
Regiment, and 1t. Col. Julian S.
Ohf1, second in command. l2lst
Engineers. Col. John w. Oehmann
heads the latter group, but was un-
able to attend.
The actual ground breaking took
pace next. Gen. Cox, Senator
Overton, Mr.. Collins and Col Nc
Coach each took a new green-han-
dled spade and dug in as the artil-
lery band played the National En-
blem March"
Gen. Cox then introduced Charles
H. Tompkins, contractor for the
building. The Engineer Band PLAYED
the "Doxology" and "The star
Spangled Banner" and Chaplain
Simpson B. Daugherty of the Enpi-
neers gave the benediction.
Work on First Unit Begun.
At 7:30 am. today, the boiler in
steam shovel was fired and the
work on the first unit-the drill hall
to cost s1,175834, was begun. II
IS scheduled to be finished by Christ
mas.
In the fall, contracts will be
awarded for the second unit. con-
slstlng of four buildings at either
corner OF the drill hall to house
the various divisions, bringing the
total expenditures to s2,750,OOO. All
work, including landscaping. is ex-
pected to be finished in a year. The
site is bounded by Nineteenth,
TWenty-second and B streets Sc.
and East Capitol street.
After the ground-breaking Gen
COX recalled that only once before
has the District Guard had an
armory-and that was for exactly
two months in 1861. When the Civil
War began, it was turned into a
hospital for the wounded. Since
then, the Guard has been occupy-
ing temporary quarters, being now
in the old National Hotel Build
ing at Pennsylvania avenue and
Sixth street NV. The new armory
will be the finest anywhere, Gen.
Cox said