Evening star., 1941-08-04
Tiny u. :. A. Booming
In Newfoundland as
Military Bases Grow
Yankees, Steom ShoveIs
And Trucks Sworming
Over the Island
Tn. stars Special News service.

over tne ISlon0
Tn. stars Special News Service.
ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, Aug.
At isn't an earthquake that
causes this shaking of the earth
under ones feet here in Newfound-
land, Britain's oldest colony. i
It's just the impact of sudden
surge of United States energy on
this great rock-r ribbed island-big-
ger than Ireland-that lies athwart
the water gateway to the st. Law
renee and Great Lakes area and
at the same time is a natural step
ping stone on the air route to Ice
land and Northern Europe.
With a terrific urge to get things
done, to get those Army and Navy
bases built on areas leased from
Britain, the dynamic Yanks are
swarming all over the place-roar-
ing over Newfoundland narrow
roads with their Army trucks and
construction camp vehicles. roofing
around In the landscape with their
huge, snorting bull-dozers and
mammoth graders, tearing into it
with voracious power-shovels, ham,
mering and saving and pouring con-
crete and raucously riveting steel
girders into place.
Yanks Pouring In.
The Yanks are pouring in with
weapons as we'll as tools. You might
call it an invasion. But instead of
looting the country they are pour
ing money into it; instead of raining
destruction from the sky they are
tearing up the earth in a frenzy OF
construction. Building homes in
stead of blasting them to smither-
eens-and distributing jobs and
wages in the process.
They are jamming Newfoundland s
narroW-gauge railway with con-
stantly arriving new contingents of
construction workers, but the in
vaders pay full fare and buy their
own meals. And the retail mer-
chants who can hardly keep up
with the boom in trade are taking in
real money
Perhaps the best place to get a
closeup OF what is happening is at
Argentia. on Placentia Bay, where
the Navy is building a base.
Started Six Months Ago.
Six months ago this tract was a
lonely peninsula, with about 100
families living in the little village
sprawled along the leeward side
1t was a desolate- looking coast
when the first contingent of Ameri-
cans landed in January. They
brought with them the 49-year-old
Long Island Sound excursion steam
er, Richard Peck, and built dock
to which she could be tied as a
floating barracks for the first con-
tingent of marines.
Not many men came up from the
States in the Richard Peck. She
was built for festive excursions,
not serious expeditions, and the men
who coaxed her North to Newfound-
land wore -preservers most OF
the way. AS floating barracks,
however, she was comfortable
enough; although even now, per-
manently nailed to the dock, she
rolls enough to spill soup in the
dining saloon.
To supervise the building OF the
new base, Comdr. R. V. Miller, Of
ficer in charge of construction at
the Naval Air Station, Quonset
Point, R. l.. sent 1t. j. w. Si]liman
to Argentina. In January and Feb
ruary weather, 1t. Sillimans first
lob was to launch the construc-
ton of temporary quarters in which
the construction personnel could
ive-there being nothing suitable
anywhere in the vicinity.
Small Town Today.
Today a construction camp the
size of a small town stands or
the peninsula It is an American
town. for it has its own United
States post Office, its own water
system, its own telephone system
its own sewage disposal system. re-
frigeration plant, motion picture
theater. A two-story barracks
houses several thousand workers
and a steam-heating system still
was keep the buildings cozy IN
chilly mid-July.
In and around this construction
town the permanent buildings and
facilities of the base are taking
shape: Hangers, piers, lighthouses
maintenance shops and garages,
gasoline and fuel-oil reservoirs, ra-
dio stations, barracks, storehouses,
administration buildings, power
plant and transmission lines, air
plane runways, hospital, baseball
diamond, theater and other recre-
alton facilities, bombproof shelters.
The preliminary job OF excavatlng
and grading was in itself an enor-
nous undertaking, and part of 1t still
is under way. On misty day what
looks like a herd of dinosaurs seems
to be grazing some distance from
the camp, stretching long necks,
eulping and champing. 1t Is a large
battery of power shovels chewing at
the landscape, removing the peat top