Men enlisted at training camps, May 15 to Aug. 15, 1917.

Camps:

Plattsburg Barracks_.

Madison Barracks.

Fort Niagara__

Fort Myer._.

Fort Oglethorpe

Fort McPherson.

Fort Benjamin Harrison, eighth (not including Engineer Corps)
Fort Benjamin Harrison, ninth (not including Engineer Corps)
Fort Sheridan, tenth_.

Fort Sheridan, eleventh.

Fort Logan H. Roots.

Fort Snelling.

Fort Riley

Fort Leon Springs.

Presidio of San Francisco_

Total____

WAR DEPARTMENT,

5, 541 2, 464 2,347

2, 491

2,548

2,501

2, 177 2,340

2, 409

2,374

2,280

2,405

2, 559

3, 124

2, 643

40, 203

THE ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington.

Table showing officers graduated from training camps conducted from May 15 to August 14, 1917-All have been assigned to duty with the 16 National Army divisions or elsewhere, and, with few exceptions, report for duty August 29.

1 Appointed in 1916. Attended training camps and recommended for retention in service.

H. P. MCCAIN, The Adjutant General.

QUARTERMASTER'S DEPOT, ST. LOUIS, MO.

The CHAIRMAN. For the construction of buildings for additional storage, including the necessary mechanical equipment, handling devices, etc., you are asking $339,000. Please explain this item.

Gen. SHARPE. It is proposed to construct a fireproof warehouse to increase the storage facilities at the St. Louis depot. The building is to consist of six units, 60 by 80 feet each, two wings, and a central administration building, the total cost being $884,000. It is proposed to put up now the central pavilion or administration office. including the mechanical equipment, at a cost of $189,000. The CHAIRMAN. What is the character of that building? Gen. SHARPE. It is to be of fireproof construction. The CHAIRMAN. I mean, is it just an office building?

Gen. SHARPE. An office building with all the equipment required in the way of heating and elevators. Then there will be required a revision of the track system, at a cost of $30,000; two units, one on each side of the central administration portion, costing $70,000 each, or $120,000; making a total of $339,000.

The CHAIRMAN. Out of this $339,000 you get about 33,000 cubic feet of storage space?

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir They are each to be five stories high. There will be 48,000 feet of storage space in those buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. The nine units contemplated will give 3,000,000 cubic feet of storage space?

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And two of them would give you, or ought to give you, about 66,000 cubic feet, and yet you say only 48,000 cubic feet. Gen. SHARPE. Each unit is to contain 240,000 cubic feet, if the six units are built.

The CHAIRMAN. The original proposition as submitted here was that these nine units would give you 3,000,000 cubic feet, so that would be 33,000 cubic feet to a unit.

Gen. SHARPE. The wings will be larger than those two units.
The CHAIRMAN. How much will each unit give?

Gen. SHARPE. Two hundred and forty thousand cubic feet of storage space.

The CHAIRMAN. That is about one-third less than contemplated. We had this before us in January when you asked money for the construction of a field-supply depot, and each unit was to cost $45,000, the nine units intended to provide 3,000,000 cubic feet. If that is so, two of them ought to provide 66,000 cubic feet. Now, the estimated cost has been increased 33 per cent, and the estimated capacity has been reduced 33 per cent, so that there must be something wrong about that.

Capt. DALY. The capacity of the two units will be 480,000 cubic feet, 240,000 cubic feet in each unit.

The CHAIRMAN. I thought you said 22,000.

Gen. SHARPE. No: 240,000 cubic feet.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the necessity for storage facilities at St. Louis?

Gen. SHARPE. That is one of the main depots that we have in the country.

The CHAIRMAN. I know, but your army is going to be in France.

Gen. SHARPE. But we have got to have these depots for supplying troops when they are stationed around in these cantonments. We have not anything in the way of storage at St. Louis now. I have some photographs here which will show you the way our material is now piled up; it is piled up outdoors with paulins placed over it. Capt. DALY. St. Louis will have all of that southern territory to supply, even if the troops do go to France, as we will always find it necessary to keep a large force on the Mexican border, and St. Louis is the center of that district. We also have our own reservation there, but a lot of inferior buildings.

Gen. SHARPE. We own a splendid piece of ground there.

Capt. DALY. Through the Belt Line Railroad we have railroad connection with all the railroads entering St. Louis. There are over a million cubic feet of stores now out in the open under paulins. The CHAIRMAN. Which is the more necessary, the administration building or the warehouse? You have some facilities there for administration, have you not?

Gen. SHARPE. We have very inadequate facilities, Mr. Chairman. Most of the offices are in an old building which is occupied by the depot quartermaster, just an old dwelling which has been adapted to

offices.

Capt. DALY. A part of the depot quartermaster's force is in a small building vastly overcrowded, a one-story building, another part of his force is in a sheet-iron warehouse, and another part of his force is in a set of quarters; so that there is no chance to coordinate his work and there is no chance to get maximum work out of the men because they are not all under direct observation.

The CHAIRMAN. How long would it take you to construct these buildings?

Gen. SHARPE. I think it could be done by the end of the year, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The end of the fiscal year?

Gen. SHARPE. I think it could be done; yes. It is a very urgent matter.

The CHAIRMAN. By that time most of those troops and their supplies will have been taken away.

Gen. SHARPE. Not from that district, because troops will always be down along the border and in the South and Southwest, which section that depot supplies.

Capt. DALY. Besides that, we must assemble stores at St. Louis for many of the troops in France.

Gen. SHARPE. There are deliveries of large quantities of stores made in St. Louis.

Capt. DALY. A great many of our shoes are delivered there as well as underwear.

Gen. SHARPE. I really believe it is one of the most urgent places where we have got to have storage.

Capt. DALY. We have nothing there now, our stores being housed in sheet-iron buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. You estimated that nine units would give you 3,000,000 cubic feet, and I was talking about 33,000 cubic feet when I should have been talking about 330,000 cubic feet, which would be about one-ninth of the 3,000,000 cubic feet. You have increased the cost from $45,000 to $60,000, and you have reduced the capacity from

4400-17-36

330,000 cubic feet to 210,000 cubic feet, so that the cost has increased 33 per cent and the capacity has been reduced 33 per cent.

Capt. DALY. Well, we must call on Col. Littell to explain this.

NOTE.-Nine units of 240,000 cubic feet each would give 2,160,000 cubic feet, to which should be added 700,000 cubic feet in the center pavilion, making 2,860,000 cubic feet in all.

The CHAIRMAN. I am taking the statement that was made in January; that was the statement you made. I can understand why the cost of the building would be higher but I do not understand why the capacity is to be so much less.

Capt. DALY. We will have to defer this, Mr. Fitzgerald, for Col. Littell to explain; these figures are all in his branch.

ACQUISITION OF LAND, LEON SPRINGS MILITARY RESERVATION.

The CHAIRMAN. There are two items here for the acquisition of land at Leon Springs Military Reservation, the first being "For the acquisition of approximately 16,578 acres of land as an addition to the Leon Springs Military Reservation, $314,441," and the second being "For the acquisition by purchase or condemnation of approximately 85.3 acres of land as an addition to the Leon Springs Military Reservation, $2,500."

Capt. DALY. A total of $316,941.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the necessity for this?

Capt. DALY. That estimate was made in accordance with instructions received from the Secretary of War and is based on correspondence with the department authorities down there, which is filed here with the estimate.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you know anything about the need or reason for it?

Capt. DALY. Only as set forth in these letters. The 85.3 acres are stated as being required by the department quartermaster of the Southern Department, as follows:

Reference being had to my memorandum dated June 23, 1917, relative to the proposed acquisition of certain tracts of land adjoining the Leon Springs Military Reservation, there are three additional tracts of land, the possession of which is considered necessary to give an uninterrupted entrance to the present reservation. These tracts, indicated on inclosed blue-print map, are: Rudolph Aue, 23.4 acres; Aue estate, 57 acres; John Moreau, 4.9 acres; a total of 85.3 acres. The actual value of these three tracts for pasture purposes is estimated to be not more than $15 per acre, exclusive of the well on the Rudolph Aue tract, which probably costs, approximately, $1,200; and some small houses which could easily be moved off by the owner. Another very objectionable feature that would be removed by the acquisition of this land is the riddance of the small houses referred to in paragraph 3, of which more are constantly being constructed and rented to undesirable people. The present owners have a very high idea of the value of this land, owing entirely to the activities of the Government at this point, and it does not seem probable that the land can be secured by negotiations at a reasonable price. Condemnation proceedings would therefore have to be instituted to obtain the tracts at a reasonable price. The total cost of the three tracts, including the well on the 23.4-acre tract of Rudolph Aue, would hardly exceed $2,500.

The department commander forwarded that paper to The Adjutant General, and was transmitted by The Adjutant General to the Quartermaster General with instructions by the Secretary of War that the amount called for be included in the Quartermaster General's additional estimates for 1918.

The CHAIRMAN. What about the big tract of 16,500 acres? Capt. DALY. This is the memorandum we have from the department quartermaster, Southern Department:

In obedience to your verbal direction, I have secured purchase options on approximately 16,000 acres of land lying just south of the Leon Springs Military Reservation and between the Blanco Road and the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway, as indicated in red lines on inclosed blue-print map. These purchase options, which are transmitted herewith, include the following tracts, all of which are shown on the blue-print map referred to.

Shall I read the names of the owners?

The CHAIRMAN. No. Have you the blue-print map?
Capt. DALY. Yes.

The acreage as stated above is based upon figures obtained from the tax assessor's rolls, except in the case of the Stowers estate and Fritz Braun, which was estimated. It is probable that an actual survey will show a slightly greater acreage in some of these tracts. Additional purchase options have also been secured on the following tracts, and which, to distinguish them from the former, on account of their higher price, are shaded on the blue-print map referred to. These options are also inclosed herewith.

The average per acre on the first lot of options is $17.88, and the average per acre on the second lot of options is $39.88.

The difference in the price of these latter tracts over the former is due to the fact that the first three areas are highly improved farming land. On the fourth tract there is a lime kiln owned by the San Antonio Sand, Lime & Brick Co., which makes it somewhat more expensive. Adding the latter four tracts to the total of the first group, we have 16,578 acres; average cost per acre, $18.96, or a total of $314,441. The area of the present Leon Springs Reservation is about 17,273.87 acres. The acquisition of the aforementioned tracts would make the total area 33,851.87 acres.

The CHAIRMAN. Why is it wanted:

Capt. DALY (reading):

The acquisition of these additional tracts will materially add to the value of the Leon Springs Reservation as a maneuver ground, small-arms and artillery practice, and ranges for machine-gun practice, in connection with the training of the large numbers of troops that will garrison the cantonments now under construction at Leon Springs and at Fort Sam Houston, Tex. They also afford good grazing in connection with the remount depot.

Now, here are the commanding general's reasons:

The Leon Springs Military Reservation is an excellent tract of land of about 17.273.87 acres for military purposes. It has, however, a number of disadvantages: (a) Owing to its distance-22 miles from Fourt Sam Houston-it takes two days for infantry to make the march. (b) It is now becoming somewhat crowded, on account of the cantonments recently completed and under construction for four regiments of Field Artillery, one regiment of Infantry, one regiment of Engineers, a training camp that will accommodate 3,000 student officers, a large remount depot, storehouses, and two small-arms target ranges. (c) The greatest dimensions of the reservation from north to south is about 5 miles, and from east to west about the same, but the tract is quite irregular and the difficulties of conducting suitable maneuvers on this ground have been found in the past to be serious when large bodies of troops are employed. (d) Additional room is very much needed for artillery practice, machine-gun practice, exercises in combat firing, and for maneuvers for large bodies of troops, notwitstanding that the cantonment now under construction for the regular troops was located up against the western boundary line of the reservation, in order to avoid undue interference in the use of the ground for range practive and maneuvers. It is proposed to extend the resevation toward the south for a distance of about 5 miles, having an area of approximately 16,000 acres, the land costing on an everage, $18.96 per acre, a very reasonable price.