NEARLY READY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2657, 31 December 1915, Page 6

NEARLY READY

+ . J FEATHERSTON MILITARY CAMP ; TO BE OCCUPIED IN THREE [ WEEKS. ) [ The new military camp near Foatherstoii, which is to bo ready for occupation by the military authorities on January 23, has begun to assume a completed appearance. Since a description of the camp was published in The Dominion a month ago, substantial progress has been made, all bait three of the 90 hutments being finished, except for painting, and the wiring of some of them for the electric lighting. The many streets and avenues have been channelled, metalled, and rolled, electric light and telephone poles form regular rows along the footpaths, and tho wires are all in place. Only the hospital, ■which is on the opposite side of the road to t'ho main portion of the camp, h:as been taken over bj the J) of once Department so far; it is not proposed to take over the mam camp until the workmon have left. This building was only , a framework a month ago; it was finished on December 17, and to-day patients from Tauherenikau Camp are sect there. It is a tastefully-finished hospital, 'with all the up-to-date appliances, while the lighting, is soft and soothing and the ventilation good. Adjoining it are fcne medical inspection quarters and the dental 6urgery, the latter being provided with six chair 3, with an electric lamp over each. A waiting room and a work-room occupy the' remainder of tile building, the interior of which is finished in a neat manner with hand-dressed, woods. A Street of Shops, That portion of the Featherston-Grey-town Road wliich passes the camp will have tho appearance of a street of shops. The Church of England, Roman Catholic, and Salvation Army halls adjoin tho and near them are the Wairarapa Patriotic Society's social rooms, which are to bo managed by an officer of tho Y.M.C.A. The canteen, an enormous building, over 200 feet long by 50 feet wide, comes next. Thon follow a string of shops, picture shows, billiard saloons, aud shooting galleries, with other establishments of the same kind on the opposite side of tho road, near the main entrance. All these, m common with every building in the camp, will be lighted by the electricity generated in the powerhouse, where two huge engines and generators, driven by producer gas, aro in position. Where the wires cross the road, very high poles are used; the outside wires throughout aro of naked copper. At the same time it must be stated that a pressure of only 230 volts will Be iumr, from which no danger to life could result in the case of a broken wire. The traveller along the road by night might easily that he was passing through a well-lighted township, the impression of industrial activity being accentuated by tho presence of railway' wagons standing or bemg shunted to and fro. Neat Rows of Hutments. The portions of the camp which aro completed consist of rows of hutments painted a^ light cream colour with chocolate facings. In the spaces between tho hutments where no roadway ex;sts, the ground has been cleared of debris and levelled, and the effect is trim and iieal!. At present most of the hutments ■ have only their coat of priming, pink in colour. The painters are away on holiday, but on their return, the transformation will be rapid. 'By that time the last of the buildings to go up will le nearing completion. These include a coke store for the gas producer phmt, a pay and records office, being additions to headquarters offices, a" l-oiler-room for tho hot showers, the hotwater bath house, and disinfector house situated between' the boiler-room and the baths, a pack store for the hospital, _ two sheds to contain manual fiioengines, a store, orderly rooms, saddle room for A.S.C. harness. and buteher's shop, milk store, and vegetable store for ljhe hospital. This list appears a long ono, 'out by comparison witli the size and number of the buildings in the carn'p, the items contained 1 in it represent only a small amount of work. At present there aro onl.v 300 men on the job, a distinct diminution in numbers from the 1030 . who were employed there three reeks ago. ' : . • , The Hot-water Showers. : The bath-liouse, which will contain 100 showers for hot and cold water, is modelled on the one' in use at Trentliam, but it will embody several variations from that plan. For example, the whole of tile floors both in the dressing rooms and in the shower bath will be of concrete. The thanks will bo contained in a loft in the two-storied central portion with the officers' showers beneath. As' in the Trentliam baths, the water will be heated by steam front a boiler situated near by, the watet supply coming from the 13,000-gallon tank erected on a stand 40 feet high, some distance beyond the higher end of the camp, where the wells are situated. Two pumps, driven by electric motors, will lift the water into, the tanks, the height of which, aided by the natural fall of the ground towards the camp, will give an excellent pressure at tho taps in the camp. About 60,000 gallons of water will be required in the camp every day, and it is anticipated that the wells will meet this demahd. Provision In Case of Fire. The danger of fire which is ever present in a community of wooden buildings, has not been overlooked. In the two wide avenues eight conorete, underground tanks are being built, and another will be situated in the .grounds across the road, near the hospital. Each of these will contan 6000 gallons of water, and in the event of fire the water will be pumped by either the manual or mechanical means through the fire hoses. In _ addition, chemical fire will be conveniently placed in boxes in the hutments and other buildings. The stables of a barracks or camp have always been, regarded as danger spots so far as fire is concerned. But at the Featherston Military Camp vory little risk will exist, as the buildings are made of iron on wooden frames, with concrete floors.,. The Largest Building. . The largest building in the camp will be the canteen. At present, with only tho frame work up, it resembles a forest of timber., In all its 200 ft. of length and 50ft. of widths-there is ouly one partition, and that is quite, close to one end. In the centre there is an area of solid concrete, upon which the boilers for malting tea and coffee mil stand. The remainder of the interior of the building will be devoted to counters and to the accommodation of the soldier customers. The largest hutment is 1.32 ft. long, so that the canteen easily dwarfs it, while the largest churehroom and the huge forage store near at hand, although hiebcr buildings, do not cover anvthing like the same ground space. When the camp is occupied and the canteen ini full swing at .night, with electric lamn's inside and out, it will make a striking sight. A Fortnight's Work. Seven hundred men could practicallv finish the work, yet to' be done, in about a fortnight. Whether that number will be employed there, is doubtful, but there is little doubt that the camp will be ready on January 23. In the meantime it continues to bo a very live and interesting place, with post office. aooSiil hull, uymuuaium, and other social centres. 1