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VOL. 1.
857 HANCOCK ALIENS MADE CITIZENS
IN ONE DAY; WORLD’S RECORD BROKEN
Never Before in History Have
So Many Men .Taken Oath of
Citizenship in One Day. Judge
Emory Speer and Court At
tendants Complete Work
Thursday and Return to Ma
con Friday. Twenty Nations
Represented Among Appli
cants for Citizenship, Two of
Them Being Germans
o °
Following is the oath of citizen
ship each applicant must take:
You and each of you do declare on
oath that you absolutely and en
tirely renounce and abjure all allegi
ance and fidelity to any foreign
prince, potentate, state or sovereign
ty and particularly to (name of ruler
of their country) of which you have
heretofore been a subject, that you
will support and defend the constitu
tion ana laws of the United States
of America against all enemies
foreign and domestic and you will
bear true faith and allegiance, to the
same, so help you God.
A
o ite —— <’
" Eight hundred and fifty-seven aliens,
members of the United States army at
Camp Hancock, were Thursday made Citi,
zens of this country.
Never before in the history of the
United States, or for that matter in the
world, have so many aliens taken the
oath of citizenship in one day.
Court was held at Y. M. C. A. Building
77, Judge Emory Speer, who returned to
his home at Macon Friday morning, pre
siding. Twenty nations are represented
among the 850 men who have just become
citizens of this country. Court clerks
worked until late in the night preparing
the necessary papers .and Friday morn
ing certificates of citizenship were dis
tributed to the men by their command
ing officers.
The deputy clerk of court, C. J,. Skin
ner, Jr., stated Friday that the court felt
much indebted to Captain-Curtis H. Page,
intelligance officer at Camp Hancock,
who made all necessary arrangements for
bringing the men into court and assort
ing them according to their units. Cap
tain Page speaks seven languages. In
calling the names of men of various
nationalities, using the proper accent, the
men were seen to straighten their shoul
ders in a military way, flush with pride,
and step forward to take the oath. It
was one of the most impressive occasions
of which Augusta has ever b<*«i the
scene. .
The work of securing the applications
for citizenship was handled by Louis
Weinburger. assistant chief naturaliza
tion examiner, who came here from
Washington several days ago to handle
this work. He was assisted by Herbert
E. Gyles and Wm. H. Smoak of Aikati,
and S. McG. Simkins of Edgefield. These
three gentlemen are prominent attorneys
of these places. They volunteered their
services to the government. Ten or more
clerks from the office of Captain Page
also assisted in the Work.
Major Cooper, deputy United States
Marshal, and L. M. Edwin, clerk of court
were here for the naturalization. These
court officials also retured to Macon Fri
day.
The building in which court was held
was filled four times by the candidates for
citizenship. Judge Speer made a few ap
propriate remarks to each group of men.
He told them that he hoped they would
make as good soldiers as Uncle Sam him
self, ad in expressing the great deeds
of valor that have been performed by
the leaders of their country, he told them
that he expected them to emulate these
deeds.
The following nations were represented
among the candidates:
Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Denmark. France, Germany, Great Brit
ain and her jwssessions, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, Norway, Persia. Rumania, Russia.
Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Switzerland, Bel
gium.
Great Britain led the list in number
of applicants; Russia was second. Italy,
third and Greece, fourth. Two of the ap
plicants were Ger’mans and one applicant
a Persian.
EXPLOsTdN CAUSEO F DAMAGE
Paris, June 4. —Much damage was
done by a violent explosion yesterday
in a plant in which war materials were
being manufactured at Braussens in
southern France, near Arles, a Havas
dispatch from Marseilles reports. The
number of persons killed or injured Is
large.
TOTAL SOLAR
ECLIPSE JUNE BTH
On the afternoon of Saturday, June
8, 1918, the wonderful spectacle of a
total solar eclipse will ba visible,
weather permitting, over a track ex
tending from the Pacific (Washington)
to the Atlantic (Florida). This track
of the moon's si adow is 70 miles wide
at the western coast, narrowing to
30 miles in Florida.
Far about an hour the moon will
gradually encroach upon the sun’s disk,
the daylight will fade, then the nar
rowing crescent of thesun will sudden
ly disappear, and around the jet-black
ball of the moon, hanging in the north
western sky among the brighter stars,
will be seen the pearly radiance of the
mysterious solar corona. The remar
kable spectacle may be enjoyed for 122
seconds at the western coast, and for
half that time in Florida. Then the
crescent of the sun will appear on the
other (western) side cf the moon, and
after another, li ur the full disk of the
Shn will shine as usual.
This event happens at any one place,
on the average, only three times in a
thousand years.
The gaseous envelope of the sun can
be advantageously studied by astrono
mers during tne brief interval of total
eclipse, and it is then only that the
corona, can be observed. It. is estimated
that there are only about 90 minutes
in a century for the investigation of
this interesting but still perplexing
outer appendange of the sun. Its shape
is not constant, but varies with the
eleven-year cycle of the sun's activity
in producing sun-s"ots. Sun-spots are
now about at their maximum, and ac
cordingly we may expect a corona
with streamers distributed in al’ direc
tions around the sun, but not so widely
extended east and west as in 1900. The
streamers issuing from near the sun’s
poles suggest somewhat certain ap
pearances of the aurora borealis. —Ed-
win B. Frost, in Popular Mechanics’
Magazine.
SOLDIER CLUB POPULAR
New Mail Box Installed. Rest
Room for Soldiers’ Wives and
Mothers Being Equipped. En
tirely Free to Soldiers.
With the placing of the mail box for
the special use of the Soldiers’ Club at
C 29 Broad street, the last little detail has
been added for the comfort and co iveni
ence of the men who are now wearing
the uniform of Uncle Sam. The club rooms
have become very popular and the im
mense amount of mail sent out from that
point necessitated an additional mail box.
A rest room has lately been fitted up on
the second floor where soldiers may
take their wives and mothers. Further
improvements are contemplated for the
rest room, including the acquisition of a
piano and phonograph which will make of
it a most convenient place for mothers
or wives who may be visiting their sons
or husbands. This is the only room
in the club, however, where women are
allowed to enter, except upon special oc
casions.
Attention of the new men entering
camp is called to the excellent features
provided free of cost by the Commission,
on Training Camp Activities and War
Camp Community Service. This club
house provides every facility for clean
amusement. The first floor offers the
use of a piano and reading room. Also
or. the first floor some excellent shower
baths have been installed which are
proving most naturally very popular. On
the second floor two billiard tables and
four poo) tables are at the disposal of the
soldiers. The third floor provides an im
mense lounging room and reading and
writing room. A canteen is also main
tained.
The club is conveniently located and the
soldiers have all its features free of cost.
Mr. J. L. Collins is the manager of the
club. In the building offices are main
tained by Mr. F. H. Wood, executive sec
retary of the War Camp Community Ser
vice, assisted by Mr. J. H. Haley.
JUNE 5, 1918.
NEARLY 7,000 MEN ARRIVED IN CAMP DURING
PAST WEEK; TOTAL OF 20,000 HERE
Improvements Being Made at Hancock Will Give This Camp
a Machine Gun Range Second to None in Entire Country.
Pennsylvania Avenue Practically Filled With New Men.
Plans Being Made For Building to Be Known As “The
Mill,’’ Where Drafted Man Will Go In As Civilian and
Come Out As a Soldier.
(By W. M. Owens, Staff Correspondent
of the Augusta Herald.)
Arrivals of machine gun recruits at
Camp Hancock during the past week
has swelled the total of drafted men now
stationed here to 12,000. With 8,000 ord
nance men in camp here, Hancock today
has a total population of 20,000 men.
The total a week ago was only 13,000, the
week’s arrivals being 7,000 men.
Every train is bringing officers and
men to the machine gun training center
here. Few ordnance men are arriving,
and it is thought that the movement to
Hancock of men in this service has about
been completed.
Pennsylvania Avenue, the former quar
ters of the Pennsylvania Infantry and
Machine Gun Battalions, is now about
filled. This means that at an early date
the entire' artillery quarters are to be
occupied by machine gun men. Only the
three battalions of machine gunners sent
here from Camp Jackson are now in that
section of the camp.
It was stated officially yesterday that
three battalions of machine gun men
would be sent here from Camp Wheeler,
where the Dixie Division is stationed.
There are about 300 Augusta men in these
units. Just when the transfer is to be
made is not made public, as the arrival of
the men here will not be announced until
the movement is complete.
The Yankee boys are finding Dixie a
hot. place just at this time, but the men
who have been here a week says that
they are already becoming acclimatized
and are not finding the drills too arduous.lt
is possible that as the weather becomes
hotter that the camp authorities will les-
MACHINE GUN MEN LEARN
ING TO RUN CORRECTLY
Instruction in Athletics to Be
Given Every Morning in the
Ranks.
During the drill period each mdrning
the boys in the machine gun ’companies on
Pennsylvania avenue are to be given in
struction in running, athletics, and a va
riety of athletic and gymnastic games.
Tuesday morning the instruction was (be
gun with the Army Physical Training of
ficer, Captain Ashmore, in charge, as
sisted by the Y. M. C. A. physical di
rectors, numbering five. Each physical
director was given the system to be used
with the boys and then was put in charge
of a company of 220 with which to work.
Each company was then instructed in
the proper firm for sprint running, this
being followed with relays and different
types of races. Keen competition soon
developed between the squads and some
real lively races resulted. The running
an dother games which are to fillow will
no doubt be of great value in making the
men light on their feet as well as strong
and agile. -
During this same period of time, one
half an hour, four other companies of the
same group were taken to Hut 232 and in
structed in marching songs. These men
were lead by Mr. Clark, the "Y”, music
director. He feels that in a few morn
ings of this type of singing they will be
much better fitted to sing when in the
march by themselves or between drill pe
riods. •
These two kinds of exercise go hand in
hand in developing a man’s lung capacity
and his physical ability as a soldier. The
importance of this fact is coming to be
more fully appreciated by athletic, phy
sical and military training officials, uni
versally. Consequently it is being'more
popularly used by these men in their
courses of instruction each day.
Informal recreation such as boxing,
wrestling, baseball and volleyball, after
working hours also plays a large part in
a soldier’s life and will materialy help in
his development and give necessary re
laxation.
GOTHAM TO BE
IN DARK TONIGHT
o o
New York.—New ifork will be in I
‘ the dark tonight for fear of air. |
I plane raids or bombardment. This
! order was issued today by Police
I Commissioner Enright.
sen the hours of drill. The hours mav
be so arranged that the men will be put
on the drill grounds for a longer period
early in the morning and will drill later
in the evenings, thus giving them several
hours of rest during the middle of the
day.
Col. Hugh S. Gallagher, depot quarter
master for the southeastern department,
‘with headquarters in Atlanta, returned to
his station today after an official visit to
Camp Hancock. He was here to inspect
the manner in which supplies are handled
and to offer suggestions for any improve
ments necessary.
- , Improving Rifle Range.
Only small arms are being used on the
rifle range at this time, and even this
practice is held only at intervals. The
range is being extended and considerably
improved. It is stated that Hancock will
nave a machine gun raneg second to
none in the entire country when all im
provements have been completed. The
extensions under way will permit the fir
ing of small guns at a range of one thou
sand inches and the 700-yard hciivy guns.
. >la,IS a building to be known as
The Recruiting Mill" are now being
made. This building will probably be ■
located along Pennsylvania avenue. When 1
completed the building will be so ar- I
ranged that a drafted man. who has just
arrived in camp, may enter one door
wearing a straw hat and tan shoes and
make his exit from another a few hours
later in complete uniform. Before leav
ing "the Mill” the, rookie will be given a
physical examination, his hair cut, he will
be inoculated, put in uniform, and last
be given instructions just where to re
port for duty.
1 So SOLDIERS
PRAY AT HANCOCK
National Memorial Day Ob
served in Most Impressive
Manner by Soldiers.
Ten thousand Camp Hancock soldiers,
many of whom wore civilian clothing,
assembled in the dry reservoir near the
camp entrance on Memorial Day and
stood with bared heads while prayer
was offered in accordance with the pres
ident's proclamation calling upon Amer
ica to pray on National Memorial Day.
On a stand which faced the soldiers
Colonel Oliver Edwards, camp command- ‘
er, and a number of prominent Augusta
citizens were seated. Among the Au
gustans on the stand were: Mayor James
R. Littleton, Sheriff J. T. Plunkett, H.
R. Fund, chairman of the County Board
of Commissioners; F. L. Marshall, presi
dent of the Board of Commerce: H. A.
Wheeling, secretary of that board; John
Phinizy. president of the Rotary Club:
Wm. H. Barrett. A. H. Brenner and
Capt. J. Rice Smith.
Hundreds of of people from Augusta,
including wives and relatives cf the sol
diers, witnessed the ceremony which was
most impressive.
JNO. MASEFIELD DECLARES
WINNING OF WAR DE
PENDS ON U. S.
The presen . : of the eminent English
scholar and . uthor, John Masefield,
at Y M. C. A. 77 on Saturday even
ing a large and enthusiastic audi.nce
of soldier admirers of his great works.
For almost an hour he held the close
attention of the men while be told of
conditions in ngland and France and
discussed the effect of American par
ticipation in the war. He emphasized
p. rticularly the fact tl at upon our ar
mies depends the great offensive which
will win the war after the French and
British forces have withstood the
force of the present German offensive.
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No. 35