Footnotes to Long Island History
Construction of Camp Upton
in 1917 Told in Major's Report
by
Thomas R. Bayles
Navy
This account of the construction of Camp Upton in 1917 is taken from a
report by the construction quartermaster, Major O. K. Meyers.
"On June 20, 1917, travel orders and instruction were received to
proceed to Yaphank, N.Y., and on the following day, accompanied by Col.
Frank H. Lawton, of the Department of the East Major M. J. Whitson, of
the Cantonment Division, and the president and general manager of the
Long Island Rail Road, and inspection of the property so far as the
trail extending through it permitted, was made.
"The site of the camp was determined and was located on a U.S.
Geological map of section. The factors controlling the location of the
site were that it should be centrally located on the property, provide
drill grounds on all sides, and that the prevailing winds would not pass
over the stables before reaching the barrack buildings. The site
selected placed the eastern end of the cantonment on low ground. The
location being decided upon, the nucleus of an engineering organization
was gotten together that evening.
"The location and arrangements of units having been approved, a field
party began surveys on June 23. The contract for construction was let to
the Thompson Starrett Co. of New York on June 24 and their
representative arrived on June 27.
"The property obtained by the Commander of the East for the contonment
was a tract of land containing about 10,000 acres. The property extended
from the South Country Road, on the south, to the Middle Country Road,
on the north, a distance 6 1/2
miles, and from the Carman's River on the west to the Peconic River on
the east, with a maximum width of four miles. TO provide for rifle
ranges, additional land to the Port Jefferson branch of the Long Island
Rail Road, a distance of 3 1/4 miles, with a width of 2
1/2 miles. Right to use of
the Tangier Smith property to the south has been obtained. The total
acreage at this time, June 15, 1918, is about 19,990 acres.
"The soil is very fine sand covered with from one to four feet of sandy
loam, and in the lowlands there is an underlying strats of impervious
hardpan whcih causes them to be swampy during the wet season. The land
is rolling, and in general is from 25 to 80 feet above sea level, a feet
mounds being as high as 185 feet.
"The property was originally covered with a hard wood forest. The stumps
had rotted level with the ground surface, and numerous shoots from four
to ten feet high had grown from them. These old stumps measured up to
six feet in diameter and were so numerous that in many places areas
could be walked over by the stepping from one stump to another. In
addition there from 30 to 50 pipe pine trees to the acre, measuring up
to 12 inches in diameter. In addition to the direct cost of removing the
brush and trees, the cost of trenching and grading was materially
increased. It was necessary to stump, construct and maintain many miles
of temporary roads, as trucking could not be done except along prepared
routes.
"As it was necessary to house and feed all employees, the clearing
placed an additional burden on the hosuing department. Fourteen hundred
acres were cleared, and it is estimated that the cost of construction
was increased by the undergrowth, by at least $500,000, this figure not
including the actual cost of the clearing. The main line of the property
crosses the southern part of the property.
"From June 25 until the latter part of July, the only work that could
done was clearing the site for a temporary camp near the railroad
tracks, clearing the site for the permanent buildings, and ordering
materials and equipment. During this period engineering forces were
making surveys of the area, in order to secure the necessary information
to determine the location of the buildings and pipe lines before the
arrival of material. The surveys developed that the land at the east
end, of the camp was too low for building purposes, and it was necessary
to move the site of the camp 2,000 feet to the west.
To Be Continued