Camp Cody Firemen Help Deming Save the Town

Hundred Thousand Dollar Fire Takes Half Block in Business Section

But for the aid of the brave and intrepid fire fighters of Camp Cody, Deming might today be a mass of ruins. They assisted the Deming fire department in confining the flames to half a block, covering Gold avenue and Pine street, when on Thursday afternoon a fire broke out in the Baker garage because a lighted cigarette fell into a pile of oily waste.

The flames quickly spread to the beautiful Cody theater and to several other buildings, including two residence. Most of the buildings will be immediately rebuilt.

Resolutions of Thanks

The following resolutions of thanks to the officers and men of the 34th division were adopted at a special meeting of the board of directors of the chamber of commerce, held Thursday night:

Whereas, on the afternoon of July 11, 1918, fire destroyed the property between Gold and Copper avenues for one-half block north of pine street, Deming, and

Whereas, officers and men of the 34th division, Camp Cody, unhesitatingly volunteered their assistance in combating the flames, which threatened to spread to adjoining property, and not only by dispatching the fire department equipment of Camp Cody to the assistance of the Deming fire department but by assisting in removing the contents of burning buildings: by forming and operating bucket brigades; by manning and operating lines of fire hose, and where fire hose lines were not available, by fighting the fire with streams from garden hose and by smothering it with dirt, succeeded in saving valuable property and in preventing the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings; and

Whereas, members of the military police immediately established fire lines, preserved order and guarded property removed from burning buildings, and

Whereas, soldiers of the 34th division, after the fire had been extinguished, returned property which had been removed from buildings in the path of the flames and removed other property to places of safety; therefor be it

Resolved, that the Deming chamber of commerce tender its sincere thanks to the officers and men of the 34th division for the invaluable assistance they so unhesitatingly rendered upon this occasion, which resulted in saving many thousands of dollars’ worth of property in the business district. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – July 18, 1918

Cody Theatre Fire – Deming, New Mexico – July 1918

1917 Deming, Deming, New Mexico Fire Truck

One of the Camp Cody Fire Engines in 1918

Former Camp Cody Boy Killed While Fighting in France

Word has been received of the death of Corp. Clifford J. Worden, killed in action in France. Corp. Worden formerly belonged to company D. Of the Second Iowa, which is now company B, of the 125th M. G. Battalion, and he was well known by the men in both companies A and B, both of which are from Mason City, Iowa, and were formerly companies A and D, respectively. Corp. Worden was among those picked from the Second Iowa to fill up the Third Iowa, now the 168th infantry regiment of the Rainbow division. The boys are now seeing actual service and several of the Mason City boys have been wounded. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – March 23, 1918

Scene At A Military Funeral, Deming, New Mexico 1918

Finish Building For Camp Cody Red Cross

Camp Headquarters For Camp Cody Completed; Much Work Accomplished

The American Red Cross has recently completed it headquarters building, situated north of division headquarters. The building is one story and modeled after all other cantonment construction at Camp Cody. In it are the offices and quarters of the Red Cross personnel.

Telephones have been placed so that the Red Cross may be communicated with at any hour in the 24. The Red Cross warehouse is but a short distance from the headquarters house in section five. A complete supply of emergency articles is carried in the warehouse and will be issued on requisition of any officer of the army.

Convalescent House

At the base hospital a convalescent house was completed about July 1, and now equipped to the last pin and beautifully furnished, has been donated to the base hospital. It is being operated by the army and is in all respects, including ownership and operation a ward of the base hospital. Near the nurses quarters a nurses quarters a nurses’ recreation house, equipped with attractive furnishings has recently been erected by the Red Cross. Immediately east of the base hospital administration building the Red Cross has erected and donated to the army a pass and information office. All these building are painted white. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – September 26, 1918

Camp Cody Red Cross Building, Deming, New Mexico – 1917-1918

Las Cruces, NM Man Makes Experiment With Photographic Kite At Camp Cody

A Mr. Samuel Parks of Las Cruces, New Mexico, made an experiment at camp today with a photographic kite which is his own invention. A camera is sent up to the kite by means of a pulley, and a projecting wing which controls the shutter is tripped automatically, thereby exposing the film. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – January 11, 1918

This newspaper article was donated by Christopher Schurtz. Christoper is a historian doing research by this aerial photographer. If anyone knows of a copy of the photos taken by Samuel Parks, please contact me.

Camp Cody Development Battalion is Working Well

Five Companies, Headquarters and Medical Staff Are Organized

The work of the development battalion, recently created, is being well organized under the direction of the following personnel:

Major Arthur M. Nelson, commanding officer.
Lieutenant G. A. Rockefeller; adjutant
Lieutenant Edwin F. Postal, supply officer.

Company No. 1

Captain James A. Kilian
First Lieutenant J. S. Kellihan
First Lieutenant E. F. Frick
Second Lieutenant P. E. Coad

Company No. 2

Captain O. M. Newman
First Lieutenant W. E. Darland
First Lieutenant F. E. Dickiuson
Second Lieutenant E. C. Dike

Company No. 3

Captain C. L. Keating
First Lieutenant L. C. Meyer
First Lieutenant W. L. Crosson
Second Lieutenant D. E. Iloof

Company No. 4

Captain W. H. Barnacle
First Lieutenant Wm. Graupman
First Lieutenant O. M. Smith
Second Lieutenant A. A. Phillips

Company No. 5

Captain John B. Miller
First Lieutenant A. F Christopherson
Second Lieutenant Andrew Alexander
Second Lieutenant L. B. Sharp, Asst. Supply Officer

Medical Staff

First Lieutenant Marlin C. Crane
First Lieutenant Charles S. Brady
First Lieutenant R. C. Eich

Purposed of Battalion

It is the purpose of the development battalion to receive from the various division organizations, men who are physically, mentally of morally unfit for efficient competent service of for efficient competent service or for special branches of domestic service and to recommend for discharge men who cannot readily be equipped for either form of service. – Camp Cody, Trench and Camp Newspaper – July 25, 1918

Camp Cody Officers In Front Of Their Tents – Deming, New Mexico – 1917-1918

Camp Cody Commander of 67th Infantry Brigade

Although General H. A. Allen has been prominent in “affairs” at Camp Cody for the past five months, he has steadfastly refused to pose for a photo of any kind. The photo below was obtained with the conniving assistance of an aid whose identity is deleted for obvious reasons.

General Allen comes from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is one of the big men of the state. Incidentally it might be remarked here that if this war ends very soon, Iowa may boast of a real military governor and that person will be no other then General Allen. The latter has risen from a buck private in the national guard to his present position of brigadier general. He is one of the real popular officers of Camp Cody. – Camp Cody, Trench and Camp Newspaper – January 8, 1918

General H. A. Allen – Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico – 1918

34th Division Soldier’s Letter Home from Camp Cody

I finished my gas instruction today. We only had three days instruction of two hours each day, which is very limited. They have a regular gas house out north of Camp Cody about a mile which is lined so as to be practically air tight and they fill this with different kinds of gas and you sit there with one of these mask on and try it out. Yesterday we had tear gas that makes you cry real hard and today we had chlorine gas which will kill you if you get enough of it. The doctor told us there was approximately the same proportion in the air in the gas house that the British got the first time the Germans gassed them when so many of them died of the effects of it. The masks are uncomfortable things but are absolutely preventives, I guess, as long as you get them on quick enough. If there are any cases where the masks didn’t act as a preventive, he didn’t tell us anything about it. I am a little suspicious on that subject. Ray – Headquarters – 34th Division – January 30, 1918

Jacob M. Coffin, Chief Medico At Camp Cody, is Cook, Too

Lieutenant Colonel Jacob M. Coffin, 34th division surgeon at Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico, is well known in El Paso and along the border. He has been at his present post since August 1917. He was in charge of the ambulances when General Pershing’s expedition was operating in Mexico and was at Fort Bliss and Fort Riley, Kansas, until he went to Camp Cody.

He is a Pennsylvanian by birth; his home town being Royersford. He was educated at Pennsylvania college and graduated in medicine at the university of that state. He was born in 1878. He became a member of the medical corps of the regular army in 1902, starting as a second lieutenant. In 1903 he graduated from the army medical school at Washington. He became a captain on October 27, 1907. He is also a graduate fro the cooks’ and bakers’ school and the field officers’ course in equitation. He was made a major in July, 1916, while serving in the punitive expedition in Mexico.

Lieutenant Colonel Coffin saw service in the Philippines, in the army medical school at Washington, D. C.; at Hot Springs, Arkansas; Yellowstone Park; Fort Riley, Kansas; and Columbus, New Mexico. He is an untiring worker of great administrative ability, of marked versatility, his every energy being bent to the service of his department of the army. He is a soldier above all things. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – January 15, 1918

Jacob M. Coffing – Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico

Children Vainly Wait For Father Who Sent Them American Dolls

A little human interest story is told at Camp Cody of Lieutenant Jean Jegou, one of the two French army officers at Camp Cody who were drowned in trying to ford the Silver City “wash|” Friday night on the way back to Camp Cody. The lieutenant had told some of his friends here that after coming to Camp Cody as on of the officer instructors of the French mission, he bought and sent back home in France two dolls, one to each of his two little girls. He said when they could see American soldiers they would run out and proudly show the dollies, telling that their papa, who was in America, had sent them and ask: “Do you know our papa who is in your country?” – El Paso Herald Newspaper – August 8, 1918

French Officer’s Funeral, Deming, New Mexico

Checker Champ of Camp Cody Wishes To Defend Title

Soldier Takes On Two Men for Ten Games of Checkers

First Class Pvt. Olfred Gorman, of the finance branch of the Camp Cody Headquarters department, has won a great reputation as a checker player. Tonight he will take on two unknowns, both soldiers, and play two sets of five games each. Lieutenant Weis, of the dental corps, and with ambulance company 135, is the promoter of these games, which are creating marked interest. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – March 9, 1918

Checker Champ Of Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico 1918