Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1922-04-30 | Page 24 | Little Remains of Big 'War Baby' City

LITTLE REMAINS OF BIG 'WAR BABY' CITY CAIRO. April 29. What was onco considered the greatest military dump in tho world. El Kantara. the British army base on the east side of the Suez canal, has now almost entirely reverted revert-ed to the wilderness of sand and silence si-lence whence It rose. Its passing marks the demise of one of the most important ' war baby" soldier cltiu?. In 1914 El Kantara was merely the name of .1 'place." on the Suez canal, A , minutes by train from Port Said. With the heginning of the Palestine ' afhpaiffn, the transformation began Pioneers, engineers and army service corps detachments mapped out a town. ' There were erected enclosures for cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, fodder for great guns and small limber carts. Iater there appeared enclosures fot prisoners and the iniscellnnv of canteens, can-teens, contractors' huts, officers o,uar ters nnd barracks that made up a great war center. When the armistice was signed. El Kantara's stores included quantities of every purtenance of war. Its dismantling disman-tling began in 1920. Y.ntractor rushed in and secured great bargains "rradually the vast accumulation dwindled until, a few days ago, t li disposals dis-posals board finished Its work and 'the site was handed over to the Egyptian '.tbor corps a dilapidated emptj hulk.