Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-05

southampton. - The despatch of
troops from Southampton continues,
but the movements are now kept less
secret than during the passage of the
first expeditionary forces. The record
then made provided an excellent test
of the facilities here for handling such
great movement of troops.
Although the expeditionary force
was dispatched from several points.
Southampton handled the bulk of the
10000 TO 100000 men who were sent
to the continent during two weeks
time The docks at this place afford
more than one and a half miles of wa
ter front, with railway lines so close
TO the ships docks that it is but mo-
ment's work 10 transfer trainloads of
men, horses and equipment from the
railway to the steamships. The pre-
cision with which the transfer was
made was so marked that an entire
train was frequently unloaded in three
minutes, and IL was not uncommon for
twenty trains to enter the docks and
complete their task of unloading with
in a single hour.
The plan had been worked out by
the war Office two years before. The
small cars used for transporting
horses, accommodating only seven or
eight animals, proved a great factor
in the speedy transfer. Each horse
had a separate compartment, and the
sides of the cars dropped down in
such m~r that the animals STEP
ped out wiz, the slightest confus-
ion Some Americans who witnessed
this movement remarked that the cars
were far more practical for this sort
of work than the large freight cars
used in America, into which a number
of horses were crowded.
Scores of hospital cars still line the
dock tracks here ready for the recep-
ton Of sick and injured returning
from the continent Red Cross signs
are displayed and surgeons and nurses
are in the cars With everything ready
for the wounded. The hospital trains
are made up of converted passenger
coaches and sleeping cars. All have
the small compartments common to
English railway coaches with doors Cd 1
ening at the sides. Litters are provid- /,
ed which Will enter these small side
doors and consequently IL is much cas- |
Ter TO place the seriously injured in /
berths than IL would be IL II were nee
essary to carry them through the end /
doors common to American sleeping /
cars and along narrow aisles or hall /
ways.
Baggage cars have also been con-
verted into hospital cars where pa
tients can be placed who need atten-
tion of sort which can be rendered
more satisfactorily in a roomy car
than in a small compartment.
notwithstanding TO Sir Edward
Grey, the German emperor on Aug.
sent Ine of his aides-de-camp to the
British ambassador with the follow
ing message:
His majesty begs that you will tell
the king that he has been proud CT
the titles of British field-marshal and
British admiral. but that IN conse-
quence of what has occurred he must
now at once diyest himself of those
titles"
This was written by Sir Edward
Goschen in London on Aug. 8. and yet
in the new monthly Naval List. just
issued. a month after the actual event.
one reads: "Admirals of the Fleet:
His Imperial Majesty. William H., Ger
man emperor and King of Prussia, X.
g.. g =. v. o.: his Royal Highness.
Prince Albert William OF Prussia, X.
g.. G.. C. b.