New-York tribune., 1914-11-22

in that region. Unsupported, the Austrian army
might be annihilated
Now il was necessary to send east not alone
the two Austrian corps hitherto aiding in the
attack upon France, but five German corps-in
all 2SOOOO men
Having sent that number OF men east, the sd-
vantage of numbers was no longer with the Ger
mans in France. Russia was pounding ahead ter
ribly in Galicia, requiring larger and larger de-
pletions of the western armies, and the western
most town in Russian Poland is than 200
miles from Berlin
The first fighting in the Russian campaign was
on the eastern frontier Of Prussia, about Gum
binnen, where a considerable Russian army
stepped over the line and defeated the Germans,
rolling them back to Konigsberg. This invasion
barely three weeks after war had been declared
compelled the transfer of $4,000 German troops
from the West to the Esst-a similar proposition
would be for the railroads in mis- country sud
denly to be called upon to carry much larger
crowd than yesterday gathered from New York to
Chicago.
On the Continent Of Europe railways in the
territory affected by. war operations have been
required practically to suspend business except
for the transportation Of troops.
In Great Britain, where the railways all
issued orders assuming control or them
Germany's arrangements have been unusually
complete war time-t table, revised occasion
demanded, has always been in the possession Of
railway officers throughout the country capable
of being put into force at the shortest notice
All railroads are administered by the military
authorities in time Of
The Russian railways have different gauge
from the other European lines, and this difference
has been maintained for strategic reasons.
Short strategic lines built by Germany on the
French and Belgian frontiers naturally have been
Of the greatest Importance, and in addition, most
Of their main lines are SO located to have the
greatest efficiency for military purposes.
There is a great difference between rolling home
from a football game with ones winnings in ones
pockets and rolling hundreds Of miles across the
rolling country to where one will have chance
to come to handgrips with the enemy
Behind the troops rumble long trains Of pro-
visions for man and beast; trains bearing the
deadly artillery; trains fitted up with all the sp
pliances Of hospital; trains of horses that will
ere many weeks are out leave their bones to
whiten under the stars.
Every railroad car in Germany has stencilled on
it the number Of horses it is expected to
accommodate In Germany we have the most com
plete example of the state railway. Bismarck
worked for imperial ownership The foundations
of such a net as VIC now in operation were
laid in 1871, when the lines of Alsace-Lorraine
came to the empire as a result of the Franco
Prussan War.
BY the end of 1907 the normal tracks in Ger
many constituted more than one-sixth of the
whole of Europe-a system larger tkan that of
any other European country with exception,
Russia.
The Kaiser has been ex-offcio the chief Of the
imperial railway Office. He has appointed its
members. He has had the power to demand and
TO prescribe lower than the normal rates for the
transportation of provisions in of emergency.
Fe in connection with the upper house of Para
ment may call for the conveyance of soldiers and
the materials Of war.
All military trains have the right Of way.
The unit Of embarkation is what one engine
will draw, which, expressed in infantry, is about
a thousand men.
The distance between trains that is necessary
to safety and efficiency may be taken ten
minutes
Under favorable conditions, says Major John
Bieelow trains follow another at this in
terval with only necessary hats for refresh
ment and rest exercise
The officers and some Of the ride in pas