Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-18
TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM RIVALS
THAT OF TEUT0NS
Villa Has Sixty-two Trains
With Which to Shift Troops
About Mexico; Is Shaved
by Barber general.
(By Floyd Gibbons.)

fCOpyright' iVioi by me lineage lrlDune.D
Eel Paso. Tex, June 15.--If the
United States army is called upon to
invade Mexico it will encounter one
problem the military forces Of the
several revolutionary factions have
solved through necessity and expert
cnce. The problem is transportation.
Villas military trains, and the ap-
parent ease with which he can move
them and comparatively large bodies
of troops from one end of his terri
tory to another. Is a marvel railroad
men familiar with the situation can
compare only to the remarkable
transportation efficiency of the Ger
man military machine.
Say Obstacles Greater Than Germans
Meet.
Indeed, some of them declare that
Villas transportation difficulties are
even greater than those encountered
by the Germans during their frequent
and speedy transfers of troops from
one distant theater of war to another
The railroads of Mexico have been
torn up and relaid and torn up again
so many times all over the turbulent
republic that both the army and the
railroad men have lost count Of the
numerous distractions and recon-
structions of the properties.
Bridges have been blown up by the
dozens, tunnels caved in, depots de-
stroyed, shops reduced to ashes, and
freight yards put to the torch Twisted
rails and the blackened skeletons of
freight cars line the tracks.
Evidence of WastcfuIness Seen.
Before the traveller into Mexico goes
farther than the first station five
miles south Of Juarez he comes upon
the evidences Of wastefulness that has
followed in the tracks Of the four
years of revolution.
That first station is called TERRA
Blanca. 1t was at that place that
Villa lined up his small army and de-
feated the federal army sent north
from Chihuahua to dslodge him from
his stronghold on the northern border
The federals were driven back. They
were forced to burn their trains and
destroy the track after them TO pre-
vent pursuit by the man from the
hills.
At that time Villa had in his pos
session two locomotives and two trains
Of box cars. His private car was a
small red caboose belonging TO the
Kansas City & Orient railroad. He
had obtained them when he captured
the City of Juarez.
81 Trains Under Villas Command.
Now he has sixtytwo military trains
under his command and about 5000
miles of tracks in the territory There
is hardly a mile of 1t that has not
been destroyed and rebuilt at least
twice. He has the railroad shops at
Aguas Calientes, which can be COM
pared in size with any in the United
States.
e villa moves HIS military trains as
he rides a horse. He spares neither
The Mexican idea of horse is much
the same as the Mexican idea of ma
chine. The horse Is ridden until 1t
drops. the machine is pushed until it
reaches the scrap heap The theory
is good with the machine, for there II
spells efficiency. There may be plenty
of disabled rolling stock in the terri
tory he controls, but none that is idle.
Horses Inside. Men on Roof
When the Villista army moved
from Monterey to Celaya to contend
with the army of Obregon several
months ago thirty-two military trains
formed the first section that headed
over the mountains and into the CEN
trail plateau country.
The troops ride on box cars. The
horses are inside, the men and women
and children with their saddles and
camp baggage ride on the roof or on
the rods beneath the cars. The lat
ter place is considered the more
choice. Wires or ropes are laced back
and forth between the rods and blan-
kets or sheets of corrugated iron laid
over them. Another blanket tackled 10
the car floor and falling down on the
side screens the underneath Pullman
and makes it in effect a stateroom
somewhat dusty, but quite private
and at night not quite so cold perch
as the roof.
Women Cook on Rooftops.
The women cook on the rooftops or
on the pallets slung beneath the cars.
The Mexican women can build fire
in either of these difficult positions
while the train is in motion. Inside
the cars the women fortunate enough
to be attached to dignitaries possess
ing interior accommodations place
mud and bricks on the floor for the
fires.
1t is not an unusual sight to see
chickens with strings about their
legs perched on the brake beams or
roosting on the running board IN the
center of the car roof.
Goats and young sheep that nave
been kidnapped from wayside tlelds
are carried along in the same way
until slaughtered, after which me
fresh earcasses adorn the side OF the
car or the pieces of jerked meat are
hung up to dry on rope running
from one end of the roof to another
and propped up with poles. This rope
also may support blankets for shelter
from the sun and the family WASH
ing
Commanders Have Private Cars.
The generals quarters are, Oh
course, more elaborate. The more IN :
portant commanders have private
cars. the property in days gone OF
railroad superintendents or govern