Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-05-27
BORROWING IN WAR ZONE
More Earth Moved Digging Trenches
Than in Construction Of the Pana-
na Canal.

tndt SlnEle-NoWei Noiu VA
French origin, is probably the commonest
English monosyllable in use to-day.
From pictures and descriptions Of
trenches every civilized country in the
world knows just what these war exca
vations are and how important they are
to the fighting armies
In spite of this knowledge Of the
trench. however It Is not likely tina,
the average man has formed any idea
of the gigantic amount OF digging that
has been done since the war began, says
Pearsnn's Weekly.
The front along which the Germa ms
and allies face one another from the
North SEA to Switzerland Is, roughly, ~
miles long. The opposing lines of the
Russians and tho acknowledgements are
fully 500 miles In length. Along these GU
miles OF front, each army has dug 1t
self in
But this does not mean that there are
only 1900 miles of trenches. Each army
it must be remembered. has at leas,
three lines OF trenches, one behind the
other, so that il the first is taken II has
others to fall back upon
1t is necessary, therefore, to multipi,
800 by three, which gives 400 miles, or
trench long enough to reach from Liv-
erpool right across the Atlantic ocean
and the whole of the American con-
tinent ending at San Francisco.
Then there are the communication
trenches through which forces are
brought forward in safety to the fire
trenches. The length of these is not easy
to estimate, but IL another two miles are
added for each mile of front 1t will GER
tainly be we'll on the safe side
This brings the estimate UP to 12T
miles. but this has not yet come near
the total. In Belgium the Germans have
constructed a least another 600 miles OF
trenches ready TO oppose the allies ad.
vance and no doubt another 200 or more
on the Rhine.
The Allies have dug about 800 miles Of
trenches in East Anglia to check q pos
sible raid. and another 100 miles or Sc
along the Suez canal.
Around Cracow, Przemysl ana other
great fortresses in the East the ground
Is honey for miles. Allow another
100 miles for these Qualifications. and THU
brings the total to $500 miles. a distance
( about equal to tho full breadth OF
Europe md Asia together
The average trench is six feet deep
and five feet wide at the top. Including
| traverses and dugouts. 1t may DO esti
mated that two cubic yards OF earth have
been removed for every yard Of trench
dug.
Take 1t that a cubic yard Of earti
weighs ton, and IT is seen that over
g?,Gn,00O tons of earth have been shift
ed during tine past eight months.
Many have seen Plymouth. England
breakWater, that great artificial islanc
~ stone which makes a harbor of tn,
open roadstead, II is over mile long
1t stands in water over 80 feet deep 4
took 81 years to build. Yet it contain:
only about one-eighth part as mucf
material as has been removed to make
trenches IN the present war.
The new Dover breakwater used VI
over 100000 tons of granite and 800
GO Of concrete. The amount of eartf
and rock eXcavated for trenches is near
~ five times as great
The average load Of a big construc
ton train. such as used in the cuttini
of the Panama canal. is GOh tons. Nearly
6no0o such trains would be needle to hau
away the earth dug out by soldiers sine,
the war began. In a.! the world ther,
are only little more than double tina
number of locomotives.
! To cut the Panama cana, took 10 year,
and cost over $4,000. The water 1.
81 feet deep and the length of the cana
about 20 miles. Yet the total bulk o.
soil removed was only about one-hal
as much again as that shifted by tn.
armies that have dug themselves II
| since last August.