The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-06-24
GERMAN SYSTEM
SAVES SCRAPS

dlers as it does French inhabitants
is one of the "Hauptpunkte" or
chlef points in the remarkable lines
OF communication which stretch from
Germany to the front trenches.
Even n casual inspection of this
mix IN the wonderful chain of COM
munlcations reveals one OF the rea-
sons why Germany is able to contest
stub5ornly every effort of its OPP
pohents tG recapture the territory
mat has been taken, and why its
soldiers are possessed of necessaries
and even Injuries. that were uuheard
OF i'll earlier wars.
The "Hauptpunkt' may be called
for want of a better name a division
Headquarters in the lines of commu
nication. This headquarters has,
roughly, two functions-the prepar-
ing and forwarding of food and am
munition and the repairing of ma
%terial that has broken down under
the strain of battle.
In this city in which / recently
stopped the German authorities have
requisitioned the slaughter house of
a French butcher and in it are meth
odically preparing the enormous
quantities of meat needed for the
army IA few miles away.
The slaughter house, OF course.
has been found entirely too small for
the amount of work that has TO be
done there, especially in that depart
ment where meat is sailed or pickl-
cd. In default of receptacles there
fore the army has requisitioned
bathtubs and similar Inappropriate
but useful vessels. and in them lie
thousands OF pounds OF meat. A
thousand pounds of wurst n day is
prepared for the front. as Well MS
many hundreds OF pounds OF beef,
mutton and pork.
10000 Loavcs of Bread.
Within a hundred yards of the
slaughter house is the bakery, form
erly a manufacturing establishment.
whose brick ovens have been found
to lend themselves very we'll to the
baking OF sixteen thousand loaves of
bread IL day. Each loaf, composed of
one-third white flour and two-thirds
of rye -four. weighs $500 grams.
Where the necessary railroad lines
did not exist they have been built.
so that there is easy and efficient
railway connection with these two
plants that supply the two main ne
cessities of the arlny-mcat and
bread.
Perhaps less important and vital
hut moro interesting are the cstab-
lishmcnts where damaged artillery
and guns are repaired and put into
shape for use at the front. In these
plants also it has been found feas-
, ;11a IN o,np1nu fSrnonl, eiyi1i1NS at
many kinds of work so that they may
earn their livelihood, be independent
and not be a drag upon the German
authorities who are supporting many
of the city's inhabitants.
In IL carpenter shop French work
men, aided and superintendent by
Germans, remake, the wheels. In
another part machine guns are MADE
whole. often by using the undamag-
ed parts of two, three or more weap-
ons. In still another building new
muzzles are nodded and put onto UNI
damaged trucks. +
Here also are prepared the great
hoops of wire that can be stretched
in front of a trench in an emergency
at a moments notice and can be
made fast by stakes of steel that are
screwed into the ground. Thus at
hackers whose artillery has demol-
ished the usual entanglements OF
barbed wire can still be checked for
a time at least.
l.. In conjunction with the machine
shop there is "A s%hoeshop and a
Heather shop. where broken straps
Iof artillery wagons, rifles and KNAPP
sacks are put into order once more.
1t is the exception rather than the
rule that any piece Of apparatus used
at the front is damaged so badly mat
it cannot be mcnded here or that IL
has TO be sent back to Germany.
In point of interest to the casual
caller the prize of the division mead
quarters is the 'Sammelstelle" or
collection point-the junk Pile con-
Itaining the %sweepings of the battle
field would be a better name-wherc
every conceivable object from bits OIL
rubber to broken bayonets and cart
ridge shells is collected and sorted
out. -,
The ~knapsack of every wounded
soldier first or last finds It's way 10
this big building and there Is SUD
iected to the scrutiny of "1unk eS-
| DcrtS. nC cartridges th".
are laid TO one side to be
toned to some other fighter. n
drinking TASKS or bottles are slnlil-
arly sorted out, and the clothes that
still are fit to wear are placed ~
piles according to their
The bayonets go to II deparliheH.
where they are carefully LEANED ana
put in shape for use again. The rifles
they include not only German put
French, British, Belgian II tussian
guns-are thoroughly overhauieu
and oiled and come out looking IKE
new. Every piece OF equipment ina
still has value is renovated.
Comb Battlcficids for Debris.
After every battle in which tne
Germans have bee victorious the
field is literally secured II an INC
debris transported to headquarters.
Scores of ripped and torn mo'or car
tires are collected and sent to an es-
t%ablishmen where the rubber can DC
utilized in the making OF new tunes.