The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-28
RAIN and POOR
ROADS RENDER
ARMY HELPLESS
Like "AnglewOrm in jug of Mo-
lasses," Says Shepherd.
Compares Border Situation
With European Fronts.
WILD BALKAN ROADS BETTER
Finds Huge Trucks Mired in
Chuck Holes.
Mules Come to Rescue Nof
Transportless Troops.
Compares Border Situation
With European Fronts.
Wild BALKAN ROADS BETTER
Finds Huge Trucks Mired in
Chuck Holes.
Mules Come to Rescue o
Transportless Troops.
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.

Mercedes. Tex, July 2s.-An Amer
lean army of So men, including
New York. Illinois, Iowa, Dakotas,
Minnesota. Indiana and Nebraska
troops, lies as helpless in the muddy
lower Rio Grande valley today as an
angle worm in a jug of sorghum
molasses {
In the dispatch car. of Lieut.. 7. H.
Muncaster. chief of the new motor car
machine gun squad, with Sergeant
wallace of the new squad. as driver.
rode fifty miles along thes1ower Rio
Grande front today IS
The folly of equipping our army
with trucks after the European fash
ion and not F.having the European
raods' was seen evry half mile. I ried
10 imagine that was riding along one
OF the several European fronts. Such
slgnts as no European front affords
were common. - 10
Rain No Trouble in Europe.
made no difficulties on any Enror rsas :, q
IRON but 1t almost paraIvzad tie
american forces General Petain's
thlrty-mile flying circle of mofor
lrucks at Verdun. by which truck
carrying supplies whirl to Verd11n ~,
one-half of a circle and return ~ . IN
other half would be utterly irnnoss,hie
to duplicate here.
When began the trip I knew that
many regiments were absoI,,teIv
rrorseless ana in case of any sudden
movement it would be necessary to
transport all supplies on trucks. and
I'LL troops on trucks or afoot.
seven miles from Brownsville we
FOUND a three-ton truck blocking the
r ,,lH -Inlred|with two trucks held
goo men behind, going to save some
desperate military situation they
would nave been held up as well.
Find Trucks ,NIired.
1t wasn't the fault of the truck.
which was resting on its axles with
Wheels whirling uselessly in. mud pits.
This in the middle of the road. All
| European roa dsAeven those in Temota
Galicia, the present Russian front.
even those in Greece, Macedonia and
the wild Balkans-are paved with
stone in the middle so that mid-road
blocks are impossible.
Zen miles farther on another truck
was mlreo the same way. AS far as
other sights are concerned it is EASY
70 imagine the trip. I was behind the
European armies and saw MANY SOL
d1ers mud covered, dirty and wet.
Near san Benito we passed the dismal
American army cemetery with whita
wooden crosses, where a few of the
soldiers killed in the Mexican raids
are buried. An American army hat
was stuck on one cross
Can't Survey Front in Auto.
Our car itself was rnired in mud
pit made by a truck earlier in the dav.
Eight Louisiana soldiers, under orders
of Captain Wilson, Twentysixth Unit
ed States infantry, lifted it out. The
incident proved that while generals
In the European war are able to whir,
to any part of their front in autos in
the nastiest weather, no American
general in the lower Rio Grande val
ley could have whirled anywhere TO-
day. no matter how much he NAV
have been needed
AT the end of the journey, however
we found hope. We discovered that
a bunch of mules had reached the
transportless troops in Mercedes val
ley by rail and that eight regiments.
including the First, Second and Third
Minnesota; First Second and Third
Indiana and the First and Second
Nebraska, had received the diminua-
tive quota of twenty mules apiece
With transports of twenty mules per
regiment and roads like these, the
European war couldn't be fought.
Out of eight trucks we saw on the
trip, eight were mired IS