Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-04
MarSeilleS the Secret Door
BY HERBERT COREY.
N rARSEILLES.-This is the story of the Sc
MI cret door to France.

NJ
MI cret door to France.
4V1 Through that secret door a large
fraction of 100000 soldiers have passed. Just
how large a fraction is not known
1t made possible the concentration of British
troops on the ninety-mie battle line in France to
extent unknown except to the comparatively
few in the secret.
Germany would have paid any price for the
secrets of that door 1t has been one OF the great
est mysteries of war made up of mysteries
Every one knows that Marseilles is the south
base for British troops in France Early IN the
the Indian troops arrived there. Few weeks
ago the Russians came. Not week has passed in
the twenty-five months the war has lasted that at
least detachment did not reach the post.
good share of them passed through the secret door
Not even Marseilles knew when they came or VINO
they were, when they left.
The Marseilles harbor is a magnificent one lts
mouth is guarded by forts and by an unrestng
fringe of torpedo boats and ships of war Within
are great basins to which access is impossible to
the unauthorized civilian. Every gateway Leading
to the basins is guarded by soldiers One rarely
sees a small boat in the harbor. The venturesome
boatman must be prepared to give good account
of himself.
Night after night British troopships have
steamed quietly up the harbor, every light mufIied,
in the shadow of the dark hills. Arriving at the
docks to which they had been assigned, they were
tied up as quietly though they had been so many
hill ponies. On their decks British troops nad peen
standing, perhaps for hours, in full marching KIT;
The moment the gangplank was lowered tney nleu
off, Last of all came the guns and the baggage
wagons and the equipment. .
"Never a light was shown on the DOCK" said
one who knew. "Orders were given in low voices.
The stumbled on each others heels as they
tramped toward the secret door"
That door led into the great train shed' AS
the first soldier put the dock the first tram
backed into the closed and guarded sheo' Inc
ranks passed through the door In slIence. l ne
officers in command knew precisely what cars tney
were to take with their men. There was no NOISE,
no confusion delay. AS each tram was nlleu
If moved out of the station. They ran upon as
close schedule as the Empire State express ltsell:
The train engineers did not whistle FOR signals ana
the curtains of the windows were drawn usnt'
BY the next night the soldiers were at the lIoi''
having seen nothing of Marsellles ,, Att,
Not every consignment of soldiers followed TINS
policy of extreme secrecy, OF course. me res
camns about Marseles are vast in EXTENT tha'
If is estimated that they never contain FEWER Inaii
$4,000 soldiers. This includes the military p9iloe'
the men in charge of the various camp 1in 800
narmission annaires on leave men on the last tour
of convalescence before going back 10 tne IIont,
and men on their way to and from Englaho Loi
various reasons In addition are considerable oe-
tachments of troops, which for one ana aHU '
reason are here more or less permanently. lheoe e
include some of the Indian troops VINO were sent
to the south of France to escape the ol''er "iH'
of the north. - 49, x,il
"But it is estimated that not less than two NIL
lion soldiers have passed through MarseiIIes, sUns
and coming said man VINO knew. orarv nras
certainly did not suspect even tue IoinP-'
ence of half OF them. , 81, +orsnor+ation
The perfection of the British transpor'aalloll
system has been the admiration OF an wno oorice
come in touch with it. Other items OF tne i
NAV have broken down at times Inc aI'Il t1
was frankly bad during the transition perioo, mnen
cheers fresh from civilian life were put IN Gnalso
of brand new guns and equally brand new soluie
The British had to learn how TO 40 dll 1t nm
thing in this war-earn from the potIo 3It; uP
after the destruction of the original expeuluo"t -
force Rut thew did not have to learn no" "
bondie the problem of transportation mat theS
knew. ---,-- -. ,.o+u md
4roins =" said one officer, land the last day we
caught the right train at the right hour and the
rigbt Mace We were time to the minute
That was not an unusual experience IL might
he almost said that it was common experience.
Co that the manner by which troops were taken
10 FLANDERS through the secret door at Marselllee
has really nothing remarkable about IT. Wnat Is
+be odditv perhaps, is the fact that the secret
Tvos kent inviolate until few days ago, by Whlch
time the need for secrecy had passed Tue ma nau
tically everything of transportation sort tnat
roes on, Not day passed that he did not meet
66ritisb officers and aid them in some manner IN
their duties. o>,.
told Those who knew had been selected for their
Utility to keep their mouths shut. The others
merely passed through.
copyright, 1916 by Herbert Corey)