Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-22
SUPPLY COLUMNS WORK
WITH UTMOST PRECISION
Depots Move Up Quickly When
French Army Captures II
Position.
ALL rs SYSTEM AND ORDER
Every Man Digs Himself Into the
GOund-Narrow-G Railroads,
Quickly Laid Down, Intersect
Fields In Every Direction.
tRv Associated Press. ]


FRENCH FRONT. October 21.-ln all
the villages. numbering between thirty
and forty. captured during the entente
offensive on the Sommc, supply columns
mingle In what looks like confusion.
but this is more apparent than real. for
everything works with the utmost pre-
cision and order.
So soon as q position has been taken
tho supply dcpcts move up and ar
rangemcnts for feeding the men com
posing the first, second and third lines
are made with extraordinary rap'ditE
In the combatant lines themselves the
movements OF the troops naturally are
hidden from view. Every man is call
ed upon 10 dig himself in and in a
very few hours. even on field OF
battle such as that extending north
and south OF the Somme, over a length
OF forty miles and n depth of. perhaps.
ten. scarcely a human being can be
SEEN
Behind the lines distributed over an
area probably fifty miles square arc
parks Of vehicles and provision and
ammunitio depotS. These all are con-
nected by dozens of lines %: light
narrow gauge railroads, laid with UNI
bclievable rapidly and interscctinS the
fields In every direction. Horses are
tethered In thousands waiting to he
attached at any moment. to vehicles
OF every sort used to dispatch sup
plies to any part of the line. Along
the roads. most of which have been
specially cut, even while the sheil-tire
was still heavy in order to relieve the
main national routes usually reserved
for the heavy INCORPORATES and staff.
motorcars. conveys of carts ranging
from the small donkey-cart to the large
supply wagon with q team of four
horses. continually move to or from the
fighting line. Junior officers many OF
whom In private life occupy hirh posi-
tons in business. seem to have adapted
themselves swiftly TO the new life
SO different from their regular occuna.
tion. AT every intersection one OF them
is posted to direct the traffic and they
do so with all the efficiency of the
members of a city police trat fic squad
BIG HOLES SOMETIMES
TORN IN THE GROUND
Occasionally Il German long-range
gun Will tear great holes in the roads
in the endcavor to prevent reinforce
mcntS coming up or the approach OF
ammunition columns. Al once large
squads of men supposed to be enjoy
Ing Il rest from the riSors OF the front
line arc put to work to fill the gaps
with fresh maCadam and huge steam
rollers appear from everywhere to level
the surface. Then other men come on
with tar pals and brushes and coat
the surface to prevent the rising OF
dust as much as possible
The houses of the recaptured VIII
lagos. when they still are standing. arc
largely in ruin, hut mostiof them are
repaired and Utilized as' stables for
horses. Some OF the cellars have not
suffered from hombardmcnt and fire.
1uently squads OF men are billc;ted
there. AS rule. however the men
In the rear Of the lighting lines are
compelled Ia build or excavate their
own hah!tations. Generally they pre-.
fer to dig them out of the slopes of
The hills ana often they are so incc-
hlousIy constructed that only on near
approach can they 10. seen Tens OF
thousands thus live i'm caves. vhar.
they sleep on bundles OF straw spread
on the ground During the two years
OF war thcs have learned TO make
themselves very comfortable under
these cor!itjon. so dif-rcn, from those
OF their ordinary lives. All the men
look in splendid condition, and the
army doctors report "A VERY small per-
centaee OF sickness amoug them.
Any one who has lived with the
French In times OF pehc. at once r".
marks that the soldiers seem 10 have
Increased both IN stature and str.n.ih
during the tHir Siic men OF the ma
'ior appear :" thirty" since they have
returned almost Ia primitive conditions
ana been deprived OF tho comforts TO
winch they had hccJlNc accustomed