Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-12
RAILROAD RUMBLES
HAD
BIG JOB AT CAMP
Difficult Piece of Work Well
Done, Say Officials; Cars
Clean and Comfortable

r. c. Morse, who represented the
American Railway Association at the
Mt. Gretna encampment, left there
last evening and has returned to his
duties as passenger trainmaster of
the Philadelphia Terminal Division at
Broad Street station.
Superintendent w. B. McCaleb, of
the Philadelphia Division, to-day re-
ported that in all the movement out
of Mt. Gretna during the period of it's
occupation by the troops amounted to
sos cars, 334 coaches, 3S sleepers, S5
baggage cars, 4 com mbinations, So gon-
dolas, 4 stock cars and lis box cars.
The railroad people are highly
pleased with the manner in which
this volume of business was handled
and they have received the thanks of
army officers at Mt. Gretna who ex-
pressed themselves as highly satisfied
with the way the transportation man
ners were handled
Discussing the railroad end of the
encampment with a Telegraph re-
porter superintendent McCaleb, who
was at Mt. Gretna together with Of
hcials of the Reading and the Corn
wall and Lebanon railroads, and who
gave the matter his personal atten-
tion, declared most emphatically that
every effort was made to furnish
good coaches and other equipment
and that the coaches furnished were
such as are used in every day opera
ton of the railroads. In fact, he
says, coaches for the movement of
the troops were in such demand that
1t was necessary to withdraw large
numbers of cars from the regular
trains with the result that passengers
were frequently required to stand for
long distances.
Railroad officials say evidence that
the coaches which were used to dis
patch the troops are the same as used
in regular service is shown by the
fact that $50 cars accumulated at
Harrisburg for the troop movement
were used to handle the holiday
crowds when 1t was found the SOL
diers would not need them immed-
lately and then returned to this point
The railroad companies went to
great deal of trouble" said Super
intendent McCaleb, Ito see that run
ming gears of the coaches were in the
best possible condition and that the
coaches were thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected before sent to Mt. Gretna
and kept an extra force of over 100
car inspectors at work in Harrisburg
under the direction of K. B. Huber
assistant master mechanic, in addi-
tion to 20 car inspectors at Mt. Gretna,
under direction of G. 7. Baker, gen.
eral foreman of car repairs. After the
cars had been thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected at Harrisburg they were
re-inspected at Mt. Gretna, so as to
be absolutely sure they were in first
class condition. After they were in
spected by the railroad authorities
government officials were notified and
they were then inspected by the army
officers, so that there was no posi-
bility of cars leaving Mt. Gretna 9TH
er than in good condition"
In the first train received at Mt.
Gre ma, Mr.. McCaleb says, there were
8 or 6 cars belonging to a foreign
road via Lebanon, which were not up
to standard required by the railroads
and the army officers, and these were
exchanged for suitable cars at the
first available point, which was Leb-
anon. In order to provide the
trains reached Harrisburg a barrel of
ice and water for each two cars was
placed on the trains and these were
refilled at various points.
Mr.. McCaleb said it was a matter
of great satisfaction to him to note
how we'll the State and national gov
ernmental authorities worked to-
BeIHeF at MI. the
ing circumstances and he was impress
ed with the discipline and morale of
the camp. He did not see one man
intoxicated and the general behavior
of the troops and visitors was excel
lent. The superintendent has receiv-
ed a commendatory telegram from
Philadelphia on the manner in which
the troop movement was handled and
he spoke in highly laudatory man
on Of Ia crir ri nf
the men here and at Mt. Gretna, in
charge of the troop movement.
With reference to the instructions
from the War Department that three
men should be assigned to each two
seats, the railroad officials say, there
appears to have been some misunder-
standing on the part of the public,
who thought this meant three men to
one double seat, whereas it meant
three men to two double seats, which
normally accommates four persons,
the seats being turned so that the men
would sit facing each other.
The carinspectors turned very
other seat in the coaches at Mount
Gretna before the troops were loaded.
In deciding upon the number of men
to be assigned to each coach, the end
seats were not counted and there was
always a surplus of seats over and
above the minimum requirement, on
the basis of three men to two double
seats.
referring to the statement that
troops from other States were sent out
in better equipment than that furnish
ed by the Pennsylvania railroad, this.
upon inquiry of the station employees
and others who saw the other trains
going through, is not found to be the
case" said Mr.. McCaleb. LAS a mat
ter of fact, the coaches on all railroads
in the East are practically of the same
design and the government regulations
do not permit the use of Pullman cars
for enlisted men other than officers.
Therefore, 1t would not be possible
for any other State to have sent the
men out in different equipment than
that furnished to the men at Mount
Gretna."
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