Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-08-23
HUGE ARMY SUPPLIES
SOLDIERS IN TRENCHES
Vast Store of Food and NUM-.
tons Moved During
Night.
BEHIND the British Lines in

BEHIND the British Lines in Franco
(by mail.)-What makes an indelible
impression on the newcomer to the bat
tie front is the tremendous organization
back of the actual fighting line, the
miles OF roadways dotted with trans
port of war food for men and horses.
Shells for the guns, ammunition for
rifles and machine guns and comforts
for the wounded.
The final and most interesting I'M
In this vast organization is the opera
ton of getting the food right up to the
men in the trenches. 1t usually takes
place under cover of darkness when tho
enemy Is unable to impede it's progress
as efficiently as with the aid of day
light. Night after night this goes IN.
After one recover from surprise at tho
quietness with which it is done he is
bound to marvel at the clock like pre-
clsion of the whole operation-all of
which testifies to the efficient organ
tzation necessary in a val like this.
The first intimation that the trans
port is preparing to move out toward
the front line is a Gathering Of horses
shoes on the cobbles of a French farm
yard. Then voices call out orders,
water carts are filled; horses are lar
messed to the wagons and a few min
utes later the whole column Is stand-
ing ready, silent. the transport men
mounted, the quarterlnaster, transport
off1cer and a sergeant on foot In an
other instant a whistle sounds, there is
a cracking of whip. then another clatter
on the cobblestones and the rumble OF
heavily laden wagons as the whole
column moves out toward the trenches.
A few miles ahead the first star shells
shoot up and little sudden pricks of
flame come from the enemy's guns, then
there is soft burst of shrapnel followed
by the deep boom of the heavy guns.
E INa roar }S no VI h,,t ry;5o
for the limbers Of other regiments,
cookers, ambulances, army service
corps lorries laden with tools and
trench stores, orderlies on bicycles and
wounded men to pass on their way fur
Their back of the lines. But not a word
is heard as the two columns pass each
other along this road.
AS the column going in" with the
rations moves up closer to the lines the
star shells n boom Of the big guns
becomes more distinct. Suddenly the
column halts-shells have burst in the
road or on either side of it a little way
ahead. When this ceases probably for
only a few minutes the word is given
to move on again. The column con-
tnues to crawl along until it reaches
p battered old building beside the road
and within a stones throw of the sup
port trenches. Here are left the sup
plies brought up by this column.
The ext sight is a stream Of men
with picks and shovels and ammuni-
ton: a sergeant to see that the rations
for the different companies are placed
in different piles; a post corporal hur-
rying hither and thither in search Of
company's letters, which have been
mislaid; n the transport officer, and
quartermaster supervising and controI-
ling everything-always in the most
impenetrable darkness, save when a
t shell lights up the white faces, the
sweating horses and the roads.
The transport. officer gives the word,
and the empty wagons jolt out onto the
road again to join in the stream that
flows back towards billets n sleep.