Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-24
HARRISBURG TRUCK UNIT
SAVES THE DAY AT CAMP
Travelling Machine Shop" Handy For Shoeing Horses
and Fixing Cannon; Sergeant erode, Who Runs 1t
Is Real Handy Man of Camp Hancock

Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga, Sept.
24.-While officers of the general
staff and of the quartermaster de-
partment sat around log fire at the
detraining station, along about 4
o'clock one morning last week, the
genius of the camp unfolded himself.
He and the officers were awaiting the
arrival of the First Infantry of Phila-
delphia. They had been awaiting
the troop train for many hours and
now they were huddled about the fire,
in slickers, for a chill drizzle was
falling. They were drinking army
soup and black coffee out of huge
tin cups, dipping the soup from a
copper kettle suspended above the
flames. The soup, thick with corn
and beans, was excellent, and the
coffee. thick and black, was a bever-
age suited to the hour. the rain and
the impending work of unloading
thousands of troops.
The genius, in the person of Ser
geant j. r. erode, of Harrisburg, was
not member of the group about the
fire. He was at work about q mar
velous machine which sent a flood of
white light half a mile down the
railroad tracks, making each rail
glisten like polished silver. With. him
were two enlisted men, Thomas Mid
risburg. These three had their soup
and coffee, but they ate and drank as
they were standing in the rain, with
the tailboard of motor truck upon
which the machine in question was
resting as a table.
1t was between gulps of coffee and
scoops of soup that Sergeant erode
explained the travelling machine
shop" electric light generator. and
what not of which he was in charge.
What n Repair Truck Can DO
This is called a repair truck" said
the sergeant, who is a member OF
Company No. of the Motor Supply
Train. 1T might be called anything
else, because l can do almost any
thing with it. Just now / am gene
rating the power for the thirty-siS
high-power electric lights which you
see strung along the station here in
addition to the power for this flood
light which is used when stores and
equipment are being unloaded from
cars. When / get that light going
it has something on a ray of the
strongest sunlight, you may believe
can count the buttons on a mans
coat within the range of my vision
when l put this spot on him just as
easily as / can see a mountain in
daylight.
with the tools and implements in
this truck, and with the power gene
rated by the neatest little engine
ever seen by man, 1 can do anything
that could be done in the best
equipped machine shop in the coun-
try. If the army has ever added any
one thing to equipment which is in
valuable. this truck is the thing.
"In the first place, let me tell you
rnct hn1t sc 00n CT dc
1t is worth that and much more.
Here l have the engine, something
like an automobile engine, but much
finer and of better nature. because
it never stalls or balks. In addition
to furnishing this light it will run an
electric drill, lathe and half a
dozen other machines without the
slightest difficulty.
Many Tools Carried
I'VE use this truck to keep every
motor truck in the train in good con-
dition. No one could imagine what
we have stored away here. There's q
full set of carpenters tools. over
here is a blacksmith shop. If mule
or horse loses a shoe, can replace
| it in five minutes. l can make q
because there are my three anvils
and in here my forge.
There. locker over there which
contains every machine found in the
most modern repair or machine shop
Here's my portable electric drill
there a bench grinder. There are
| two oxygen tanks and two acetylent
| tanks. l can weld iron and steel ir
this truck without the slightest diff.
Guilty.
with my two men I could shoe {