The Colorado statesman., 1917-05-26
AMERICAN ENGINEERS SENT TO
FRANCE WILL WORK CLOSE
TO THE FRONT.
MAY BE OFTEN UNDER FIRE
They Will Be Trained Railroad Men
and Are to Build and Keep open
the Lines of Communication Under
Exacting Conditions.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.

ments will be trained railroad en-
ployees under the command of a colo
mel of the regular army. They will find
their way clear to do high service in
Europe.
Recruits who volunteer for this en-
gineering work need not fear that
their life is to be a humdrum when
they get into France. They may be
doing work to which they are accus-
toned, but they will do it under new
conditions and occasionally under
those of fire. The railway men will
see real service in France, and they
will do their shell lodging on occasion
with the men of the fighting line.
Few Americans, perhaps, have con-
ception of the work which engineers
have done in France since the begin
ming of the war, nor is there any pres
ent conception, probably, of the hard
driving service which is ahead of the
Americans soon to sail the submarine
zone and to enter on the army life in
Belgium and France from Ostend to
the Vosges mountains.
British railway men regularly enlist
ed in the army today have charge of
urge part VI lut ran lliltS VI
cation in northern France. AS early
as March, 1915, the lines from Bou-
.logne running TO Amiens and from
there north were almost wholly under
the control of the British. The trav-
eler in France heard English spoken
along the routes of way through mile
after mile of the embattled country.
Will Relieve French Engineers.
Farther east and back of the lines,
and up to them from Paris to the Mo
selle river, the railroads were under
the management of Frenchmen. 1t is
understood that the American engi-
neers will relieve the French of large
part of their work and thereby will re-
lease some thousands of men for other
service.
When the Germans advanced TO the
Petit and the Grand NORM rivers south
east to Paris, and there were struck by
the forces of the British and French
and hurled backward in retreat the
railway men of the islands and of
France instantly began the work of
road construction on the routes lead
ing northward, following in the imme-
date rear of the advancing English
and French. If the labor of the rail-
road men had been lacking the retreat
of the Germans would not have been
so rapid nor would the British and the
French have been able to continue
their advance
The Americans frequently will be
under shell fire. They will get plenty
of the excitement of war, and intend
ing volunteers need not fear that they
are going over to France to lead life
ordinary in every way except that it
will run through its hours in a new
environment The American engineers
not only will hear the sound of the
guns of battle, but they are likely to
feel some of their effects. 1t will be a
real army life for the American rail
way men, and there can be no Ameri-
can to doubt that they will meet the
new conditions and do their work and
their fighting like Americans.
General crowder's Big Task.
President Wilson took the judge
advocate general of the United
States Army, Enoch II. Crowder,
to make of him provost mar
shal general. man of fine legal
attalnments and of force of character
and soldierlike qualities was needed
for the big job confronting the coun-
try. The administration stood by the
principle of selective conscripdon,
and it must abide by the judgment of
the people upon its success or its fail
IRE. General Crowder will direct the
great work.
Heavy responsibility today rests on
the shoulders of the provost marshal
general. To him has come the great
labor of raising armies for the United
States to fight for the principle OF
democracy and the downfall of despot-
ism.
There is no Office in the city of
Washington today which is so studious-
ly busy as that of the provost marshal
general. General Crowder picked his
subordinates. They came from vari-
ous branches of the service and are
known as men of discrimination, tact
and executive ability, and as soldiers
unafraid to do their duty.
1t can be said today that the ma
chinery for the registration day op-
erations is ready. 1t was planned ad-
justed and made ready for use by the
Judge advocate general before an
nouncement was made that he was TO
he the provost marshal general.
Aoe Limit Increased Work.
The work of the office has been in
creased largely, as has that of the
registration boards in the different
states by the extension of the age limit
of the men to be chosen for service.
1t was the earnest wish of all army
officers that the outside age for service
should be twenty-seven years. Opin-