The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-05-31
OUR RAILROADS
TO VIGOROUSLY
ASSIST FRANCE
Nine Regiments of Qualified
Railroad Men Are Already
Being Organized.

DC4uS VI S1AAAOOs
Instructions have been issued by the
Railroads War Boarsd to the railroads
Of the United States to take vigorous
action to assist in the organization Of
nine regiments of qualified railroad
men for service in France. It Is an
urgent necessity that these men be
sent to France at the earliest possible
moment.
Railroad executives have been asked
to give immediate attention to a COM
munication which has just been sent
to them, which says in effect:
1.-THE French railways are badly run
down They need more OF less COM
plete rehabilitation. France has no
men who can be spared for this work.
She wants all her men at the front
Before we can train men to go into
the trenches we can supply Frances
railroad wants and we can do it prac-
tically Immediately. Any men we
send over must be soldiers, SO it will
be necessary for the railroad forces to
enter the army.
I'VE propose to make up five con-
struction regiments OF six companies
each to do this rehabilitation. Each
regiment viii have an engineer officer
of the United States army as colonel
and another officer from the army as
adjutant- I The other officers will be
made up Of railroad men, except that
the commissary VIII be provided by
the United States army. The Heuten-
ant-colonel viii be a chief engineer of
q railroad, or some one eIse Of similar
experience Captains will be taken
Way, Heutenants from supervisors or
roadmasters, and the non-commis-
stoned officers from track and bridge
foremen- The privates viii be track
aaborers
The pressing neaSt just now is for
officers for these regiments. They will
require five chief engineers, 80 en-
gdneers OF maintenance OF way, 80 SUI
pery1sors or roadmasters, 60 track
foremen, and 30 bridge foremen Each
company viii have $50 track laborers
and IA bridge carpenters as privates.
The next important requirement on
the French railways is for shop forces
They are short Of men to repair their
locomotives It is proposed to organ
ize shop regiment, to be made up
the same way ais the construction reg
iments, except that the Lieutenant
colonel viii be a superintendent of
motive power; the captains Will be
master mechanics, the 1ieutenants will
be shop foremen and the non-com-
missiDned officers gang foreInen. The
rest OF the company Will be made up
OF boileFmakers, machinists, black
smiths and their helpers
Three railway operating regiments
viii be formed Each regiment will
be a complete railroad operating unit
and VIII be commanded by a. colonel
from the United States army. The
lieutenant colonel viii be a general
manager or a general superintendent
OF a railroad, the captain adjutant
viii be an officer OF the United States
Engineers, the captain quartermaster
viii be chosen by the colonel, and the
captain engineer viii be selected from
the railroad engineers Of maintenance
of way
Two majors for each OF the operat-
ing regiments viii be chosen from the
general managers or their assistants,
while two captains-adjutant and six
captains VIII come from division SUI
perzntendents or their assistants
Twelve first heutenants will be chosen
from trainmasters, road foremen Of
engines, and engineers Of maintenance
of way, and six Heutenants from chief
|dispatchers and master mechanics.
The makeup of each company in
the regiment viii include the following
enlisted men:
2. electricians, Hnemen and signal
-li q t11s-
- enelnehf s
. sls7lAes tlo ste1osTapners.
lalesrlea,-
surveyors.
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