The record., 1917-09-20
AUTO ROADS in
NATIONAL. DEFENSE
Highways Near Coasts Of
Greatest Benefit.
CARRIERS FOR AMMUNITION

Ee Constructed Everywhere That a
Considerable Population, Agricultural.
Manufacturing. Trading or M:Aing,
Has lis Habitation.
Numerous Instances might be cited
TO show the effect roads or taetT alb
Fence had on campaigns in the civil
war. although their Importance was
infinitely less than now, when the nl'
tomobilc threatens TO drive even the
world famous arrlY mule into Oblivion.
writes Major \. y. Fries. I. :. y. IL
the New York World il i the auto
mobile with its speed ANA carrying
power. and the wonderful EcNih,Niy
Of an army using it that ni0ae roads
so vitality Important in war to-day. \
railroad must lie provided With SIDE
tracks turntables anG yaytS. Witch
for huge business Su;h as w.,r, mus;
he very large and take time and great
quantities of material in building. MOI
so with automobiles, where every foot
Of Il highway, unless in deep cut OF
ill. ia side track where machines
may unload and turn around. Further
more. in dry weather almost any fed
can be used for unloading and loading
the machines SO as not to cOngest the
roads at the place where men and ma
terials are needed
The answer to the question where
roads should be constructed to lie OF
military value is-everyW here that Il
considerable sricultural.
manufacturing. trading or mining-eX
lists In any great war we shall have
TO marshal all Of our resources, just as
the European natiouS are doing at the
present time. Every product of our
soil or factories will lie called upon fol
Use. and roads will be required on
which to carry them to the places
where needed. Fine roads along our
coasts and land boundaries will be OF
the most immediate benefit and should
be OF the best and widest since they
will have to bear the heaviest and
most concentrated traffic. There are
number of roads proposed or actually
under construction that come under
this head. Such are the Pacific high
way. along or near the Pacific coast
from Seattle to San Diego; the Yellow
stone trail. along the northern bound
airy from the vicinity Of the great lakes
to the Columbia river, and the Lincoln
highway across the north central part
Of jhe United States.
While highways intended primarily
:.-r failii -, purposes shonll he located
gear our boundaries, they must not be
SO near that they can be easily raide0
or captured by small bodies of the en-.
envy and thus likely to he of use only
to him and not to U.s. All roads farther
inland and parallel to the border roads
will be Of very great value as feeders
to those nearer The borders. Along
these interior roads men and supplies
may he moved long distances without
fear Of interruption or observation by
the enemy and thus contribute greatly
to the element of surprise SO essential
to victory Ia nearly all cases. There
must be crossroads at reasonably close
intervals to enable the traffic on interior
lines to leave them and cross to those
places near the border where needed.
During mobilization and the earl,
stages Of the war there will be many
and rapid movements of large bodies
of troops. Here roads and automobiles
will be deciding factors, for, as every
body knows from the progress of thu
war in Europe, the one who gets the
start has an enormous advantage thai
will cost the other side many times thu
original loss to overcome. Later in tbs
beginning of a campaign, when move
ments are rapid and there is little op
portunity to intrench, three inch guns
and shrapnel will be very largely used
but just az soon as there is time to in
trench there will be an opportunity fol
the larger guns to come up to fire higl
explosive shells to drive the enemy on
Of his intrenched positions. This may
be called the second or trench warfare
stage of the campaign, when hundreds
Of thousands of rounds Of high explo
siye shells will be required for ever!
twenty-five miles of battle front Ii
all these operations the number of au
tomobiles required will lie tremendous
but with the vast number in genera
use and being manufactured every da,
It is uncomfortable that there ever viii
be q shortage after the first confusion
is over.