Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-11
TRAFFIC EXPERTS ARE
WORKING NOW ON
PROBLEM
TO START SEPT. |
MEN WILL BE CALLED TO MOBll.
lZE SEPTEMBER I, IN THEIR
LOCAL DISTRICTS ROUTES
WILL BE HELD A SECRET.
By DAVID NJ, CHURCH,
International News Service Staff
Correspondent.
By DAVID NJ


Correspondent.
Washington, Aug II. American
railroads are face to face with their
greatest task. Between Saturday,
Sept. |, and Wednesday, Sept. s,
Z99,000 soldiers of the national army
must be mobilized. They must be
moved from $500 cities and towns to
sixteen cantonments. Troop trains
must have the right of way and gov
ernment materials must move with.
out a halt
Half hundred traffic experts are.
at work today on the plan of trans.
portation. Twenty eight railway ex.
ecutives of the railway committee of
the Council of National Defense are
scheming Lieut. Col Chauncey B.
Baker, Of the quartermaster's corps,
is working on the problem. STAFF ex.
perts of Provost Marshal General
Crowder are also busy.
Railway men today stated that the
movement OF the troops would be ae.
complished with minimum of In.
convenience to regular passenger and
freight traffic. For period of 48
hours, however it is highly probable
there must be some delay in the main
tenance of schedule time.
Moving the first third OF the ma.
tional army to the cantonments will
take about one-eighth of the equip.
ment of the 176 railroads OF the u.
$. 1t Is estimated that 1867 cars
VIII be needed and 1893 locomotives.
This means there will be 1908 trains
OF approximately l6 cars each moving
with troops over 1856 different rail.
roads in the United States simultan.
eously. The traffic feat will require
2.l4 per cent of the total number of
| locomotives in the country and 1875
per cent of the total number of pas
senger cars
Day coaches will be used. with pos.
sibly few Pullmans for the use of
officers and members of the local
boards, Traffic experts point out that
there will be no haul longer than
twelve hours Men will arrive at can.
tonments on the same day on which
they leave their local district.
To facilitate the movement of the
troops, a railway expert will be as
signed to every local board With tho
1 railway experts. the local boards will
devise the scheme of mobilization.
! Orders have been issued that the most
/ direct route be used and no discrim.
/ lhaton between roads be made. II
! the case Of parallel systems the traf.
! iic hall be divided equally between
! the two systems
| In some cases. 1t will be necessary
4 to ration the troops enroute. Prov.
vision is being made for this by or
dering large supplies of food prepared
at points where the troop trains may
! stop.
1t now appears that Sept 3 and
Sept will be the two days on which
/ the most OF the traffic will fall On
!
men to mobilize at the headquarters
of the board In some districts this
will mean that men will have to travel
several miles to the board headquar-
ters. 1t is expected that 1t will take
two days for the quotas to be made in
readiness for final movement to the
cantonments. Until actual arrival Of
the cantonment camps the drafted
men will be under the supervision of
the local boards
Baggage cars and baggage trains
will be provided. Local boards have
been instructed to be careful Of prop
er facilities for drinking water and
other conyenienCes,
Routes and time Of departure will
be kept secret in accordance with the
general policy of the war department.