The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-06
MUCH WORK
FOR ENGINEERS
Americans Busy in France Blazing
Trail to Front for Million SOL
diers From This
Side
TBy United Press.l

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6.-ROnance'
mystery and peril blend in the tremen-
dous task of "the army ahead of the
army which today is blazing trail to
the French front for Americas million
men.
It's the job of the engineers, and II
means that every step OF the barren
way from French front to French front
must be modernized into an elongated
American city.
First off, they must macadamfze the
highway. every foot of 1t. Ana over
an area of several miles in the vicinity
of the port and behind the front an in
tricate system of perfectly paved
streets and avenues must be built.
winding in and around these terminals
the engineers are fashioning COM
plicated system OF railroads, both mar
row and standard gauge, for switching,
transferring and caring for troops ana
supplies.
Connecting these two webs is a rib
bo nof track paralleling the miles OF
paved roads, with branches and spurs
shooting off here and there on both
sides. Every tie, every rail, every
spike, every engine and every car for
this system of railroads. is being taken
from this country Not one bit of ma
terfal, not a single man, is being sup
Piled by France.
Great wooden camp cities are. rising
at both ends Of this line. Power hous-
es. permanent repair gang camps.
houses for maintenance Of way officials
water reservoirs will be strung out
along the line and at the terminals. The
lumber for these structures is being
hewn from the forests of France by
regiments of Am erican foresters,
other regiments are rebuilding and en-
larging docks and wharves at the port
of arrival, and dredging and opening
new approaches in the bay for the big
gray transports.
Sawmills carried from America are
springing up in the French forests.
American-made well digging machines
dot the line of communication. Elec-
trio light plants are blossoming forth
TO supply the trenches. dugouts, store
houses and cantonm ents with illumi-
nation.
Miles and miles and miles of water
pipe are being laid Special regiments
OF American miners picked from the
star diggers of every state in the I'M
ion are in charge of the American sys-
tenn of trenches, saps, transVerses ana
approaches. Expert companies of cleo
tricians are putting in an intricate sys-
TEN of battlefield illumination, includ-
ing searchlights. trench lights, glare
light apparatus and great piles Of star
bombs and rifle grenades.
But none of this complicated system
Of communication and approach must
be visible to the enemy. 1t must all be
dug in, buried or concealed by camou-
flage The highways must be neutral
lied in color to bend with the land
scape. The railroad tracks must not
glisten.
All buildings must be half buried in
the ground and the above ground por-
ton disguised with bushes and shrubs
and neutral colorings until they are
invisible.
This is where the American artist
does his bit A number Of well-known
American masters of colorcombina-
tions are employed 10 precede the en-
gineers and study out the problems OF
Iohscuring our operations, our troops
and artillery and our lines of commune
cation from the enemy. The actual
work will be done by American sign
painters and soldiers trained in the
craft