Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-25
GERMANYS FIRST AID TWINS-By Herbert Corey

frantic general orders for time. Then they
what had gone wrong and acted with charactd
tic courage and directness.
Twenty thousand skilled mechanics were
back from the front The worst of the crazy
gines we're sent to the shops. For four weeks
fire railroads were put out of commission or@trd
was confined to a single track. AS conseqM3
of this action the great strategic railroads are
in fair condition again. The minor roads are
ting along as best they can
It is reported, with what truth do not kt,
that Switzerland and the Scandinavian counts
including Holland, have aided in the rehabtlHa5
of the German roads. Thus it is said that toHi
few days ago thirty Swiss engines were smuEf
across the border, and that this mas Deen tneHj
before 1t is said the same thing has happel
both as to engines and cars in the other HeuI
countries of Europe In any case, the 1mmed|
condition of the German roads is better tha1
was some months ago The major express Fl
are now running fairly close to time, the ROAD
have been reballasted and the freight buslnes
again on a fairly even keel. a.5tFi
This rejuvenation is merely the result ofhnal
work however. The basic condition of the Ger
roads and rolling stock is worse than it ever
been. -
The reason for this may be seen at glal
The German railroad shops have been strippeS
hands for she'll making or have been converted
munition factories. The Germans have hadfae1
the men nor the material for properly reDull I
their roads and rolling stock or for building "a
Every engine-wth the exception OF less than i
hundred now on the German roads is sal
date from before the war These have been df
double duty and have been starved for care +
lubricants. Germany is even more In needN
grease for car aXles than of meat for her me
The minor roads, including those in the occu
territories not needed for war purposes have.
ruthlessly stripped of rolling stock. Rails !
been torn I'D on entire roads. In this way
greater roads have been kept in some sembl I
of good condition, but at the expense of the
railroad capital of the empire. When no new
ing stock and no new rails being added.
the equipment in use is merely patched
gether from trip to trip it is fairly Obvious tnS
actual conditiOn-what one might call the
conditioner the German roads is seriously
statement has been made, upon what basis of
thority I do not know, that there is a essAe
least 20 per cent in the element of the time
That is to say a freight train which once made
round trip from depot to front in five days is
taking six days. Wrecks are more freQuents tfht
the women track walkers keep careful eyes,
every handsbreadth of rail. 1t is no longer pos
to make an accurate comparison OF the fast EXP
trains of today with the fast expresses of be
the war, for fast express trains no longer
Local trains have been cut out, and the forme
press trains now make all local stops. Howe
as has been said, they run fairly close to the
time allowance made for them.
LITTLE BUT WAR BUSINESS.
SO This progressive decrease in the factors OF s
and safety is accompanied by the most rigid del
sion of all business which is not purely of val
ture 1t has been frequently stated that per
desiring to go from one town to another must
get laisser passer from the police before they
buy railroad tickets. l have been unable to
firm this as to the empire as a whole. There
parts of the empire in which this rule is 9in1f
but, broadly speaking, wnen the German desire
visit another town he goes down to the rail
station and buys ticket. If it is necessary {
police permission, this is enforced for police
military reasons only.
1t was intended when the condition Of the
roads became actually threatening to takers
such action as that indicated. But on exam
ton the military authorities decided that theEd
of officials needed to examine into civilian Fea
for going from one town to another would he
large Germany had neither the men mr. the va
to spare for it. So the same end-that of redut
to a minimum the passenger traffic-was secure
indreetien.