The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-06-04
AMERICAN RAILROADS TO
HELP RAILROADS OF FRANCE

Instructions have been issued by
the railroads war board to the rail-
roads of the United States to take
vigorous action to assist in the Or
ganization of nine regiments Of quail
fled railroad men for service in
France. 1t is an urgent necessity
that these men be sent to France at
the earliest possible moment.
Railroad executives have been ask
ed to give immediate attention to a
communication which has just been
sent to them, which says in effect:
The French railways are badly
run down. They need more or less
complete 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 goin-
to the trenches we can supply
frances railroad wants and we can
do it practically Immediately. Any
men we send over must be soldiers,
SO it will be necessary for the rail-
road forces to enter the army.
1--WE propose to make up five con-
struction regiments of six companies
each to do this rehabilitation. Each
regiment will have an engineer Off
Ger of the United States army as COL
onel and another officer from the ar
my as adjutant. The other officers
will be made up of railroad men, ex-
cept that the commissary will be pro-
vided by the United States army. The
lieutenant-colonel will be a chief en-
gineer of railroad, or someone else
of similar experience. Captains
will be taken from the engineers of
maintenance of way, lieutenants from
supervisors or roadmasters, and the
non commissioned officers from track
and bridge foremen. The privates
will be track laborers.
"The pressing need just now is for
officers for these regiments. They
will require five chief engineers, thir-
ty engineers of maintenance of way,
ninety supervisors OF roadmasters,
sixty track foremen and thirty bridge
foremen. Each company will have
$50 track laborers and fourteen
bridge carpenters as privates.
1.-THE next important requirement
on the French railways ID for shop
forces. They are short of men to re-
pair their locomotives. 1t is proposed
to organize shop regiment, to be
made up the same way as the con-
struction regiments, except that the
lieutenant-colonel will be superin-
tendent Of motive power; the captains
will be master mechanics, the lieu
tenants will be shop foremen and the
on-commissioned officers gang fore
men. The rest Of the company will
be made up Of boilermakers, machin-
lists, blacksmiths and their helpers" "
Three railway operating regiments
will be formed. Each regiment will
be a complete railroad operating unit
and will be commanded by a colonel
from the United States army. The
colonel will be q general
manager or general superintendent
Of a railroad, the captain adjutant
will be an officer of the United States
the captain quartermaster
will be chosen by the colonel, and the
captain engineer will be selected from
the railroad engineers Of maintenance
Of way.
Two majors for each of the operat-
Ing regiments will be chosen from the
general managers or their assistants,
while two captains-adjutant and six
captains will come from division sup
or their assistants.
Twelve first lieutenants will be chos- |
en- from trainmasters, road foremen
Of engines, and engineers of main
tenance of way, and six second lieu
tenants from. chief dispatchers and
master mechanics.
The makeup of each company will
include the following enlisted men:
Seven electricians, linemen and
signal maintainers, 2 gas enginemen,