New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-26
Nv 4. 4. WRAY

By Cable 70 The Tnbunel
With the British Armies in the Field,
France (via London, March 81 have
just been watching the sight OF great
army pursuing a foe. l have been try
ing to realize, to comprehend the amaz-
ing labor and effort such a process IN
wolves.
The lines which the British held Tor
four months before Bapaume are de-
serted. When / came TO BapGume last
Friday the British troops were miles
ahead how far acne knew exactly,
though in the distance the boom Of
field pieces could be constantly heard.
Neither side was using heavy guns
then the time for them had not yet
arrived.
The road from Albert, where the
statue Of the Virgin juts horizontally
from the top Of the ruined cathedral
tower. but still mraculously holds in
place. right up to and past Bapaume,
was an unforgettable spectacle. The
British soldiers had passed that way
DAYS before and now everything neces-
sary TO push the Boche back past the
Hindenburg line of defence was beng
brought up for their support.
Rush Up Bread and Shells
The road everywhere was crowded
with every possible variety of vehicle:
One passed hundreds and hundreds OF
huge motor lorries, bearing supplies OF
all descriptions.
Red Cross ambulances sped by at
great speed. Teams of American mules
were hauling great wagons piled high
with thousands Of loaves Of bread and
sides of beef. Painting horses were
drawing wagons laden with munitions
of war. Others were bringing up huge
loads Of fodder, or, perhaps, tins OF
cocoa or condensed milk. Occasionally
powerful automobile filled with stan
officers threaded its way through the
throng of vehicles.
From dawn until dusk this twenty
mile procession went on increasingly.
About every mile in the traffic line a
policeman with a red flag regulated IT
and with autOcratic authority kept 1t
moving in order. That would have been
a strange sight on any road; on this 1t
was most exotic.
1t was a stupendous task, moving
these supplies along that road. IL was
not built for two lines of heavy traffic
even in normal times. And since the
beginning of the war it had been
shelled persistently. Every yard there
was a pitted she'll hole. Occasionally
these craters were ten feet in diameter
and six feet deep. In addition TO this,
in several places the Germans had
blown up the road when thew were near
Bapaume.
Road Swiftly Built
To put this road in passable shape
in two or three days had been a great
feat for the British labor battalions,
worthy of tribute even under the most
favorable circumstances. Wearing their
steel helmets, the road-making gangs
were kept working night and day along
It's entire length. They are still work
ing.
There is no time TO use ordinary ma
terial. The men take bricks from the
ruined villages nearby, fill up the she'll
holes and roll them level whenever
they get the chance. Where there is
mine crater they just build the road
around its edge.
My car was stopped frequently while
bricks were thrown into hole TO make
passage possible. IL was wonderful TO
be able to proceed at all.
Laying a Railway
Alongside the road thousands of men
were working furiously laying a rail
road across the shell holes. The Ger
mans had destroyed their lines very
thoroughly, but the British engineers
showed no signs Of resentment. They
were quite pleased, however, when they
were able to use up length Of Ger
man rails. They have had to shed all
British notions of track permaneney,
being intent merely on getting the loco
motives over the rails at the earliest
possible moment.
There were men engaged who had
learned the lessons OF rapid construc-
ton in many parts of the world, and
the rate at which the lines grew under
ones eyes would have overjoyed any
real hustling railroad pioneer
Yard by yard the track creeps up,
and almost as soon as the British
troops halt they find completed line
at their heels. bringing them everything
needful. When the war is over this
roughly laid line across the morass and
mud Of the Picardy plain will be a