The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-07-06
CONDITIONS 0FWAR
Effect Of Failure Of Railway
Transportation Outlined.
UNABLE 70 CARRY SUPPLIES
Arms and Munitions Piled In Heaps on
Ground at vIadivostok-Disor.
0~anization Among Railroads
During Civil War.

The effect Of a failure of transporta-
ton facilities In modern warfare is
we'll Illustrated by the present situa-
ton in Russia. There seems to be no
doubt that the failure of the Russian
military plans vas to a very great ex-
tent the result of the disorganization
of the nations railway system, a dis
organization so COMPLETE that it ex-
tended clear to ~Vladivostok, 5000 miles
behind the fighting line.
At that port an accumulation of
arms munitions and supplies shipped
from America for the use Of the Rus
sian forces is piled on the ground for
miles. Some Of the material has been
there for more than a year. It may
well be doubted whether the Russian
revolution would have come so quickly
to a head had the military authorities
been able to keep the troops properly
supplied and thus put them more
nearly on equal terms with the enemy.
Conditions During Spanish War.
Nor does the Spanish wal furnish
the only example of a failure on the
part Of American railroads to meet
the stresses Of war conditions. Some
thing Of the same sort Of disorganiza-
ton affected the railroads Of the
Northern states during the Civil war
and resulted in the first plan Of rail-
way Capitalization for military pvr-
poses.
When the serious nature Of the
struggle had begun to be evident to
the people of the North and repeated
calls for volunteers had resulted in the
raising Of large numbers of troops in
different sections of the country the
facilities of the railroads broke down
completely. The movement of men
and supplies In numbers then I'M
dreamed of was too much for the per-
sonnet and the equipment Of the nu-
merous small roads which at that time
broke the journey between most OF the
principal cities.
Government Control.
It was this situation which In 1862
impelled congress to pass an act Civ
ing the federal government power to
take over the railroads in time of war.
President Lincoln, however, cOntented
himself with calling to Washington
Col. Thomas A. Scott, then IN officer
Of the Pennsylvania railroad and after
ward its president for many years Col
Onel Scott received an appointment as
assistant secretary of war, with full
authority over all the railroads In con-
nectfOn with the movement OF troops.
Colonel Scott and his assistants soon
had things Strengthened out and troops
were moved to the various mobiliza-
ton and concentration points as fast
MS the army authorities were able to
take care OF them. One Of the Penn
sylvania's bright young men whom Col
Onel Scott summoned to Washington to
assist him in the work was q certain
division superintendent, Andrew Car
negie by name, whose fame in other
fields of endeavor has well-nigh OBJ
scured the reputation for %unraveling
knotty problems, which he demon
strated as an official of the military
railways.
Another Of his assistants was John
p. Green, who afterwards Ose to the
vice presidency Of the Pennsylvania
and who is still serving the company
on its board of directors.