The Robesonian., 1917-05-10
TRAINED RAILWAY MEN
WILL BE SENT TO FRANCE
First American Troops to be Sent to
France Will be New Regiments of
Highly Trained Railway Men-The
New Forces Will he Vnluntaars

Highly Trained Railway Men-The
New Forces Will be Volunteers
Washington Dispatch, May z.
Nine new regiments Of army en-
gnleers, to be composed exclusively of
highly trained railway men, will be
the first American troops to be sent
to France. They will go "at the earl
lest possible moment" the War De-
partment announced today, for work
on communication lines, but specu-
lation as to exactly when or to what
points they will be sent is forbidden
because of the submarine menace.
The new forces will be volunteers,
raised at the nine great railway CEN
ters of the country. Each regiment
will be commanded by an engineer
colonel of the regular army, aided by
an adjutant. All other officials will
be railway engineers or officials.
The expedition will have total
strength Of between II 1000 and 10000
men, each regiment being composed
Of two battalions of three companies
each. Every branch Of railway
workers necessary to the building or
operation of lines will be represented
in the ranks and the War Department
expects response to the call that
will permit a careful selection to be
exercised and insure a force already
trained to the minute, an army of
experts in railway operation.
Recruiting for the regiments and
the organization of each force will be
directly under the colonel of each reg
iment. The recruiting points will be
New York, Chicago, st. Louis, Boston
Pittsburg, Detroit, Atlanta, San Fran
cisco and Philadelphia.
BrOtherhoOds to Cooperate
Officials believe the great railroad
brotherhoods will cooperate, throw
ing the stength of the unions be.
hind the recruiting efforts. The rail
way companies already are so organ
lied under the Council of Nationa
Defense that their vo-operation is as
sured.
The decision to send the engineer
is understood to have grown out O
conferences here between government
officials and members. of the Frencl
and British war missions. One of tn
J greatest problems of the war has bee
= that of maintaining adequate suppl
lines, and the railroads are the vita
| element of the system that feeds mel
shells and food toward the fightin
front from channel ports and frol
France.
America is pre-eminent in the fiel
of railway engineering and the be:
talent and experience the nation ca
provide in that line will go into tt
new regiments, each Of which wou
be able to undertake all or any pa
of the work of building or operatin
a whole railway system.
While the regular engineer >trool
of the army are among the best dril
, ed in the service, it is improbable tn;
the new regiments will be subjecte
to any lengthy military training. The
are only for the sake of greater m
bility and efficiency.
The administration action meal
that American troops carrying Il
American flag and in the uniform
the American army, are soon to be {
|. French soil. If there is psycholoe
-, cal value In such q movement, as bo
French and British . eommissione
have urged, It will show itself Wi
the arrival in France of the first e.
gineer regiment.
1t will not be necessary to equ
the engineers with the tools
their craft. France and Britain CT
supply whatever is needed, probab
supplemented by an additional su
ply. Because of this, there will
no need for delay in sending the e
gineer troops forward. They WI
need little but their uniforms, arr
and personal equipment before tn
can be sent to the front.