The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-05-08
AR MY ENGINEERS
WILL Be SENT
TO FRANCE
Nine Regiments Of Railway Work
ers Help Communication Lines
WILL Be A VOLUNTEER FORCE
Engineer Colonel OF the Regular Army
viii Be in Command of Each
Regiment.

w dSHlHBlOl, May c.--4Nille new lcS'
iments of army engineers, to be com
posed exclusively of highly-trained
railway men, will be the first Ameri-
can troops to be sent to France. They
will go "at the earliest possible mo-
ment' the war department announced
yesterday for work on communication
lines, but speculation as to exactly
when or TO what points they Will be
sent is forbidden because of the sub
marine menace. The new forces will
be volunteers, raised at the nine great
railway centers OF the country. Each
regiment will be commanded by an
engineer colonel OF the regular army,
aided by an adjutant. All other Off
GERS will be railway engineers or Off
cials.
The expedition will have total
strength of between 1900 and $1,000
men, each regiment being composed
of two battalions of three companies
each. Every branch of railway work
ers necessary TO the building or oprea-
ton of lines will be represented in
the ranks and the war department eX-
poets a response to the call that will
permit a careful selection to be eXer-
cised and insure force already train
ed to the minute, an army of experts
in railway operation. The depart
ments statement follows
1.-The war department has sent out
orders for the raising as rapidly as
possible of nine additional regiments
of engineers which are destined to
proceed to France at the earliest pos
sible moment for work on the lines of
communication. II is requested OF the
press that no speculation or rumors
regarding this force be carried other
than that given out. All details re
garding the force will be given out as
fast as compatible with the best pub
lie interests"
II was explained that these engineer
forces were not in any way connected
with the army organization planned by
the war department and already made
known. They represent an addition to
the total preparedness program on
which the country is now engaged. In
effect the regiments will be additional
technical units of the army which the
administration bill authorizes the
president to organize in whatever
numbers and on whatever plan he
deems best.
Recruiting for the regiments and
the organization of each force will be
directly under the colonel of each
regiment. Recruiting machinery OF
the regular service or the national
guard will be placed at their service
andit is hoped the enrolment of the
troops will take little time. The re-
cruiting points will be New York. Chi
cago, St Louis, Boston Pittsburg, De-
troit, Atlanta, San Francisco and Phil
adelphia
Officials believe the great railroad
brotherhOods will cooperate, throwing
the strength efforts. The railway COM
panies already are so organized under
the council of national defense that
their cooperation is assured. The en-
gineers and officials of the lines who
offer themselves will be selected in
such manner as not to cripple the
operating forces of any company.
The decision to send the engineers
is understood to have grown out of
conferences in Washington between
government officials and members of
the French and British war missions.
One of the greatest problems of the
war has been that of maintaining ade
quate supply lines and the railroads
are the vital element of the system
that feeds men, shells and food to-
ward the fighting front from chan
mel ports and from France.