Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-10
AMERiCANlZE RAILROAD
LINE FOR PERSHlNG
BY c. i. Bertelli,
International News Service Stan
Correspondent


arts July 19-tBy Mail Uncle
sam has only been in France since
June 26, but already several hundreds
OF miles of French railway lines,
stretching between his coast landing
bases and the permanent training
camps OF his soldiers, have passed into
his hands American locomotives are
footing their shrill whistles where only
the faint shrek of the French engine
was heard before; American siding
and switching methods are in active
operation, and American steel bridges
have been thrown across cuIverts.
Underneath the grimy blouse of the
engineer is an American shirt, and a
close inspection Of his shoe will re-
veal it is Regular Army s. The
French Government has loaned part
OF its rolling stock.
When the shipping experts figured
out it would take eight tons of ship
ling to maintain each American sol
tiier in France great number of peo-
pie wondered what it was all about,
how each Sammy" CAS- the French
people insist on calling our boys could
dispose of eight tons of food or shoot
away eight tons Of ammunition. But
here are some of the things the aver
age American forgot to include in his
Every month between 400 and 500
portable knock.down huts arrive
With them, per month, come 50,0EA
rolls of taxpayer to be used for roof
and wall covering, rendering them alb
solutely waterproof Hundreds of baths
have been imported to be installed in
side the huts over LOCO pumps have
already been shipped to force water
for the tubs One hundred miles of
two and four-nch piping to conduct
the water from the pumping stations
is being brought in Countless cleo
trio generating plants to manufacture
current for the pumps are being set
up.
Although the French Government
has turned over its huge State for
estS to our forestry experts, who are
cutting away tons of num-
ber to be used in trench shorings, the
building of dugouts, repairs, etc, the
American army Is importing from the
United States 10000 tons of our own
lumber monthly.
Huge quantities of machinery for
the handling of cargoes on docks,
cranes, tracks, trucks, mo-
tors, cordage, steel wire, hawsers and
belts are arriving by every transport
In addition to the munitions of war,
the cranes unload laundry machines.
real American fire engines and station.
ary engines,
over ESQ, N00 rolls of wire, some of
It barbed for the trenches, some Of It
for telephone and telegraph and some |
for ordinary haling, are on their way
to France. Some is already there. In !
addition to the twenty American loco
motives already III service the Coy
eminent hasA placed a contract in
America for 300 more engines, mostly |
IF the smaller type, intended for use
On the front The guage of the French
railways ID three.siXteenths of an inch |
wider than that Of the American but
because Of the leeway allowed in build. |
ing locomotives and cars the Amer. |
IAN designs will readily accommodate
themselves to the French lines.
At the outset the American War De. |
partment Is avoiding a mistake made |
by England at the beginning Of the |
war when the requests forwarded TO |
London for supplies for the British
army in France were tabled and gone |
over by committee some miles RI.
moved from the ilghting front The
result was that London usually re-