Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-03-13
HANDLING OF U. S. TROOPS ]
WAS BEST IN ALL HISTORY
Report OF Quartermaster General Com
plimentS American Railways.
MILITIA MOVED PROMPTLY
Splendid Results Attained by Cordial
Cooperation of Railway EN-
ployees and Officials With
War Department

Washington, D. Especial y
There has been no case in history
where troops have been as we'll han
died and cared for as in the move
ment to the Mexican border during
the summer of 1915, says the annual
report of the Quartermaster General
of the U. S. Army, which has just
been made public.
On behalf of the railways, super
vision Of moving the troops was in
the hands Of special Committee on
Cooperation with the Military Author
tiles appointed by the American Rail
way Association, at the request of the
War Department and composed of
Fairfax Harrison, president of the
Southern Railway, chairman; R. H.
Ashton, president of the Chicago and
son, vice president of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad; w G. Besler, pres
ident of the Central Railroad of New
Jersey.
The report tells of the uniformly
excellent handling given troops and
supplies through the cooperation of
railway officials and employees of ev-
cry rank with the War Department
officials. 1t states that to carry the
first 100000 of the National Guard
moved to the border, $50 trains, which,
if combined, would have been nearly
80 miles long, were required, and that
they included 5000 passenger cars,
400 baggage cars, most Of them equip
ped as kitchen cars for serving hot
meals en- route, 1900 box cars, 1000
stock cars, and 500 fat cars. Approx
imately 1900 road locomotives and
crews had a part in handling this
movement, in addition to a large num-
Der of yard engines and crews.
Striking sentences from the report
are as follows:
Considering the great distances
travelled by the militia from the vari-
Gus camps to the Mexican border, the
fact that there was but a single &C
cident, and that of minor character,
the celebrity with which the trains
were moved and the entire absence
of congestion or delay, it is believed
that there has been no case in history
where troops have been as well and
safely transported or as well cared for
while en- route as in the recent mob
| ilization."
Every assistance possible was rem
fhn nv Of nd
employees of all railroads concerned,
from the presidents of the companies
down to the minor employees"
Although the movement of the Or
| ganized Militia to the border came
at a time when the commercial traf-
was the largest in years, the trans
! portation of the militia was performed
with very little interference with reg
ular train service and with no conges-
ton whatever, either at initial or ter
minal points or en- route"
1T is, of course, impossible to COM
pare the concentration of the United
/ States Militia on the Mexican border
with the mobilization in Europe in the
summer of 1914. In Europe all civil
| traffic was stopped and the entire
| railroad system given ever to the mil
| itary movement. The distances in
, yolved in this movement of the Or
ganized Militia are very much greater
than those in Europe, the longest run
in the German Empire from one from
| tier to the other, being about 700 miles
and those in France much less. The
/ distances travelled by the militia or
CARNATIONS of the United States vary
| from COS miles, in the case of the
! Louisiana troops, to 1916 miles in the
case of the Connecticut troops. The
majority of these troops came from
North and Northeastern States and
were carried over 1000 miles; in
| most cases in remarkably fast time
when it is considered that these
trains were, as a rule, heavy trains
of from II to % cars each, and were
composed of freight, passenger and
baggage equipment (Which was nee
essary in order to enable each unit
10 proceed to its destination intact
with all lis equipment and impedi-
ments), it will be seen that the move
ment was made with exceptional ra.
pidity."