Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-11-01
SERVICE u
COMPLETE; AT
BATTLE FRONT
Automatic Trains to Care
For American Soldiers a
Wonderful Creation.
lAmerican in france

teA . -EsE. . -
American Regulating Base, Ad-
vance Zone, sFrance..as Sept. 2s.---lCor-
respondence Or The = Associated
Press.)-The &'''autornatics train is one
of the strange devices which has
sprung outaof the war, and there 5is
nothing quite like It in the whole
range Nof railway transportation. It
has been developed by the American
military authorities here as one OF the
necessities Of keeping up an automatic
daily supply OF food, forage and all
American Expeditionary Force in
France. To do this with unvarying
regularity each day. so.that every man
in every division stretching over a
vast area along 300 miles Of front,
would have his daily needs supplied
was a huge problem, N
The only solution was to secure alb
solute uniformity, or a STANDARDIZED
ton of trains by which the makeup
would be automatic day after day.
! And out of this has come the "'auto-
matte train" Of the American army,
which is one Of the wonders Of Amer
lean Organization.
Watching the makeup Of the
automatic trains" as; they 60 forward
to the American divisions on the
|! fighting front, isTlike watching some
gigantic jig-saw puzzle for there is
the same fitting together of confused
| parts, until at last all the pieces form
a completed whole OF fifteen Of these
so-called automatic trains" SO cars
to a train, each train moving off to
n of the American divisions
Here at a small interior Village Of
the American Advance Force is the
centerl from which the automatic
trains move out daily. The place is
we'll forward in the advance zone, just
be out OF reach ct, hostile raids and
,lyet lei enough "a permit the sup
plies to move forward with the great
est facility. y g.
It was a sleepy NIlage last october,
with 1000 inhabitants. today It is q
center Of intense activity. with an
American working force Of 20, 900
eleven times the population q year
ago---with 70 miles Of yard trackage,
As enormous warehouses, and rail-
ways radiating to every point of the
long front held wholly or in part by
American troops.
or over 1000 a day in this stupendous
stream Of supplies going. forward to
the fighting forces.
Colonel Hilgard, commanding off,
Ger, and Captain Bigger. regulating
officer explained the details OF these
automatic trains, and later there was
an opportunity to see the trains as
sembled like parts in a huge. puzzle
m started in their way to the front.
The basis or which the automatic
trains are made up is as follows:.
2 cars Of refrigerated fresh beef
2 cars Of fresh bread.
Z cars of food, comprised in the SOL
dter's ration.
4 cars Of fuel for cooking. /,
IA cars Of forage for horses.
1 a Of gasoline, mineral oil and
lubricants for motors. q,
l car for mail and packages.
These are the fixed and practically
i~nvariable elements Of each automatic
train, the same wants Of food and
; forage being repeated day after da3. /,
In addition each division has vary
ing wants Of clothing, ammunition,
medical supplies, ETC., as it may be
In the. midst OF the fighting or. fur
Their back in a calmer section. These
varying elements are added to each
train. according to the needs Of the
division.
Thus, Is trains 30 out daily in IL d.
rections, each train having some 80 to
IS cars in the fixed and automatic
make-up, and some Is or 20 cars with
the varying elements of ammunition,
medical supplies. clothing, ETC., de-
co'dent on the proximity to the fight
ing,