The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-11-01
HOW AMERICANS
EIl.'THE FIGHTING
". Front ! ARE !! R FED J
iE4fE 10y a '~ Ex a
hAutomatic Trains" One Of
the Wonders, of War Ac-i
4. tiyitys in France,
SLEEPY VILLAGE rs .S
CENTER OF ACTIVITY
Clock Like Regularity in
Moving Of Supplies For
Fighting Men Attained.
(Americans in France)

American Regulating Base, Ad-
vance Zone, France, Nov. 1-(Corre-
spondence Of the Associated Press)-
The automatic train" Is one of the
strange devices which has sprung out
OF the war, and there is nothing quite
like it in the whole range of railway
transportation. 1t has been develop
ed by the. American military authori-
ties here as one of the necessities of
keeping up an automatic daily sup
ply Of food, forage and all require
mentS to every unit Of the American
E&peditionary forces in France. To
do this with unvarying regularity
each day, SO that every man in every
division stretching over a vast area
along 800 miles Of front, would have
his daily needs supplied was huge
problem.
The only solution was to secure alb
solute uniformity, or a standardiza-
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
American organization.
Watching the makeup Of the "au-
tomato trains as they go forward
to the American divisions on the fight
ing front, is like watching some gil
gantic 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
one of the American divisions.
Here at a small interior village OF
the American Advance Force is the
center from which the automatic
trains move out daily. The place is
we'll forward in the advance zone,
just far enough away from the fight
ing to be out of reach of hostile raids
and yet near enough to permit the
supplies to move forward with the
greatest facility.
Center OF Activity
1t was sleepy village last October,
with 1000 Inhabitants, today 1t is a
center of intense activity, with an
American working force of $1,000
eleven times the population a year
ago-with Y 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.
Last month $4,000 cars were NOV
ed, or over 1000 a day in this stu
pendous stream of supplies going for
ward to thei fighting forces,
Colonel Hi1gard, Commanding Of
ficer, and Captain Bigger, regulating
officer explained the details of these
automatic trains, and later there was
an opportunity to see the trains as
sembfed like parts in huge puzzle
aand started on their way to the front.
The basis on which the automatic
trains are made up is as follows:
Two cars of refrigerated fresh beef;
2 cars of fresh bread; Z cars Of food
comprised in the soldiers ration; 4
cars of fuel for cooking; IA cars of
forage for horses: 1 car Of gasolene,
mineral oil and lubricants for motors;
car for mail and packages.
These are the fixed and practically
invariable elements of each automatic
train, the same wants of food and for
age being repeated day after day.
In addition each division has vary
ing wants Of clothes, ammunition
medical supplies, etc, as it may be in
the midst Of the fighting further back
IN a calmer section. These varying
elements are added to each train. ac-
cording to the needs Of the division.
Thus, Is trains go out daily in IL
directions, each train having some
30 to So cars in the fixed and auto
matte makeup, and some Is or %
cars with the varying elements of am
munition, medical supplies, clothing
etc, dependent on the proximity tc
the fighting.