The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1918-11-13
AMERICAN SUPPLY BASE IS
Il MOST EFFICIENT IN WORLD.
SHOWS SOME IDEA OF GREAT
TASK OF KEEPING ARMY IN
TRIM WHILE OVERSEAS.

American Regulating Base, Advance
Zone, France, Nov. 7.-Warehouses
stretching over several square miles,
baled hay by the acre piled thirty feet
in height and other vast quantities of
supplies needed to maintain the Amer
lean army mark this distributing CEN
ter as one of the points where one OBJ
tains an adequate idea of the tremen-
dous push America is putting into the
wan.
This vast accumulation of supplies
lis necessary to keep train loads of
food, clothing, ammunition, trucks,
wagons, wheelbarrows, medical stores
and the whole range of the army
wants moving forward in huge daily
traffic with unvarying precision so
F. that no division, no matter what it's
losses in material, need suffer.
Each warehouse is hive of indus
try, with supplies moving out from
one side to the front, and moving in
from the other side as the steady
streams of supplies come in from the
American base ports SO that the full
quota always be maintained here.
At one point machine guns were be-
ing tested before going forward to the
front. This was in the machine gun
section of the ordinance park. with
vast array Of these deadly mechanical
devices. Squads of soldiers were MAX
ing the final tests and the rattle of
guns sounded like an early morning
skirmish on the firing line.
Almost as noisy as the machine guns
were the machines for baling hay
which Stretched in long batteries like
threshing machines, devouring the
stacks of loose hay and turning it out
in compact bundles for the artillery
and cavalry horses.
Further on the balllon sheds were
turning out the big gas bags for use
ON observation along the front. These
are assembled and packed, and some
of the parts are made here. Like
everything else the supply of balloons
must be finally regulated here, de-
pending on the number lost or des-
troyed along the front. and the vary
ing activities of the different sectors.
F! Nearly 1900 German prisoners were
at work piling fuel wood. 1t was a
hot autumn day and the air was
heavy and gray iwth the dust of the
Immense traffic going on. But the
prisoners did not seem to mind the
creature discomforts, but bent to their
work with a will, while American
guards with rifles ready, stood at the
summit of the huge piles Of wood to
see there was no Stacking.
Another 700 German prisoners had
arrived the night before, so soon
there will be $500 of these workers
handling picks and shovels! instead Of
rifles. ~.
There is the headquarters also for
the salvage carried on at the front,
and for the extensive system of steri-
lizing and delousing. AS the vast de-
bris of the battlefelds is gathered up
broken cannon and guns, ammuni-
tion, harness, tentage, etc.-it come
back here in hugh masses to be as
sembled and forwarded to the big sar-
wage station at Tours.
The sterilizing system also radiates
from here, and while the actual work
lis done at the front, yet the regula-
ing is all carried on here, with stacks
of clothing, underclothing, shoes, ETC.,
moving forward constantly to meet
the requirements Of this systematic
cleansing
Gas masks have developed the
greatest need for thorough cleansing,
for often after one of these attacks
every stitch of clothing of the gas pa
tients has to be destroyed, and all the
the blankets and equipment which
have the faintest trace of the deadly
fumes and this in turn calls for COM