Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-30
ENGINEERS in FRANCE
Americans DO Big Things In Big
way.
DESTROY VILLAGES and Level Hills
Foundation for Victory Laid With
Pick and Shovel-The Bigger the
Enterprise These Men Have to Car
ry Through the Less that is Said
About il Until After il is Done.

Pick and Shovel-The Bigger the
Enterprise These Men Have to Car.
ry Through the Less that is Said
About il Until After il is Done.
Today, writes an American corre-
spondent from a French Port. 1t Is i'm
possible to tell the people Of the Unit
ed States specifically what the Amer
lean engineers are doing In France.
but generally the work may be sum-
med I'D In one line: They are guar
anteeing victory for the American
army in the tign,ing r.olit"s ahead.
This Ia q big thing to say. but these
are the days Of great deeds and great
works also, with the hope OF the world
set on the accomplishment OF the
American army. Its job Is just begin
ming. The job their brothers OF the
pick and hammer and shovel and riv-
cter began a few months ago has be-
come so extensive, so gigantic in plan
and realization that it is not the heat
of patriotic fire, but the cold facts OF
steel and concrete and wood and stone
which inform the astonished eye that
the men of the rear are winning their
half Of the war.
And yet the generals and the coion-
els and the captains who with a sweep
OF the hand and a nod of direction. or
der the making OF cities and the de-
struction of villages in their way, and
who have seen hills torn down and
docks sprung up and locomotives ar
rive which were ordered by mail. say
merely, "the work Is going on as II
10 blanket the enthusiasm OF the visi-
tor.
And the boys fresh from home,
young lads, whose hearts still beat In
the states, all those thousands who
along with their officers want America
to know what is going on in France.
because they are proud Of their work.
realize that for the present the facts
must remain behind the curtain oil
military secrecy.
For several days I have been visit
| ing all the camps and works In this
French port, and Of the things which
| have seen and of the operations the
engineers are engaged upon. little can
he told, for the greater they are the
less must be said. This is thunder
| ing city. 1t is an American city. roar
ing with work and with traffic, and
inland for many miles in line that
leads eventually straight across the
heart OF France to its battle front, the
| Americans are ut work.
Railroads, wharves. docks. terminals.
Ilocomotives-some have been built,
some are under way, some are yet on
blue print paper and 1t Is because the
job is stfff unfinished. a1id VIII De Tor
several months, that the men whose
duty II is to build Enthusiastically
frown upon enthusiastic reports and
say wait until we are through, and
4 have moved out OF here TO the front"
| Concentration on Supplies.
| All energies are concentrated on
preparing supplies for the American
army. Tonnage. army tonnage. in
cludcs almost everything in the world
OF peace and war: "Ot shoes-and
ships-and sealing waX-of cabbages
and kings" modernizcd into something
like "of tanks and trains and tooth
paste tins-of chewing gum and guns
| Provide Tor tonnage for 12,OOO,OOO
men-that Is the problem OF the engi-
necrs. Twelve million, because they
figure that if the nation puts 2,OOO,Ooo
men into France, 1t will require exact
| ly six times the amount OF supplies per
man that would be required for civili-
ans at home. The soldier eats more.
he wears out more-and he shoots off
millions OF tons of steel and explosive.
So If there are to he 100000 men In
the army in France, they will need
lust as much in weight and bulk as all
the inhabitants OF New York city, Chi
cago. Philadelphia and Boston or
pittsburg-the food, equipment, hous-
es, furniture and travelling accommo-
dations Of a city or nation OF l2,OOO,OO0
men, and the engineers are preparing
for the day when such an army will
be here, and preparing in such man.
ner that there will be no delays, no
brcakdowns, no stoppage In the vast
supply.
At the port which l can describe
only In part, the work under way
provides for only part OF the army,
| and the rest will be cared for at and
from many other ports at each OF
which there are already improvements
in harbors, docks, wharves and termi-
nails. In this one anonymous port the
warehouses alone will hold several
weeks reserve supply for the army.
| The colonel of q certain regiment
stationed here introduced me to cap
tain whose most famous work in the
| United States was the building OF the
railroad along the Florida keys. He
took me to see the work here, not
as n spectacle to impress strangers.
but in the course OF his daily round
| of supery ision. First We went where
were the docks Of the city, with huge
ships unfolding their cargoes from
America with negro stevedores in the
old L.. s. a. uniform, singing as they
worked, and the cranes creaktng and
the loads falling uninterruptedly and
with heavy sounds into the freight
cars or the dock.
The dock was an American dock.
The cars ran on American rails, laid
by American engineers, for one Of the
first jobs was to revolutionize the old
peace time French rail system. The
French used little turntables, which
were good enough for small cars and
plenty Of time. The Americans knew
they had to get the loads out OF the
ships quickly, for tonnage depends
largely on speed In loading and un-
loading ships and getting them ready
for a return trip. So loop system
was built for big cars. and arranged
so that many ships continually are