New-York tribune., 1918-03-17
Praises Men Whose Genius
Assures Success
for Army
Views Big Terminal
From Flat Car Seat
Reports, He Says, Did Not
Give Him Idea of the
Great Undertaking
(By The Associated Press ]

SPECIAL TRAIN IN FRANCE. Thurs
day, March 1.-THE American Secrc
tary Of War spent a large part of the
day in crude observation car, which
was only flatcar, hastily fitted at the
lunch hour with pine benches, trayers
ing the railway yards of the American
forces. which spread over the lowands
bordering certain waterfront in
France They will be the biggest thing
Of the kind i'll Europe when finished
something to bring railway engineers
from afar in France to see.
The trackage will be 228 miles and
will provide for $500 incoming freight
cars and $500 outgoing cars. as we'll
IS 5000 on the interior switches.
General Pershirg and Brigadcr
General Atterbury explained them in
abundant detail as the f1atcar with tho
Secretary was drawn slowly over the
trunk and switching lines during the
afternoon. A dozen or more French
and American engineers were in the
party, some of whom were members
of the engineering staff which con-
structed the yards. and they added
point now and then to General Perish.
ing's explanation.
Gives France Great Port
Dredges are constantly at work along
the waterfront, and nearby the ware
houses Of steel and galvanized iron are
rising along the switching arteries.
inlS deveiopment is purely for Amer
lean military requirements and will pro-
vide rather small port in France with
potentialitics equal to those of Ham
ourg, as one of the French officials said
10 the correspondent.
Inc americans. with the object only
OF winning the war, are expendinp in
ms region on permanent works about
sao'ooo,00o. French ports will be ex'
panded as they probably would not
nave been for good many years if
ihe war was not going on.
secretary Baker watched for some
time In another yard the assembling
and setting up of the parts of Ameri-
can-built locomotives. He saw a series
dred and seventy-two have been nut
together thus far, but it is intended to
senc out from these shops eleven hun
dred
Take "Bray" from Mules
;. The Secretary visited remount sta
tlon, which for the most part consisted
o. immense mule stables. 1t is here
mat the Americans have taken I'D
french inc veterinary practice, extracting
'as pray from q mule by slight
surgical operation on the nose, so that
tne sllvery bray, which can be heard a
ale or two upon silent nights at the
mont, viii become harmless wheeze-
a0s enough to awaken the enemy and
uaw his shellfire.
Mr.. Baker visited recently wounded
americans and talked with them. He
listened TO some personal accounts of
"s mems experiences
AT the end of the day. back aboard
ne tram, General Pershing, in dis
'asS'ng the Secretary's visit. said:
..i mad long urged the Secretary to
eome to France. Now that he is here
w. s are delighted that he means to take
s;..ae %s llme to master the details of our
s,,iiuatlon. s,i As our chief, who carries
oh sh.r our military effort at home and
s;a ssoioao In his mind, he is seeing with
siSa 0"n eyes what we are doing on this
sr sue. and his visit is personal in
Will Meet All Problems
spondent: o0'4'
..,se ahese days have been worth nv trip
.Tss ,sa the Atlantic in the information
yira, Encouragement which they have
y'.m me. l have seen only the effort
u ~ ports, only the receiving depots
n..se great war plant which we are
70 ues'Ag' snng' Eut | have seen enough
sonVlnce me that we now have an
l.sannation l.s which will meet the prob
ussa WIN It's increasing volume of de-
hrl..;ot % coupling up the ports of en-
oh,.'on at home with the ports of
''ssssrsation in France -
SUI Ahd that the written renorts bavo
s.nl.;in me an Inadequate idea of the diff
puid & winch the enemy said we
sYsreor moe overcome and which we are
Aesrts% After her long and stout
Es,i. defence France could snare ,,s
Ma. material Or labor for orr I,r'
irom except by ill-advised diyersions
eser "er own organization. She could
Hruc.'ss land on which to raise our
or srs.es cn.a and the right of wav for
y, ,communcationg. way ioi
IL. shouid like TO paw a tr;buto ~
fsll @en who began last summer and
J n .s nrhs INTO being the blueprints
sdysnced conception, which is now
Of ea sncso enough 10 yield conviction
tsibnssss sscess :, TO any observer. and a
trsm zig, 70 our 'ur engineers and experts
A.7s cen.;. e,v'i life in all branches who
u. ns@sntinued TO arrive to serve ,~i,t
eenmsns nesrs Of the regular engineers in
vorE.rnn' %, OF an Increasing arnv Of Of
all doing their part.
Tribute to Engineers
h.
sad d'1sy ~ come from pioneering neon,e
Nsn.sry snsy have brought to France se''s q
a.shes In.n .snesSy: s,, They have turned
.sish they viii lqi"issi dradoa facing waterways
nd tbs tb."ay track and built warehom.cs rcs
j tsr -" yna.scessary supplementary plants
ae linssaa nsa.sn .g which vail dispatch along
spsd. ela.p2i 81 communication 10 the frnnt
he ennsss. guns, ammunition and aii
var mssa.i'ns amount Of complicated
'sf'ai which the resourccs Of
continued on Page Three