The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-10-08
Locomotives And Flat Cars
Turned Out In Huge Shop
At Incredible Speed.
WORK in THREE SHIFTS

In action. But this iS not the cannon
ade of the battle front one hears here,
but another kind of cannonade, almost
as fierce and ear-splitting, of trip.
hammers, giant sledges and electric
rivetters in the gigantic American con.
struction camp which has suddenly
sprung into existence here.
Standing in the vast workshops,
about the dimensions of the capitol in
Washington, with the throb of great
work going on inside and miles OF ac-
tivity stretching away outside in rail
way yards, warehouses, docks and
camps, enc feels this is after all quite
as essential n part in the winning of
the war as the struggle going on fur
ther forward. for here Is the very
fountain head of material for winning
the war. There are great 800 MILL.
metre cannon like the 12.in monsters
on American battleships. with all
their pOwderOus mOuntings and
trucks, huge 90-ton locomotives which
are turned out with the incredible
speed of six to ten day, exceeding
the output of the great establishments
In America, and flat cars, freight cars
box cars, tank cars, and all the other
forms of railway transportation turn.
ed out by scores and hundreds daily as
baker turns out cakes from his ov-
ems.
That has been most astonishing to
the European observer is that all this
vast stOrehOuse of American energy
and production could he created in n
few months out of practically nothing.
Last fall the site of this present plant
has vast marsh with the sea water
over II Mt high tide. 1t was necessary
first to raise the level of the ground
i've to nine feet. This was huge en-.
gineering undertaking in itself When
II was done, instead of marsh with
the sea tapping IL, the astonished
t0wnspeople saw high and level
plane adjacent to the city, with biz
ocean piers beginning to stretch out
seaward for the incoming migration of
American men and materials. Soon
thereafter rose like magic the huge
buildings to carry on the infinite di.
versity of activities Of this hive of
war industry.
Under the escort of Baron, Dornes
one of the CHIEF French officials con
nected with the institution The Asso.
clated Press correspondent had an Oh.
portunity today to see the huge enter.
prise In full swing. II was like going
through the Bethlehem or Carnegie
works. with the same roar of produc.
ton on giant scale, with furnaces
glowing. hammers and riveters beat.
Ing. and armies of workmen enlisted
American soldiers in their blue jeans
ana overalls-in their many branches
OF work. Inside the main building was
ike being inside the PENNSYLVANIA
railway station In New York, enlarged
| several times over.
There are | 400 men at work here. ."
| explained the Baron, "all of them
skilled American mechanics enlisted
as soldiers. working In three shifts
continuously for "a hours"
To the left big trench mortars
weighing n hundred tons each were
being picked up by the giant fingers
or derrick and landed on their train
of trucks ready to be moved forward
to the front, TO the right anothe,
hnse crane was bodily picking up u
locomotive and passing il around Ia
i's proper place. Theqe locomotives
come from the United States In parts
packed In crates. Looking at the lonp
rows of these giant crates, thew seem
cd to be streets of cottages or shacks
ana one wondered how they could ey
er be brought across the ocean will
all the shifts and storing between
docks.
we watched one of these locomO
'ives as 1t was taken from it's seye,
giant boxes. and gradually grew into {
massive engine Soon thereafter thi,
locomotive was moving through IN,
yards on its own steam and soon nj
Ter that II was on its way to reeouil
'he state Railway of France, which 4
one or the vital links OF the war game
FIRST of all The American double tract
road up to the front was equipped, an,
lhen the French state railway tool
ts turn' FOR they are all part of tn
network of feeders for tbs allied wa
service.
we turn out six to ten complete
locomotives u day" said the Baron
ana by September II will be 20
day .he largest construction OF In
kind in the world.