The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-03-21

has been to begin his study OF VIVA
the Americans are doing and ought t
do in France by a survey of a grea
port department.
Il am still absorbing" said he a
r the end of a f~ourteen-hour day. A."
must say frankly that | did not know
the immensely of the enterprise whicI
we have undertaken in opening neg
!, ports, and when | see what we hav'
accomplished here | am satisfied"
The secretary walked for tire,
miles along the American army docl
front, already constructed or in thu
process of construction, as an exten
sion to the berths for a number o
ships placed at the disposition OF tht
Americans by the French government
Two miles of this new sea frontage
consisted of marshes on October |
last. The ground has been filled in
from dredgings in deepening the water
fronts and ships are already along
side some Of these new berths. On
other parts of the frontage concerned.
warehouses are going up and a great
system Of switches has been laid or is
in the course of being laid.
This new dockage. with two other
new frcntages that are being devel-
oped in connection with it. will allow
40 large, or so medium sized steamers
10 be unloaded simultaneously.
Mr.. Bakers questions were fire.
quent. penetrating and often technical
when the engineers were explaining
the railway pleXus connecting the
various ports with the bases in the IN.
terror. He asked particularly about
grades, so as 10 estimate the require
ments IN engine power and the heari-
ness OF loads. He rather astonished
the engineers by the detailed charac-
ter OF his questioning. which touched
the very problems that bother them
most.
The secretary spent a large part Of
the day in a rude observation car,
was on a fiat car hastily 6tted
at the luncheon hour with pine bench
IS. The car ~trayersed the railway yards
Of the American forces. which spread
the low lands. The yards will be
the biggest thing of its kind in Europe
when misunderstanding to bring
railway engineers from afar in France
10 see.
The trackage will be two hundred
and twenty-eight miles and will pro-
vide for twenty-five hundred incoming
'reight cars and twenty-five hundred
outgoing cars as we'll as thirty-two
hundred on the interior switches.
Dredges are constantly at work
long the waterfront, and nearby the
warehouses; of steel and galvanized
ron are rising along the switching
This development Is purely
or American military requirements
nd will provide a rather small port
n France with potentiaries equal to
hose Of Hamburg. as one Of the
'rench officials said to the correspon-
ent.
The Americans with the object only
( winning the war, are expending in
his region on permanent works about
40, 000, 900. French ports will be ex
anded as they probably would not
ave been for a good many years if
he war vas not going on.
Secretary Baker watched for some
me in another yard the assembling
setting up Of the parts OF Ameri-
an built locomotives. He saw a series
t them in various stages of complete
ess. One hundred seventy-two have
cen put together thus far but it is in
,nded to send out from these shops
even hundred.
The secretary visited a remount
apot which for the most part CON
sted of immense mule stables. 1t
here that the Americans have taken
French veterinary practice, ex-
acting the bray" from q mule by
slight surgical operation on the
Use, so that the silvery bray, which
n be heard a mile or two. upon
lent nights at the front, will become
harmless wheeze-not enough TO
vaken the enemy and draw his shell
e.
Mr.. Baker visited recently wounded
nericans and talked to them. He lis
ned to some personal accounts of the
ems experiences.
Twelve thousand men are laboring
this great development and the un.
rtakings related to it in the vicin-
:, such as warehouse depots, bar
cks for troops, hospitals, rest camps,
d railway buildings. 1t is like en-
ing a great American port except
at the merchandise is all American,
I a foreign crate or case being