The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1918-02-13
WAs7 lEIEL|ls
WXN-z~W9 "a, Al - -
i s GEDY Of war
Daily ! 3 Trains Bring Soldiers
Ruiz 5 Equipment to Le
e ms From Front.
5000 Make OVER GARMENTS

French Redeem 10000 Pairs d
Trench Boots and $4,000 Pieces Of
Outer Clothing MonthIy-oer-
man War Prisoners Work.
LIE Mans, Department Of the Sarthe,
France.-On an average eight trains
day are bringing to LIE Mans she
wastage at the battle front, consisting
Of thousands of tons Of damaged war
material and soldiers ruined equip.
ment. There have been as many al
II trains day heavily loaded with
this material picked up on battlefielda
and around camps. LIE Mans would be
the paradise Of ragmen and dealers In
secondhand goods were 1t not for
the fact that the French army is find.
ing its own use for such Of the mate.
rial as it Is able to recuperate or re.
pair.
Establishments located here by the
quartermaster's department recuper.
ates monthly $4,000 outer garments,
125,O0O undergarments, $500 pairs Of
shoes, 10000 pairs of trench boots, 25..
600 steel helmets, 27O,000 sheepskin
capes and 10000 pieces Of equipment
These articles are made ready for
use again by dlsfnfection, renovation
and repairs. There are in addition,
made each month from pieces Of cloth.
ing that are not repaired, 100000
pairs of slippers, 10000 cases for sol.
diers' canteens, $4,000 forage caps,
$4,000 shoe laces, 10000 cloth casel
rags.
5000 in Repair Shops.
The recuperation and repair Of worn
and damaged articles began in the
spring of 1916 in vast warehouses and
repair shops in which 5000 persons
including 1900 refugees. mostly WON
en-, are employed.
Here and at Les Murlins, northwest
of Orleons, among the quays from
which the mot,ilized men Of the fifth
military region went on 1 - Wal ~ y
August, 1914, German prisoners 6$e
war now line up In front Of incoming
freight trains and unload quantities
of great sacks that look like the prod.
uct of a gigantic ragman's shop.
The indescr!bable mass invokes the
confusion as well as the tragedy Of
the battlefield. There are pierced and
dented helmets, worn and stained
pieces of uniform, forage caps, great.
coats, leggings, army shoes and trench
boots, some of them pierced by bullets
some torn by shrapnel and others
shredded by violent contact with
barbed wire.
Of mud of varying thicknesses and
not infrequently garment presents
stain of an indeinable color, always
easily recognized but got rid Of with
difficulty. These garments receive
special treatment. They are first
thrown into receptacle which they
go through long and thorough cleans
ing before being treated as other gar
ments.
Leather, Metal and Cloth.
The first operation on the arrival Of
train is the sorting Of the load into
three piles, leather, metal and cloth.
The cloth and canvas 60 at once into
immense disinfecting tanks that are
in operation night and day, and from
there to the laundry. Then they go to
another warehouse, where they are
separated into repairable and unre.
parable; here there is great deal OF
ripping to separate trimmings from
garments and to divide the garments
themselves into pieceaof as nearly uni.
form size as possible to facilitate their
transformation into comfortable slip.
pers.
i The sheep skins are purified by q
sulphur application in the abandoned
vault of an old cemetery near by,
where 5000 of them are treated each
day, after which they are made plia'
BILE and ready for wear again by beat
ing machine. Some Of them are able
to take another turn at the front, but
the most of them, along with pieces Of
uniform, are distributed among the; as'
!, sembling stations at the rear for. the
equipment Of auxiliaries and. anloaS
the hospitals for the clothing Of con.
valescents. sSs:ss's5;;. "a; .'ssfs Isl.
Rags are sold here at the ratS OF
) a hundred bales per day, Weighing in
the aggregate about IL tons. This rep.
! resents the wear and wastage Of cloth
ing received ut Le Mans alone; IN
. equal quantity is received at Les Mur.
lins. .-t
Kettles, braziers, lanterns drums,
musical Instruments and 41 kinds Of
tools also pass through here on their
way to Rennes tp be dealt with BY spe-
cial establishments where the pr.
centage Of recuperation is said to Be
very slight. -