Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-06
RAIL MEN REQUIRE
SUPREME COURAGE
Army Operation Under Fire
Compared With Work in
First-Line Trenches.
EXPLOITS CAUSE THRILLS
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.
Cablegram to The Sunday Star and
Chicago DailyNews. Copyright 1913.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY AT
THE FRONT. October AIN connec-
ton with the advance of the first
American Army northwest of Verdun,
where it is less than thirty miles from
Luxembourg. and the boundary of old
Germany. the work Of a railroad regi-
ment should be an inspiration to every
railroader and trade union man in
America.
For more than a year the organiza-
ton has been under control OF the
French army and has been operating
it's defenses. The tracks have been
cut daily by German shells, locomo-
tives and trains have been chased by
enemy airplanes, and barracks and
railroad yards have been bombed al
most nightly. In this way railroad
ing here was about as dangerous as
work in the first-line trenches.
Backbone of Supply System.
When the American Army began
preparing for the offensive in this
sector the railroad was the backbone
of the supply system and it was the
efficiency of the regiment handling
the trains of troops, heavy guns.
tanks. ammunition. supplies and hos
pitfalls that made the offensive pos
sible. Every one of the 1,60O men in
400 Ammonite laborers with it felt
that the opportunity to give the regi-
ment "a place in the sun" for which
it had been faithfully working for
year had finally arrived.
by -, 1 am not going to leave my
veteran Illinois engineer, after run
ming continuously forty-two hours.
eff it keeps running I will keep
working" Capt. Edward Schultz. how
ever. ordered him to take rest.
There WAS nothing unusual about
Young's case. Every trainnan on the
road, though most of them when at
ZONE a year or so ago would have con-
sidered it treason to work more than the
union scale Of hours, laborered in this
emergency from forty-eight to sixty
hours at a stretch.
long road handled 1903 trains, which is
a considerable feat when one realizes
that it was necessary to repair the
tracks under fire as rapidly as they were
cut to keep the trains moving.
Fled From Hospital.
Private Harry McCaighey, on taking
a bath, disclosed a knee inflamed from
the scratch of a nail, and a medical
officer ordered him to go to a hospital.
Mccaishey hoped h, D.. on the s,o next train
"Any one who thinks am going to
quit when there is a big showdown on
is off," he Indignantly protested to the
colonel when the medical officer COM
planned that his authority had been
scorned.
Everybody is doing his part and
no officer has to stand over the men
to see that they do their work." said
Lieut.. Col. C. L. Whiting at the head
of the operating department.
From others I CLEANED few TYPICAL
stories of exploits in the way of run
ming trains without headlights in
pitch darkness, and with even the
lanterns screened. In addition to the
regular line the men took over the
operation of disused, grass-grown
tracks which had been idle for four
years as far as Vienne-la-Ville. north
Of st. Menehould. AS the German
front was pushed back the Americans
pushed the line forward. One station
crew lived for weeks under a water
tank. the regular building having
been perforated by shrapnel. Another
crew took refuge in calvert holes.
and scurrying back when the trains
had gone.
Defense Of Tank Cars.
Word was telephoned one night that
the Germans were Smelling the yards
where a train of seventeen new tank
cars filled with gasoline and thirty cars
loaded with ammunition was standing.
Lieut.. Harry Halversen, formerly with
the Illinois Central at Memphis, Tenn,
hoped on an engine and. with crew.
all former Santa Fe men, fastened to
the imperiled yards. The men with
| the lieutenant were Corp. William S.
Lish of Illinois, engineer; Private
Victor S. Nichols Kansas, fireman
conductor, and Privates E. E. Stein
meyer of Kansas and Dennis Butler
Of Kansas. brakemen.
When Halvorsen and the crew ar
Fred Mott. station master. and George
Lichy, operator, uncoupling the cars,
while the unloading gangs took
refuge in dugouts. The shells were
breaking within twenty-five yards of
the trains. and a single hit meant
was hooked to the inflammable gaso-
line tanks, which were pulled out to
safety. Then the engine made two
more trips, polling out the ammu-
milton cars. Ten minutes later a shell
tore up the tracks where the trains
had been standing.
Everybody did his duty from high
buck privates to officers, said Col.
N L. Howard. Not a single man
showed the yellow feather, and it is
impossible to commend one perform
ance over another"
The colonel graduated from West
Point and later was a division super
intendent ON the Burlington, but re-
turned to the Army when war was
declared. He is one Of the youngest
colonies in. France.