Evening journal., 1918-11-01
I'M EnMARD ". THIERRY.

n E A. STAFF Correspondent.
A FRENCH PORT-The amazing story
OF Americas work behind the lines in
France-ihe zone Of transplanted Ameri-
ca that runs from the sea TO the firing
line-can be told.
The IS. G. s" section they call IL
here, meaning service Of supply
Armed with a passport from general
Headquarters that would take me any
where 10 the zone. / CAME down from
Paris by train.
First Great Sight From 20 Miles Away.
Twenty miles inland rrom this French
port the train stopped atop a hill
And from there / got my first great
surprise
Against the distant sea were outlined
myriads Of great steel skeletons, up
thrust like tentacles reaching for coluds
and slowly moving back and forth.
They were the great electric cranes
one IS tie biggest In the world-that
are unloading millions Of tons OF food,
supplies and war materials out OF
steamers from. America, and starting
them on their fast journey TO the camps
and trenches, where the Nanks are
making The world safe for democracy"
French City Obscure.
"A ship a day from the H. ). A." is
unloaded at this formerly obscure
still. so far as is fame reaches America.
for tho. censor viii not pass the name
OF the port
Thirty ships a month are unloaded
now by the giant cranes and the sol
dier-stevedores. And within a month
or so, new American docks win be fln-
ished at an annex harbor, a few miles
up the river.
Then this port will unload slxiy-nve
ships a month"; And II Is only one, al
though the largest, Of four ports the
American army has established in
France-the feeding centers for the vast
system Of supply that backs up the
American army in the field
A quarter Of million tons Of food, /
munitions. supplies-everything from |
beans 10 locomotives-wer unloaded at |
this port last MONTH
The record day saw iO,39i tons whisk-
ed from ships holds to warehouses.
Out Of one ship these things were
taken:
55 giant locomotives lknocked down
FOR 6ssemblingl.
1000 tons Of steel rails and track
fittings.
aOO tons OF ammunition.
1000 tons Of food and clothing
10 automobile trucks (set up save for
vheels)
800 tons Of medical supplies.
so tons Of wire for the signal corps. 1
Six thousand tons Of supplies were
at this port daily during July.
1000 tons a day during August and
more than 5000 tons daily during Sep
tember BY the ilrst OF the year it is
10 be 10000 tons a day-at the docks
now In use, and not counting the larger
docks up the river which win be ready
BY that time
shipping locomotives Is the big Job
Mostly they come Knocked down,
parts Grated separately for reassembling
at the huge army locomotive assembly
plant at this port. A few come set up,
ready for the rails with the exception
OF the cab, steam pipes and small ap-
in the cab.
There's no such thing as waste space
in ships hold Therefore locomo-
fives-big, ungainly hulks whether set
NJ" or in such knocked down chunks
as 30-ton chassis, Grated in wood
have to be literally dug out by perspir-
ing stevedores.
The digging stevedores are armed with
shoyels, pitchforks and graphing hooks.
Hay and oats and bran and beans-in
)ags and bales-are packed solidly
lround the locomotives. They're
In tightly wherever there's a
revice.
When locomotive is dug out OF
hips hold it's like diving into a bar
el, with straw and excelsior erupting In
louds, TO retrieve fragile piece Of old
lina
The freight cars mostly come set
p" save for the wheels. They are as
embed at the rate Of 70 a day-a sim
le, rapid job compared TO the assem-
ling Of a locomotive.
They're real American freight cars,
90. Alongside a typical French freight
ar one Of these familiar e. S. A. pro-
ucts looms up like an ocean liner