Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-07
! AMERICAN sTEvEDOREs
BREAKING ALL RECORDS
Handling OF Ships at Americas
French Port "a Marvel of
Efficiency.
TIME CUT TO FORTY HOURS
1t Took Liverpool SO Days to Handle
Same Ship. Greatest In Service, on
Her First Trip Overseas With Men
and Supplies.

AMERICAN PORT IN WESTERN
FRANCE. September G-The spiri,
which animates all Americans here Is
same az that of the front line trenches
the words Of the genrral command
e ens, ~ Is an inspiration of intense
eaSerness. This lis shown by the fact
mat under the stress of haste to send
fn rnnt An soldiers to- the fighting
greatest of American transports bring
ing 1000 troops. coal her and start
her back to America. has been reduced
This is the best deep-water mort of
western continental Europe with n har-
por capable OF receiving the navies of
americans came here. six months ago.
~ was practically undeveloped and
unused; II was estimated then that
landing Of 10000 men u month.
But with 100000 men a month COM
irG from America. something had TO
ne done on gigantic scale. and done
quickly. Fortunately the emergency
produced the men. and American brig
adler general who has planned and ex-
ecuted some OF the great engineering
projects of the west, and an Ameri-
can admiral who has the reputation Of
accomplishing large things in 4 quiet
way Around them were grouped men
OF tho same talents.
MEN HANDLED IN ONE
DAY NUMBERED 5000
out OF It has arisen this marvellous
days landing OF $4,000 men has been
followed the next day by l5.OO0-eo. 900
in two days. or at the unheard rate
OF 100000 month. And the strange
thing has been that the port has not
fclt or even known OF the huge mi
grafton passing through It's gates. so
quietly and smoothly the organization
has functiOncd.
1t is the same with tho handling Of
the immense stocks OF war supplies
as 1t is with the handling OF troops
Sly months ago II was estimated ihai
Actually more than that is handled
daily, and this Is not the main port for
supplies. IL Is for men.
4 large measure OF credit for high
record in dcbarking troops is given b.,
the general 10 the officer in e,harge Of
This officer has had n remarkable ca
reer. which exactly equips him for the
present huge undertaking. He was :.
United States with the Cunard Com
pany. and worked UP 20 the position
o: terminal superintendent at Boston.
was appointed "a major in the army
But he forgets all abou; being major
when he takes command of those 200
black stevcdorcs and great ocean
steamer hcaNes into sight with thous-
ands OF men aboard who must be land :
cd on record time Al the old spirit
again. ne becomes a human dynamo. and
the army Of black stcvedorcs follow
him with nc same eaEerness that men men
Here are some examples showing just
what this means:
TOOK :. DAYS TO UNLOAD
ONE SHIP IN LIVERPOOL
When tho greatest OF American trans
ports FRY; came over Il took Hft:-two
days 10 unload her al Liverpool. The
mex, trim was be,ier-tw zig II
day. Then Oh the third trip II Was
decided to send her 10 this French port.
where the Americans had begun to take
things over. II was risky expert
mcnt they thought But they failed
stevcdorcs for this is the remarka BILE
record OF how the great vessel has been
handled az this rorrt,;
unloaded and tho snip coaled md sen,
Lack in four days
Second arrival. unloaded. coaled and
sent back In three days
Third arrival. unioaded. coaled and
sent back in for;y-eight hours.
Fourth arrival, unioaded. coa!ed and
sent back IN forty hours.
The magnitude OF such an accom-
plishment may be judged by The fac,
that 5000 tons OF coal has to be put
on the huge transport 10 send her back.
Lighters, as her forty-ons feet OF
drausht keeps her far GU, in the har-
Der. And all this in forty hours be-
sides debarking 10000 troops on light,
ers and several thousand tons OF steel
and emergency war cargo
IS NEARER NEW YoRk
THAN BIGGER PORTS
Americans seem 10 have discovered
for the first time that this port is
nearer New York than any Of the
great ports and is thus on the great
commercial hGhroad from the west 10
continental Europe. This holds out a
brilliant future for the port in the
after the war commercial renaissance
one OF the foremost American engi-
ncera recently said he would like to
undertake to make this the great COM
mercial port of Europe. and he be-
lieved this would certainly result from
the American development incident TO
tho war. SO that. besides landing SOL
diers and supplies here. America is
paving the way to making this the first
port of Europe and the landing terminal
for the commercial penetration Of
Europe from the west.