The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-29
RAILWAY ROUTES
IN FRANC ARE LINED
WITH AMERICAN WIRES


--
Tours, Central France, Sept. H.
Correspondence OF The Associated
Press. Along the railway routes
and the great national highways OF
France one sees mile after mile OF
the new telegraph and telephone
lines set up by the American army,
with squads OF linemen in khaki
stringing the wires and laying out
new lines. The telegraph offices all
through the war zones are crowded
with khaki-unformed operators and
personnel of American officers and
enlisted men.
1t is one OF the extensive systems
suddenly installed on huge scale
with the coming of the Americans,
spreading a vast wire network over
all France and realizing government
operation OF telegraph and telephone
on foreign soil even before It was
under way on home soil.
This military nerve system IS not
alone telegraph and telephone lines,
but cable lines across the channel
so that American headquarters in
France can be in immediate inter
course with American officials IN
London; wireless receiving and
sending plants for detecting enemy
exchanges and carrying on our own
radio work; couriers and dispatch
riders: weather observers to warn
when storms may impede military
opeiations. and all those modern
methods of rapid communication
which have become indispensable
to warfare.
Complete Linking.
II Is 4 complete linking together
OF the army, front and rear, head
quarters, staff and line. keeping the
commanding officers in constant
touch with every division and every
other branch in the huge field OF
operations. The movement OF troops
and the actual fighting OF battles
are largely dependent on this high
" developed army communication
which not only joins our own army
but keeps up the liason OF vast
united command.
1t is something over 500 miles
from the French coast to the battle
line in eastern France, and through
out this distance there is complete
system of 10 and 20 wire American
telegraph lines, linking the seaports
with the front and also spreading
through the vast ramification OF
warehouses, camps, hospitals, CON
struct,on shops and military cstab-
lishments of all sort extending from
the ports inland to the firing line.
There is another multiple line
running southwark toward the Med
iterranean and over to the Spanish
frontier.
These are the trunk lines, extend
ing clear across France and, besides
these main arteries, every division
and branch Of the army has its own
telegraph and telephone lines keep
mo ND constant intercourse with
headquarters. In every area occupied
bv the arm yalong the front 4 com
plete system OF lines run back TO
switchboard central stations-trom
regiment back to the brigade, brl-
pade TO division. division to corps,
corps to headquarters.
On the first day OF the big battle .
above -Thierry when the
Americans began their famous drive,
there were $1,000 messages averag-
inc over 60 words each-all the way |
from an extended report on an op-
Grafton to short sharp order tor
some new move in the swiftly NOV
ing drama. Within six weeks, since
tho Americans had got into action,
the communication between front
and rear had quadrupled, and Six
weeks ago had quadrupled over the
service on April | when the Ameri-
can activities were beginning to get
in motion.
The elimination OF the great bat
tie late in July stirred into intense
activity every branch of communi-
cation, with orders flying to hospit-
ais. supply centers, ordnance works,
and 10 the training and rest camps
for the steady movement forward
of tracI /, trnOns