The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-07
.ARMY AUTOMOBILES.
Greatest Display OF Motor Vehicles
Ever Seen.

NA1S61ii L "! !, hN'0SNA.'
Aug. 20 Correspondence Of The AS
sociated <Pressj-There are all kinds !
of armies these war days. and today /
We saw an army OF automobiles drawn
up in brigades and regiments, every !!
conceivable Kind oi motor vehicle
for carrying on the many war actvl- /
ties. These were ammunition cars.
tank cars for carrying gasoline, steel
trucks by the hundred, ambulance
cars for the wounded signal service
cars with complete wireless outhe
and all the equipment for field signaH-
ing, recogGiZance cars on which il
men make !. recognizance into enemy
country, battalion after battalion o.
touring cars for headquarters ana
other branches Of the service, ana
motorcycles for the despatch bear
ers. 1t was like !&lf dozen big
automobile expositions rolled into
one, and al devoted to the one bus
mess. Of carrying Oh the war.
The commandant led the way
through Wilson avenue Of the huge
plant, and then turned into Roose-
velt avenue On ona side stretched
away half mile square OF motor ve-
licles in such vast array as TO be
fairly bewilderinS. but all lined up IN
regular formation like soldiers ready
10 move forward to the front. On the
other side stretched away acre after
acre of buildings for the innumer-
able branches Of thi.; work, and be-
tween them On the open spaces
armies Of soldiers in overalls setting
up all kinds OF motor cars. Every
where were stacked the masses OF
knocked down" parts just arrived
from the United States; mountains
Of wheels and sides. motors, batteries
radiators, and block after block OF
huge crates containing the big chas-
sizes Of the many types Of war cars
AS the commandant passed along
he summed up the magnitude OF the
work SiXty-two complete trucks
and cars have been turned out IN one
day. This is the record 1T the start.
: with a monthly output OF 1,200 cars
and 500 motorcycles, and a much
greater production when the organ
iZation get under way. IN theory,
THESE are .jll SlslutliiIu I)tilo WILL
need only TO be fitted together. an
easy task apparently as most Of the
! preliminary construction is done IN
! the factories in America. But in
| fact, so say those who do the work.
these parts do rot fit; they have to
be. shaped and fitted after arrival
Then there are many factories send
ing many kinds Of parts. Some fac
tories send complete equipment, such
as bolts and the heavy wooden slils
| for. trucks But other factories do
not send the bolts or sills.
There is no time to wait for these
missing parts, for war is going on and
cars are being mobilized like men.
What is not here must be made. And
from this has grown a huge industry
OF government war production, with
| big workshops and machinery for
making bolts and siils and all the
vaS;Rps parts. and for testing and
making over dynamos and genera
! tors, and even for constructing the
trim bodies and frames and thus
turning out practically an entire car
A long line of ovens was passed
in which we saw some OF the delicate
parts Of the mechanism being baked
and dried to cure them from the
dampneSs of the sea journey. The
sea air plays many tricks on these
parts. We saw the field windinSs OF
generators covered with sea rust and
green mould. All Of these have to be
baked and made over. Fiber is con-
Sidered in America Us one Of the best
non-conductors for automobile con-
struction But on The sea journey
this fiber swellS and becomes almost
useless Radiators also suffer much
on board ship.
In the workshops lcng lines Of "al-
lied machinery" Indicated how the
war WIS bringing the nations toseth-
er IN industrial production. Each
lathe and mechanical tool bore this
allied mark, with the flags OF the al
! lied nations entwincd. and the marks
of Paris, Turin. PciroSrad and the
centers of great world production.
But below the casting showed The
allied machinery came from Naynes-
boro, Pa. Cincinnati ard the other
centres of American production.
Over section four of the big shops
waved q large American flag.
That represents something more
than patriotism. said the command
ant The section that makes the
biggest output has the honor OF car
rying the flag for week. and if there
is slack time there is L day off as bo-
nus.
when the big German offensive
Began there was Il tremendous de-
reand for trucks to get our materla!
forward We called the men togcth-
er and gave them Il little talk on the
part they We're TO play in the crisis.
every NAN WAS keen to do his part.
The flag was mad" the prize Tor
turning olt the most work. Before
ihat day cio+lG Nc had turned out
c.: complete truc:>s. These are the
,Iiings which are helping to win the
war and they snow how the men be-
hind the lines are doing their share
Of the fighting
Just now scores Of ambuiances are