Evening star., 1918-07-07
Mountains of Old Shoes,
Uniforms, Shirts, Under
clothing and Equipment
Made New Again-Gath-
ering the Waste From the
Battlehelds and Camps.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE

and hospitals.
They are mountains Of old shoes and
leaky rubber boots; mountains Of bat
tered helmets and rusty field ranges
sotled uniforms, discarded underwear.
unlovely socks.
Your boy is clean. in new ones,
madam. These are the combings Of
the war. 1t is the death blow to YER
min and dirt. 1t saves tonnage enor-
mously. 1t gives work to thousands
of poor refugees. 1t supplies our Ger
man prisoners with suitable dark
green uniforms to work in, nicely
cobbled shoes and all conyeniences.
Not dead mule is wasted. Hospital
slippers that would sell with a rush
on the Paris boulevard at $3.50 per
pair are made from old felt hats and
ruined pants. Gloves are made from
old socks-and you wouldn't know it
from the foot to the hand! AS for
new things Cor which come out new).
you wouldn't believe it till you see it
X
Our Army salvage is gigantic af-
fair. And, vast as it is. this plant is
only one. the model Of others. The
British had the idea in 1916. and all
admired its ingenuity. But it was
child's play to this enormous trade
specializing.
For here is the climax Of 1t, new
things beside old things Here is the
height Of it, trade specializing. When
Gen. Rogers. quartermaster general
of our expeditionary forces conceived
the idea of salvagins. the waste that
q a
jobbed to bidders he brought over to
France a notable group OF specialists
in the American clothing business.
shoe trade, rubber goods. hotel indus
try. etc. He commissioned these busi-
ness men as officers In the reserve of
them entire charge of their depart
ments, under the officer in control OF
the new service.
They are prominent manufacturers,
formerly heads Of widely known con-
Germs at home. They have quit all to
follow civil virtue. Also. they are
young men. It is a triumph OF young
men!
The same morning when an order
for 5000 900 pairs OF new shoes went
troduced me to Col. J. NJ. Carson and
Col T. B. Hacker, regular Army men.
with the habit Of handling soldiers.
These chiefs presented me to Capt
E. B. Close, who organized the depot
and Capt franklin dolier, who has
plant calculated to salvage for an
Army of 100000 men. In an Army
automobile we rolled to the suburb
where these vast yards and car shops
were turned over to US by the French
used them.
What piles of buddies' pants! Up to
the roof! What trains Of box cars
standing at sidings! Are there SO
many old shoes in the world? stum-
Bile against a mound Of moldering
harness and equipment. This way!
Step round the hill of helmets. Every
dents hero!
Now, we're with the steam disin-
fectors.
Boy, you're hard on socks! Uniforms
and everything go in together-into the
cribs. loaded lightly. The disinfecting
machines look like creamery churns:
The door is shut. The stuff stays half
an hour. The machines are immense
hested steam generators, and rotate
NV electric power. We are showing
Europe how to do it. Everything is
Immense. wholesa1e-the trade!
They Inspect the sterilized objects.
Those requiring extensive repairs or
cieanings are separated from newer
articles which can be gyped up for re-
issue BY the laundries. pressers and
retouchers. Because, take note. the
salvage Is a world.
The salvage goes away beyond the
utilizing of old duds. In the Depart
ment Of Capt. J. 8. Spence. who gave
nm being manager of shoe supply
concern Of Rockland. Mass. / saw piles
of beautiful heecy yellow slippers, OBJ
yiously brand new. Whats this new
stuffg' I exclaimed. 'Linings for rub
ber boots" he answered.; "cheap-grade
fleece. They came to us new. like
quantities Of things-from troops
who, by mistake, had received excess
equipment. But It might have been
used: SO, not to take chances. they
send it to the salvage.
s'The men don't want used things as
new" he said. "In the draft are spe--
cialists who would recognize a used
article instantly, and the credit Of the
government would be decreased.
Here ave are specialists "ses we