The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-15
Eighteen Ships Can Unload
at Once at Huge Port
i'm France
DOCK FRONTAGE
ABOUT TEN MILES

At Five Main Ports at Which American
Supplies are Landed-only Third of
Gigantic Installation Yet Completed |
Some Figures.
AMERICAN PORT, SOUTHWEST
ERN FRANCE, Sept. 80 Correspond |
ence of the Associated Press Eighteen |
big steamships of 5000 to 5000 tons
each were unloading American army
goods at the rate of 10000 tons day
along the three miles of American docks
here today. The spectacle was stirring
scene of activity. Crowds of enlisted
men assisted at the matches and manipu
uated the giant cranes as big steel motor
trucks were lifted out bodily, along with
parts of locomotives and railway cars,
and all miscellaneous freight of an army,
while an army of Negro stevedores kept
the steady stream of goods moving back
to the nearby warehouses and trains.
Taking care of this avalanche of army
goods coming from America, is quite as
much of problem as taking care of the
ARRIVING troops. Here one obtains an
idea of the mammoth proportions of
the equipment which the Americans have
been compelled to set up for this branch
| of the expedition.
! Coming from a northern port, sue
cession of big American establishments
was seen at every port along the western
coast AT one port were Ia American
docks or berths at another port eight,
at a third four another three. Here at
this main port, are l6 American docks
each with thousand feet of frontage.
These 45 docks at the five main ports
represent a dock frontage of about ten
miles, capable of unloading 10000 tons
of army goods every day. or an average
of about 30 pounds per man for every
one serving in France.
And yet, great as this present equip
ment is, it represents only about a third
of the vast installation which is NOV
ing steadily forward TO completion in or
der to meet the needs of an army of
several million men. The basis of cal
culation of this huge work is 80 pounds
per day per man-this being an average
covering the whole range of military
supplies, individual and general. food
clothing, ammunition, guns, and all other
army requirements.
On this established basis of 90 pounds
per day per man, an army of a million
men requires 50,000,000 pounds of goods
daily, or $4,000 tons. But as the Amer.
lean army i'll Europe has long exceeded
| the million mark, the scale of prepare.
ton must be far in excess of this $4,000
| tons a day. reaching not far from the
/ gigantic total of 100000 tons daily, t.
i be unloaded from ships, stored in ware
houses and trains, and started on it;
:, way to the men at the front. 1t is thi,
colossal daily requirement which stir,
into intense activity these miles on mile:
/ of American docks where three shift,
of soldier workmen, working night anC
II day, are unloading scores of steamships.
II Seven miles back from the water from
II is another huge American installation
II where goods from the ships are storet
II in their way to the front. 1t rs gigan
II tic, like everything in this vast mill
II tary influx, and when we visited it to
II day the l47th warehouse had Just beef
Il completed. Each warehouse is 500 fee
II long and together they stretch alon
III four miles of front.
II In the neighboring camp were 700
U Negro troops and laborers engaged in tn
: warehouse work. An American railwa,
; system connects the waterfront directl
n with this storage plant and incessan
II streams of army goods keep moving for
III ward to the warehouse plant The Who'll
III place fairly throbs with animation, an
III besides the enormous industry there
the hustle and activity of counties
II camps with their khaki tents dotting tn
H fields for miles along the railway.
III Altogether, on the water front and re
| ceiving plant, the working force include
$4,000 engineer troops. 1000 stevedore
III 5000 civilian lahnrnrs 900 Gernn