Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-07
NEED EIGHT TRAINS DAILY
TO MOVE WAR WRECKACE
lie Mans Would Be Paradise for Rag
Pickcrs and Dealers in
Metals.
VIVID STORY FROM THE FRONT
Fifty Thousand Outer Garments,
10000 Pairs OF Boots and Mucl,
Other Equipment Is Rccuperatcd
Every Month.
By Associated Press.l

~. Mans. DEPARTMENT OF TIE
SAETHE. FRANCE. December l3-Ou
ar average. eight trains dag arc
bringing TO lie Mans the wastacc at
, The battle front. consisting os thou
sands OF tons OF damaged and ruined
soldiers equipment. There have been
as many as seventeen trains day
. heavily loaded with this material
picked up on battle fields and around
camps. Le Mans would be the para
disc OF ra:men and dealers in second
hand goods were it no, for the fact
that the French army s finding its
own use for such Of this material as II
is able TO recuncrate or repair.
establishments located here by the
quartcrmaster's department recupcrate
monthly 10000 outer garments, lo5. 100
under garments. $500 pairs Of shoes
$1,000 pairs Of trench boots 5000 steel
helmets. 10000 shecpskin capcs and
10 100 pieces Of equipment These
articles are made ready for use again
BY disinfection, renovation and repairs
There are, in addition, made each
month from places of clothing that are
not repsirnb.e 100, 800 pairs Of shippers.
10000 cases for soldiers canteens,
5o.o"o forage caps. $4,000 shoe laccs,
-. 30 cloth cases for bread loavcs and
10000 wash rags
The recuperdt!on and repair or worn
and damaged articles began in the
spring Of 1916 in vast warehouses and
repair shops. in which 5000 persons.
including 1000 refugees, mostly women,
are employed.
Here and at Les Murlins northwest
OF Orleans. among the quays from
which the modified men of the fifth
military region went OF 10 war in Au-
gust. 1914. German prisoners OF war
row line up in front Of incoming
freight trains and unload quantities
OF great sacks that look like the prod
uct OF gigantic rasman's shop. The
indescribsbie mass invokes the confu-
sion as we'll as tho tragedy of the bat
tie held There are pierced and denied
helmets. worn and stained pieces OF
uniform. forage caps, Creatcoats. leg
:!nEs. army shoes and trench boots
some OF them pierced By bullets. some
torn b. shrapncl and others shredded
by violent contact with barbed wire.
All of them are covered with layers
of mud OF varying thickncsscs. and no,
!nt!e1uently garment present.
stain of an indchnable color. ALWAYS
! easily recognized. but gotten rid Of
with difficulty. These garments receive
special treatment. They first
thrown into receptacle. where they
80 through a long and thorough clea MS
ing before being treated as other gar
racnts.
METAL, CLOTH AND LEATHER
ARE EACH SEPARATED
The first operation on the arrival OF
train is tho sorting OF the load into
three piles. leather. metal and cloth
The cloth and canvas 20 at once into
immense disinfection tanks that arc in
operation night and day. and from
there 10 the laundry. Then they 20 10
another warehouse. where they are
separated into rcpairablc and unrepair.
able; here there is great deal OF rip
ping to separate trimmings from gar
ments and TO divide the garments them
selves into pieces Of as nearly uniform
size as possible to facilitate their
transformation into comfortable slip
Pcrs
The sheepskins are purified by a sui
phur application in the abandoned vault
oil an old cemetery nearby. where 5000
OF them are treated each day. after
which they are made pliablc and ready
. tor wear again by beating maci
Some of them arc able to take ano,h,
turn at the front. but the most
them, along with pieces of uniform are
distributed among the assembling sta
TONS at the rear for tho equipment OF
auxiliaries and among the hospitals for
the clothing of convalesccnts.
Rags arc sold here 4, the rate OF
loe bales per day, weighing in the
aggregate about twelve tons. This
represents the wear and wastage of
| Clothing received ~ Lo Mans alone: an
equal quantity is received at Les
Murlins.
Kettles. braziers lanterns. drums
musicai instruments and all kinds OF
toois also pass through here on their
way TO Rcnncs TO be dealt with by
special establishments. where the per-
centase of recuperation is said to be
very slight