The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-02
IT'S SOME train.
The "AutOmatic" Is Quite a
Strange Device.
One of the Results of the
World Battle.
SUPPLIES THE AMERICAN
$4,000 Cars Moved in a Month
by System.
And the Center of Activity
Interior Village.
SUPPLIES THE AMERICAN

Z American Regulating Base, Advance
Zone France. Nov. 2.-The. "automa-
tic train" is one of the strange devices
which has sprung out of the war, and
there is nothing quite. like it in the
whole range of railway transportation.
1t has been developed by the American
military authorities here as one OF the
necessities of keeping up. an automatic
daily supply of food, forage and all re-
quirements, to every unit Of the Amer
lean eXpeditionary force in France.
To do this with unvarying regularity
each day. so that every man in every
division stretching over a vast area
along 800 miles of front. would have
his daily needs supplied was a huge
problem.
The only solution was to secure alb
solute uniformity, or a Standardization
of trains by which the[make-up would
be automatic day after day. And out
of this has come the 'automaic train"
of the American army, which is one of
the wonders of American organization.
so Cars to u Train.
Watching the make Pup of the auto
| matte trains as they go forward to the
American divisions on the fighting
| front, il like watching some gigantic
| jig-saw puzzle, for there is the same
| fitting of confused parts, until at last
all the pieces form a completed whole
| of fifteen of these so-called "automa-
| tic trains,'' SO cars to train, each
| train moving off to one of the Ameri-
| can divisions.
| Here at small interior village of
| the American advance force is the CEN
ter from which the automatic trains
move out daily. The place is well for
| ward in the advance. zone, just far
enough away from the fighting to be
out of reach of hostile raids and yet
near enough to permit the supplies to
! nd Hxyifh hn ey,-nu loot fa
cilty.
1t was {. sleepy village last October.
with 1000 inhabitants. today it is a
center of intense activity. with an
American force of 22,OO0-eleven times
the population year ago-with
~ miles of yard trackage. AS enor-
nous warehouses, and railways radi-
ating to every point of the long front
held wholly or in part by American
| troops.
Move $4,000 Cars.
| Last month $4,000 cars were moved.
or over 1000 a day, in this stupendous
stream of supplies going forward to
the fighting forces.
| Colonel Hilgard, commanding Off
Ger, and Captain Bigger. regulating Of
ficer explained the details of these
automatic trains, and later there was
an opportunity to see the trains as
sembled like parts in a huge puzzle
i
The basis on which the automatic
trains are made up is as follows:
| Two cars of refrigerated fresh beef.
| Two cars of fresh bread.
Seven cars of food comprised in the
soldiers ration.
Four cars of fuel for cooking.
Fourteen cars of forage for horses.
One car of gasoline. mineral oil and
lubricants for motors.
| One car for mail and packages.
| These are the fixed and practically
invariable elements of each automatic
train, the same wants of food and for
age being repeated day after day.
In addition, each division has vary
ing wants of clothing, ammunition.
medical supplies. etc, as 1t may be in
the midst of the fighting or further
back in a calmer section. These vary
ing elements are added to each train,
according to the needs of the division.
Thus, Is trains go out daily in Is di-
rections, each train having some 80 to
35 cars in the fixed and automatic
makeup. and some Is or 20 cars with
the varying elements of ammunition,
medical supplies, clothing, ETC.. depen-
dent on the proximity of the fighting.