The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-02
"Chicago Regiment" Recruited
From Six Roads Centring
in Windy City.
HEROISM UNDER ATTACK
Save TrainlOad of Gasoline
and Ammunition From
German Shells.
ny RAYMOND G. CARROLL.

Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918: all rights reserved.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE,
Oct behind the American lines west
and northwes, OF verdun there Is
standard gauge military railroad more
than 100 miles long 1t Is operated by
an engineer regiment that Is independent
of our other divisions, yet serving all. 1t
is frequently referred to as the Chicago
regiment. as it was recruited from six OF
the great railway systems centring in
that city.
The present commander is Col. n: l..
Howard, son of an official OF the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad. He is
West Pointer who left the army TO
take up railroad work in the West.
For more than year this regiment
has been transferring French troops that
were defending the Ferdun district. and
the men often have wondered when they
would be welded into some distinctly
American enterprise. The opportunity
came with the occasion Of our last drive,
and their wonderful bravery under shell
fire and their general efficiency ard 10y
atty to their task is a thrilling narrative
quite apart from any account Of the bat
tie itself.
Handled 100 Trains Daily.
The officers of the regiment include
Lieut.-Col. c. l.. whiting. Lewistown,
Mont. and Capts. " Fl. Hagelbarger.
Bureau. Ill: J. II. Walsh. Memphis.
Tenn; w. II. johnson. Pekin, ILL.,. and
Edward Schultz. Chicago.
During the three weeks previous to the
American attack this engineer regiment
handled an average of 1903 trains daily.
The tracks were cut by German shells n
dozen times every day, but they were in
stantly repaired. The repair work was
with Corporal r. II. Hohnbaum OF Kan
sas running track repair gangs Of eight
men each.
Wednesday night, n few hours before
our attack opened, word reached engi-
neer headquarters that German incen-
diary shells had fred the stores at a sta
ton where seventeen cars Of gasolene
were on n siding.
I'VE must get them out of there" said
Col. Howard. But before the order was
issued Lieut.. Harry IIalverson Of Mem
phis. acting on his own initiative, with n
wrecking crew OF which Corporal Barnes
Yates W. I.isii. Chicago. engineer: f. G..
Steinmeyer, Emporia. Kan. and ID. But
Ter, Topeka. Kan. brakeman. and Vic
tor ]. Nichols. Wellington. Kan. fire.
man, dashed into the railroad yard and
after quickly attaching an engine to the
gasolene train hauled It to safety.
save Ammunition Train.
While this was going on the enemy
shells were dropping around the station.
endangcring several trainloads of amnu-
milton. Sergeant Fred Mott, Chicago.
who was acting as station agent, called
four men to help him and together they
hitched an engine to the trains and
hauled them out of danger. The crew
that removed the gasolcne then re .u!nei
and pulled every car of the sidinss at
the endangered station.
At another siding along the line n
big French 410 gun was not in
range. SO the Americans went there
and hauled 1t into the firing zone. Dur
ing the latter part of their journey shells
fell all around them. but they put the
gun into position. All through. the night
n wrecking crew worked tirelessly
Strengthening tangles and keeping the
road In running order, while over their
heads whizzcd enemy shells, answered
iy our own artillery. the combined TIRE
making the whole twenty mile front j
| red glare of flames and flashes.
Instances OF individual hcroisn were
numerous. Private Harry Il. McCaughey
| went to take a bath after being thirty
| hours in the trenches. a surgeon no
| ticed that he had an ugly nail hole in
! his knee and that the wound was fessc.-
ing. Before the doctor could write out
an order sending the soldier to hospital
III
appeared. The doctor reported the case
to the officers. and detail OF men wac
sent out to find McCaughey. They found
| him hiding under an engine of which he
was fireman. They fairly had to drag
him out.
Waiting Year for Chance.
"rvc been waiting for this chance n
whole year." he explained. "and now tina;
it has come I'm not going to be cheated
| out of It," Only when threatened with
arrest would he consent to go to the hos.
pital to have his knee treated.
| Another. an engineman, was seen by
| n doctor. and as he apparently was
| i'll the doctor sent for him. He was
! found to have a temperature OF l02. He
was told to go TO the hospital. but in.
| stead he climbed back to his perch IL
his engine and positively refused to come
down. The next morning he was well
and he explains that the excitement Of
the night was the medicine that cured
him.
| Engineer Charles Young. Springfield
| Ill.,, stuck to his engine forty-two hours
without sleep or rest. 1nasmuCh as al
these men carry union cards. and ar,
accustomed to eight hour days at home
their patriotism in the present grea
| emergency Is wonderful
| l found one entire yard crew thai
had lived a week in an empty water
tank, cutting a hole in the side fol
entrance. They explained their pref
erence for this shack over their regu
lar quarters by saying they wanted K
be nearer their work.
Not One Lost by She'll Fire.
Caves have been dug all along tn,
line for the protection of the railroad
men. "They will not use them. il
spite of all We can do" said Lieut-Col
Whiting. Luck certainly is with oui