The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-03-12
CARROLL'5 PEN-P|CTURE Of
SUPPLIES Distribution IN
FRANCE FOR THE SA|l|IV|IES
By RAYMOND G. CARROLL,
Special Correspondent Of Public Ledger,
officially accredited TO American
ExpeditioDary Forces Abroad.


INrlI:MEDINTE SGIrLY DEPOT
Nt !. :, French Inland Town, March
H. There j. 4 spot IN tn" Niagara river
wh"rc the rushing waters CIRCLE an"
then actually halt for Il ;imr b"i"r"
Il~>InE ON toward tho G"rourtnS set
Tho WhIrpnrl." :, short distance. below
thu great :alS and the location where
IN. river once again becomes placid.
:" "" HAY" It with IN" stream u: food
supplies and equipment for III" active
army al the front fl"wint; into France
"Iut.rrn"dlatc Supply Depot No. !.
freight whirlpool where the rush for
ward ri mixed articles Gibbs long enough
for ORDER and system - replace chaos
and confusion.
THIS inland clearing house Tor army
freight ~. roughly speak IuG. "hh nliIr9
from the Scacuust AT Il point sutflcichtiF
rqulGistant from the troop areas an"
the seaport bases TO MAX. the easiest
possible distribution adjustments. About
$50 miles further inland Is the town
where the regulating is done. hut the
first location seems To me To In the
NOR" important. rs Il IS where the cara
index enters the freight car ana ErlS
b,Sv with tho tumble uf MIXED articles
from the United States.
Great Transformation
As thE number 0t Solnl"TS III RAM.
and At the front increases thus lnitihi
claSSI tIrltlC1l station viii bc moved htch
in tho direction Of the Scab"hrd luO
miles tn 4 place whCT" thousands nr
American engineer soldiers are now en-
gagged in erecting hundreds OF ware
houses and many miles 81 track LOT
railroad switching. Eut tor inc H"nl"Rt
the Distribution activity ana l'tIcT'S'
r.ulrrS aruund-l must not mention inc
na,rc Of plar,---wherc 4 big. J"vIal lieu
tenant colonel ii the regular army
bosses The great transformation.
At tins Inr"rm"dIatc depot IN" hr'icles
that receive main attention either arc
food and forage supplies. which E" for
ward automatically 10 the area" OF the
various arny divisions. "r shoes. cln'h-
inc and similar equipment without
which 4 soldier Ciutlul Junction. III
charge or tho former distribution
found 4 captain who som" time before
,hc war WAS employed 10y tho sears
Iincbuck company and had tranSlcrr'u
his private knowledge 10 the use ana
h.-l"ilt Of ;h" army.
"rf course keep within the bounds
Of the army regulations. II" SAID, nul
There. was need Of innovations. put
them in aud they work out
I, tran$plr,d that his deep interest In
the army dated back to his having han
sc>.a years service IN the regular in
fantry shortly after his arrival IN Amer
yea a quarter Of 4 century aGo.
Captain Colby From Austria
Il got my education i'll the army, h"
cXuIail-d ''t.ullStrd after | arrived IN
New York from Austria The American
army IS my father and mother: X taught
ms. t. read and speak English. also gave
- m. "A good physical constitution. So
I,f ali hnnCh |
had retired from business. II was my
,,lain uuty 10 come forward. That ~
how YOU find me here looking out irr
;hc stomach "f The army.
10: tic want Of Il better name snail
call him CAPTAIN "Goldy. II" TOOK nc
through onc large and sixteen small!
warehouses. each filled 20 ms roof Win
subsistence stores. He said: we have
..bout i0".G r' square feet OF Si"raG"
suacc und"r roof 'in the demo. f.\"Ty
week we lcuuiSti,1l other buildings Tor
the appc.l.c Of t!'. army cNPanoS "''H
It's increasing size.
%nrl,."d shat aSld,. from soldiers Ct
,b. OuartcrmaStcr'S department on'!
french women were employer around
the warehouses
"Why not use German prisoners !
asked. "ihcy arc procurabiC from Inc
French su"IrEnl,nt.
Never q Luod plan 10 have prisrH-
crs anywhere near fCodStutfS Tor INC
soldiers # fighting army. he r"pt'rd'
Brothers In Enemy Service.
"PcrhapS | ought to b" less suspicious.
fer have four brothers in tn" Austrian
army and ~" III the German army. MY
family is Jewish and its members x"
with tho nation 10 which they have
given their oath Of allegiance. sun. |
refused Ia consider having German
prisoners working around American sub
sIstenco warrhuuSrs--onc never can tel
what Il prisoner Will taxi" in;" his head
10 do
You mean poison the food?' sUS-
gcsicd.
"Wrll. why take chances" hc an
swcrcd L ann serious when say
would not have an own brother en-
plnycd hcrCaboutS.
This rcmarkablo CAPTAIN who put
country about family has tho dual task
49,, unIUadiuC freight cars from the s"a-
board. and storing their contents Sy&-
t,natiCnlly IN III" warehouses. and th"n
reloading other cars with edible supplies
as fast as they are rcQuISltlon"d for he
!ightinS troops at the front.
First of. went II the arriving cars.
inside which wcr" boxes. crates and
s;,cks mixed in Wild confusion. Mind
YOU. il represented order as compared
with tho condition in which they hHd
arrived from overseas. for at I'll" base
The subsistence articles had boon sep
aralrd from equipment. ordnance and
The MANY other u"ncdihl" articles that
AN army lScS Women with trucks wrrG
wheeling the goods into IN" warehouses
and seated ut The door # each car WAS
:, checker who tailed each article as IL
came uut.
Even Embalmlng Fluid.
Onc car | saw cnptl"d held sliced
hcrf. stick candy, canned soup. pickles.
cherries. rrUncS. Ch"c"latc. tapincH.
sugar h"mlny. ginger. strawberry jam
and. amazing to relate :: case If ON
ualutng Hand. which. by som" $traN@"
ra;pcninc. had got IN among SuhSi$t-
crj.r All Of ,hcs" different supplies
wcrc segregated to various sections Of
:hn warrh"uscS and aided I" existing
pics. y etockrnan. after the newly ar
rived articles had been stacked. mud"
II fresh inventory OF IN" whole 80 that
the rurlr" quantity on hand Was Il IN
ing record.
"Mainrarn Il running inventory rN-
rlaincd I'll" CHptIln. rs cars ar" un-
lrad"d OF stores checked out they ar"
immediately added (" or Suhtractrd
from the whole. Thus | know ut any