The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-31
AUTOMATIC TRAIN
USED BY AMERICANS
Center Of Activity Is Some Small French
Village Which Has Been Trans
formed Into Hive Of
Industry.

American Regulating Base, Advance
Zone, France, Oct. 81. Correspondence
of the Associated Press The auto
matte train" is one Of the strange de-
vices which has sprung out Of the war,
and there is nothing quite like it in the
whole range of railway transportation.
It has been developed by the American
military authorities here az one of the
necessities Of keeping up an automatic
daily supply of food, forage and all re-
quirements, to every unit of the Amer
Jean expeditionary force in France To
do this with unyarying regularity each
day. so that every man in every division
stretching over a vast area along 300
miles of front, would have his daily
needs supplied was huge problem.
The only solution was to secure alb
solute uniformity, or Standardization
of trains by which the makeup would
be automatic day after day. And out OF
this has come the automatic train" of
the American army, which is one of the
wonders OF American organization.
Watching the makeup Of the "auto-
matte trains" as they 60 forward to the
American divisions on the fighting front,
is like watching some gigantic jig.saw
puzzle, for there is the same fitting to-
gether Of confused parts, until at last
all the pieces form complete whole
Of fifteen Of these so.ealled automatic
trains" so cars to train, each train
moving off to one of the American di-
visions.
Here at a small interior village of the
American advance force is the center
from which the automatic trains move
ont daily, The place is well forward in
the advance zone, just far enough away
from the fighting to be out of reach Of
hostile raids and yet near enough to per
NIT the supplies to move forward with
the greatest facility.
1t was sleepy village last October,
with 1000 inhabitants; to-day il Is q
center of intense activity, with an Amer
lean working force Of 22,O00-eleven
times the population year ago-with
u miles of yard trackage, As enormous
warehouses, and railways radiating to
every point of the long front held wholly
or in part by American troops
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 officer,
and Captain Bigger, regulating officer,
explained the details of these automat-
ic trains, and later there was an oppor-
tunity TO see the trains assembled like
parts in a huge puzzle and started on
their way to the front. 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 in
variable elements Of each automatic
train, the same wants Of food and forage
being repeated day after day.
In addition each division has varying
wants of clothing, ammunition, medical
supplies, etc, as il may be in the midst
Of the fighting or further back in calm
er section These varying elements are
added to each train, according to the
needs Of the division.
Thus, is trains 60 out in Is directions,
each train having some 80 varying
elements Of ammunition, medical sup
plies, clothing etc, dependent on the
proximity to the fighting