Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-08-29
QUICK WORK At
PORT IN FRANCE
How American Troops Are
Landed and Transports
Started Back Quickly

AN III KORIs LINN
FRANCE, July 25-The spirit which
animates all Americans here is the
same as that of the front line trench-
es, is the words of the general com
manding. It is an inspiration of In
tense eagerness. This Is shown by the
fact hat under the stress of haste
to send American soldiers to h
fighting front, the time required to I'M
load the greatest of American trans
ports bringing IL, 900 troops, coal her
and start her back to America, has
been reduced from four days to forty
hours.
This is the best deep-water port of
western continental Europe with a
harbor capable of receiving the ma
vies of the world. and yet up to the
time the Americans came here six
months ago it twas practically unde.
veloped and unused. 1t was estimat-
ed then hat the facilities might pos
sibly permit the landing of 10000 men
a month.
coming from America, something had
to be done on a gigantic scale and
done quickly. Fortunately the emer-
gency produced the men; and Ameri-
can brigadier general who had
planned and executed some of h
great engineering projects of the west,
and an American admiral who has
tn6 TepuIaLlOH OL COAupiiShth iuAbO
things In a quiet way. Around them
were grouped men Of the same tall
ents.
Out of 1t has arisen this marvellous
receiving port of today, where n
days landing of As. 900 men has been
followed the next day by $4,000
60, 900 in two days or at the unheard
rate of 100000 q month. And n
.strang thing has been that the port
has not felt or ever known of the
huge migration passing through Its
gates, 80 quietly and smoothly the or
~ganization has functioned.
It is the same with the handling
Of the immense stocks of war supplies
as II is with the handling of troops.
Six months ago 1t was estimated that
5000 tons a month could be handled
Actually more than that Is handled
daily, and this is not the main port
for supplies, as It is for men.
A large measure of credit for the
high record in debarhng troops is
given by the general to the officer In
charge of the several thousand me-
gro ~stevedores. This officer has had
a remarkable career which exactly
equips him for the present huge I'M
dertaking. He was q Liverpool dock
err, who went to the United States with
the Cunard Company, and worked up
to the position of terminal s~uperinten-
dent at Boston. As an expert and
master Of docking ahe was appointed
a major In the army. But he forgets
all about being a major when he takes
command of those 1000 black steve-
dores and q great ocean steame
heaves into sight with thousands of
men abroad who must be landed on
record time. All the old spirit OF the
Liverpool decker m back again,
he becomes a human dynamo, and the
army ~ h1QQL CtOXadnrRg follow him
with the same eagerness that men
follow their leader lover he top"
Here are some examples showing Just
what this a
When the greatest of American
transports first came over 10 took 81
days to unload her at Liverpool. The
next trip was better-2S days. Then
on the third trip It was decided to
send her to this French port where
the Americans had begun to take
things over. 1t was a risky expert
ment, they thought. But they failed
to reckon on the major and his black
stevedores, for this is the remarka-
BILE record of how the great vessel has
been handled at this port.
First arrival 10000 men and sup
plies unloaded and the ship coaled
and sent back in four days.
Second arrival, unloaded. coaled
and sent back in three days.
Third arrival. unloaded, coaled and
sent back In forty-eight hours.
Fourth arrival, unloaded, coaled
and sent back in forty hours.
The magnitude Of such an accom-
plishmept may be Judged by the fact
that 5000 tons OF coal has to be put
on the huge transport to send her
back, and ell this must be loaded from
lighters. as her II feet of ~draught
keeps her far out In the harbor.
And all this in forty hours besides
debarking 10000 troops on lighters
and several thousand tons of steel and
| emergency war cargo.
Americans seem TO AVE discovered
for the first time that this port is
nearer New York than any OF the
great ports. and is thus on the great
commercial highroad from the west
to continental Europe. This holds
out a brilliant future for the port in
the after the war commercial renais-
sance. One of the foremost American
engineers recently said he would like
to undertake to make this the great
commercial port OF Europe. and he
| believed this would certainly result
! from the American development in
| cident to the war. So that, besides
landing soldiers and supplies here.
America Is paving the way TO making
this the first port OF Europe and the
landing terminal for the commercial
penetration OF Europe from the west.