The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-03-18

DdkeT Tram Ill FIdllCS, cdtuluaJ ,
March l6.-Newton y. Baker, the
secretary of war, spent the large
part of the day in the crude observa-
ton car, which was only fiat car
hastily fitted at the luncheon hour
with pine benches. The car ira
versed the railway yards of the
American forces, which were spread
over the lowlands bordering on a
certain water front in France. The
yards will be the biggest thing of
the kind in Europe when finished
something to bring railway engi-
neers from afar in France to see.
The trackage will be 22S miles and
will provide for $500 incoming
freight cars and $500 outgoing cars
as we'll as 5000 on the interior
switches.
Pershing Also Explains.
General Pershing and Brigadicr
General Atterbury explained then in
abundant detail as the fat car with
Secretary Baker was slowly drawn
over the trunk and switching lines
during the afternoon. A dozen OF
more French and American engi
neers were in the party, some o
whom were members OF the engi
neering staff which constructed tht
Yards, and they added a point now
and then to General Pershing's ex
planation.
Dredges are constantly at worl
along the water front, and nearbl
warehouses of steel and galvanized
iron are rising along the switching
arteries.
This development is purely TO
American military requirements, ant
will provide a rather small port il
France with potentialities equal t,
those OF Hamburg, as one OF tn
French officials said to the CORE
spondent
To Spend Million Dollars.
The Americans, with the objec
only of winning the war, are eX
pending in this region on perma
nent works about forty million dol
lars. French ports will be expand
ed as they probably would not hav
been for good many years if tn
war was not going on.
Secretary Baker watched for som
time in another yard the assemblin
and setting up of the parts OF Amer
ran built locomotives. lie saw
series OF them in various stages {
completeness. A total of l72 hav
been put together thus far, but it
intended to send out from thes
shops l,l00.
Mr.. Baker visited recently wounC
ed Americans and talked with then
He listened to some personal az
counts OF the mems experiences. \
the end of the day, back aboard II
train, General Pershing, in discus
ing the secretary'S visit, said:
Il had long urged the secretar
to come to France. Now that he
here we are delighted that he meal
to take the time to master the d
tails of our situation as our chi
who carries all our military effort
home and abroad in his mind. /
is seeing with his own eyes what v
are doing on this side and his Wis
is a personal inspiration to eve.
officer and man."
Worth His Trip.
Secretary Baker said to the corr
spondent:
These days have been worth n
trip across the Atlantic in the info
nation and encouragement viii,
they have given me. ! have Sc,
the effort in two ports only OF t
receiving depots of the great W
plant which we are constructin
but | have seen enough to convin
me that we now have an organic
ton that will meet the problem wi
its increasing volume of demand
coupling up the ports of embark
tion at home with the ports of {
barkation in France.
Il find that the written repol
have given me an inadequate idea
the difficulties which the enemy sa
we could not overcome, and viii
we are overcoming. After her lo
and stout hearted defense, Fran
could spare us little material or
Dor for our purposes except by
advised adversions from her own {
ganization. She could only offer
land on which to raise our strr
lures and the right-of-way for o
communications
Tribute to Engineers.
81 should like to pay tribute