Evening star., 1918-12-15
WILL AMER|CANZE
|. FRENCH RAILWAYS
Entry of United States Into
j.. War to Bring About
FL Great, Changes.
BY MONS. NJ. MJELDE.
Correspondence of The Evening Star
and Chicago DAILY News.

PARIS France, Noverh Der 13-The
Americans do not restrict their gl1ts
to France to building new harbors
and improving old ones. They also
give facilities for an improved trans
portation on land. 1 have already
mentioned the light railways winch
they and the British have built from
the main lines to the front and the
importance of the light railways for
the recuperation of the devastated re-
gions. l also mentioned the Amefi-
can introduction into France of re-
frigerator cars for frozen meat: they
can. of course, also be used for trans
portation of frozen fish.
But this is not all the railway ma
terial which the Americans send to
France. They are about to American
ize the whole railway traffic of France
by sending thousands of locomotives
and tens of thousands of freight cars
of the most upto-date American
types. On all lines from the Atlantic
coast toward the front can be seen
the gigantic American locomotives
compactly built like d buffalo, and
giving the Impression of compressed
power. There are already 1000 of
them in use. and according to plan
their number will be increased to
900 They pull apparently endless
trains of American freight cars,
French ones and have four wheels
at each end instead of two About
10000 such freight care are running
today. but the original plan was to
send over $4,000 in all
Think of what great permanent
value to France this material will
have after the war; for there will be
no question of taking it back to-
America. 1t will remain in. France
ana constitute an extremely valuable
economic asset in come ction with the
new and improved harborS
Parts Assembled in France.
shipped in parts across the Atlantic
ana put together when landed in
France. The same procedure has
been adopted for motor cars and
motor trucks. Big workshops have
been erected for these purposes:
When the war is over these shops
and their machinery can be used for
ordinary peace industry. The parts
of an American locomotive or of a
motor track are SO well standardized
that for instance. Il locomotive can
he put together in twenty-five to
thirty hours from the time the parts
are taken from the docks The loco
motive can then leave by it's own
power. The aSSemb,age of a motor
vehicle takes much shorter time. |
A Great American System.
also visited an American base in
the inner country, where goods from
the coast bases are assembled for
distribution to the front. New Won
derS of American efficiency are met
here. another center of industry has
been created in the middle of France.
THIS place consists of an area seven
miles long by one and one-half miles
wide. covered with 161 warehouses
and workshops and a railway track
age of a total length of 3S6 kilo-
meters with 500 switches. There are
about fifteen different workshop
chemical and electric shops, foun-
dries, bakeries. etc. There are also
large oil tanks and stores of ma
chlnery of every description from
locomotives and oil tanks and cleo
tric dynamos to well boring and
agricultural machines The Ameri-
cans have bored wells 400 to $40
feet deep in WATERPROOF regions, and
they work large farms on the most
modern American lines. Mile-long
rows of hundreds of locomotives
could be seen standing in reserve for
the time being. while a great num-
her of those on active service were
steaming to and fro on the tracks
from warehouse to warehouse.
Can Supply Three Nations.
At this inland base also is built a
huge ice plant. which. when COM
pleted, will be the greatest in the
world. Although only one-half of it
is finished it has now a capacity of
keeping 10. 600 tons of meat in frozen
condition. and the capacity will
shortly he extended to 10000 tons
The plant can make 500 tons of ice
:: day. and from this and 4ne other
freezing plant at the coast base in
connection with the thousands of, re-
frlgerating cars, the whole of France
and Switzerland and even Italy can
he supplied after the war with frozen
meat and fish. and with solid ice for
hreweries. hotels, restaurants and
private houses.
Round about in the neighborhood
are other special workshops for re-
pair of every kind of equipment and
implements used at the front. There
is. for instance, a large workshop for
repairing rubber boots which are an
American speciality. After the war
the French if they desire, will be
able to take up the manufacture of
rubber boots. This shop, with all it's
machinery. will be the first factory
of the kind.
Great Opportunity for France.
It is impossible within a reason
able limit OF space even to mention
all the industrial activities in which
the Americans in France are en-
gagged for the purpose of war. 1 have
mentioned only a few of the main
things 1 have seen. and 1 have select
ed for a brief description only those
establishments. plants and imple-
ments which will be of a permanent
economic value to France after the
war. Though only part of the
whole machinery. they give, never
theless. highly illustrating evidence
of Americas mighty effort in this
war. 1t is gratifying to know that
so much of it is at the same time of
a reconstructive nature and endowed
with a gift of healing some of the
wounds caused by the war.
France has. in fact. by American or
ganiZation. obtained some extremely
valuable elements for creating Liv-
erpool and a Manchester on her At
lantic coast and a Sheffield and a Bir-
mingham in her inland regions. All
friends of France sincerely wish that.
inbued with the American spirit of
industrial enterprise, 'she will rise to
the occasion.