The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-09-03
AMERICAN NE THODS
IN EUROPE
Workshops, Warehouses, Training
Camps, All Combined at Point
of Decentralization

| of Decentralization
American Port, Western France.
Correspondence of the Associated
ress)-There are all kinds of armies
| these war days, and today we saw an
army of automobiles drawn up in bri-
gades and regiments, every conceiv-
able kind of motor vehicle for carry
| ing on the many war activities. These
were ammunition cars. tank cars for
carrying gasoline, steel trucks by the
hundred, ambulance cars for the
wounded, signal service cars with
complete wireless outfit and all the
equipment for field signalling, recog-
nizance cars on which Is men make
reconnaissance into enemy country,
battalion. after battalion of touring
cars for headquarters and other
branches of the service, and motor
cycles for dispatch bearers. 1t was
| like half a dozen automobile exposi-
tions in one, and all devoted to the
one business of carrying on the war.
The commandant led the way thru
Wilson avenue of the huge plant, and
| One one side stretched away half
mile square of motor vehicles in such
a vast array as to be fairly bewilder-
ing, but all lined up in regular forma-
ton like soldiers ready to move for
ward to the front. On the other side
stretched away acre after acre of
| buildings for innumerable branches
Of
the open spaces armies of soldiers in
overalls setting up all kinds of motor
cars. Everywhere were stacked the
masses of "knock-down" parts just
arrived from the United States;
| mountains of wheels and sides, mo-
tors, batteries, radiators and block
after block of huge crates containing
the big classics of the many types of
war cars.
As the commandant passed along
he summed up the magnitude of the
| work. Sixty-two complete trucks and
cars have been turned out in one day.
| This is the record at the start, with
a monthly output of 1900 cars and 500
| motorcycles, and much greater pro-
duction when the organization gets
under way. In theory. these are all
standard parts which need only to be
fitted together, an easy task appar-
emily as most of the preliminary con-
struction is done in the factories in
America. But in fact, SO say those
who do the work, these parts do not
fit; they have to be shaped and fitted
after arrival. Then there are many
factories sending many kinds of
parts. Some factories send complete
heavy wooden sills for trucks, but
other factories do not send the bolts
or sills
i There is no time to wait for these
missing parts. for war is going on
and cars are being modified like men.
What is not here must be made And
from this has grown a huge industry
OF government war production, with
big workshops and machinery for
making bolts and sills and all the
various parts, and for testing and
making over dynamos and genera
tors, and even for constructing the
trim bodies and frames and thus
turning out practically an entire car.
A long line of ovens was passed in
:, which we saw some of the delicate
parts of the mechanism being baked
and dried to cure them from the
dampness of the sea journey. The
sea air plays many tricks on these
parts. We saw the held windings of
generators covered with sea rust and
green mould All of these have to be
baked and made over. Fiber is con-