El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-04-26


} Houston tonight 10 confer with Brig
{ Gen. J. a. Wolters and receive fina
r instructions regarding the orEaniZa
Z ton OF the troop. Capt Wilson sal,
] { Friday that q great number OF the
men who had been picked for the r
taso troop would not be taken in bl
: the state, as they are not residents oil
! Texas
What service the troop will have had
! not been ascertained. Capt Wilson
! said He stated Friday that it was his
opinion that the troop would be as
/ signed to border duty Immediately. II
was believed the government proposes
TO move the 18th cavalry division
from the border and use the Texas
Euard as border patrol.
tell you. is merely the use OF common
sense. and be quite unconscious that
he is claiming for his profession one
Of the most extraordinary things in
the world
a Perhans this IS why engineers nav
he relied mon in an emereeuey-vvfv
In the midst OF bursting shells. 1ame
| and the noise and din Of an inferno.
/ the engineer stands calmly watching
the proceedings and conlv fiFuriug ouf
+he sensible thing TO do. Of course
Z Il must be remembered that engineers
I are trained for war as no othe- men
/ are trained for It The things that he
Z fiEhts are varied. such rs disease
/ mountains rivers. floods deserts. h-1f
: always his fight IS constructive. He
fights TO build. not 70 destroy.
The Engineera' Task.
And. to a great extent. this is the
I sight Of the engineer in war. SunnoEe.
l cor examine. that the American army
I ~ several hundred thousand men sud
I 7anlv decided 70 cann in stretch ~
( -~oods In the midst OF several nice n1d
I soshi0ned farms near YOUR town.
] There would he no barracks. M drain
see 10 drinking water. no lighting
! facilities. no connection with base
Z ~ SUPPLIES ten miles hevoud. A rather
Nelnless situation for an army. isn't 80
Yet that is what would constantly
0rcur in Europe ~ 20 we're not for
Z che engineer Ont OF This stretch o.
woods and old fashioned farms the an
~ireer must build a military civ.
I nth housing facilities for the SOL
7iers; shelter for munitions: pines for
linking water with several pumning
cations. artificial scenery 70 u1fsiead
.he enemy: lighting facilities that ex-
END even 70 underground duEnufs
7lonE the line Of the trenches. and
narrow gage railways connecting with
+1e nearest base Of supplies.
building American Cities in France.
The French government has set
oside seaports for the use CT the
american army. Hence. one Of the
4 first tasks of American engineers
-eachinE France last fair was 70 nut
-hese ports into perfect WORKING con-
7ition rOr the landing ~ suDnlies and
t-ooDs Following the first con1n7nv
~ engineers which sailed from New
York. went also a shinload of en-
cheering machinery. According 20
che chief engineers Of the army. the
value Of the railroad materials and
rolling stock alone purchased in adj
vance Of the American occunatiou IN
France was about five times the value
of- all the supplies bought in this
country for the Panama canal during
the mast four or five years.
Both France and Great Britain have
constructed many new railroads
throughout France since the war. but
these are already so s0rPlv overtaTed
that the An orleans could not hone IN
make use OF them American railroads
with American trains. LOGON tiTeG and
~ails are now operated bv the railway
division of the American army en-
eineer corps in France from the ports
If Decentralization 70 interior point
within a short distance from the west
arn front. Over these troons and SUD
piles are now being hurried 70 the
scene Of action. The wounded are also
removed by these RAILWAYS. az well as
The salvage OF the battle field. for
MODERN military economy requires the
rescue and reusage Of cartridge cases
and metal pieces.
Cutting Down French Forests.
In the forests about the fighting
zone. American f0resters are cutting
huge quantities Of timber. and Au1eri-
can engineers are turning this into
new contonments. wooden ties tele-
graph poles and warehouses. Many are
operating sawuills in which the rough
timber Is turned into adequate work
ing material.
other American engineers are en-
Ha- t.
military roads. which are so neces-
sary 10 the swift transportation OF
supplies Germany. having prepared
for war for the past 80 years. had
such roads at the beginning Of hos
tilifies. but France was not so well
equipped Roads that offered certain
advantages 10 an invading enemy have
lad 10 be filled in. and others in diff
ferent locations hastily constructed. {
American engineers have built roads
for the American army with American !
road machinery. It is necessary that |
as little strain as possible be put upon /
the resources Of France. which have
already been taxed 70 the uttermost /
so American working equipment is
used In every case where the construc- /
ton is for the American army.
Much miscellaneous work.
All these things and many others. I
the nature OF which IS not divulEed i
BY the army. are done by American I
engineers at the front. One company 4
OF engineers is working a series OF i
quarries: others work solely on maps i
nf the fighting zone: others are dredg-
ing q new harhor somewhere on the
French coast. and stin others are-in
charge OF gas and flame attacks and
o. placing underground mines for the
destruction Of the Germans.
In this country. the engineering
common sense Of which engineers
speak so lightly. is being applied
to certain ordnance problems with
gratifying success. All these activi-
ties. OF course, are clothed in the dark
est secrecy.
I'VE are not giving any information
TO the enemy 81 we can help IT," said
an officer in speaking Of these secret
activities Of the engineer corps. He is
1ne Of the builders OF the Panama ca
nal but still regards engineering as
an uncomfortable science. Neverthe-
less, he recognizes its usefulness. in
spite OF our best efforts" he says. "the
zar viii probably last much longer
han most OF Us imagine IL viii last.
a--aTrrnFrz a~T rnnrrTHH Mill f1a-awH