The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-07
WAR THROBS j
in THAT BUSY PORT
Lieutenant KeiImann Tells OF
American Landing Place.
Once Typical French Town Is
Now Almost Yankized.
,r,-~..rzz nnrrFRIFn
FIELD KITCHEN BATTERIES
Hundreds of Them To Be Used
by Sammies of L. 5.
And the Negro Stevedores-
They're a Loyal Working Lot.
BY EARL D. KEILMANN-

BY EARL D. KEILMANN-
(Former Lieutenant American c. A e in
France.)
: On the trip from Paris southwark
we Travelled on civilian trains with
civilians and only few soldiers were
aboard 1t was when We arrived at
the American port of debarkdtloh thhe
we again saw military preparations.
And we saw some
The harbor. was filled with shlpS.
: Every dock was cIuttered with troops
and with military equipment from
guns automobiles and ammunition to
ordinary ash cans. There was noun
tain of the latter. 1t looked like one
can for each soldier i'm France. What
interested us most in all that inter
was the p....>ry after battery of field
kitchens We had seen the French
using them and knew their worth ana
had been wondering if the Americans
were to have them. Here they were
we could see them in our magma
tions rolling, steamling along behind
American soldiers on the march
= Everywhere there were shouts and
cries of the negro stevedores- Ihey
were all in American uniform ana
working like demons. l have seen ne
gro stevedoreS on the wharveS at Nor
folk and at New York but never have
seen them work as these did
Seemed rs if the uniform put addition
al pep into them. 1t looked as tho
mere were a n1l11on OF the DOyS DCt
Twas tol,. that there were 1000 and
all working night and day to unload
the ships that were bringing supplies
to the Americans in France.
Town Has Changed.
The town which is the first bit of
French soil to greet the American SOL
der is not any longer the typical
French seaport it once was. Now all
stores f1aunt signs printed in English
and practically its entire population
in the few months since the port has
become the American French port,
has learned to speak the language as
an American One does not go into a
cafe restaurant or store of any kind
but one sees one of the staff being
taught English with an American
tang by an olive drab clad figure. The
soldier in every case is also trying to
learn French but the exchange is al
ways unequal with the percentage in
favor of the native.
Drinks Arc Light.
AS for drinking, we'll the American
soldier who wants to drink strong
stuff is decidedly out of luck II
seems that the French have made d
set of rules for the cafes. to the effect
that no drinks will be served to men
in uniform between certain hours
The American headquarters have
made another set of rules which by
accident or by design seem to have
filled out the gaps between. While
the French soldier can get drinks al
certain hours, the American soldier
can be served only at meal times and
then with light wines, so light that an
american doesn't relish them.
Everything in this little city Is in
commotion. The streets rattle and
rumble all day and all night with
the rush and crash of the big three
ton trucks that are taking American
munitions and American goods from
the wharfs to the warehouses and the
american camps just outside the town
Every warehouse is damned full and
every train that goes northward car
sTies an overload. At one place 1 saw
american supplies of the less perish
able sort piled up yards high over ar
area of several city blocks. When the
american railway engineers finish
their job there will be an American
railway system to carry articles north
ward to where right now there are
quartermasters and commanding gen
erals, wringing their hands and ours
ing for lack of them