The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-30
LOCOMOTIVES SHIPPED
INTACT TO FRANCE
All the Work Required on Them Was
to Put on the Smokestack and At
tach the Tender and They
Were Ready for Use.

4 ~N~~~SJ 80 @9~s
New York, Dec. 30.--The shipment OF
American built steam locomotives
weighing each 70 tons and assembled all
but the smoke stack and the tender so
that they could move away under their
own steam within few hours after
their arrival in France was among the
accomplishments of the United States
army transport force under stress OF
war and has since been continued
More than four hundred of these 10.
comotives were so shipped from New
York in few months, it was learned
here with the lifting Of the war censor
4 ship regulations, and these were in adj
dition to | 200 which were shipped in
I sections nine to locomotive packed
in cases. The ships used to transport
the locomotives, complete, were OF spe-
cial type with three holds, each hold
measuring so by l02 feet entered bv
matches 80 feet wide and II feet long.
! Into each of the three holds was placed
twelve loeomotives--th irty-six to a ship.
For a bed or flooring on which they rest
ed for the voyage was used more than
5000 tons Of steel rails The locomo-
hifNo HAANti IA FNSANAbit AEtH bihttAl Win
heavy wooden beams and the space be.
tween the boilers to the level Of the top
OF the steam dome packed solid with
highly compressed baled hay
On this hay another flooring was laid,
and on this floor was placed the tenders
the smoke stack, with more baled hay
or other light cargo, packed in the space
where coal is TO be carried. On top Of
the tenders was packed still more cargo
10 the deck level and during the rush
days the above deck space filed with
Grated airplanes. When completely load
ed with the 80 locomotives and other car
60 each vessel was carrying dead
weight OF $4,000 tons in addition TO ship
machinery, bunker coal and crew sup
plies
The loading Of tho locomotives il an
interesting sight. Steel-raied barges
carrying fourteen of the steel monsters
are made fast alongside a l0O-ton ca
pacity floating derrick barge, in turn
made fast to the ship. An ordinary
sling Of steel wire il placed around the
forward end OF the boilers another un
der the supports to the cab the signal
given and the locomotive lifted forty to
fifty feet in the air. swung over and
gently loaded into the ships hold. The
whole operation required but twenty
minutes, and it was accomplished with !
the same ease and with the same lack Of |
excitement as prevailed OH steamer at |
an adjoining deck which was taking on |
board 500 pound bales of cotton.
The idea of shipping locomotives com |
plete was conceived when army transport /
officers were informed that England was |
shipping them across the channel ready /
to move away on arrival.
ST England can do il 50 can Amer |
lea, an officer said, and he straightway |
commandeered feet Of ore carving /
vessels which were constructed with
matches large enough to permit the han
ding of such freight
When the movement was at its height /
the following time was recorded for the
Of locomotive from its build
ers to its base of action behind the bat
tie lines Shops to New Jersey termi-
mails "a hours; from rail to barges, six
hours; from terminals to ship side, six
hours; barges to ship, 20 minutes; New
York to France, nine days. ship to army
rail lines and hooked to transport
train bound for the front, six hours; a
total Of less than twelve days.
Handling of 73.ton locomotives as If
they were but one tenth of their weight.
Is only small part of the tremendous
work that has been under way at army
transport piers since the United States
service attained full swing
Major Dan O'Brien, marine director, an
Nffiaar trrhp has y,yap bs1 I
han twenty years service in every big
port Of the United States, Cuba, Mex
co, the Philippines. where transport ia
'ilities of the army were conferred, is
.he man who handled the locomotives.