The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-07-17
Gigantic Things Being Accom-
pIished by Men From
United States.
Speed ASTONISHES FRENCH
Immense Structures Spring Like Magic
From Ground-Troops Slated for
Three Months Training Co
Into Service.

With the American Army in France.
Americans in France who are famil-
lar with the gigantic things Uncle
Sam is doing here sometimes wonder
If the people who are subscribing for
Liberty loans and giving their full
moral support to the national govern
ment fully realize what their money
and their support are making possible
over here In France, writes Don Mar
tin In the New York Herald.
The rule of the army is that Amer
leans must not boast. In sinpler,
backwoods language, Americans must
saw wood and let the other fellow de
the talking. Consequently the folks
back home get only fragmentary pic
lures of what Uncle Sam, three thou
sand miles away, Is accomplishing.
Forests In places have been cleared
away to make room for sidings. I'm
mense structures have come almost
like magic out of the ground. Rail-
way tracks have been laid so swiftly
that one could almost see them extend
themselves. To see a thousand hardy,
eager young Americans working in an
isolated part of France is a sight to
be encountered many times any day.
And the work has just begun
Building Lines Of Communication.
Only a few weeks ago while driving
along a well-known highway of eastern
France I saw young engineers survey /
Ing along a distance of perhaps twen-
ty miles. They were young college
men. A few days later they were thir-
ty miles further along the road, and |
where they had been were gangs of
men digging holes and unloading coils |
of wire from trucks. Next day tam !
arack poles were scattered along the
route. What / saw along this 50-mile |
strip was merely duplication of what
was going on In every 50-mile sector all
the way from the coast to the front
line. Now there is a fully-equippedl
American telephone line.
This Is just an incident in the enor-
nous program of organization and
preparation which the United States
Is carrying out. If we lack perhaps
In the long military experience of some
of the other nations, no one can ac-
cuse Americans of lacking In quick or.
ganization and achievement in con.
struction work. France is marveling
at the speed with which our engineers
and their bands of men have pro.
gressed with their mammoth tasks
She knows now, although she really
never doubted, that the United States
is in the war to a finish and is deter.
mined to prosecute it with the same
vigor she has every other conflict she
has ever engaged in.
American soldiers, as Secretary Ba.
ker predicted, have been pouring into
France for several weeks. They are
distributed In villages where until now
no American was ever seen. One has
but to see the gigantic barracks being
erected here and there along the line
of communications to realize that stu
pendous things are in the immediate
future. At one point thirty one-story
frame buildings, each 100 feet inI
length, were built In two weeks. Now
they are filled with soldiers going
through intensive training for service
at the front.
So. as the Americans are gradually
coming to realize that somewhere back
home there has been wonderful speed
and efficiency In getting men across the
Atlantic, the people of France are be.
ginning to understand that Uncle Sam
has vast army here already. How
much Of 1t will participate In the great
battle which Is still going on, no one
can foretell. It Is known only that
American troops have been moving
about recently and that many troops
which were slated for three months
additional training behind the battle
lines were found to be In state of
such perfection that they were ready
to meet any emergency.
French Rejoice; Americans In Line.
Americans were sent to the big front
not long after the battle began. Off,
cial announcement to that effect was
made. Publication of the fact caused
feeling of exultation to sweep over
France. Everywhere one could hear
the french saying:
"Amerlca Is now In the linel"
Americans had been In the front line
long before that. hut not in the front