French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-11-28
SOMETHING OF AMERICAS
'tF PART IN EUROPEAN WAR.

| American Headquarters IN France.
Nov 1S.-The extent of Americas mil
| 1tary EFFORT in France at the time the
armiStiee was declared is shown bv
STATISTICS which the Associated Press
was permitted to make public. While
the stupendOus figures are in thgmseI-
yes amazing, they show only a part of
the great effort made in war prepara-
tions.
On the morning of Nov. IL, the Unit
ed States had in France 1891 officers
and 1,S81,376 men, a total of almost
2,OOO,0O0. AS has already been an
nounced there were 100000 combat
troops in the Argonne forest. This
j number does not include the .llneri-
can units engaged in other parts Of the
front. Man power, alone, however,
was only one factor in the prepara-
t1ons for American participation In
the war. Behind it lay vast nacnjnerv
which was required in operations.
Railways and motor roads were con-
structed and across the sea were
brought locomotives, cars, rails and
motor transport of every kind. Be-
hind this again was the requisite food,
clothing and general supplies for the
men, as well as dOckage and ware
house construction.
The American army has brought Ov-
er to France and has in operation 967
standard gauge locomotives and 49,
ia standard gauge freight cars of
American manufacture. In addition it
has in service $50 locomotives ana
973 cars of foreign origin. Eight hun
dred and fOrty-three miles of stand
ard gauge railway were constructed,
500 miles Of it since June l. In addi-
ton there was built, lis miles of light
railways and lao miles of German
light railways were repaired and put
in operation. Two hundred and twen-
ty-f1ve miles of French railway were
| operated by the Americans.
These figures represent a fairly
good-sized American railway company,
but railways represent only a frac-
| ton Of the transport effort. Modern
warfaresis motor warfare and it is Wiz
tually impossible to present in fig
ures this phase of the work of the
| American army. In building new
roads,, in keeping French roads repair
ed, and in constructing bridges, Ameri-
can engineers worked day and night,
To do this work the American expedi-
tionary forces had in operation on No
Fember IL more than $4,000 motor ve-
| hicles.
Even at the present stage of the
armistice, which may precede peace,
| it is not permissible to hint at the vast
stores of munitions and armament
brought over and held in readiness. 1t
is permitted to sgiEe approximate Ag-
1 ures showing what has been accom-
plished in the accumulation of food
supplies.
In army terms one ration represents
the quantity of each article each man
is entitled to daily. 1t it is interesting
to note the supply of some of the prin-
| cipal ration cOmpOnents on hand to-
day. For instance, the Americans have
$50, 100000 rations of beans alone;
| 183, 100000 rations of flour and flour
substitutes; 267,OOO,OO0 ratfons OF
milk; 161, 100000 rations of butter or
substitutes; 100000 rations of su-
gar; 9S,O00,000 ratiOns of meat, ST.
100000 rations OF coffee and 11S S,00O,-
900 rations of rice, hominy and other
| foods.
Army authorities point out thai
these vast necessary supplies for the
army represents food economies on
| the part of the people at home. With
out such economies the work would
have been virtually impossible, nor
would the Americans have been able
to promise certain of the allies great
assistance in meeting their require
ments during the winter. The CORES
pondent is informed that the Ameri-
can army had been engaged to give
the French two million pounds OF
meat, $4,000 pounds of beans, and
rice, -four and milk in proportion. To
the British, 100000 pounds Of meat
were promised, while the Belglans
were assured they would receive e.
100000 pounds of rations of all kinds.
1t is difficult to describe in exact
figures what the American expedition
ary forces have done in construction
and improvement of dockage and
warehouses since the first troops
landed. Ten steamer berths have been
built at Bordeaux having total Length
of 4,100 feet. At Monitor, hear st. Ma
baire, eight berths are under c0nsEruC-
ton with a total length OF over 300
feet. These, however, dc not indicate
the magnitude If the effort Ot the en-
| gineer corps. In this pnase of i'm
provements to French ports great Ia
Dor has been expended in dredging Op-
erations, repairing French decks and
increasing railway terminal Facilities
Warehouses having an aggregate 1icor
area of aim 0at 23.00O.U0" square feet
have been CONSTRUCTED. This develop
ment of French ports increased facil1-
ties to such an extent that even IL the
Germans captured Calais and ether
channel ports, "a toy had damned
the allies loss would have been stra-
tegically uni:n Jo"'alt.