Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-23
ENGINEERS AT WORK
FOR ARMY IN FRANCE
American Supply Base and
Regulating Station Tri-
umphs of Skill
TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS
Storehouses With Capacities TO Meet
Needs Of Millions Will Be
Ready for Fighting Men
By HENRI BAZIN

BY HENRI BAZIN
star CORES Dopdept ErcniH9 Puliic Ledger
trith TIE American Afn,U iH France
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
THE FIELD. Dec. 2O.--G have just re-
turned from a visit to that which Is
already the largest American supply
base in France. Within relatively a
short time II will be, according to plans
now actively being carried out, the
largest single base Of any allied army,
being destined TO take care of many
problems confronting the great to-be
American expeditionary force.
The first shovelfull OF earth was
thrown aside on September l. Today
sixty-eight warehouses are erected. each
Of the Adrian barrack type, one story
In height fifty feet wide and 500 feet
long. They lie i'm the center Of grid
froned tracks and shortly viii control
trackage that outlet to main lines
through ninety miles Of switch. More
than two-thirds OF these are in place.
and what Is more important in service.
The storehouses have capacity OF
general supplies that Will care Tor nan
a million men. A number Of other type
storehouses are in course Of erection.
these being Of divers types, built of
brick. corrugated iron and wood. the
material in every instance IN th,~ IA~t
lot coming from the United states. TW"
thousand troops are at work upon ihrW,
I'm which are Included two companies ot
a National Army foressry regiment
separate building amid this scene
OF genuine activity is an iac manufacture
ine- nlant with a capacity of 500 tons n
day for car icing purpose only. and
ability, consequently t. care for the
preservation of 5000 ..u~ fresh beef
fav The daily car..iy Is to be dou-
hled very shortly. The essential for this
work is labor. that is. labor pure. and
not khaki-clad Sammces with a pick Or
shovel in hand.
This is a need general in many Some
where's in France that / have visited
lately. particularly along the lines Of
communication. and in itself of ample
enough Importance for presentation in
another story.
NONDESCRIPT RAILROAD TRAINS
visited also an important supply
regulating station for the American
army. This station lies at the junction
OF several important French railroads
having access to the ports of entry for
American troops. II is substantially a
big railroad yard where trains coming
from entry ports are broken up and re-
apportioned for transmission to desired
destinations.
As supplies are debarked at the entry
ports they are loaded in cars, without
any regard as To substance Of contents.
In order to avoid confusion and conges-
tion at docks. Their first destination is
automatically the regulating station.
Here the nondescript train is broken up
ia a yard having a present capacity of
eighteen incoming and twelve outgoing
tracks, quantities that will be vastly
greater in a short time. Cars are thus
reloaded with varied supplies. uniforms,
footgear frozen meat, or what not, and
dispatched in sequence Of position bA-
hind the locomotives, to permit detach-
ing two or ten cars, as the case may be-
at the first point Of stoppage en- route
This work is being ntelligently and
rapidly performed by railroad construc
y -tion regiments ; men who were American
railroad employees at horne before don.
ming the khaki, The officer in charge
ranking as colonel in the National
Army. is a Philadelphian well known IN
railroad circles. lie is under the director
OF general transportation, also a Phila,
delphian quite more than we'll known in
and outside railroad circles in Pennsyl
vania and New York Regulations pro
hibit mentioning their names.
Each car reaches the regulating sta,
ton with code number. This i.
changed at the station according to tn,
contents and the eventual destinat ioI
as repacked, and as fast as the stun
can be put in the cars and a train mad,
up II is dispatched 10 pass q given scrie,
Of points en- route o. point OF dcsti
nation. or mayhap to its destination, a,
the trains first stop.
NATIONAL ARMY MAKING GOOD
Among the railroad men at work il
this station are a number uf NatiOua
Army engineers, who are spoken o
glowingly by regular army officers. The,
are loading and unloading cars. makini
up trains and welding pick and shovel
Indeed, of the relatively few NatiOua
Army men l have yet seen in Franc
this can be said: If the rest of the y. \
is up to the caliber Of those here on tn
job, the n. a. is going to win all tn
wreaths Of glory for hustle and intelli
gent action.
Within a relatively short time, as pc
plans not merely contemplated bu
under actual headway. these Some
where's in France will he honeycombe
with trains that are constantly gon
and coming between the ports of entr!
the regulating station and the man
camps that, perforce. as the force IN
creases become Of wider disauce apar
But II is certain that no matter ho'
great the distance, no m ttter how grea
the force. the supplies for Sammee, Il
they ammunition for his rife. clothe
for his back or food for his stomach.
mention but three OF a great quantit,
viii be rapidly and eNpeditiOusly di,
patched to where they are needed.
out OF this follows another certaint!
That Is, when the American army TAX,
a permanent place IN the line the rout
al over the lines Of communication wi
be a veritable hive OF activity. INTEL
gently, rapidly and accurately dirccte
In order to make the American Gghtir
man felt by the Boche as the great hi
straw that will break the BARBARA
back.
DRYS WIN IN KENTUCKY