The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-03
LIEUT. HUSTON BACK
 FROM FRANCE
Vice President of Tanks Who Commanded En- gineer Regiment, Tells
 His Experiences.

Lieut.. Col. T. l.. Huston vice presi- dent and half owner Of the Yankees returned yesterday from France where he has been with the 18th Engineers since the summer of 1917. He arrived at Newport News on the Ryudam a few days ago. He will go to Camp Humphreys Va, shortly. where he ex- poets to be mustered out of the ser vice, He left here as a captain and was twice promoted.
 Colonel Huston said be had no tales to tell of hair-raising experiences. He said the doughbOys are the lads who deserve all the credit, and it should be their privilege to tell the narrowing stories of the war Colonel Huston and his men were under fire several times, but he was not injured. Al though l met several newspaper men over there" said Colonel Huston, T was not gassed.
 Tt isn't true" said Colonel Illus ton, that the major league baseball players were in disfayor among the soldiers. The soldiers were so busy fighting that they didn't take time to criticise any one but the Germans.
 
 the soldiers. Since the armistice was signed they have talked about noth- ing else but the game. They are all anxious to get back home to see a good ball game.
 "They played as much baseball in France as their duties permitted but they were pretty busy most of the time. I don't think that the French or English saw enough of the game to adopt it as an international sport
 Hugh Miller, first baseman of the St. Louis Browns, was back on the boat with me. The poor chap won't be able to play baseball any more He had the distinction of capturing the first two Germans at the battle of Chateau Thierry, and at St, Mihiel his leg was broken by a machine gun bullet. The French officers have made an effort to establish baseball f ana other sports among their sol <diers. They discovered that the game taught their men to think quickly. Ii WI take some time, however, for the FreQch soldiers to adapt themselves to American sports
 ''I expect to continue my interest il baseball" said Col, Huston, "and, Ie me say right now that my stock il the Yankees is not for sale"
 Colonel Huston had many interest ing things to tell about what tn American engineers had accomplish ed in France. He saidi 'eWe wer ordered to the British front in March 1918, on the occasion of the big Hu1 spring offensive, and were located ol the Arras- -Bethune sector, buiIdin light railways and double trackin standard gauge lines. During thi work we were under some shell fire and were very frequently bombed. I ' was at this time that General Hai sent his celebrated Our backs to tn WalP message. Low visibility ore vented the German planes from talk ing photographs of our constructio lines, which probably saved man casualties. In July the regimen was ordered to Meyers to build double-track cutoff and a bridg across the Loire. It also had charg for two or three months of the cor struction of tf@ mammoth hospit. at Mesves GA, 900 beds) and othe important work in this vicinity.
 Tn October we were ordered t the American F,-st Army and were short time on the light railways the general neighborhood of Varer mes and Montfaucon. During tn battle of the Mouse the regiment rt constructed the standard gauge lir down the Mouse from Verdun to St dan as far north as Stensy. It wa still engaged in this work when tt armistice was signed. The men wel under shellfire by day and we1 bombed and made the subject of m: chine gun fire from airplanes cor stantly during the nights. Again 10 visibility reduced the efficiency E6Se Hun planes, but they appeare to have pretty well located us whe V the armistice occurred
 After the armistice was signe the regiment was sent to revamp u railway lines connecting Conflau Spincourt, Lopguyon, Longwy, Al dun, Briey, Sc. covering rich irt and coal regions of Lorraine. TT regiment is now double tracking u line from Verdun to Stenay.
 "0ur experience has been tvpic of the ten railway regiments, all
 which have done splendid work. IT war has been somewhat an engineer fight. The nation and the enginea IAi4s profession owe a debt of gra-
 Ide to General Black, Chief of E Eineers, for organizing and sendil over so many excellent engine troops from every branch of bui ness, and to General Langfitt for t skillful way in which they we used"