Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-03
SENDING TRAINS
TO FRENCH FRONT
ONE BIG u. S. FEAT

New York.-The shipment of Am
erican built steam locomotives
Weighing each 20 tons and assem-
oled all but the smoke stack and
he tender so that they could move
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
siace been continued.
More than four hundred of these
| locomotives were so shipped from
New York in a few months, it was
learned here with the lifting of the
war censorship regulations, and
these were in addition to 1900
which were shipped in sections
nine to a locomotive packed in
cases. The ships used to transport
the locomotives, complete, were OF
special type with three holds,
each hold measuring so by 102 fee
| entered by matches 80 feet wide and
AZ fet long.
Into each of the three holds was
| phced twelve locomotives-th thirty
SIX to a ship. For bed or flooring
on which they rested for the voy-
age, was used more than 5000 tons
of steel rails. The locomotives
WHEN in position were braced with
/ heavy wooden beams and the space
/ between the boilers to the level o1
/ the top of the steam dome packed
soli with highly compressed baled
| hay
/ On this hay another flooring was
laid, and on this floor was placed
I the enders-the smoke stack, with
more baled hay or other light car
/ go, picked in the space where coal
I is to De carried. On top of the ten
/ ders vas lacked still more cargo
, 20 tn, deck level, and during the
rush days the above deck space
filled with Grated airplanes- When
| completely loaded with the SO loco
mOtivS and other cargo, each YES
sci was carrying q dead weight Of
14,O0Oton in addition to ship ma
elmer, bunker coal and crew sup
plies.
The loading of the locomotives
is an Interesting sight. Steel rail-
road hrges. carrying fourteen OF
the ste,l monsters are made fast
alongsidn a 100-t0n capacity float
ing derrick barge, in turn made
fast to tie ship. An ordinary slinS
of steel wire is placed around the
forward end of the boilers, anoth-
err under the supports to the cab,
} anH tho lnRNTI1 n
tive liftet forty to fifty feet in the
air, swuE over and gently loaded
into the ships hold. The whole
operation -equiTed but twenty mill
utes, and / was accomplished with
the same Ease and with the same
lack of excitement as prevailed on a
steamer atan adjoining dock which
was takins on board 500-lound
bales of cozon.
The idea of shipping locomotives
complete vas conceived when ar
NV transport officers were inform
ed that England was shipping them
across the ,hannel ready to move
away on arrival.
IF Englani can do it, so can Am
erica" an officer said and he
straightway Communicated a fleet
of ore carrying vessels which were
constructed with patches large
enough to permit the handling OF
such freight.
When the movement was at its
height the following time was re-
corded for the movement of a loco
motive from it; builders to its base
of action behind the battle lines.
Shops to New Jersey terminals "a
hours; from lail to barges, six
hours; from terminals to ship side,
six hours; barge to ship, 20 min
utes; New York to France, nine
DAYS: ship to army rail lines and
hooked to a transport tain bound
for the front, si1 hours; total of
less than twelve days.
Handling of B-ton locomotives
as if they were but one tenth Of
their weight, is oily small part OF
the tremendous work that has been
under way at army transport piers
since the United States service at
tanned full swing.
Major Dan O'Brfen, Marine Direc-
tor. an officer who has won his
rank by more than twenty years
service in every big port of the
United States, Cuba, Mexico, the
Philippines where transport facili-
ties of the army were centered is
the man who handled the locomo-
tives.