The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-03
U. S. Hurrying Soldiers Back
From War Zone.
But 1t Will Take All Summer
To Do the Job.
IT IS A GIGANTIC TASK
Railroad Men Working "a
Hours at a Stretch.
We Have Troops in Six COun-
tries Now.

1OuTS, rance, MAY -."oenulES
the boys home is a job that looks,
bigger the more you look at it from
such points of observation as Ant
werp. the Rhine, Tours, LIE Mans and
the various base ports whence the
ships sail Sixteen divisions had sailed
up to April 4. Up to April 6, 672,976
men had been sent LONE. whereas in
the entire year from June, 1917, to
May 81, 1918, only 664.152 men could
be landed in France despite the ex-
tremest effort.
The boys want to get home, the Of
ficers of the A. E. F. want to get them
home, and the folks back home want
them home. But it is doubtful If any
of these excepting the A. Z. F. off
GERS in charge of the work realize
what a gigantic task it is. AT the
present rate there will be on Septem-
Der l but 10000 men of those now in
Europe who have not been sent on
their way. However, some contin-
gency may arise whereby it shall be
deemed advisable to keep many of
them here.
And no matter what ground critics
of the army may think they have for
criticism of the speed with which the
work is being done, it should not be
overlooked by the people in America
that there is a great debt of gratitude
to the men at the base ports who are
strength to keep the ships moving out
with their happy cargoes. Railroad
men are working twenty-four hours
at a stretch between Cob1entZ on the
Rhine and Brest, the main embarka-
ton port at this time.
Rode in Box Cars.
1t is 1,44S ki1ometers from Coblentz
makes the trip about twenty-six trains
are required. The boys ride in box
cars and the officers fare a bit better.
Their care before leaving, after en-
training and before going aboard ship
is a tremendous problem in provision
ing, sheltering, and attending to phys
ical comforts and ailments.
At st. Nazaire there was nothing but
a waste before this war, but the Amer
lean engineers transformed it into a
thriving, busting base port, where
there are now hotel facilities for IT,
900 men daily. and where there are
mechanical devices for unloading and
loading cargoes and railroad facilities
which have ever been a marvel to the
French
When the armistice was signed the
machinery of the American army Was
sending men into France at the rate
of. 200, 600 per month or more. Sud-
denly that machinery had to be re-
versed. Facilities for incoming freight
and men had to be supplanted by or
ganization for sending men out.
Three Ports Available.
There were only three base ports
quickly available, st. Nazaire, Brest
and Bordeaux. In November the total
sent home was 25,503, but this month,
so rapidly have the wheels of the
machine been reversed, it is expected
that 221,0OO men will be embarked
This will exceed the demands con-
tanned in the army schedule and will
get away thousands of men who are
not scheduled to sail until May.
Shelters, bathing stations. and de-
lousing stations had to be established
at the ports. Facilities for medical
examination of almost 100000 men
had to be established. Arrangements
for hospital care for the sick and
wounded had to be perfected.
Maj. Gen. ]. G. Harbord, in this
emergency. called for twelve officers
of his staff and sent them out to start
the big machine. Some idea of the
work necessary after the war is over
is to be had from the fact that in the
month of March the organization
which is doing this work made 1856
long distance telephone calls. sent out
31.367 kilograms and dispatched S57/
$50 words of cable MESA ges. OF
American production alone there are
%, 1926 freight cars being used in foot
sweeting, with 1883 locomotives. and
this does not take into account the
immense number of French cars and
locomotives in use.
The French railway systems were in
so demoralized a condition after the
armisttce that it was decided to dump
the advanced areas. This removed the
necessity of loading equipment on the
trains with the men and thus was re-
duced the number of trains necessary
- So, i 80
forty to fifty-six trains down to about
twenty-six trains. This was conserHa-
ton in train facilities and it was a step
forward in foot sweeting.
Fly Many Flags.
We still have troops in Holland.
Italy, England, Russia, France and
Germany, and with the French and
British at various points. Our boys
have been going home on ships flying
the American. French, British. italian,
Dutch. Swedish and enemy flags.
There are now four divisions on the
way to America, six are at base ports,
one division ia en- route to base port,
four are in the LIE Mans area, which
is a reservoir for outgoing and incom-
ing troops. one division is route to
the LIE Mans area, and three divisions
have had release orders and are pre-
pairing to move westward.
At the end of March there were the
following numbers of welfare work
ers in France: Y. NJ. C. A, 1858; Red
Cross, 5.607; Knights of Columbus.
1879: Salvation Army. $50: Jewish
Welfare. 90. These workers are being
sent home from time to time as the
demand for their services is decreased
here.
Unloading and loading have been re-
duced to a system so expeditions that
the average length of time a ship re-
mains in port, according to the latest
figures, was two and one-tenth days.
This is about a third of the time re-
quired for the same ship to make a
turn around in New York