The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1919-03-03
400 LOCOMOTIVES
SENT To FRANCE
Dispatched Intact, Ready for
Steam, by the Army Trans
-
port Service.
1900 SHIPPED in SECTIONS
Record Of IL Days Made From Shops
in This Country to Lines at the
'Front-Great Work Is
Now Revealed.

Now Revealed.
Observation-Disclosures of American
built steam locomotives, each weighing
73 tons, and assembled all except the
smokestack and the lender, so that
they could move away 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 since been continued.
More than 400 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 addi-
ton 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 60 by 1902 feet, entered
by matches 80 feet wide and AZ feet,
long.
Into each of the three holds were
placed II locomotives-36 to a ship.
A bed or flooring on which they rest
ed for the voyage required more than
5000 tons of steel rails. The To-
comOtives when in position were
braced with heavy wooden beams and
the space between the boilers to the
level of the top of the steam dome
packed solid with highly compressed
baled hay.
Compressed Hay Under Flooring.
On this hay another flooring was
laid, and on this floor was placed
the tenders-the smokestacks, with
more baled hay or otheY light cargo,
packed in the space where coal is to
be carried. On top of the tenders was
packed still more cargo to the deck
level, and duringsthe rush days" the
abOve-deck space filled with Grated
airplanes. When completely loaded
with the sc locomotives and other
cargo each vessel was carrying dead
weight of $4,000 tons in addition to
ship machinery, bunker coal and crew
supplies. ...... -.
The loading of the locomotives is an
interesting sight. Steel railroad barges
carrying ID of the steel monsters are
made fast alongside 100-tOn capacity
fast to the ship. An ordinary sling
of steel wire is placed around the for
ward end of the boilers, another under
the supports to the cah the signal
given and the locomotive lifted 40 or
so feet in the air, swung over. and
gently loaded into the ships held. The
whole operation required but 20 min
utes, and it was accomplished with
the same ease and the same lack of
excitement as prevailed on board
steamship at an adjoining dock which
was taking on board 500-pound bales
of cotton.
The idea of shipping locomotives
complete was conceived When army
transport officers were informed that
England was shipping them across the
channel ready to move away on ar
rival.
"America Can Do It."
"If England can do it, so can Amer
ica," an officer said, and he straight
way Communicated a fleet of ore-carry.
ing vessels which were constructed
with matches large enough to permit
the handling of such freight.
When the movement was at its
height the following time was record
ed for the movement of a locomotive
from it's builders to it's base of action
behind the battle lines: Shops to New
Jersey terminals, "a hours; from rail
to barges, 6 hours; from terminals to
ship side, 6 hours; barge to ship, 20
minutes; New York to France, 9
days; ship to army rail lines and
hooked up to transport train bound
for the front, 6 hours; total OF
less than II days.
Handling of 73-ton locomotives as
if they were but one-tenth of their
weight is only small part Of the ire
mendous work that has been under
way at army transport piers since the
United States transport service at
tanned full swing.
Maj. Dan O'Brien, marine director,
an officer who has won his rank by
more than 20 years service in every
port of the United States, Cuba,
Mexico and the Philippines, where
transport facilities of the army were
to Old 10