Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-13
AVIATION DEPOT
FILLING UP With
BIG WAR PLANES

plies l3 flying fields in the South, pre-
sents a scene Of great activity these
days. Airplanes are still coming in
by trainloads, and they ars stacked
one upon the other in section after
section of the great warehouse Air
plane motors also are coming in by
the carload and other air service
equipment is constantly arriving.
In addition to the piling up Of aerial
equipment, the camp presents a scene
of much activity outside the ware
house proper. New tents for the three
hundred men who were transferred
here few weeks ago have just arriv-
ed and are being fitted for winter use
with board floors, walls and stoves.
A mess hall is in the process of cree
ton for the accommodation of these
three hundred men.
"Since the arrival of the men of the
two new sQuadrOns, who have been
merged into single detachment, have
been occupying temporary quarters
wherever we could put them" said
Major E. S. Schofeld, commanding
officer of the supply depot. at took
some little time to get the needed
equipment which was not sent with
the men, but it has arrived now and
we hope soon to have every man COM
Portable and in sanitary home-like
quarters"
Saturday night train of Is cars OF
planes arrived Saturday another
train of 10 cars had just been unload
ed. They have been coming in fast for
some time, and the end is not in
sight
Let them come said Major Soho
field I'VE have $4,000 feet of floor
space and it is nowhere near filed
yet"
All of the planes being shipped here
now are the great DeHaviland As,
which are combat machines and were
intended for the front in France. 4
large number of them had reached
the Atlantic ports preparatory to ship
ment overseas. Others are coming di-
rect from the factories. Each machine
requires practically an entire freight
car They come completely boxed
with the powerful Liberty motors al
ready attached The largest boxes
weigh 1000 pounds, and each plane re-
Quires fro msix to eight boXes-not
all of them weighing that amount
however The boxes being carefully
numbered outside, a complete plane
is easily stored in one place in the
warehouse, ready for instant re-ship-
ment on order from any of the fly
ing fields.
We are kept so busy unloading
cars and handling these great cases
that we have had little time for drill
or anything else about the post SAID
Major Schoteld, and it is hard work
but little later we hope that it will
get lighter and the men will have
more time for real military activities
and recreation than they have now"
Although the work of hustling these
4OO0-pound cases. many Of which are
moved considerable distances in the
warehouse and piled one upon the
other. thus doubling the storage space
is strenuous, the difficulty is reduced
by the use of lifting machinery and
labor-saving devices of several kinds.
One of these is hoist which spans
the double sidetrack where the freight
cars are run into the warehouse. This
hoist lifts the huge boxes from the
cars and drops them onto "dollles' on
which they are rolled to their place
of storaGe over the concrete floors.
Hosting devices inside make the
handling of the cases in position COM
paratively easy. One Of the newest
pieces of equipment is a zV-toh eIeG-
trio truck. This is a small affair for
use inside the warehouse. and equip
ped with several trailers, capable OF
pulling 20 tons.
The warehouse itself is as near
fireproof as building could possibly
be. 1t is built in compartments, with
fire walls between. cement floors. au-
tomato sprinkler system, automatic
fire alarm and automatically closing
fire doors between compartments. II
is of sufficient size to hold vast
amount of equipment.
Major Schofeld takes great pride IN
the cleanliness and order of the post
and everything about it from head
quarters to mess kitchen is spick ana
span. Every effort is made to give
comfort IN the men and officers sta