Bisbee daily review., 1919-07-06
COLOSSAL CAMP, RESERVOIR BEHIND
 FRONT LINE, BACKED UP TANKS AT. TH|ERRY, ARGONNE AND THE MEUSE|
Intermediate Depot With Average Store of $7OOO0O00o n Supplies Arriving and Being Rushed Into Battle, Was Covering Point From All U. s. Ports in France to
 Which War SineWS Were Sped Across Atlantic
First Sergeant, Army Service Corps, A. E. F.
BY w. R. WEBB

of food and clothing and equipment. Approximately 45 days supply was to be maintained at the base ports, 30 days supply was to be stored in the Intermediate Section, and 15 days supply was to be kept in depots near the front lines.
 For the storing of the 30-day sup plies which were to be maintained in the Intermediate Section, the General Intermediate Storage Depot was locat- ed at Grievres, a small town in the Department of Loir-et-Cher in south central France. Griexres was select ed because it was a halfway stop on the journey from the base ports to the front, because it possessed transpor- tation facilities, and was fairly safe from air-raids or other enemy attacks. Its location was also advantageous in the case of shipments to the front of fresh meat and supplies of like na- ture, as on a longer journey than that from Grievres to- the front line these supplies would have spoiled.
 Grievres Direct Halfway Station
 The site for the General Intermedi- ate Storage Depot had to combine an immense eXpanse of land with ample transportation facilities. Grievres possessed both. although much of the former was undrained farm land. The northern boundary was one of the na- tiOnal highways of France, while the southern boundary was the main line or the Paris-Orleans railroad. Thus the transportation facilities were pro- vided. The railroad was a direct line from the port of St. Nazaire Case Section No. D to the front, via Ne vers, Dijon and Neufchateau, and to it was linked at Vierzon the direct line from Bordeaux, as lated was La Rochelle by way of Saumur This made Grievres a direct halfway sta tion on the route to the front from three main ports used by the Amer. ican army in France.
 Work on the General Intermediate Storage Depot was commenced in August, 1917, when the name "Griev- res" meant a location and nothing else. It developed into an army city with a population of 25,OOO soldiers a lozenge-shaped city which stretched over an area measuring east and west a distance of nearly seven miles and north and south approximately one and a half miles. In addition to the the central reserve supply depot or population and containing the num- eorus subsidiary activities of such post. it contained 1SO warehouses, furnishing 4.5OO,O0O square feet of covered storage space. An extra 1O,> 100000 square feet of open storage space was used.
 GrieVres Backed Up Chateau Thierry
 Within the borders of the General Storage Depot were carried on so many activities that it is difficult to visualize them all in operation at once. It must be constantly borne in mind that at the date of signing of the armistice the American Expedi- tionary Forces in France numbered approximately 100000 men, and that most of the 30-day- reserve supply for this force was stored at Grievres, while the regular everyday auto matic" supply had to be cared for as well. When, in June, 1918, the young American army was called for its in itial major effort, in the Chateau Thierry region, it became necessary for Grievres to function, not only as the central resolve supply depot or iginally planned, but also as an Ad- vance Supply Depot. This meant that supplies requisitioned by the troops at the front mustN be loaded