Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1919-06-26
AMERICAN SALVAGE DEPOT.
BASE SECTION NO. 2, A. p. o. 7O5
FRANCE.

AMERICAN SALVAGE DEPOT.
BASE SECTION NO. 2, A. P. o. 7OI
FRANCE.
As the business of the world ex.
tends and increases in its magnitude
by adding new industries, SO does
the American Army add t its efir
cheney by introducing new branches
making it possible to carry on a work
where millions of men and billions OF
dollars are involved. Since en-.
try into the great war one of the
branches Of many, namely, Salvage
Service. which was before, never
thought Of as being adopted. has been
introduced, tried and proven in the
American army. After a thorough
and complete test, Salvage Opera
lions have entered a new field where
the value Of saving is found indispen-
sable.
~ CIV 'o6uS iaeA oS " just
what part a Salvage Depot plays in
the great machine known a. Uncle
Sans Army, the American Salvage
Depot, Bordeaux, France, B. 8. No.
2, A. P. o. 7O5, will be used as an
illustration.
On September Sth, 1918, Mobile
Laundry Unit No. 81 arrived in Bor-
deaux with a personnel of 80 men
who were Immediately assigned to
duty with what was known as Salv-
age Repair Depot No. l. At that
time our number was united with
AZ Glass CO men and our Home
Sweet Home" was what had been for
years a wine warehouse, located on
the banks Of the Garonne river about
2 kilometers south from the Midi
Station. Upon arriving, everything
was found as a wine warehouse could
be expected to be; two inches Of
hardened mud composed of wine and
dirt on the floor, an odor as sweet as
sour wine car smell, no daylight ex-
eept for q sparing amount Of 1924
windows and a look from an angle
would convince a mans Imagination
that it would ever be what it Is now.
Details were soon set to work by
1t. franklin, our commanding officer,
Salvage officer, Finance officer, Per-
sonnet Officer. and every other kind of
an officer that he was needed for.
Floors were cleaned by using axes,
picks, shovels and buggy springs;
every wall in the building was white
washed, field ranges set up for
kitchens, tables built, windows put
in, skylights installed and before our
home was complete, some Buck"
must have told our existence, for
clothes, shoes, wagons, harness, ord
nance Of all kinds, '~n'everything be-
gan to arrive in unnecessary quaint
ties. At that time, everything was
coming in and nothing going out, but
machinery was being installed and
accommodations made for the en-
ployment of 1868 civilian employees,
including the personnel at our regu-
lating station and Decreasing plant.
Eight officers (Lt. Walsh, command
ing) and 1873 enlisted men now COM
pose our force for immediate opera
tons, not including u Chabrat Re-
pair Shop, Qm., or Beau Desert Laun-
dries, which are scattered at distan-
ces ranging from 8 to 8 kilometers
from the depot.
A word might be mentioned here
regarding the pay Of this young ar
my of civilian employees who speak q
different tongue, have different Gus
toms, ways. and business methods
than we are accustomed to. The
rate of pay varies from 6.25 francs
to 1900 francs for day laborsrs, and
in the shoe department some working
at piece work earn as high as 1000
francs per day. They have the AM
srican standard backed off the map
for celebrating payday, for on the
following morn 1t 10 hard to distin-
guish the entire" and "sOrtie'' sides
Of the checking board and many who
have courage enough to come, still
remain zig gag from thsir poor judy
msnt Of quantity OF vim blanc, vim
rouge or cognac.
Employment of these workers be-
gan November 4, 1918, and not until
along in February, 1919, could We
begin to see that our "stock' was
diminishing at all. On the night be-
fore Christmas We were welcomed
ca with 81 truck loads of salvage
goods which meant work all night II
necessary, but at 800 q. IN. the last
truck was unloaded, we had q light
lunch and not a single mar complain
ed about retiring between blankets
on a board cot.
Just q few figures from my prop
srty account will show you, II com-
IpRrsd to your dry goods store invsn-
tory, about what we had to face. The
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