The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-01-08
SHIP MIGHTY
LOCOMOTIVES
ABROAD IN TACT

New York, Jan. THE shipment
OF American built steam locomotives
weighing each 73 tons and assembled
all but the smoke stack and the ten
der SO that they could move under
their own steam within a few hours
after their arrived in France was
among the accomplishments of the
United States Army Transport Force
under stress OF war and has since
been continued.
More than four hundred of these l9-
comotives were so SHIPPED from Kew
York in a few months, it was learned
here with the lifting OF the war cen
sorship regulations, and these were
in addition to 1900 which were ship
ped in sections-nine to a locomotive
packed in cases. The ships used to
transport the locomotives. complete.
were of a special type with three holds
each hold measuring so by 102 feet
entered by matches 80 feet wide and
AZ feet long.
Into each of the three holds were
placed twelve locomotives-thirty -six
to the ship. For bed or flooring on
which they rested for the voyage. wos
used more than 1000 tons of steel
rails. The locomotives when in posi-
ton 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.
On this hay another flooring was
laid, and on this floor was placed the
tenders-the smoke stack, with more
ba1ed hay or other light cargo, packed
in the space where coal is to be car
ried. On top of the tenders was pack
ed still more cargo to the leck Level.
md oh no al,
deck space filled with Grated air
planes. Wher completely loaded with
SO locomotives and other cargo, each
vessel was carrying a dead weight Of
$4,000 tons in addition to ship ma
chinery, bunker coal and crew sup
plies.
The leading of the locomotives is an |
sight. Steel railroad |
barges, carrying fourteen of the steel |
monsters are made fast alongside a |
1o0-ton capacity floating derrick |
An ordinary sling of steel wire is |
placed around the forward end of the |
boilers. another under the supports to /
the cab. the signal given and the To- |
connective lifted forty to fifty feet in |
the air, swung over Ind gently loaded |
into the ships hold. The whole oper- |
alton required but twenty minutes, !
and was accomplished with the same |
ease and with the sa ne lack of ex-
element as prevailed on a steamer al !
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
IF England can do it, so can Amerf-
ca an officer said, and he straight
way Communicated fleet of ore car
rying 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 re-
corded for the movement Of loco
motive from its builders to it's base
of action behind the battle lines
Shops to New Jersey terminal, A
hours; from rail to barbe. six hours;
from terminals to ship side, six hours
barge TO ship, twenty minutes: New
York to France nine days: ship to
army rail lines and hooked to a trans
port train bound for the front, six
hours: a total of less than twelve
days
Handling of 73-ton locomotives as
II tHey were put one-tenth or thei"
weight. is only a small part of the
tremendous work that has been un-
der way at army transport piers since
the United States transport service
attained full swing
Major Dan O'Brien, marine director,
an officer who has won his rank by
more than twenty years service in
every big port of the United states,
Cuba, Mexico. the Philippines where
transport facilities of the army were
centered. is the man who handled the
locomotives.