The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-03-25
SPLENDID RECORD
OVER IN FRANCE
COL. HEGEMAN SUBMITS TO AN
INTERVIEW AND DETAILS
INTERESTING FACTS
NEARLY TWO AND ONE-HAlF BILLIONS
Was Necessary for the stupendous
Task Of Providing Motor Trans
port Service Overseas.

The visit last week of Col. Harry
A. Hegeman to the home of his boy
hood was fraught with a great deal
of pleasure to himself and to many
OF his old friends and acquaintances
who are still living in Brookings and
! vicinity. 1t was his first vacation in
eight years and lie thoroughly en-
joyed every minute of the time from
Wednesday until Sunday, when he
and Mrs. Hegeman returned to their
home at Chicago
Since his return from France last
September he has been attached to
the staff OF General Wood and is at
the head of the Quartermaster's de-
partment While his work is not near
as strenuous as while he was over
seas there has been plenty to do and
the colonel was very glad to snatch
few days with actually nothing to do.
His great capacity for work is
shown by what he accomplished for
the United States government in
France. While not on the fighting
front his wonderful work in collect
ing, transporting and establishing the
greatest unit for automotive service
ever gotten together for like pur-
pose in the history of any country.
commanded the admiration and re-
spect Of all his superiors as well as
the gratitude of the American people.
He was decorated by the French gov
ernment with the cross of the legion
of honor and by General Pershing
with the distinguished service medal.
While now matter of record in the
war department many very interesting
things in the conduct of the late war
have not been made public in a way
to familiarize the people with the de.
tails of many great projects that had
strong bearing on the efficiency of
our military and early ending of the
war. With this in mind Register
representative succeeded in extracting
some interesting information from the
colonel in regard to his work
( Before going to France Colonel
Hegeman was detailed by the United
States government to gather men and
material for complete unit in sup
plying anything and everything for
automotive and truck service in Eu-
rope. Five billion dollars was placed
at his disposal and he proceeded at
once to scour the country for every
thing necessary for perfect equip
ment. even to steel forms for the i'm
mediate erection of large buildings,
work shops and storage. He states
that in all about two and one-haIf
billions were spent in this great work
before the armistice was signed.
On the 10th of April, 1918, the first
detachment Of the unit he had gath.
cred moved onto the ground in France
selected and requisitioned by the
French government for Uncle Sans
use. temporary plant was in run
ming order by the middle of May and
on the 14th day of July they moved
into permanent structures. Consider
ing the magnitude of the work we
man was some busy man.
The plant was located three miles
southeast OF Verneuil, in the center
Of France, and about 180 miles from
Paris. The camp and works covered
about 400 acres. The camp was laid
on hillside about one-half mile from
the works and was equipped with! bar
racks, well laid streets, good side
walks, electric light plant, and a COM
plete water and sewer system.
1--WE had five dining rooms" said
the colonel, "that would seat one thou
sand men each. We also had large
and modernly equipped kitchens. in
which everything was cooked by
steam, and all this equipment was
made right in our own ships"
"The works consisted of nearly
100000 square feet OF floor space or
nearly ten acres devoted to general
manufacturing plant for all kjdGs of
mechanical production. The BLACKSMITH
shop was 125x260 feet, machine shop
225x240, sheet metal and oxyacety-
lene welding shop 56x240, auto tire re-
pair and retreading shop 56x240."
I'VE had soft metal foundry" said
the colonel, "for making brass. bronze
and aluminium castings. with capac-
ity of twelve to fifteen hundred cast
ings day. We not only made all our
own bearings in brass, bronze. alumni
mum, and babbitt metals, but we cast
big bronze castings for bushing stock
for the railroads and other depart
ments."
I'VE had spare parts department,
3o0x4Oo feet. for handling spare parts
for various makes Of automobiles. in