Show c O the bK 1 Lines r Greatest Scheme of Communications Communications Communications' Ever Used in Warfare Is Rapidly Near Near- Ling Completion i iC C S The London Times has published two articles described described de de- scribed as the first authorized description of what the American forces have accomplished In France Franco during their first eleven months' months participation In Inthe Inthe Inthe the war war- war warThe The following are extracts from these articles n r t r j ji I. I l i f Sw-Sw Sw tJ BE Amerl Americans ans In n France are rapIdly rapIdly rapidly rap- rap Idly pushing to completion the longest and in many respects the greatest scheme of communications communications communications ever used in warfare A trip over these lines today Is a deeply impressive experience Since Mr l Newton D. D Baker the United States secretary of war y Inspected them less than three months ago the work Is fairly leaping forward the very very landscape changes overnight After two solid weeks of travel Inspecting every main phase and much of the detail of of this vast st project I return convinced convinced th that t what the Americans have accomplished since their first detachment detachment detachment de de- of troops landed In Prance France 11 months ago ogo will stand out In history as one of the greatest greatest greatest great great- est achievements of the war The bearing of this vast work upon the whole war program is supremely supremely supremely su su- su- su important There Is no doubt In my mind that the extent of It ft the meaning of it and the future possibilities of it should be made clear to the public both here and In the United States It is well at the outset to state stafe some basic facts The French had all their sources sources of supply near at hand and the establishment of ot their lines of ot communication was WaR a comparatively s simple mp e affair The British with all their sources much farther away from the fighting areas and with water transport entering is s an nn important factor into their scheme had a much more difficult task In n planning and perfecting their supply service But great as was the British problem that which confronted the Americans when hen they entered entered entered en en- the war was immeasurably greater Their armies and all aU their war materials had to be brought rought thousands of ot miles from their sources of supply the the submarine campaign was at Its highest point of efficiency the adoption of th the the convoy system considerably reduced the capacity of ot shipping facilities which even In the them m most mst st favorable circumstances would have been totally Inadequate to the demands made upon th them m there were no large modern modem ports on the coast of ot of France nor was there lere anything like sufficient railway facilities to accommodate the vast stream of men and materials which must flow steadily tn In n with con constantly increasing ig volume from the date when the first detachment of United States soldiers landed on French soil At t the same time one must realize that from the moment war was declared America Itself was rapidly resolving Into a huge engine of war With raw materials industries coal and railways nil all put quickly under government control and andI I each day becoming more centralized for the sole purpose of multiplying the output of war requirements requirements require require- requirements ments the pressure toward France increased with startling rapidity Indeed It was was' measured only by the utmost limit of available shipping space That fiat situation has continued right up to the present present present pres pres- ent and will continue no matter how great the output of new ships may be for a considerable time to come To take care of ot this steadily growing volume of men horses guns foods and supplies to resolve resolve re- re solve the modest existing facilities Into a permanent permanent permanent per per- manent line line- of communications hundred of miles in length adequate to care for an army array of the f future t re numbering millions at the same time meetIng meetIng meeting meet- meet Ing all the tran transport port requirements of the civic population scattered over the great stretch stretch- of France through which these lines extended that extended that was the task which confronted the first detachment detachment detach detach- ment meat of American engineers who landed here 11 months ago But with all their difficulties the Americans had hall one substantial advantage over the British or even the Fr French They were able to profit by bythe bythe bythe of these two nations na nay the three years years' war sear experience and shape the details of a considerable part purt of ot their main program In accordance with the full d development of the British and French war ma ma- chinery They were not slow to avail themselves th of ot this advantage and ond the marvellous progress s they have made is due In no small mea measure ure to the quickness with which they adapted and Incorporated incorporated Into their the own scheme certain features of organization which the British and French had evolved through a long period of actual warfare The cordial way h In which the British and amt French Trench transport and other officials received tIn Jim Americans Americans Ameri Amerl- cans and nOlI gave t them em every possible kind of aid and advice Is one of the many bright chapters In this story of achievement f I This was the only substantial advantage the Americans had Their handicaps were multifold their task colo colossal How now splendidly they thy attacked their problems and conquered one after another of the obstacles which confronted them stands their out in clear perspective as one passes along great groat lines of c communication today Sixty days more will wilt see Ree the greater ater part of the whole vast scheme In full operation Even now the completed completed completed com com- part of the system Is equal to all demands made upon it and with labor and materials materials' available available available avail avail- able In fairly equable proportions as they are arenow arenow now the actual construction work is going ahead more rapidly than thon ever What the American forces In France have accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac thus far Is almost Incredible For In Instance instance Ip- Ip waste lands adjacent to ton jin old stance out of the French port they have bave constructed a i l Jt JIner Ine e. e J yE A L Lc c r 7 tL OF BRE I CA FR FRH H WE 6 j J of mod modern rn docks where every day now ships are pouring forth their cargoes of men and war materials cars and m machinery This dock system Is finished It supplements the old French dock system In th the town where still more ships are constantly discharging American cargoes A huge new warehouse system at this point Is also nearing nearIng nearing near- near Ing completion even now it is able to take care of the great flood of supplies which is constantly pouring In In the old part of this same coast town the Americans Americans' have installed motor operation and cold storage plants a motor reception park and quarters for storing supplies s for fot ordnance and aviation forces These are more or less temporary temporary tem tem- quarters and will be me merged ged In the near future In the general scheme which Is now being completed In in the out outskirts of the town In addition to the new docks warehouses and extensive railway yards yards' these latter have a of nearly miles work Is well advanced advanced advanced ad ad- on the new car assembly shop where al already already already al- al ready when I saw it in its state 20 odd freight cars a day of three different designs designs designs de de- de- de signs were being turn turned d out and put into Imme Imme- Immediate Immediate diate service Another assembly plant has been constructed constructed-at at a different point point to to handle all all- steel cars which are transported here from America knocked that knocked do down that that Is In sections In order to economize shipping space At this plant these steel cars are now V being assembled at the rate of a n complete train a day and plans are rapidly culminating for a large extension of the work Here too a huge c camp mp has been built for forthe forthe forthe the negro stevedores also so a remount camp and two big rest camps each providing for many thousands of oi American merican soldiers who march thence from the boats boats boats' to be sifted and rearranged for dispatch to the various training camps farther inland Not far from here work on a new bed hospital Is forging ahead and 30 80 days from now it will wUl be virtually completed This Is Is' the largest hospital center yet constructed It Is composed composed com corn posed entirely of small story one-story light airy and attractive structures divided Into small mall squares laid out on a great open stretch h of sand surrounded surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded I by y pine tr trees es and altogether promises to be an Ideal institution of its kind In this same section is an Immense new arill- arill lery camp camp all ready for the several brigades of Df artillery which were expected when I was there and like the hospital enterprise It Is In iii strong hands and promises s we well l. l In Includes a large remount remount remount re re- re- re mount camp In which were several thousand horses borses at the time of fay my visit The work In this this section which is typical of that at all nIl the other base baso ports I visited is being vigorously and I Intelligently In directed Strong executives are In charge and the spirit of the workers is excellent is-excellent excell excellent t throughout Everywhere the Americans are are realizing realizing real real- izing that they have caught up with themselves themselves themselves them them- selves and now that they can visualize th the completion com corn com of ot what a n few months ago looked so much like an Impossible undertaking they are buoyed up tip happy and Inspired by the their ther r success success they have conquered obstacles and overcome conditions ns which only great ability and Indomitable indomitable spirit could possibly surmount One realizes after Inspecting the character an ane extent of the work at the several base ports which the Americans have taken over that here heie lies the strength of their future scheme of oper operations These port schemes ale are aie great affairs today but they are so worked out as to be he capable of almost unlimited expansion This Is highly Important for tor the war developments of the past two months have clearly pointed the theW W way toward greater unit unity of effort by the allies and ami greater grenter mobility of or action by the French fr British and American fighting forces The tendency tendency ten ten- tendency dency Is toward a pooling both hoth of effort und and supplies the natural outcome of centralization centralisation under a single command This may easily resolve re- re re resolve resolve solve the American base ports In France Into main reserve centers from which their channels of distribution will radiate directly to railheads on on all parts of the front Instead of mainly through the intermediate and advance area centers centers centers cen cen- cen- cen which are now being constructed These latter in that event event would be utilized In connection connection connection con con- with the great great and and ever growing training centers through which for a n long time to come the American army of If or more In the making must pass As at the base ports port S so I found conditions all an nl along ng t the he e. e u dr d of miles of the the American AmericanS AmericanS' t t- f S' fI w eias B Sr U W NF lines of t Ion tion i o n everywhere kind of the same capable men in command command command com com- mand t the h same sam 9 spirit and splendid energy the same sam e t toward toward to to- steady pi progress ogress ess ward the ends in in view the same optimism optimism optimism op op- as to the quick and successful working out of the plans as a whole At present the Immense immense im Im- mense intermediate ate section looms large In the general American plan It may mayor or may not grow In Importance as the war goes on the further development de development de- de for as I have already indicated yet TOD rob It u vel of the great base ports may Its contemplated functions of some of its originally of ol the but h however wever that may be It is now one It comprises a wide main pillars of the structure scattered scattered scat scale variety of enterprises all on a huge section of t the le large at various points over a rail one linked by country but Wilfully up comb ning n- n branch dovetailed Into another and all Ing lag for the quick handling of stores for an nn army of millions is An organization chart showing the activities centered under the commanding general of this great Intermediate section though not quite so formidable perhaps reminds one one o of a chart of the Whitehall district of London This commanding command command- Ing officer Is IR responsible primarily for the main reserve stores for the American expeditionary forces and the constant sending forward o of their dally daily supplies but In addition to that he has a large measure of responsibility for the organization tion Uon and control of great camps schools base hospitals rest areas engineering and repair shops hops the principal repository for spare parts of all machinery used in the army cold storage plants oil and petrol depots forestry work and control of n a good sized good sized labor army which Includes Includes Includes In In- many thousands of negroes and German prisoners of war A round of this huge field of operations is both Instructive and inspiring At one point I went through an enormous locomotive assembling and repair works housed In a great modern factory factory factory fac fac- tory building now nearing completion built for forthe forthe forthe the Americans under French sup supervision by n a Spanish firm a huge buge oil and petrol s supply sta sta- station tion a bed bed hospital and n a number of other highly important branches of a central organization organic tion which constitutes one of the real backbone sections of the service of supply At another point I went over great railway yards to see th the rows upon rows of street structure warehouses which are being built to hold supplies for an no army of a million men num for 80 30 days an Immense Immen e refrigerating plant aud and countless other features all on the same prodigious I scale Calm quiet m men men n are supervising it nIl all watching watchIng watchIng watch watch- Ing It grow before their eyes When the telephones telephones telephones tele tele- phones Jingle and they are never long In repose repose re re- repose pose t there ere Is no shouting no excitement just quiet firm fire replies to the questions put There Is ever everywhere j where an air of suppressed energy rather rathe than exuberance or bustle b It Is orderly progress progress progress ress firmly guided by strong minds by capable men America has put her best executives Into this work and they are rapidly making good as events of the very near future are certain to prove Farther along alon the l line n I saw much the same evidence of orderliness combined with strength In the army bakeries in the big central camouflage camouflage camou camou- flage plant at the various arious advanced centers from which the army supplies are rearranged for shifting to various railheads and thence to th the e eIf soldiers soldiers' at the front If as many believe It Is going to be necessary necessary sary for the Americans to put an army of Into Ino the till field to enable the allies to achieve a a. a definite and c conclusive military victory then the |