BUILDING A RAILWAY UNDER FIRE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3150, 31 July 1917, Page 6

BUILDING A RAILWAY UNDER FIRE

A MILE A DAY

ARMY ENGINEERS' EXPLOIT

(By F. A. M'Kcnzie, in. the "Daily Mail")

For real hustle come to France. I have just returued from a day with »> battalion of railway builders in khakiU'hoy build a mile a day of broad-gauge, railway. They have to keep tin. helmets, and gas bags handy, for they are runnin" Hum close up to the front. Much of this work can only be done at mght;, were they to continue in daylight Fritz would locato them and shell them out ot existence. Within a few hours after a., fresh British advance the railway wnrkers make their appearance. They tad. bridges blown away, tracks obliterated, and booby traps everywhere. Heavily armoured locomotives iiaul up material. The track is cleared, the craters mad* bv German explosions filled, fresh bridges thrown across the gaps, and in on incredibly short time here is a new route, ready to hand over to the Railway Operating Department. The construction of extensive systems of railways behind the lines is comparatively a new thing. At first the .Army relied mainly o:> motor-lorries. O«s train can haul as much as 200 motor-; lorries. It employs four men in place or: 400, saves heaps of money, and, incidentally, avoids the continual tearing up of roads which a big motor-lorry service, means. The Royal Engineers built a. number of railways, and did the work, excellently. But more men were wanted, and for these the Army turned to the West. The pioneer railway builders ot Canada have beeu brought over. At their head is a brigadier-general, a famox» British Columbian His motto is, "See everything, hear everything, and keep your mouth shut." But his baud, is everywhere, and he certainly knows, his job. ' The first battalion came from the C.P.R., organised by Lord Shaughnessy. The battalion I was vrith described itself as a "Canadian Northern bunch." Among , the railway corps are men who have planned and pushed railways from Zambesia to Yucatan. If it has a motto it ought to be, "We wear no frills and wa do no fancy work. Get a move on." A canvas hut acted as headquarters. Typewriter, card index, and letter file, gave it a familiar air. The whole outfitcould be packed into a box near by. There could be no question about these railwaymen doing their -work under fire. While" we were at lunch, 9.4's came> fairly steadily over our cump. later on, when we reached rail-head, things; were lively. But tie railwayman are. lucky. This battalion, working since tho "beginning of the year, has only lost one man killed and F.ix wounded from shell-fire. "Our best sustained record, said the colonel, "is 4f miles in five daye. Wehave just finished one bit of work. VTehad first to build a bridge Uflft. long, that was started on Friday and finished on Tuesday. Then we had to_ deaf the track beyond, which was jitleree vith German 'ties,' torn rails, and other material. We started at six nn rueeday and had finished laying the line,. 12.069 ft., by Wednesday midnight. We had GOO men clearing the road and toG. working on the steel actually laying the rails. "Twenty-two miles of light railway were put in the new territory at the Ancre River fight. It was thij light railway that enabled ample- supplies of ammunition to come up. When the Boche moved, back the light Tailway was pulled upand standard .jjauge put in. We finished it the day before yesterday. The light rails will"be used again to throw a line ahead, and so on." And then he/.ook me to see the new line and his rail-war soldiers. We drove under' a bridge. Tt consisted of strong timber flung across. "No waiting for cement parapets here,' said the colonel. "We build the line ns they build a pioneer line in the West." The driver of the armoured engine wns a Londoner from the G.E.R-. But flier construction battalion were practically all Canadians. They actually came to England not as a building but as a figlviing battalion. But consisting r.s tho> battalion did of railwaymen, -with four of every five men and 21 officers engineers, mechanics, or railway -workers, the authorities turned them , to more special use.