Storage depots, remount depots, and veterinary hospitals erected by the Engineers proved entirely adequate for the needs of the American Expeditionary Forces at all times. A grand total of 536 acres of covered storage was built or acquired, of which about 482 acres was new construction. Space was provided in remount depots for 29,000 animals, and it was projected to accommodate 48,700 animals had it been necessary. Veterinary hospital space was provided for 17,250 sick animals. Each veterinary hospital required much special construction, such as concrete dipping tanks for the treatment of mange, operating rooms, exercising paddocks, hay sheds, living quarters for attendants and veterinary surgeons, and administration buildings.
At Gievres, in connection with the important storage depot built there, was constructed the third largest refrigerating plant in the world. This plant, built by the Engineers from plans prepared by experts, was capable of caring for 5,200 tons of meat at once, and of producing 250 tons of ice per day. Another similar plant at Bassens had a capacity for 4,000 tons of meat.
Miscellaneous construction work in France covered many fields of activity. The question of adequate water supply was ever present, and in most places where hospitals, depots, shops, or warehousing plants were built, a water supply development was incidentally necessary. Many systems were installed complete from the collection of the water at its source to its distribution to the points of consumption, while in some other cases only extensions and ameliorations of existing systems were undertaken. Water supply in the service of supply was placed under as fine and complete a system of bacteriological inspection and examination as is customary under more normal conditions. At Tours, Vierzon, St. Nazaire, and Dijon, where unfavorable bacteriological conditions existed, arrangements were entered into with these municipalities whereby the existing water supplies were chlorinated by the American water supply service.
At Is-sur-Tille was built a mechanical bakery at which 500,000 pounds of bread, fresh for immediate shipment to the troops at the front, could be produced in one day. Another such plant was built and put into service at Neufchateau, and at Liffol-le-Grand it was proposed, and plans had been prepared, to construct a third plant for 400,000 pounds of bread per day, but this project was canceled just after the armistice. In addition to these plants, bakery capacity for 240,000 pounds per day was provided at the base ports.
Oil storage was provided for 175,000 barrels of oil and gasoline. The large plants, with tanks having a capacity of 25,000 barrels each, built with enduring concrete foundations and equipped with connections and pumping plant for the loading of tank cars destined for the front, rivaled in size the installations at large refineries of this country.
For the operation of these many plants numerous power developments were undertaken, and a total of 5,000 kilowatts of new power, being provided for at the time of the armistice, was canceled. Plants of the capacity of 750 kilowatts each, providing 3,500 kilowatts of electric power in all, were in operation when the armistice was signed, not to mention numerous smaller units installed at various points where needed.
Ordnance repair shops were erected, as were also assembling plants for ordnance material, and heavy gun-mounting plants. Repair shops of enormous extent were established near the front, equipped with machine-tool equipment for the repair and maintenance of tank and motor transport material. Schools for the line and staff were constructed, the first and largest being at Gondrecourt and Longres. Laundry plants, salvage depots, aviation assembly plants, sewage disposal plants, refuse incinerators, mechanical repair shops, locomotive assembly plants and locomotive round-houses were placed at convenient points. At Chalmdray and at Colombey-les-Belles, both within a short day's automobile ride of the front, were the tank and air-service repair depots, each one covering many acres of ground and each provided with full equipment for any job of manufacture or repair in their respective fields.
AMERICAN ENGINEERS QUARRYING STONE TO REPAIR MILITARY ROADS DESTROYED BY GERMAN SHELL NEAR MENIL-LA-TOUR, FRANCE.
