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About The Maupin times. (Maupin, Or.) 1914-1930 | View Entire Issue (July 26, 1918)
KAISER ASKS FOR PEACE CONFERENCE Urges Spain to In tervene. Wants Nothing West But Pres ent Status of Roumania and Russia to Stand. Amsterdam, July 24. Germany has made suggestions for a peace confer ence to the Spanish government, says the Socialist Vorwaertt of Berlin. The suggestions sre: First Germany wants no annexa tions or Indemnities In the West. Second The peace treaties with Russia and Roumania may not be questioned. Third The principle of self-deter mination of peoples has not been dis cussed, but may be settled at the peace conference where the fate of Belgium also Is to be settled. Fourth The Balkan question is to be settled around the conference table. Fifth The freedom of the seas, the dismantling of Gibraltar and the Suez canal and the right for Germany to use coaling atations. , Sixth The colonial question Is to be settled on the basis of the status quo. The Vorwaerts considers this a very reasonable peace program. While some of the peace terms sug gested by Germany in the suggestion for Intervention by Spain are repeti tion of those previously declared by President Wilson and other allied leaders to be unacceptable, it is signif icant that Germany has "suggested a peace conference," as this Is the first time a meeting of peace delegates ac tually has been proposed by any of the nations now at war. U. S. CRUISER IS TORPEDOED San Diego Believed to Be Prey of Hun U-Boat Off Atlantic Coast. New York. German submarines ap pear to have renewed operations off the American coast. The United States armored cruiser Ban Diego was sunk not far from the entrance of New York harbor Satur day." Circumstantial reportB regarding her Indicate that she was torpedoed. There were also reports, though not confirmed, that other BhlpB had been attacked, one being described as a coastwise passenger ship. Some 300 survivors reached New York on a tank steamship at 10 o'clock at night, Thirty-two, a lieutenant, an ensign und 30 sailors, were landed in lifeboats on the Long Island Bhore. Survivors were reported to have been picked up by other ships, how ever, and to be on their way to New York. The San Diego was sunk at 11:30 A, M., about 10 miles southeast of Fire Island light, which is off the Long Island Bhore about 60 miloB east of the entrance to New York harbor and on the marine highway of trans-Atlantic slil pa bound in and nut of the port. Although the navy department an nounced that the cause of the loss of the San Diego had not been deter mined, Information received from re liable sources Indicated submarines had been operating off the coast and that she had been torpedoed. 3000 Bakers Join Strike. Buenos Aires, Argentina. One-half of the 6000 bakers employed in Buenos Aires have joined the general strike movement, under the direction of an anarchistic strike committee. Efforts have been made to bring about a gen eral strike of all labor throughout Ar gentlna. The employes of power houses threaten to walk out within the next few days and the government Is pre paring to use naval engineers and fire men In their places. Bolshevlkl Losing Ground. Washington, D. C The situation In Siberia la daily presenting new phases. At three widely separated points, op position to the soviet government had strengthened Us positions. On the shores of the Arctic and White sea the small International en tente force which has been holding the railroad terminus at Kola and Mur mansk has been considerably rein forced and Is understood to be advanc ing southward along the railroad to wards Vologda and Moscow. Canada's Draft Law Valid. Ottawa, Ont. Constitutionality of the amended military service act, abolishing certain exemptions, was up held by the supreme court of Canada Monday, in dismissing the application for s writ of habeas corpus made on behalf of a drafted man. The appeal division of the supreme court of Al berts had previously decided the amended law was invalid. The whole fabric of the Canadian draft law was involved in the case. SAYS FOOD CRISIS ENDED Hoover In Address In London Delivers lteaMuring Message. Loudon. Speaking at a luncheon given In his honor by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion house Wednesday, Herbert ('. Hoover, the American food administrator, gave a highly reassur ing review of the food situation, "We can say emphatically that all anxiety as to the great essentials of food Is now past," Mr. Hoover de clared. Reviewing what already has been done in the way of Increased produc tion and saving In consumption by vol untary efforts and rationing, Mr, Hoover said the exertion of the Ameri can agricultural authorities and farm ers had borne such fruit that "there will be no need during the next 12 months for any restriction on the vol ume of breadstuffs to be shipped to the European allies." Continuing, Mr. Hoover said: "It will be the Joint conclusion of my colleagues In the European conn tries that we can get along with a less moderate mixture of other cereals In the loaf and thus provide better bread for the 220,000,000 people who are op posed to Germany." Mr, Hoover pointed out, however, thut with restricted shipping the en tente allies must face a reduction in fodder Imports and thus a decrease In animal products until the submarine has been overcome and Bhlpplng re stored. This degeneration in produc tion, he added, would be continuous throughout the war. Mr. Hoover added: "In seeking President Wilson's coun sel as to the conference of food offi cials which now Is In progress, I re ceived from him this statement of our point of view In all our food negotia tions: " 'That the American people will gladly and willingly make any sacri fice In consumption and in the produc tion of foodstuffs that will maintain the health, comfort and the courage of the people of the allied countries. We are, in fact, eating at the common table with them. U. S. TO TAKE OVER TELEGRAPH JULY 31 Washington, D. C Acting under the authority recently conferred by congress, President Wilson Wednes day issued a proclamation taking all telephone and telegraph 'lines under government operation at midnight, Wednesday, July 31. Although congress empowered him to do so the president did not Include wireless systems, because the navy already is in control of them. He did not include ocean cables pre sumably because contracts the cable companies have with foreign govern ments on whose shores they land, con tain clauses respecting government operation which ralBed involved ques tions. , The navy is already In practi cal control of the cables through its censorship. The president's proclamation placed administration of the wire systems with Postmaster-General Burleson and provided that until otherwise decided the present managements and em ployes will continue. Present finan cial arrangements also will continue with the approval of the postmaster general. In a statement accompanying the president s proclamation, Postmaster- General Burleson announced to the country that hlB policy would be one of the least possible Interference with the wire communication systems con sistent with the Interests and needs of the government. Press wire service, Mr. Burleson said, would be Interfered with only to Improve Its facilities, and farmers tel ephones would be interfered with only to facilitate their connection with the larger lines. Postmaster General Burleson will personally take charge of the adminis tration of the wire communications and will be assisted by a committee of three composed of John L. Koons, first assistant postmaster-general, in sub jects of organization and administra tion; David L. Lewis, former congress man from Maryland, now a member of the tariff committee, on subjects of operation: and William H. Lamar, solicitor for the postofflce department, on matters of finance. German Raider Off West Coast. San Diego. A German raider Is re ported operating on the west coast and American aircraft and warships have joined in the chase of the enemy vessel. Following the report from the Brit ish consul at La Paz that the raider was cruising off the Mexican coast, all vessels In the 12th naval district were advised to observe special pre cautions of the submarine zone. Airplanes from stations in the Vi cinity of this city and warships within call have been sent In search of the prowler, according to navy authorities. Slavs Face Famine. Washington, D. C Starvation, as well as economic and financial dis aster, threatens Russia, according to information reaching the state depart ment. Prospects for the 1918 harvest are described as very poor and finan cial chaos is said to be almost com plete. Information further furnished by the Russian commlsariat show the number of fields under cultivation in 1918 compared with 1916 are 38 per cent In the government of Yekaterino slav; 40 per cent in Voronesh; 53 per cent in Kharkov; 28 per cent in Sara tov; 30 per cent In Samara. Industrial Survey Taken. Washington, D. C An industrial survey to determine the nation's tax able resources as an aid to the ways and means committee in framing the income and excess profits sections of the new J8.000.000.000 revenue bill is under way. Committeo members said Wednes day they expect to raise approximately $5,000,000,000 from excess profits and incomes. Some members still hope to raise $ti,000,000,000 by taxes on war profits and incomes. STATE NEWS! IN BRIEF. I Hugh L. McC'aminon, a former Sheri dan boy, son of Major W. W. McCam mori, has Joined the United Stutes ma rines, according to advices from Salem, and will sue service soon, The milk condensing plant at Sclo, the chief manufacturing Industry in that section resumed operation Mon day. This plant has been Idle since about February 1 of this year, when the company operating It became In volved in financial difficulty. Coos county's second July quota of 81 men left Marshfield Monday morn ing for Vancouver. A gala farewell was given as the Coos Bay Limited left. Home of the men are In other parts of the state, working In ship yards, but all have been notified of their selection. The harvesting around Warren Is well under way and the winter grains are proving a splendid crop, but spring- sown grains are nil, Winter wheat and oats are the most prolific In many years. Potatoes are only about 20 per cent average and the acreage about 40 por cent of normal. Word has been received In Marsh field from the Powers logging camps that the 10-hour day Is not popular with the loggers and there Is a move ment on to request a return to the eight-hour day on August 1. The men complain that with the 10-hour day they have no time for recreation. No complaints have been heard of from other camps. The Deutsches Haus, former gather ing place of German-Americans at Eugene, which has been closed since the beginning of the war, was sold Tuesday at Sheriff's sale, to cover In debtedness. The building and grounds are located In Klncald Park, a suburb of Eugene. The Oregon German- American association met there sev eral years ago. Harvesting of the cherry crop for 1918 is nearly completed. The Sheri dan district has yielded the largest crop of Bings, Royal Anns and other varieties In years. The cannery at Sheridan is running to capacity. The employes are nearly all women. It has canned more than five carloads of cherries, loganberries and other small fruits. County Agriculturist H. R. Glaiyser, of Klamath county, and J. E. Pittman, of the department of Irrigation and drainage, who have been conducting experiments In that county, report that the application of 100 pounds of sul pher per acre on alfalfa lands has increased the yield about one ton per acre. A number of experiments were made and the results were uniform. Prospects for another week's shut down of the plants in Eugene's manu facturing district as a result of the destruction of the Spillway dam on the millrace by plotters last Sunday, ap parently with the design of crippling the Eugene Wqolen Mill, engaged in the production of war materials, de veloped Tuesday when the second temporary dam constructed during the week washed out. The farm home of Scott Campbell located on the Falls City-Dallas road southwest of Dallas, was totally de stroyed by fire Sunday night. The origin of the blaze is believed to be. a defective flue. The family was at supper at the time and the flames had gained such headway at the time of discovery that it was Impossible to extinguish the blaze and all efforts were turned toward saving adjacent buildings and contents. Fire which burned 30 acres of clear ed timber land at the North Bend Mill & Lumber company camp on Da vis slough Monday did a small amount of damage, which will cause a delay of a week or 10 days for repairing. One hundred and fifty feet of trestle on the logging railroad was scorched so that portions must be replaced. Seventy men fought the fire for 15 hours and saved much camp parapher nalia. This camp cuts spruce almost entirely and Is in the thickest of the Boutin tract. Two donkey engines were damaged. Farmers in the Redmond vicinity are having difficulty in obtaining help In their hayftelds. Practically every boy over 11 years of age is out on the ranches doing the work men usually do. The merchants are aiding by send ing a part of their force to the country each day, and County Agriculturist R. A. Ward is busily engaged in seeking and locating all available laborers. Alton Butters, the four and one-half- year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Butters, of Allegheny, near Marshfield, fell into a boiler of scalding water Monday and died from his burns at 5 in "the evening. The father had been doing the family washing, owing to Illness of Mrs. Butters, and while out of the room the child climbed Into a chair, which upset and propelled him Into the bollor which was resting on the rioor. Pear orchards in the north end of Jackson county will net the growers a 90 per cent crop of good quality fruit, while the apple crop will aver age 65 per cent, is the report of the shippers in this district The drought will not affect these crops to any ex tent, as the principal orchards are un der irrigation. The Del Rio orchards, two miles below Gold Hill on Rogue river, with 12,000 boxes from eight-year-old trees, will be the largest In dividual shippers of pears in this dis trict. Secretary Olcott has referred to At torney-General Brown for an opinion as to its legality a claim of $50 sub mitted by Warden Murphy, of the pen itentiary, for payment of prizes award ed to convicts in athletlo contests held July 4 at the prison. Eight graduate nurses from The Dalles hospital are now -in France, ac cording to a cablegram received by friends In The Dalles. Among the nurses are Miss Wlnnlfred Douthlt, Miss Eva Willis, Miss Leila Stone, Miss Ida Falmer, Miss Zetta Galbralth, Miss Vesta Bunnell, Miss Gertrude Betsworth and Miss Kern. y EMPEY JOINS THE "SUICIDE SQUAD IS 8ynopsls. Fired by the sinking of the Lusltanta, with the loss of American lives, Arthur Guy Empey, an American living in Jersey City, goes to England and enlists as a private in the British army. After a short experience as a recruiting officer in London, he is sent to truln lng quarters in France, where he first hears the sound of big guns and makes the acquaintance of "cooties." After a brief period of training Empey's company is sent into the front-line trenches, where he takes his first turn on the Are step while the bullets whiz overhead. Empey learns, as comrade falls, that death lurks always in the trenches. Empey goes "over the top" for the first time and has a desperate fight. CHAPTER XII. Bombing. The boys In the section welcomed me back, but there were many strange faces. Several of our men had gone West in that charge, and were lying "somewhere In France" with a little wooden cross at their heads. We were In rest billets. The next day our cap tain asked for volunteers for bombers school. I gave my name and was ac cepted. I had Joined the Suicide club, and my troubles commenced. Thirty two men of the battalion, including my self, were sent to L , where we went through a course in bombing. Here we were Instructed In the uses, methods of throwing and manufacture of various kinds of hand grenades, from the old "jam tin," now obsolete, to the present Mills bomb, the standard of the British army. It all depends where you are as to what you are called. In France they call you a "bomber" and give yon med als, while In neutral countries they call you an anarchist and give you "life." From the very start the Germans were well equipped with effective bombs and trained bomb throwers, but the English army was as little pre pared in this Important department of fighting as In many others. At bomb ing school an old sergeant of the Gren adier guards, whom I had the good fortune to meet, told mi of the discour agements this branch of the service suffered before they could meet the Germans on an equal footing. (Paci fists and small army people in the U. S. please rend with care.) The first English expeditionary forces had no bombs nt all, but had clicked a lot of casualties from those thrown by the Boches. One bright morning someone higher up had an Idea and issued an order detailing two men from each platoon to go to bombing school to learn the duties of a bomber and how to manufacture bombs. Noncommis sioned officers were generally selected for this course. After about two weeks at school they returned to their units in rest billets or in the fire trench, as the case might be, and got busy teaching their platoons how to make "Jam tins." Previously an order had been Issued for. all ranks to save empty Jam tins for the manufacture of bombs. A pro fessor of bombing would sit on the fire step In the front trench with the remainder of his section crowding around to see him work. On his left would be a pile of empty and rusty jam tins, while beside blm on the fire step would be a miscella neous assortment of material used in the manufacture of the "jam tins." Tommy would stoop down, get an empty "Jam tin," take a handful of clayey mud from the parapet, and line the Inside of the tin with this sub stance. Then he would reach over, pick up his detonator and explosive, and Insert them in the tin, fuse pro truding. On the fire step would be a pile of fragments of shell, shrapnel halls, bits of iron, nails, etc. anything that was hard enough to send over to Fritz ; he would scoop up a handful of this Junk and put it in the bomb. Per haps one of the platoon would ask him what he did this for, and he would explain that when the bomb exploded these bits would fly about and kill or wound any German hit by same; the questioner would immediately pull a button off his tunic and hand it to the bomb maker with, "Well, blame me, send this over as a souvenir,"- or another Tommy would volunteer an old rusty and broken Jackknlfe; both would be accepted and inserted. Then the professor would take an other handful of mud and fill the tin, after which he would punch a hole In the lid of the tin and put It over the top of the bomb, the fuse sticking out Then perhaps he would tightly wrap wire around the outside of the tin, and the bomb was ready to send over to Frits with Tommy's compliments. A piece of wood abont four Inches wide had been issued. This was to be strapped on the left forearm by means of two leather straps and was like the side of a match box ; it was called a "striker." There was a tip like the bead of a match on the fuse of the Mini 1" WVvl JL VI to AH ATOM SOLDIER WHO WENT MACHINE GUTO,BVING IN fWE ' 17 by ; mmmtrm CLUB," AS THE BOMBING CALLED. bomb. To Jgnlte the fuse, you had to rub it on the "striker," Just the same as striking a match. The fuse was timed to five seconds or longer. Some of the fuses issued In those duys would burn down in a second or two, while others would "slzz" for a week before exploding. Buck In Blighty the muni tion workers weren't quite up to snuff, the way they are now. If the fuse took a notion to burn too quickly they gen erally buried the bomb maker next day. So making bombs could not be called a "cushy" or safe Job.l After making several bombs the pro fessor instructs the platoon In throw ing them. He takes a "Jam tin" from the fire step, trembling a little, be cause It Is nervous work, especially when new et It, lights the fuse on his striker. The fuse begins to "slzz" and sputter and a spiral of smoke, like that from a smoldering fag, rises from it. The platoon splits In two and ducks around the traverse nearest to them. They don't like the looks and sound of the burning fuse. When that fuse begins to smoke ahd "slzz" you want to sny good-by to it as soon as possible, so Tommy with all his might chucks it over the top ond crouches against the parapet, waiting for the explosion. Lots of times In bombing the "jam tin" would be picked up by the Ger mans, before it exploded, and thrown back nt Tommy with dire results. After a lot of men went West In this manner an order was issued, reading something like this: "To all ranks in the British army: After igniting the fuse and before Throwing Hand Grenades. throwing the jam-tin bomb, count slowly one I two! three 1" This In order to give the fuse time enough to burn down, so that the bomb would explode before the Germans could throw it back. Tommy read the order he reads them all, but after he ignited the fuse and it began to smoke orders were forgotten, and away she went In record time and back she came to the further discomfort of the thrower. Then another order was issued to count, "one hundred! two hundred! three hundred!" But Tommy didn't care If the order read to count up to a thousand by quarters, he was going to get rid of thnt "Inm tin." heennse from experience he had learned not to trust it When the rowers thnt he renllzed that they could not change Tommy they decided to change the type of bomb and did so substituting the "hair brush," the "cricket ball," and later the Mills bomb. ' The standard bomb used In the Rrlt- ish army Is the "Mills " Tt Is nhnnt- the shape and size of a large lemon. Al though not actually a lemon, Fritz In sists tnat It Is; perhaps he judges it by the havoc caused by its explosion. The Mills bomb is made of steel, the outside of which is corrugated into 4J small sqnnres, which, upon the explo sion of the bomb, scatter In a wide area, wounding or killing any Fritz who is unfortunate enough to be hit by one of the flying fragments. Although a very destructive and ef ficient bomb the "Mills" has the con fidence of the thrower, in that ho knows It will not explode until re leased from his grip. It Ih n mechanical device, with a lever, fitted Into a slot at the top, which extends hulf way around the circumference and Is held in place at the bottom by a fixing pin. In this pin there Is a small metal ring, for the purpose of extracting the pin when ready to throw, You do not throw a bomb the way a baseball Is thrown, because, when la a narrow trench, your hand Is liable to strike against the parados, traverse or parapet, nnd then down goes the bomb, and, In n couple of seconds or so, up goes Tommy. In throwing, the bomb and lever are grasped In the right hand, the left foot Is advanced, knee stiff, ubout one and a half Its length to the front, while the right leg, knee bent, Is carried slightly to the right. The left arm 18 extended at an angle of 45 degrees, pointing In the direction the bomb Is to be thrown. This position Is similar to thnt of shot putting, only that the right arm Is extended downwurd. Then you hurl the bomb from you with an overhead bowling motion, the same as in cricket, throwing it fairly high In the air, this In order to give the fuse a chance to burn down so thnt when the bomb lands, It Immediately ex plodes and gives the Germans no time to scamper out of Its range or to re turn It. As the bomb leaves your hand, the lever, by meuns of a spring, Is projected into the ulr und fulls harmlessly to the ground a few feet in front of the bomber. When the lever flies off it relensea a strong spring, which forces the firing pin Into a percussion cap. This Ignites the fuse, which burns down and sets off the detonator, charged with fulmi nate of mercury, which explodes the main churge of ammonal. The average British soldier Is not an expert at throwing; It Is a new game to him, therefore the Canadians and Americans, who have pluyed baseball from the kindergarten up, tuke natu rally to bomb throwing and excel In this act. A six-foot English bomber will stand In awed silence when he sees a little flve-foot-nothlng Canadian outdlstunce his throw by several yards, I have read a few war stories of bomb ing, where baseball pitchers curved their bombs when throwing them, but a pitcher who can do this would make "Christy" Muthewson look like a piker, and Is losing valuable time playing in the European War bush league, when he would be able to set the "big league" on fire. We had a cushy time while at this school. In fact, to us it was a regular vacation, and we were very sorry when one morning the adjutant ordered us to report at headquarters for trans portation and rations to return to our units up the line. Arriving at our section, the boys once again tendered us the glad mitt, but looked askance at us out of the corners of their eyes. They could not conceive, as they expressed It, how a man could be such a blinking Idiot as to join the Suicide club. I was begin ning to feel sorry thnt I had become a member of said club, and my life to me appeared doubly precious. Now that I was a sure-enough bomber I was praying for peace and hoping that my services as such would not be required. CHAPTER XIII. My First Official Bath. Right behind our rest billet was a large creek about ten feet deep and twenty feet across, and it was a habit of the company to avail themselves of an opportunity to take a swim and at the same time thoroughly wash them selves and their underwear when on their own. We were having a spell of hot weather, and these baths to us were a luxury. The Tommies would splash around In the water and then come out and sit In the sun and have what they termed a "shirt hunt." At first we tried to drown the "cooties," but they also seemed to enjoy the bath. One Sunday morning the whole sec tion was In the creek nnd we were hav ing a gay time, when the sergeant ma jor appeared on the scene. He came to the edge of the creek and ordered : "Come out of it. Get your equipment on, 'drill order,' and fall In for bath parade. Look lively, my hearties. You have only got fifteen minutes." A howl of indignation from the creek greeted this order, but out we came. Disci pline Is discipline. AVe lined up In front of our billet with rifles and bay onets (why you need rifles and bayo nets to take a bath gets me), a full quota of ammunition, and our tin hats. Each man had'a piece of soap and a towel. After an eight-kilo march along a dusty road, with an occasional shell whistling overhead, we arrived at a little squat frame building upon the bank of a creek. Nailed over the door of this building was a large sign which read "Divisional Baths." In a wooden shed In the rear we could hes' wheezy old engine pumping watei; The Joys of the bath are de picted by Empey in the next in stallment. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Great Writers Lazy. Shelley had an indolent vein. He was very fond of the water, and many of his finest poems were composed aa he idled at his ease in a boat He made the best of his short life, how ever, and thnt cannot be said for Cole ridge, who seemed to be afflicted with that lack of will to work which some people call laziness. He bad one of the greatest minds, but he left even bis finest poems mere fragment.