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About The Forest Grove express. (Forest Grove, Or.) 1916-1918 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1918)
¿o ■ AN AMOICÄN 5 0 L « WI1Ü WENT * * AtOllUßGUYEMPCY m a c h in e : gunner , jurying IN FRANCE- - - - - - t i 1*7 SY AsrwarrtnKY EMPEY JOINS THE “ SUICIDE CLUB,” AS THE BOMBING SQUAD IS CALLED. 8ynopsls.— Fired by the sinking of the Lusltunla. 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 train ing quarters In France, where he first hears the souud of big guns and makes the acquaintance o f “ cooties." After a brief period o f training Empey’s company Is sent Into the front-line trenches, where he takes his first turn on the fire step while the bullets whiz overhead. Empqy learns, as comrade falls, that death lurks always In the trenches. Emp^y goes “ over the top" for the first time and has a desperate fight. It 1« a mechanical device, with • lever, fitted Into a slot at the top, which extends half way around tha clrcuinferenc# and Is held In place at the bottom by a fixing pin. In this pin there Is u 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 In a narrow treuch, your hand Is llnhle to strike agulnst the parados, traverse or parapet, and then down goes the bomb, and. In a couple of seconds or •o, up goes Tommy. Iu throwing, the bomb and lever are grasped lu the right hand, the left foot Is advanced, knee Ntlflf. about one and a half Its length to the front, while the right leg. knee bent, la carried slightly to the right. The left arm la extended at an angle of 4fl degrees, (Minting In the direction the bomb Is to be thrown. This position la similar to that o f shot putting, only that the right arm Is extended downward. Then you hurl the bomb from you with an overhead bowling motion, the same as In cricket, throwing It fulrly high In the air, this In order to give the fuse a chance to burn down so that when the bomb lands. It Immediately ex plodes and gives the Germans no time to scamper out of Its range or to re turn I t As the bomb leaves your hand, the lever, by means o f a spring, Is projected Into the air and fulls hurmlessly to the ground a few feet In front of the bomber. When the lever files off It release# a strong spring, which forces the tiring I pin Into a percussion cap. This Ignites j fuse, which burns down and sets oflr the detonator, charged with fuiml- nate ot mercury, which explodes the mttln charg^ o f ammonal, j T h e u v i .r u g e Brttuh so;dler Is not on expert at throwing; u ,a u n<w n n ) ( | t(( hlm th,refore the Canadians and Americans, who have played baseball from the kindergarten up. tnke natu rally to bomb throwing und excel In this act. A six-foot English bomber will stand lu awed silence when he sees a little five-foot nothing Canadian outdistance his throw by several yards. the lid of the tin and put It over the top of the bomb, the fuse sticking out. Then perhaps he would tightly wrap Bombing. The boys In the section welcomed me wire around the outside of the tin. and back, but there were many strange the bomb was ready to send over to rnces. Several of our men had gone Fritz with Tommy s compliments. West In that charge, and were lying A Piece o f wood about four Inch#« “ somewhere In Frnnce" with a little wide had been Issued. This was to be wooden crops at their heads. W e were strapped on the left forearm by means in rest billets. The next day our cap o f two leather straps and was like the tain asked for volunteers for bombers’ stde o f a match box; It was called a school. I gave my name and was ac “ striker.” There was a tip like the cepted. I had Joined the Suicide club, head o f a match on the fuse of the and my troubles commenced. Thirty- bomb. To Ignite the fuse, you had to two men of the battalion. Including my rub It on the “ striker," Just the same self. were sent to L----- , where we as striking a match. The fuse was went through a course In bombing. timed to five seconds or longer. Some Here we were Instructed In the uses, o f the fuses Issued In those days would methods of throwing and manufacture bum down In a second or two, while o f various kinds o f hand grenades, others wonld "slzz” for a week before from the old “Jam tin,” now obsolete, exploding. Back In Blighty the muni to the present Mills bomb, the standard tion worker^ weren’ t quite up to snuff, the vyay they are now. I f the fuse took o f the British army. It all depends where you are as to ft notion to bum too quickly they gen what you are called. In France they erally burled the bomb maker next call you a “ bomber” and give you med day. So making bombs could not be al«, while In neutral countries they called a “ cushy” or safe Job. After making several bombs the pro- call you an anarchist and give you | fessor Instructs the platoon In throw- “ life.” From the very start the Germans I Ing them. He takes a “ Jam tin” from were well equipped with effective | the fire step, trembling a little, be- bombs and trained bomb throwers, but j cause It Is nervous work, especially the English army was as little pre- ! when new at It, lights the fuse on his pared in this Important department o f j striker. The fuse begins to “ slzz" and fighting as In many others. At bomb sputter and a spiral of smoke, like ing school an old sergeant o f the Gren that from a smoldering fag, rises from The platoon splits in two and adier guards, whom I hnd the good It. fortune to meet, told me of the discour ducks around the traverse nearest to agements this branch of the service them. They don’t like the looks and suffered before they could meet the sound of the burning fuse. When that Germans on an equal footing. (Paci fuse begins to smoke and “ slzz” you _____ .. fists and small army people In the want to say good-by to It as soon as U. S. please read with care.) The first possible, so Tommy with all his might English expeditionary forces had no chucks It over the top and crouches Throwing Hand Grenades. bombs at all, but had clicked a lot of ngainst the parapet, waiting for the casualties from those thrown by the explosion. Lots of times In bombing the “ Jam I have read a few war stories of bomb Boches. One bright morning someone tin” would be picked up by the Ger ing, where baseball pitchers curved higher up had an idea and Issued an their bombs when throwing them, but order detailing two men from each mans, before It exploded, and thrown a pitcher who can do this would make back at Tommy with dire results. platoon to go to bombing school to A fter a lot of men went West In this “ Christy” Mnthewsoo look like a piker, learn the duties of a bomber and how manner an order was Issued, reading and Is losing valuable time playing In to manufacture bombs. Noncommis the European War bush league, when something like this: sioned officers were generally selected he would be able to set the “ big “To nil ranks In the British army: fo r this course. After about two league” on fire. weeks at school they returned to their A fter Igniting the fuse and before We bad a cushy time while nt this throwing the Jam-tin bomb, count units In rest billets or In the fire school. In fuct, to us It was a regular trench, as the case might be, and got slowly one! two 1 three!” This In order to give the fuse time vucatlwn- lin'* we were very sorry when busy teaching their platoons how to enough to burn down, so that the bomb one ra' ,rnln* the ndjutnnt ordered us make “ Jam tins.” Previously an order had been Issued would explode before the Germans to reP °rt at headquarters for trnns- portation nnd rations to return to our fo r all ranks to save empty Jam tins could throw It back. fo r the manufacture of bombs. A pro- Tommy rend the order— he reads unlt* up th,! llne- fessor o f bombing would sit on the j them all, but after he Ignited the fuse Arriving at our section, the boys fire step In the front trench with the i and It began to smoke— orders were ! once °Kalt> tendered us the glad mitt, remainder o f his section crowding i forgotten, and away she went In record but looked askance nt us out of the around to see him work. j time and back she came to the further corners of their eyes. They could not On his left would be a pile o f empty discomfort o f the thrower. conceive, as they expressed It, how a and rusty Jam tins, while beside him Then another order was Issued to man could be such a blinking Idiot os on the fire step would be a miscella count, “ one hundred! two hundred I to Join the Suicide club. I was begln- neous assortment of material used In three hundred!” But Tommy didn’t nlnB t0 fe<'1 fM,r*’y that I had become the manufacture of the “Jam tins.” care If the order read to count up to n member of said club, nnd my life to Tommy would stoop down, get an a thousand by quarters, he was going me “ PPeored doubly precious, empty “ Jam tin,” take a handful of to get rid of that “ Jnm tin,” because Now that I was a sure-enough clayey mud from the parapet, and line from experience he hnd learned not ! bomber I was praying for pence nnd hoping that my services as such would the Inside of the tin with this sub to trust It. stance. Then he would reach over, When the powers that be realized not be required. pick up his detonator and explosive, that they could not change Tommy and Insert them in the tin, fuse pro they decided to chnnge the type of CH APTER X III. truding. On the fire step would be a bomb and did so— substituting the pile of fragments of shell, shrapnel “ hair brush.” the “ cricket ball," and My First Official Bath. balls, bits of Iron, nails, etc.— anything later the Mills bomb. Right behind our rest billet was a that was hard enough to send over to The standard bomb used In the Brit large creek about ten feet deep and F ritz; he would scoop up a handful of ish army Is the “ Mills.” It Is about the twenty feet across, and It was a hnhlt this Junk nnd put It In the bomb. Per shape nnd size o f a large lemon. A l of the company to avail themselves of haps one of the platoon would ask him though not actually a lemon, Fritz In an opportunity to take a swim and at what he did this for, and he would sists that It Is; perhaps he Judges It the same time thoroughly wash them explain that when the bomb exploded by the havoc caused by Its explosion. selves nnd their underwear when on these bits would fly about and kill or The Mills bomb Is made of steel, the their own. We were huving n spell of wound any German hit by same; the outside of which Is corrugated Into 48 hot weather, nnd these baths to us questioner would Immediately pull a small squares, which, upon the explo were a luxury. The Tommies would button off his tunic and hand It to sion of the bomb, scatter In a wide splnsh around In the water and then the bomb maker with, “ Well, blame area, wounding or killing any Frits come out nnd sit In the sun and have me, send this over as a souvenir,” or who Is unfortunate enough to be hit what they termed a “ shirt hunt.” At another Tommy would volunteer an by one of the flying fragments. first we tried to drown the “ cooties,” old rusty and broken Jackknife; both Although a very destructive and ef but they nlso seemed to enjoy the bath. would be accepted nnd Inserted. ficient bomb the “ Mills” has the con One Sunday morning the whole sec Then the professor would take an fidence o f the thrower. In that he tion was In the creek nnd we were hav other handful of mud nnd fill the tin, knows It will not explode until re ing a gny time, when the sergeant ma a fter which he would punch a hole In leased from his grip. jor appeared on the scene. He came CH APTER XII. to the islge of the creek and ordered: “Otine out o f It. Get your equipment on. ‘drill order.* ami fall In for bath pnrude. Look lively, my hearties. You have only got fifteen minutes." A howl of Indignation from the creek greeted thla order, but out we came. Dlocl- pllnc Is discipline. We 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 neap and a towel. After un eight-kilo march ulong a dusty road, with an occasional shell whistling overhead, we arrived at a little squat frame building upon tha bank pf a creek. Nulled over tha door of thll building was a large sign which read “ Divisional Baths." In a wooden shed In the rear we could hear a wheezy old engtue pumping water. Tha Joya of tha bath ara da- plctad by Empty In tha neat In stallment. (TO BE CO N TIN U ED .» GENIUS INSPIRED BY WAR John Masefield, English Poet and Nov elist, Sses Feast of Spiritual Conceptions Irv Future. John .Masefield, the poet and novel ist, thinks that the devastating war In Europe by wuy of compensation will Inspire great Intellects such as flour“ Ished after the Napoleonic struggle: “ W e shall have new Darwlna, Spen cers and Carlyles with new messages that will reach the whole world. W s shall have new Shelleys In poetry. Peo ple will feast ut>on new spiritual con ceptions ns remote ns possible from the great tragedy. They will turn to the romantic and fantastic, the beauti ful, Ju«t as they did after the N a p » leonlc wars.” That Is a consummation devoutly to he wished. Certainly In the present dearth of genius It Is gratifying to lío- lleve tfint the world has a new Shelley and a new Byron In the cradle, horn at the outbreak of the war US fhey were horn at the outbreak o f the French revolution. Perhaps there nre other Pnrwins nnd Spencers and Carlyle« to come. But considering that the “ Flrat Principles” was published In 1802. "So ciology" in 1872 and the “ Descent of Man" In 18 J 1 , did the Crimean war nnd our own Civil war have any part In In spiration? Shall we Infer that the war between the stntes stimulated mid-Vic torian literature while doing little to Inspire American letters?— Exchange. m OY& SCOUTS I (Conducted by National Council o f tha liny Hfouts o f America ) SCOUT WORK NOT PARADING It Isn’t strange with the whole world nt war and iii IIII oiih of men training at gun-drills that some hoys will get the gun-drill fever. No doubt they think they can help their country lu that wuy. Lot'« see about thut, say« a scout official In answering a scout who wants to drill with guns. Cucio Sam has asked the boy scouts to serve In the first, the second and the third Liberty loan campaigns; he has enlisted them as his dispatch hear ers In the drive against llun propa ganda In America ; he has given them u hlg and lni|Hirtant Joh In t^oosilng the sale o f Thrift and War Savings stamps; tint ns far ns I have heard ho hasn't asked a single hoy tcout to put u gun to Ids shoulder and drill. Why hnnn't Curie Sam given guns to Ids hoys? Because he knows they can he a thousand Bines more helpful In winning the war In other ways. The youngster paneling around with u rifle no dotiht Is a splendid fellow, and eager to help; hut lu this particular case ho Is on the wrong track. The (toy scout movement Is now, al ways has been und always will be a nonmllltarlstlc organization, and gun drills do not hnve a place In Its pro gram o f activities. The best military experts In the country do not believe In gun drills for boys o f seout age. And that Is only one of the many rea sons why military gun drill nnd “ tin soldiering” activities nre not mudo a part o f scouting. There’s plenty o f other more necessary things to do for ’teen-age boys. When you are older Ditele Sam will give you the reul thing In drill, under competent officers, and you will he taught the use o f the rifle as n technical weapon the purpose of which Is to kill. For the present. In preparation. Ihe government wants boys to do other nnd more helpful and practical things. Way to Success. Power Is the goal o f every worthy ambition nnd only weakness cornea from Imitation or dependence on oth ers. snys n writer In Success. Power Is self-developed, self-generated. Ws cannot Increase the strength o f our muscles by sitting In n gvninnslutn and letting another exercise for us. Nothing else so destroys tho power to stand alone ns the hnhlt of leaning upon others. I f you lean you never will be strong or original. Stand nlon# or bury your ambition to l»e somebody In the world. The man who tries to give Ills chil dren n start In the world so flint they will not have so hard n time ns he hnd Is unknowingly bringing disaster upon them. What he calls giving them a start probably will give them a set back In the world. Young people need all the motive power they enn get. They are naturally leaner«. Imitators, copiers, nnd It Is easy for them to de velop Into echoes or Imitations. They will not walk alone while you furnish crutches; they will lenn upon you Just as long ns you will let them. One o f the greatest delusions that a human being could ever hnve Is that he Is permanently benefited by eontln- ued assistance from others. Just So. "The kulse^,thinks of the rest of the world as merely a legitimate nnd fore ordained annex to his Potsdam Imperi al gardens,” declared Professor Pate, “ to be exploited for Hohenzollern Im mortalization (ind fo show off for Its glory ns are stolen Chinese astrolabes. It Is nothing short o f demoniacal. 1" “ That Is a—er— fact, professor," a trifle obfuscatedly returned little Sklra- pole. “ and what Is your position as re gards the theory that at least three out of every thousand male guinea pigs are wife-heaters?” — Kansas City Star. Great Writers Lazy. Shelley hnd an Indolent vein. 11« wns very fond of the wafer, and many of his finest poems were composed as he Idled at his ease In n -boat. He mnde the best of fyls short life, how ever, nnd that cannot he said for Cole ridge, who seemed to be nffllrtod with that lack o f will to work which some people call laziness. He hnd one of the greatest minds, hut he left even his finest poems mere fragments. Boy scouts are proving highly suc cessful assistants to agriculturists who are experiencing labor shortage. A SCOUT JOHN P A U L JONES. The following letter wan received by Scoutmaster O. E. MeMeans o f Troop No. 17 o f Indtnnnpolls, nnd Is from one o f Ids former scouts row In Frunce: " I ’m having n taste o f real sailor life. My first taste was rather dis agreeable— seasickness- -and my next taste wns exceedingly salty. This wns when I was doing convoy duly along the const, during which wo got a ‘sub’ or two, nnd finally one morn ing Just before daylight n oertnln sub stuck Its periscope above Ihe water, nnd the next thing I knew I wns fly ing toward the brluy deep with most o f the crew. The sub got us that time. Well, we got out of that/ most of ua, hut we left n mighty good friend nnd shipmate o f mine, who was lying In hts bunk nonr where the torpedo got us. “ We were picked up, ns wo hnd pick ed up mnny a crew who got the same ns wfe did. Goat Immune to Dynamite. A western household wns terrified recently by the discovery that their “J. PAUL JONES, pet goat hnd eaten two sticks of dyn "U. 8. R. C arol« IV.” amite. The animal was carefully driv Seout John Paul Jones shows tho en to n safe distance nnd tethered to a stake. But days nnd weeks elapsed same Indifference to danger as did the great American sen fighter o f his name. and tbs goat did not explode.