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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.