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About Eagle Valley news. (Richland, Or.) 191?-1919 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1918)
EMPEY JOINS THE "SUICIDE SQUAD IS Synopsis. Fired by the sinking of tho Lusltanln, with the low of American Uvea, Arthur Guy Empey, nn American living In Jersey City, goes to England and enlists ns n prtvato In tho British array. After a short experience as a recruiting ofllccr In London, ho Is sent to train ing 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 tho front-line trenches, where he takes his first turn on the fire step white the bullets whls overhend. Empcy learns, as comrade falls, that deuth lurks always In tho trenches. Emp.y goes "over tho top" for the first time and has a dsfsperoto fight CHAPTER XII. Bombing. The boys in the section welcomed mo back, but there were many strange faces. Several of our men hod gone West in that charge, and were lying "somewhere In France" with a little wooden cross at their heads. We were In rest billets. Tho 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 n 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 yon 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 bad the good fortune to meet, told me 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 bad no bombs at all, but had clicked a lot of casualties from those thrown by the Boches. One bright morning someone higher up bad 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 ofilcers 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 besldo him 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 nn 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 balls, bits of Iron, noils, 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 tho bomb exploded Jhese bits would fly about and kill or wound any Germun hit by same; the questioner would immediately pull a button off his 'tunic and hand It to the bomb maker with, "Well, blame me, tend this over as a souvenir," or another Tommy would volunteer an old rusty and broken Jackknlfo; both would be accepted find Inserted. Then tho professor would take an other, handful of mud and (111 the tin, after which ho would punch a hole In WWW wnowENT MlilMlYffiPEY MACHINE GUNHDl, JERYIKG W FRANCE" Ql9T BY CLUB," AS THE BOMBING CALLED. 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 cnd over to Fritx with Tommy's compliments. A piece of wood about four Inches wide had been Issued. This wns to bo 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 head of a match on the fuse of the bomb. To Ignite the fuse, you had to rub It on the "striker," Just the same as striking n match. The fuse was timed to five seconds or longer. Somo of the fuses Issued In those days would burn down In a second or two, whllo others would "slzz" for a week before exploding. Back in Blighty the muni tion workers weren't quite up to snuff, the way they nro 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 safo Job. After making several bombs the pro fessor Instructs tho platoon In throw ing them. lie takes a "Jam tin" from the fire step, trembling a little, be cause It Is nervous work, especially when new at it, lights the fuse on bis striker. Tho fuse begins to "slzz" nnd sputter and a spiral of smoke, llko that from a smoldering fag, rises from I it. Tho platoon splits in two nnd ducks around tho traverse nearest to them. They don't like the looks and sound of the burning fuse. When that 1 fuso begins to smoko and "slzz" you wont to say good-by to It ns soon ns possible, so Tommy with nil his might chucks It over tho top and crouches agnlnst 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, nnd thrown back nt Tommy with dire results. After n lot of men went West In this manner an order was Issued, reading something like this: 'To all ranks In the British array: After Igniting the fnse nnd before throwing the Jam-tin bomb, count slowly one I two! three 1" This In order to give tho fuse time enough to burn down, so that the bomb would explodo before the Germans could throw It back. Tommy read the order ho reads them all, but after he lgnltod the fuso and It began to smoke orders were forgotten, and away sho went In record time and back sho camo to the further discomfort of the thrower. Then another order was Issued to count, "one hundred I two hundred I three hundred I" But Tommy didn't care If tho order rend to count up to a thousand by quarters, he wns going to get rid of that "Jnm tin," because from experience he had learned not to trust It ' When the powers that be realized that they could not change Tommy they decided to change tho type of bomb and did so substituting the "hnir brush," tho "cricket ball," and later the Mills bomb. The standard bomb used In the Brit ish army Is tho "Mills.;' It Is about tho shape and size of a large lemon. Al though not 'actually a Icinoo, Fritz In sists tlmt It Is; perhaps ho Judges It by tho havoc caused by Its explosion. Tho Mills bomb Is made of steel, the outside of which Is corrugated Into 48 small squares, which, upon the explo sion of tho bomb, scatter In a wldo area, wounding or killing any Frits who Is unfortunnto enough to be hit by ono of tho flying fragments. Although a very destructive and ef ficient bomb thu "Mills" bus tho con fidence of tho thrower, In thut ho knows It will not explodo until re leused from Ills j.tIi. It la a mcchnnlcnl device, with n lover, fitted Into n slot at tho top,. which extends half way nround the ctrcumfcreucQ nnd It hold In place at tho bottom by n fixing pin. In this pin there Is n small jnotnl ring, for tho purpose of extracting tho pin when ready to throw. You do not throw a bomb tho way a baseball Is thrown, becnuso, whon In n narrow trench, your hnnd Is liable to strike against the parados, traverso or parapet, nnd then down goes tho bomb, nnd, In a couplo of seconds or so, up goes Tommy. In throwing, tho bomb and lever are grasped In tho right hand, tho left foot Is advanced, knee stiff, about ono nnd a half Its length to tho front, while the right leg, kneo bent, Is cnrrled slightly to tho right. Tho left arm U extended nt nn nuglo of 43 degrees, pointing In tho direction the bomb la to be thrown. This position la similar to that of shot putting, only that tho right ann Is extended downward. Then you hurt tho bomb from you with an overhead bowling motion, tho satno as In cricket throwing It fairly high In tho air, this In order to give tho fuso a chance to burn down so that when tho bomb lands, It Immediately ex plodes and gives tho Germans no time to scamper out of Its range or to re turn It As tho bomb lenves your hand, the lever, by means of a spring, Is projected Into tho air and falls harmlessly to the ground a few feet In 'front of tho bomber. When tho lever flies off It release a strong spring, which forces tho firing pin Into a percussion cnp. This Ignites tho fuso, which burns down and seta off the detonator, charged with fulml nato of mercury, which explodes the main charge of ammonal. The uverago British soldier Is not nn expert at throwing; It Is n new game to him, therefore tho Canndlnns and Americans, who have plnycd baseball from the kindergarten up, take notu rally to bomb throwing nnd excel In this act A six-foot English bomber will stand In awed silence when ho sees a little five-foot-nothing Canadian outdlstnncc his throw by several yards. Throwing Hand Grenades. I have read a few war stories of bomb' log, where baseball pitchers curved their bombs when throwing them, but a pitcher who can do this would mnkc "Christy" Mathcwson look llko a piker, and Is losing valuable time playing In tho European Wur hush league, when he would bo able to set the "big league" on fire. We hod a cushy ttmo while at this school. In fact, to us It was a regular vacation, and we Were very sorry when one morning tho adjutant ordered us to report at headquarters for trans portatlon and rations to return to our units up (he line. Arriving nt our section, tho boys once ngnln tendered us the glad mitt but looked nsknnce nt us out of the corners of their oyes. They could not conceive, as they expressed It, how a man could be such a blinking Idiot as to Join the Sutcldo club. I was begin nlng to feel sorry that I had become a member of said club, nnd my life to me appeared doubly precious. Now that I was a sure-enough bomber I wns praying for pence and hoping that my services as such would not bo required. CHAPTER XIII. My First Official Bath. Bight behind our rest billot was a largo creek about ten feet deep and twenty feet across, and It was a habit of the company to avail themselves of an opportunity to tnko a swim nnd at tho samo tlmo thoroughly wash them selves nnd their underwear' when on their own. Wo were huvlng a spell of hot weather, and theso buths to us wcro a luxury, Tho Tommies would splash around In tho water nod thdn como out and sit In the sun and have whnt they termed n "shirt hunt." At first we tried to drown tho "cooties," but they also scorned to enjoy tho bath. One Sunday morning the whole sec tion was In tho creek nnd wo wcro hav ing a gay time, when tho sergeant ma jor appeared on thu scene, Ho enmo to tho edge of tho crook nnd ordered! "Como out of It. Got your equipment on, 'drill order,' and fall In for bath parade. Look lively, my hearties. You tmvo only got fifteen minutes," A howl of Indignation from the crook greeted this order, but out wo came. Disci' pllno Is discipline. Wo lined- up In front of our billot wtlh rifles nnd bay onets (why you need rifles nnd bayo nets to take n hnth gets me), n full quota of ammunition, nnd our tin hats. Each tnnn had n pi ceo of soap and a towel. After nn olght-kllo march along a dusty road, with an occhxlonnl shell whistling overhend, wo arrived at a llttlo squat frame building upon the hank of n creek. Nailed over tho door of this building wns n Inrgo sign which rend "Divisional Baths." In a wooden shed In tho rear wo could hoar a wheezy old engine pumping water, The Joys of tho bath are d plcUd by Empoy In tho next ln Ullment (TO UK CONTINUED.) GENIUS INSPIRED BY WAR John Maeefleld, English Poet and Nov- lltt, Seas Feast of Spiritual Conceptions In Future.' John Mascflold, tho poet and novel ist, thinks that the devastating war In Kuropo by way of compensation will Insptro great Intellects such as flour ished after tho Napoleonic strugglo: "Wo shall hnvo new Darwlns, Spen cers and Cnrlyles with now mcsangca that will reach the whole world. We nonmllltnrlxtlc organization, and gun shall have new Shelley In poetry. I'ec- ,irM do ot hnvo it place In Its pro plo will feast upon now xplrltunl con- ..,, of ncttvltlns. Tho best military ceptlons as remote as pontlble from tho great tragedy, They will turn to tho romantic and fantastic, tho beauti ful, Just as they did after tho Napo leonic wnra. Tlint I a consummation dovotttly te be wished. Certainly In the present dearth of genius It In gratifying to be lieve that tho world ban a new Shelley , . i .1 ".?.' 'T. " ,h0 m,,l? bJ,rn ? the outbreak of tho war as they wero horn at the outbreak of the French revolution. Perhaps thero nre other Darwlns nnd Spencers nnd Cnrlyles to come. But considering that tho "First Principles" wnn published In 1802. "So ciology" In WVi and tho "Descent of Man" In 1871. did the Crimean war nnd our own Civil war hnvo any part In In spiration? Shall we Infer thnt Iho war between the stntcs stimulated mld-Vlc- torlnn literature while doing little to Insplro American letters? Exchange. Way to Success. Power Is the goal of every worthy nmbltlon nnd only weakness comes from Imitation or dependence on oth ers, says a writer In Succexs. Power In solf-dcveloped, solf-gonernted. We cannot Increase the strength of our muscles by fitting In n gymnasium nnd letting another cxorolxo for us. Nothing else xo destroy tho power to stand alone ns tho Imblt of leaning upon others. If you lean you never will he strong or original. Stand alone or bury your ambition to bo somebody In the world. The man who tries to give hi chil dren a start In the world xo thnt they will not have so hard a time nn he had Is unknowingly bringing dlsnster upon them. What he rail giving them a start probably will glvo them a Hot- hack In the world. Young people need nil tho motive power they enn get They are naturally leaner. Imitators, copiers, and It In easy for them to de velop Into echoes or Imitations, Thoy will not walk alone while you furnish crutches; they will lean upon you Just as long as you will let them. One of the greatest delusion thnt a human being could ever hnvo Is thnt he Is permanently benefited by contln-1 ucd usslxtnnce from others. Just So, "The knlsrr thinks of the rest of the world as merely n legitimate and fore ordained nnnex to his Potsdam Imperi al gardens," declared Professor Pate, "to be exploited for Ilohenzollern Im mortalization and to show off for Its glory ns nre stolen Chlncxo astrolabes. It Is nothing short of demoniacal. I" "TJiat is n er rnct, professor," a trifle ohfuxcatedly returned llttlo Skm pole, "nnd whnt Is your position ns re- gnrds the theory thnt nt lenxt threo out of every thousand mnle guinea pigs are wlfc-l)entcrs7 Knnsas City Star. Great Writers Lazy. Buellcy had an Indolent. vein. He was very fond of tho water, nnd many of his finest poems were composed as ho Idled nt his enno In n hunt Ho iimuu mil iieni ui ills unori ie. now- i . i !., iii umi luuiiui ijii nil ii i iur voie- ridge, who seemed to ho afflicted with thnt lack of will to work which some people call laziness. Ho had ono of tho greatest minds, but ho loft oven his flneBt poems moro fragments. Goat Immunt to Dynamite. i ,un.fr ,u,.i.i.i ...... - '.,., .,v.w.. ......n,,,,,,, ,, icrruieu recently by the discovery that their not cont hnd enteil twn ki,.u nt nmito. 'ino nniinai was carefnllv lrlv. I en to a snfo distance and lolhored to a Btnke. But days nnd weeks elapsed and the gout did not cxulodu. SCOUTS (ConducUd by National Council of the Hoy Hcout of America.) SCOUT WORK NOT PARADING It Isn't xtrnngo with tho wholu world nt war nnd millions of men training nt gun-drill that roiiio boys will got tho gun-drill fover. No doubt they think they can help their country In that way. Lot's xeo about that, snyn n scout olllclitl In answering n scout who wants to drill with gun. Undo Sam has nuked tho boy scout to servo In tho first, the second mid the third Liberty loan campaigns; ho Iium enlisted them as his dispatch hear ers In tho drive against Hun propa ganda In America ; ho has given them n big and Important Job In boosting tho snlo of Thrift and War Savings stamps; but an fur ns I hnvo hoard ho hnxn't asked n single boy scout to put u gun to his shoulder nnd drill. Why hnsn't Undo Ham given, guns to his hoys 7 Becnuso ho knows they can bo a thousand times mnru helpful In winning tho war In other ways. Tho youngster parading nround with n rlllo no doubt Is a splendid fellow, nnd eager to help; but In this particular cane ho Is on tho wrong track, Tho boy scout movement Is now, al ways has been nnd nlwnvs will lm u experts In tho country do not bellttvo In gun drills for boy of scout age. And thnt Is only ono of tho many reti noid why military gun drill and "tin soldiering" activities nro not made n part of scouting. There's plenty of other more necessary things to do for 'Jeen-ngo boys. When you nro older Undo Sam will glvo you tho real thlnif WMl.V .! KOU JWll HIM It'll! IIHMK " MII. competent ofilcers, and you will ho taught tho ma of thu rlllo an n technical weapon the purpose of which la to kill. For tho present, In preparation, thu government wants boys to do other nnd more helpful nnd practical things. OVER THE TOP Boy scouts are provina highly suc cessful assistants to agriculturists who are experiencing labor shortage. A SCOUT JOHN PAUL JONES. Tho following letter wno received by Hcoutmnstor O. H. McMonns of Troop No. 17 of Indlnniipolle, nnd Ih rrom ono of his former HcoutH now In Franco: I'm having n tusto of real sailor life. My first tnnto was ruther dis agreeable senslckncHS and my next tasto wns exceedingly salty. This wns vlicn I wuu doing convoy duty along tho const, during which wo got n 'sub' or two, and finally ono morn ing Jusf boforo daylight n certnln sub stuck Us pcrlacopo nbovo tho wuter, ,i ii. " . j, , , , i ,T n'l tho next thing I know I wns flv. ,. ,,,, ,i i , , ... " & "r "ZhT. ",y (,0r T Ui J"081, ,',, ..' ' r ..f"1. u" umi Vrao , "r.iTl . . ? ! " TSt .f UB! 7' ",""K"7 K00" . ntn.a Bhlpmnto of mlno, who was lying In his .. nun irnuil) iiiM inrimiin unr nil. ...".O.woro plckml UP. " wo P'-, l UI many n crow who irot tho snmo ..u ,h,i T ' AUL JONbH, . . n. o. varum iv, t "cot John Paul Jones shows the "l n,.n1!rc"c,.0 iiinjor m djd,tlio mnt A,f"fn sun fighter of hi name. kS5 WEN