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"Over the Top" By An American Soldier Who Went ARTHUR GUY EMPEY Mac hint Gunntt Strcing in Franc* (Oupr right, uui, by Arthur Uuj Bui?*!) CHAPTER XII. Bombing. The boys in the section welcomed me back, but there were many Ht range ifaces. 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 wt>r*? I - ? ? Throwing Hand Grenades. In rest billets. The next ility 01# cap tain asked for volunteers for bombers' school. I gave my name uml was ac cepted. I had Joined the Suicide club, and my troubles commenced. Thirty two men of the battalion, Including my aelf. were sent to L . where we went through a course In bombing. Here we were Instructed In the usen, 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 ns to what you are called. In I'rance they call you a "bomber" and give you med als, while In neutral countries they tall 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 Qren adier guards, whom I had the good fortune to meet, told me 'if 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 read with care.) The first English expeditionary forces had no bombs at all, but had clicked a lot of casualties from those thrown by the lioches. 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 nnd 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." rreviousiy 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 nnd rusty Jam tins, while beside him on the fire step would be a miscella neous assortment of material ?sed 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 balls, 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 nn 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 Id t be lid of the tin and put It over the top of the bomb, the fuse sticking out. "Tben perhaps he would tightly wrap wire around the outside of the tin, and the bomb was ready to send over to Fritz with Tommy's compliments. A piece of wood about 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 life of ? match box; It was called a '?striker* There wai ~k 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 an striking a match. The fuse was timed to five seconds or longer. Some of the fuses Issued in those days would burn down in a second or two, while others would "sizz" for a week before exploding. Rack 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 burled the bomb maker next day. Bo making bombs could not be called a "cushy" or safe Job. 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 at it, lights the fuse on his striker. The fuse begins to "sizz" and sputter ami a spiral of smoke, like that from 11 smoldering fag, rises from it. The platoon splits in two and ducks around the truverse nearest to them. They don't like the looks and sound of the burning fuse. When that fuse begins to smoke and "sizz" you want to say good-hy to It as soon as possible, so Tommy with all his might chucks it over the top and crouches agulnst 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 at Tommy with dire results. After m 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 the Jam-tin bomb, count slowly one I two! three!" 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 hack she came to the further discomfort of the thrower. Then another order was Issued to count, "one hundred! two hundred! three hundred I" 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 "Jam 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 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 Brit ish army Is the "Mills." It Is about the shape and size of a large lemon. Al though not actually a lemon, Fritz in sists that 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 48 small squares, which, upon the explo sion of the bomb, scatter in a wide area, wounding ot* 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 he knows It will not explode until re leased from his grip. It Is a mechanical device, with n lever, fitted into a slot at the top, which extends half 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 (Jo not throw n bomb the way n baseball Is thrown, because, when tn it narrow trench, your hand Is liable to strike against the parados, traverse or parapet, and then "down goes the bomb, and, in a couple of seconds or so, up goes Tommy. In throwing, the bomb and lever are grasped lYi the right hand, the left foot is advanced, knee stiff, about one and a half Its length to the front, while the right leg, knee bent, Is carried slightly to the right. The left arm Is extended at an angle of 45 degrees, pointing fh the direction the bomb Is to be thrown. This position Is similar to that of 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 fairly 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 It. As the bomb leaves your hand, the lever, by means of a spring, Is projected into the nir and falls harmlessly to the ground a few feet In front of the bomber. When the lever flies off It releases 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 charge of ammonal. The average RrltU?h soldier is not an expert at throwing; It is a new game to him, therefore the Canadians and Americans, who have played baseball from the kindergurten up, take natu rally to bomb throwing and excel In this act. A six-foot Kng'.lsh bomber will stand In awed silence when he sees a little flve-foot-nothlng Canadian outdistance 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" Mathew son look like a piker, nnd la losing valuable time playing In the Furopean War bush league, when he Mould be able to set the "big league" on Are. W?_ had. cushy time while at this school. In fneC to us It was a regular vacntion, 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 hoys orin* again tendered us the glad mitt, hut 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 that 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 rent 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 und 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 and 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,' anil fall In for bath parade. Look lively, my hearties. You have only got fifteen minutes." A h<fwl of Indignation from the creel: greeted this order, but out we came. Disci pline 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 soap and u towel. After an eight-kilo march along a dusty road, with an occasional shell whistling overhead, we arrived at u little squat frame building upon the bank of a creek. Nailed over the door of this building was a large sign which read "Divisional Raths." In a wooden shed in the rear we could hear a wheezy old engine pumping water. We lined up In front of the bathe, soaked with perspiration, and piled our rifles into stacks. A sergeant of , the R. A. M. C. with a yellow band around his left urm on which was "S. I'." (sanitary police) in black let ters, took charge, ordering us to take off our equipment, unroll our puttees and unlace boots. Then, starting from the right of the line, he divided us Into squads of fifteen. I happened to be In the first squad. We entered a small room, where we were given five minutes to undress, then filed into the bathroom. In here A Bathroom at the Front. there were fifteen tubs (barrels sawed in two) half full of water. Each tub contained a piece of laundry soap. The sergeant Informed us that we hail Just twelve minutes In which to take our baths. Soaping ourselves all over, we took turns In rubbing each other's backs, then by means of a garden hose, washed the soap ofT. The water was Ice cold, but felt fine. Pretty soon a bell rang and the wa ter was turned off. Some of the slower ones were covered with soap, but this made no difference to the sergeant, who chased u." Into another room, where we lined up In front of a little window, resembling the box office In a theater, and received clean underwear and towels. From here we went Into the room where we had first undressed. Ten minutes were allowed In which to get into our "clabber." My pair of drawers came up to my chin and the shirt barely reached ray diaphragm, but they were clean ? no atrangers on them, ao I was satisfied. At the expiration of the time allot ted we were turned out and finished our dressing on the grass. When all of the company had bathe4 It was a case of march back to billet*. That, march waa the moat uncongenial one imagined. Just cussing and bTTnd i ink' the way. We were covered with white dust and feit greasy from sweat. The woolen underwear issued was Itching like the mischief. | After eating our dinner of stew, which had been kept for us ? it waa now four o'clock ? we went into the creek and had another hath. If "Ho'v Joe" could have heard our ' remarks about the divisional baths 1 and army red tape he wouid have fainted at our wickedness. But Tom my is only human after alU I Just mentioned "Holy Joe" or the I chaplain In an Irreverent sort of way, but no offense was meant, as there were some very brave men among them. There are so many Instances of he* role deeds performed under flre in res cuing the wounded that It would take several books to chronicle them, but I have to mention one Instance per formed by a chaplain. Captain Hall by name. In the brigade on our left, be cause it particularly appeuled to me. A chaplain Is not a lighting man; he Is recognized as a noncoinbatant and carries no arms. In a charge or trench raid the soldier gets a feeling of con fidence from contact with his rifle, re volver, or bomb he Is carrying. He has something to protect himself with, something with which he can Inflict harm on the enemy ? In other words, he is able to get his own back. Hut the chaplain Is empty-handed, and Is at the mercy of the enemy If he encounters them, so it is doubly brave for him to go over the top, under fire, and bring in wounded. Also a chaplain Is not required by the king's regulations to go over in u charge, hut this one did, made three trips under the hottest kind of flre, each time re turning with a wounded man on his ba^'k. On the third trip he received a l?ullet through his left arm, but never reported the matter to the doctor until late that night ? just spent his time ad ministering to the wants of the wound ed lying on stretchers. The chaplains of the British army are a fine, manly set of men, and aro greatly respected by Tommy. (To Be Continued.) BARN OWL (Aluco pratincola) Length, about seventeen Inches. Facial disk not circular as in our oth er owls; plumage above, pale yellow; beneath, varying from silky white to pale bright tawny. Range: Resident in Mexico, in the southern United States, and north to New York, Ohio, Nebraska, and Cali fornia. Habits and economic status: The harn owl, often called monkey-faced owl. is one of the most beneficial ol the birds of prey, since it feeds almost exclusively on small mammals that Injure farm produce, nursery, and or chard stock. It hunts principally in the open and consequently secures such mammals as pocket gophers, field mice, common rats, house mice, harvest mice, kangaroo rats, and cot ton rats. It occasionally captures a few birds and insects. At least a half bushel of the remains of pocket go phers have been found in the nesting cavity of a pair of these birds. Re membering that a gopher has been known in a short time to girdle seven apricot trees worth $100 it is hard to overestimate the value of the service of a pair of barn owls. One thousand two hundred and forty-seven pellets of the barn owl collected from the Smithsonian towers contained 3,100 skulls, of which 3,004. or 97 per cent, were mammals: 92, or 3 per cent, of birds; and 4 were of frogs. The bulk consisted of 1,987 field mice, 656 house mice, and 210 common rats. The birds eaten were mainly sparrows and black birds. This valuable owl should be rigidly protected throughout the en tire range. Minute Men and Limit Men. "In 1776 they were Minute Men. That is. they were ready, at a min ute's notice to shoulder their muskets and pro out to fight for the preser vation of their liberties. They fired the shot heard round the world which is still reverberating in the utmost parts of the world wherever men crave liberty for themselves and are willing to grant jt to their fellows. "In 1918 they are Limit Men. That is, they are ready now to pledge themselves during 1918 to go to the limit fixed by their Government in the purchase of War-Savings Stamps in order that a War may be won which will achieve and guarantee the liber ty of all people the world over. "The blood of the Minute Men of Sev?nty-Six flows in the veins of the Limit Men of Nineteen-Eightcen." ? G. T. Stephenson. Japs Are Safe. Japan in Siberia is safer than Ger many in Siberia. Rutlilessness should be permitted no more power. ? Buffalo Enquirer. Thin, Frail People Should Take Tanlac I ? Thousand* Report Astonishing Gain in Weight in Remarkably Short Time. One of the most noteworthy fea tui\s in connection with the introduc tion of Tanlac, and the one that stands out more prominently than any other, perhaps, is the very large number of I well-known men and women from all parts of the south who have recently | reported an astonising and rapid in I crease in weight as a result of its use. When so many well-known people of unquestioned integrity make state ment after statement, each corrob rat ing the other, the truth of such stute ments can no longer be doubted. One of the most remarkable cases on record is that of Mrs. Charles ' Peden, of Huntsville, Ala. Mrs. Peden according to her own signed statement trained twenty-seven (27) pounds in only a few weeks' time, and her case h:.s created widespread interest ovei the entire country. She is reported to have r<-ceived over eight hundred (800) letters regarding her statements since its publication. Another remarkable crse was that of Mrs. O, C. Cason, of Acw*?rth, Ge., who according to her statement was rec-ntly brought in an automobile ?" Atlanta, propped up on pillows, to visi: her sister, with no hope of ever re turning home alive. Mrs. Cason at that time only weighed 60 pounds, and after takng Tanlac six weeks was on her feet again and weighed 95 pounds ? a train of 35 pounds. Mrs. Walhelmina Joiner, wife of a well-known engineer for the M., D. & S. R. R., whose address is 115 Third ; street, Macon, Ga., recently said: "I have finishel my third bottle of Tanlac and have gained 35 pounds." She fur ther stated that she had suffered near- | ly two years with nervous indiges- j tion, and that Tafltac has entirely re lieved her of the trouble. Prof. Elmer Morris, a teacher in the public schools of Stewart county, Tennessee, recently said that, after suffering: OV'T a year with serious gtoou " "i, during which time he Dawson Sprngs, Ky., without getting any relief, ho took three bottles of Tanlac, gained 20 pounds end was en tirely well. Prof. Morris' address is R. F. D. No. 1, Dover, Tenn. Dr. J. T. Edwards, a well-known physician of Fayett^ville, Ga., recent ly wrote of th^ remarkably recovery of T. M. MeGough, of that plr.ee. Dr. Edwards stated that Mr. MeGough, who was one of his patients, has not only been relieved of serious stomach trouble by T ?nlac, but that he has trained 17 pounds on the medicine. One of the most remarkable indorse ments ever given was that of Mrs. G. W. Williams, of Gadsden, Ala. Mrs. Williams stated that she had suffered with seriors kidney and stomach trou ble nearly 15 years, and that her con dition became such that it was neces sary for her physician to call three times a dry. Finally she was told that there was no hope for her recovery, and, thinking that she would die, she had her children, who were residing in other cities; summoned to her bed side. Her daughter, Mrs. R. C. Nel son, of Atlanta, arrived and begged her mother to take Tanlac, which she did. She was soon on the road to re covery. Her own words were: "Tan lac as made me feel almost as well as I ever felt in my life. I went from 90 pounds to 138 ? a gain of 48 pounds. I'm doing most all my own house work now, milk the cow and chum the milk. Sold and recommended by Hood Brothers, Smithfield, and Peacock Drug Co., Benscn. ? (Adv.) was doctors and went to MAKE YOUR OWN PAINT with L & M SEMI -PASTE PAINT and your own Linseed Oil. You obtain greatest durability and cover ing power. The L & M PAINT is so positively good that it is known as the "Master Paint." Whereas the best of other high grade paints cost you $3. 70 a gallon, our L & IVI PAINT ? made ready-for-use ? will cost you only $2.70 a gallon. YOU SAVE $1.00 A GALLON ON EVERY GALLON They are altnply adding Linseed Oil to L & M Semi-Paste Paint W. M. SANDERS, WATSON & ALFORD, Smithfield, N. C. Kenly, N. C. I JJIZIANNEcoffee and Good Cheer go together like Possum and Sweet Potatoes BECAUSE Luzianne makes the best-tasting cup of coffee you ever drank. It's roasted just right. The fragrance ? you can't forget it* And the flavor is delicious. Coffee-lovers know that Luzianne just hits tho spot, for it's full of punch and pep. "When It Pours, It Reigns" If you don't think that this good old Luzianne is worth what you paid, then tell your grocer and he'll give you back every cent. I HAVE A GOOD STOCK WHITE granulated sugar. W. M. Sanders. TWO CARS OF STOVES AND Ranges just received. Cotter Hard ware Company. FOR THAT BAD CASE OF PILES try Dr. Muns' Pile and eczema oint ment. JUST RECEIVED AT COTTER-UN derwood Company's a car load of Red Rust Proof seed oats. I HAVE A GOOD STOCK WHITE granulated sugar. W. M. Sanders. IF YOU WISH TO SELL YOUR farm it will pay you to see us. Abell & Gray, Smithfield, N. C. IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR farm it will pay you to figure with with us. Abell & Gray, Smithfield, N. C. TAKEN UP MARCH 26th ONE stock hop, swallow fork in right ear and half moon under left ear. Owner can pet same by paying for this notice and trouble. Herbert Hartley, Prineoton, N. C., R. 2. I HAVE A GOOD STOCK WHITE granulrted sugar. W. M. Sanders. LET US SCREEN YOUR HOUSE now. Cotter Hardware Co. A NICE LOT OF BIBLES JUST RE ceived. Prices from 35 cents each to $4.00. Herald Book Store. 100 BUSHELS SEED PEAS FOR sale. Good price while they last. Roberts, Corbett & Woodard, Selma, N. C. FOR SKIN DISEASES AND BUCK heads, Oae Dr. Muns' pile and ecze ma ohitment. For sale by all drug giste.
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
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April 2, 1918, edition 1
6
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