North Carolina Newspapers

ii'- ;,i S f - a M 'if It iilj 1 'ft ?""m"mmm'm'm"m""''mmm"""" jt PTr r n a hu BALLOON IN WAR . DBES GREAT WORK I "ELEPHANTS" USED FOR OBSER VATION AND TO DIRECT - FIRE OF BATTER I tfo. PILOTS PARACHUTE JUMPERS Thousand Community Labor Boards Wsve Been Organized Gun Produc tion for Army Grows Rapidly Iron Rations Ordered. (From Committee on Public Information) Wellington. I'll to a few yesirs ago, la the puMic mind, all balloons wen1 associated with panuhute jumpers, county fairs and ri reuses. They were used very much like their rival the old side show, full of freaks, solely to draw a crowd. Today Unele Sam is making balloons and training their op erators for distinctly another purpose. The ungainly old balloon of circus days is now a rival of its smarter and more modern brother, the airplane, in the job of being eyes for the army and navy. A dead industry was revived wheii the war balloon was originated. Swinging far aloft at the end of a cable, these Uelephants." as they are now called, support trained observers who, by means of powerful field glasses and telephones, give range and direc tion to batteries. These In turn, with well directed shots, put enemy batter ies out of business and break up infan try forming for attack. A stationary balloon four or five thousand feet in the air is an ideal place for an ob server. So Uncle Sam's parachute jumpers are being instructed today, not as entertainers to draw and thrill- crowds by ."leaps from the clouds," but for their own personal safety and the safety of their records made at high elevations, when a shell or an enemy airplane rips their balloon and they have to jump. For although their balloon may be destroy ed, the men In the basket usually come safely to earth and bring their maps and photographs with them. It is a life full of excitement these men of the bal loon lead, and to be a member one lias to have plenty of nerve, courage and daring in his makeup. ' Aviators take off their' hats to the balloon men. One recently returned American air pilot told of an adventure he had on a trial trip in a balloon; .how Interested he was becoming in the work of the observer as the latter ex plained the great panorama outstretch ed below him; when suddenly the bal loon nian interrupted his talk to see that his parachute straps were O. K., climbed to the edge of the basket, shouted: "Beat it; follow me," and disappeared,, over the side. The avi ator said he took one look at the wind lass pulling the balloon to earth below, another at the oncoming enemy plane and said to himself, "Not for mine." He sahrl he did not have the courage to jump and did not. Fortunately the enemy plane was beaten off by allied planes, before it could get any nearer. Provost Marshal General Orowder was requested by the British embassy to ive notice to the fact that British subjects, including declarants, who had registered before July 30, 1018. may enlist voluntarily in the British or Ca nadian army up to and including Sep tember 28, 1918. Those who registered on August 24. 1018. may so enlist up to and including September 23. 1018. Those who register on September 12. 1018, inay so enlist up to and lnclud ' ing October 12, 1918. During the period so allowed for vol untary enlistment, British subjects may apply for exemption to the British am bassador. At the e"nd of the period allowed for voluntary' enlistment, British subjects, In each of these classes, may no longer ec'iist in Ihe British or Canadian army ; but unless exempted by the British ambassador, they become liable to mil itary service and may claim exemption under the United States Selective Serv ice la;v. Experiments In laundering shoes are being conducted at various camps by the conservation reclamation division of the quartermaster corps. The meth--od used is the same employed by the American expeditionary forces. A solution composed of one quart of strong disinfectant to 50 gallons of wa ter was used to wash about 200 army shoes in a standard laundry machine. The solution use is germicide, antisep tic and deodorarit. After 14 minutes' washing, the shoes were removed, dried for about an hour and then resoled. The results were found to be highly satisfactory. After the shoes are laun dered and repaired they are greased with dubbing to make them more pli able and at the same time to preserve the leather. Save a nutshell to help save a life! Nuts, the shells of nuts and seeds and pits of several varieties of fruits are needed in quantity supply to make carbon for use in gas masks cr respi rators for our soldiers. Coconut shells have furnished the material for this carbon, but the sup ply of such shells is wholly inadequate. The seed and pits of peaches, prunes, dates, apricots, plums, olives and cher ries, and English or native walnuts, hickory nuts, butternuts and their shells, and Brazil nut shells, are the test substitutes for the coconut shells. X Recent reports show that approxri mately 1.000 community labor board of the United States employment serv Ice have been organized or are in fina' process of organization. Between 70( and 800 of them are ready to function and some already have begun work. Full and partial returns from 3b states and the District; of Columbia give a total of 915 boards completed or in formation while four other states, two of them large industrial common wealths, report the organization of boards but not the number. The five remaining states failed to report. Each community labor .board is com posed of three members, one represent ing the community's employers, the sec ond It employees and the third, who is chairman, the United States employ ment service. The employers' and em ployees' members are chosen by their respective local organizations, their ap pointment being approved by the di rector general of the employment serv ice; It is the work of the community boards to generally supervise the re cruitment and distribution of workers for Avar production, the actual -recruiting and distributing being done by the local offices and agents of the employ ment service, including the agents of the public service reserve, The federal directors of employment for the states have been notified by the director general to rush the organ ization of the boards for; their states and their functioning as quickly as possible in order to provide relief for short-handed war Industries. Some facts about guns and munitions told by the secretary of war: We are constructing a big gun plant at Neville Island. We signed a con tract with United States Steel corpor ation to build and operate without profit this plant for guns of the larger calibers. This is the biggest plant of this kind ever conceived and will build guns of not less than 14 Inch. The site is just below Pittsburgh and cov ers about 1,000 acres. The housing will be on the hills south of the Island. The amount of money Involved is $150,000,000 which is being supplied by the United States government. This plant will handle a tremendous amount of material, and will be retained by the government after the war. We have shipped two hundred and fifty 155-mm. howitzers to; France. Ve are producing between 25,000 and 30,000 machine guns per month. Of Browning heavy (5,000 to 7,000; Browning light automatic rirte from S,000 to 9.000 per month. ; We are making about 1,200 motor tractors per month. We are turning out all the smokeless power we need now. The production of rifles has been about 200.000 per month. We produce more than 50,000 pistols and rtvolvers per month. Orders have been given for the sup ply of one million emergency rations by the subsistence division of the quartermaster corps. The emergency ration corresponds to the iron ration of i he British troops. It is carried in an air-tight, gas-proof container and is suf ficient to maintain a man for one day, sustaining his full strength and vigor. It is strapped in the pack of the sol dier going over the top and may be used enly according to the instructions ?iven when the emergency ration Is issued. The emergency ration is composed of ground meat and wheat compressed into a cake. There is also a block of sweet chocolate. The bread and wheat component may be eaten dry or, if possible, stirred into cold water. The cake, when boiled for five minutes in three pints of water, results in a very palatable soup, or when boiled in me pint of water for five minutes It makes porridge which may be eaten hot or cold. When cold, it may be Heed and fried, If bacon or other fat is available. The chocolate component of the emergency ration may be eaten Iry or made Into hot chocolate. The quartermaster corps has just completed purchases of large quantities of foodstuffs for distribution by the American Red Cross. The food will be shipped to France, Switzerland and Denmark and used for civilian relief and at prison camps. The order includes more than 2,500, 000 pounds of hard bread; 250,000 pounds of oatmeal; 333,333 pounds of fresh beef and more than 500,000 cans of baked beans. Purchases also have been made for the lied Cross of 205,000 cans of fish flakes. These flakes are a combination of haddock and shad. About 350 pounds of fresh fish are re quired to make 100 pound9 of fish flakes. Purchases also are being made by the subsistence division of the quartermas ter corps of foodstuffs for use at American rest camps in England and France. Purchase for rest camps In clude more luxuries than are Issued in the regular ration. Owing to the shortage of tonnage, canned corn and peas and other fancy staples are not now being sent overseas for general use, but sufficient quantities are avail able for men In rest camps arid for the wounded In the hospitals. More than 400 colleges have respond ed to the war department's call for co-operation In training the new branch of the army, the students' army train ing corps. Plans are being made to convert fraternity houses and dormi tories into barracks for the period of the war. The S. A. T. C. has two branches, the collegiate, to which men qualified by high school graduation, are eligible; and the vocational section, to which grammar- school graduates are eligi ble. Recruits will be procured by vol untary induction. POLK COUNTY NEWS, TRYON, N. 0. m . a45" m mA n i ruin II I u tstl .siigsgir wmMir ! ffl$tk&:A few 1 ENEMY's withdraw fuss mcMps 1 itH? Two New Division- n . :First photograph received showing American troops in Vladivostok; they are following a band of British marines. 2 The bridge near St. Quentin. a hotly contested point. 3 embers of a tank crew exainihing a cap tured anti-tank rifle, one of the latest devices of the Hun. NEWS REVIEW OF THE GREAT WAR American First Army Makes At tack on Both Sides of St. Mihiei Salient. HUN ARMY MAY CE TRAP7EC Many Townt and Prisoner! Taken Foch May Be Aiming at Mefcr Germans in Plcardy Trying to Halt Retreat Approximately on Hlndenburg Line. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. The American First army, General Pershing commanding, started the first great wholly American offiensive Thursday, attacking on both sides of the St. Mihiei' salient southeast of Verdun. The French assisted by at tacking on the point of the salient, but the operation was planned by the American staff and executed by Amer ican officers and troops. After a terrific artillery preparation which for four hours smothered the entire region within the German lines ' with shells, the Yanks went over the top exactly at five o'clock, following a rolling barrage timed for an ad vance of 100 meters everv 40 minutes, i Great numbers i of tanks supported them and cleared the way by ('rushing numerous concrete machine gun shel ters ami breaking down the elaborate wire defenses. American aviators in tlocks quickly drove away the few Hun airmen In sight and thereafter del- ' uged the enemy supply center: mu nition dumps and hangars with bombs, while the observation planes j directed the work of the artillery. Everything moved like clockwork and the troops ipeedily gained their ob : jectlves and went on to the next ones. Village after village was taken and by Friday the cavalry had advanced j far-into the center of the salient and ' occupied strong ; positions. At the ! time of writing the drive was progress ; Ing steadily and the Germans were In 1 danger of finding their retreat from ! the big wedge entirely cut off. Hun dreds of prisoners were taken. The Mt. Mihiei sllent had been held by the Huns ever since 1914 and was very strongly fortified. Its base Is to ward the German stronghold of Metz and it may be that the drive is direct ed against that city. However, Mar shal Foch's strategy had not been re vealed when this was written. lea Having given up all the ground they won In their great spring drive, and finding themselves back on the old Hlndenburg line, and In some places well behind it, the Germans decided to stop their retreat for a while. Marshal Foch did not fully assent to this deci sion, but powerful concentrations of Hun artillery and reserves In strong positions, coupled with torrential rains throughout Plcardy, brought the allied offensive almost to a temporary standstill. Not that the fighting by any means ceased, for the French and British kept pressing forward, though nore slowly, and the Germans deliv ered desperate counter-attacks, which in almost every Instance resulted only In severe losses for them. It Is the opinion of expert observers that the halt of the Huns approximate ly on the Hlndenburg line will be only temporary. Indeed, it is believed they cannot stay there long If they would. For many weeks they have been hastily building new lines of de fense farther east, and Marcel Hutin In the Echo de Paris says they are now constructing a supreme line from Ant werp to Metz and are putting the Ant werp forts in defensive condition. Their present line depends on Douai, Cnmbrai, St. Quentin and Laon, and farther to the southeast, on the Chemln des Dames. Douai already was be ing evacuated last week and the air drome moles east of it were being dis mantled. The British, fighting fierce ly and repulsing heavy counter-attacks, were advancing steadily through Ha v rlncourt, Pezieres and Gouzeau court and forced a crossing of the Canal du Nord, thus taking the main defense of Cambral on the southwest. St. Quen tin was the goal of a race between the British and the French, the former winning Vermand, Attilly and Vendel les and closing in on the important city from the northwest, while the French southwest of the objective crossed the Crozat canal and took a number of villages. A little farther south the French forces captured Travecy on the Oise, Just north of La Fere, and from its heights were able to dominate the latter town, which was reported to have been burned by the Germans. This operation, together with the French advance eastward from Coucy-le-Chateau, threatened to flank on both sides the forest and mas sif of St. Gobalu, the chief defense of Laon. Withdrawal of the enemy frora that forest, which is full of guns in strong defensive positions, might thus be compelled without direct attack, which would be expensive and diffi cult. At the western end of the Chemin des Dames the Germans were fighting furiously In the region of Laffaux, where they were trying to regain pos session of the dominating ridge which the French and Americans had taken from them. Many fresh troops were used in these attacks, but their efforts were all In vain. )U Although the stupendous German re treat of the past eight weeks has been conducted skillfully and the enemy line has not ben broken through, his ar mies maintaining contact with one an other, it has been in every way a most expensive operation for the Huns. In addition to the loss of great numbers of guns and immense quantities of ma terial, captured or destroyed, they have lost more than 300,000 men, the majority of whom, fortunately, were killed. The morale of the army Is being gradually broken by relentless, continuous and successful blows de livered by the allies, the supply of fighting effectives is getting low, and the people nt home are becoming daily more dissatisfied and restless. Cap tured orders reveal that the wounded men are put back in the ranks before they are cured, and prisoners released by Russia are not given time to re cover their strength and health. Aus tria has reluctantly responded to the call for aid and in the quieter sectors Austrian divisions are placed between German divisions, or Austrian soldiers are used to fill out depleted German regiments. This Is taken to mean that there will be no renewal of the Teu tonic offensive In Italy this year, if ever. A considerable advance made last week by the Belgians in the sector north of Ypres was significant, inas much as some military critics expect that Marshal Foch will strike there in force before long. The war department announced that Americans have been landed at Arch angel to take part with the other al lied forces there in fighting the bolshe vlkl and re-establishing order in north ern Russia. These troops are from some of our northern states and many of them speak Russian. Hitherto the only Americans there were marines and sailors. In Petrogrr i, Moscow and other cities of Russia proper the bolshevik government is struggling desperately against the ever-Increasing counter revolutionaries, slaughtering the latter mercilessly whenever they fall into their hands. Petrograd is reported to be given over to massacres and flames and to have been captured by revolt ing peasants; Yaroslav and Vologda have been burned by the soviet troops, and Moscow is threatened with the same fate by Trotsky. Two attempts were made on the life of Doctor Helf ferich, the new German ambassador to Moscow, but he fled back to Berlin. The soviet rulers, persistent shout ers for peace without annexations and indemnities,! have Just paid to Ger many 250,000,000 rubles, the first In stallment of the indemnity exacted from the unhappy country by the Huns. In Siberia the allies, with, the Czecho-Slovaks, Cossacks and loyal Russians, have been making satisfac tory progress, but the Austro-German ex-prisoners and the bolshevlki are putting up so obstinate a resistance that Japan is contemplating sending a much stronger force in order to in sure the safe of the expedition and its allies before the winter set in. The Japanese government is convinced that the American government will abandon course. its opposition ' to such a The London Express says it has un questionable information that the for mer empress of Russia and all her children have been murdered by bol shevlkl. If this Is. true, the entire im mediate family of Nicholas has now been exterminated. The dowager era press and her daughter and son-in-law were attacked by bolshevik! at Yalta, but were saved by men f,rom the Black sea fleet after two weeks of fighting. The progress of the (Jzecho-Slovaks of Austria-Hungary toward the inde pendence recognized by Great Britain and America is encouraging. The ex istence of the Czecho-Slovak state was declared by all the Czech deputies in the Austrian parliament and has now been indorsed by all of-the clergy of the Bohemian dioceses. ' Baron Burian, Austro-Hungarlan for eign minister, who still is at outs with Berlin because he Insists on an Aus trian solution of the Polish problem, nevertheless was employed once more last week to start a Teutonic peace offensive. This, aimed directly at Presi dent Wilson, was a suggestion that the central powers and the entente get to gether for an exchange of views and to consider all the things which are keep ing the belligerents apart. He Inti mated this might make further fight ing unnecessary. Though President Wilson Is not quoted In reply, Wash ington dispatches make it clear that he holds unwaveringly the position that the only tolerable peace will be, not negotiated, but dictated to the central powers by the allies, and that that Is the kind of peace which the allies will achieve. In this, It is needless to say, lte is backed up by the entire nation. No one in a position to predict pre sumes to believe that such a peace can be attained this year, but no one In tends that any other kind of peace shall be accepted by America. We have gone into the war to the finish, and we propose that the finish shall be in accordance with our high alms for the 'future safety of civilization and freedom, no matter what the cost. fa At a most opportune time came the registration day for all Americans be tween the ages of eighteen and twenty-one and thirty-one and forty-five years. Gladly, with patriotic exalta tion, some 13,000.000 youths and older men enrolled themselves for military duty, and frora their number 3,000,000 more trained soldiers will soon be ready to move forward to the battle lines. Millions of others,-not so fit in one way or another for actual fighting, will be listed for other work directly connected with the carrying on of the war. In a few weeks the relative standing of the 13,000,000 will have been determined. According to Pro vost Marshal General Crowder, the first to be selected for the cantonments and camps will be those between nine teen and twenty-one and between thirty-one and thirty-six. The matter of granting deferment to registrants because of the work in which they are engaged is of utmost importance, and the aid of all employ ers in this has been enlisted. The gov ernment is especially desirous that no essential industries shall be disturbed by the draft, but enough men must be L selected to maintain a steady flow of registrants to the training camps. JBft As had been foreseen, here and abroad, the Germans have begun an intensified U-boat campaign directed especially against the transports carry ing American troops and supplies. Up to date this has resulted in the torpe doing of the Mount Vernon, , formerly the Kronprinzessln Cecelie, which was bringing home wounded and sick sol diers, and of the Persic, carrying 2,800 American troops to Europe. In the former case the casualties were con fined to men in the engine rooms and the vessel put back to a French port under her own steam. All the men on the Persic were safely transferred to the convoying vessels, after which the steamship was beached on the English coast. The submarine which attacked it was destroyed by depth charges. In both instances the utmost bravery and coolness were exhibited by the crews and the soldiers aboard. . The British steamship Mlssanable also was torpedoed while on her way to America for troops and supplies, r , . a'" is London--Gei making fine r r ip: from two to thn I . 1! iiuiil aim ino lonr Vo,r I KU1V 0! V. ine enemv ;inm. ,-. . , me to som f . -: "irat. nrnrppt iha ,.iii ' ul J tr'l the vir-initv nf ' d ilJr.? V . J "i -i f A, WJUcJj are under the long rar,ge Americans. fire of American patrols frp various nninU n ,.,,i. . S8 i! rrnn trio cr.arv..l , .i The American line 'at noon , uu me .Mobile K mont. Doncourt and to Abaucour? the old line. Wi 03 The advance by the French to have been in the nature of sev local pushes and not a big 1 forward move. The sihiat-nn ; the same as it was. The enemy va, been reacting very violently on V Fernch front. He made several com. ter-atacks, although he has not covered any of his lost ground, h; holding up the French somewhat" The Brititsh are reported to ha-f captured the village of Maim northwest of St. Qusntni. It has bee; discovered that there were six man divisions operating in the St hiel salient. That would give a to:a' strength of 60.000 men or a r:i! strength of 36,000. The Germans hai broken up for them, two more divi. ions in this action, thus reducing their' strength in the we-st to 191 division, plus four Austrian divisions and son: dismounted cavlary. PEACE DISCUSSION TO BE NO INTERRUPTION OF WAR Amsterdam. In extending; an invita tion to all the belligertn government tion to all the belligerent government some neutral meeting place, the Au tro-Hungarian government states that the object of the conference would b-t to secure an exchange of views which would show "whether the?,? prerepi Bites exist which would make the speedy inauguration of peace negotia tions appear promising." The Austrian proposal, which is at nounoed in an official rommunicatioi telegraphed here from Vienna ?a? gests that there be no interruption o! the war, and that the "discussion would go only so far as consider by the participants to offer prospect; of success." The proposal calls for all the bel ligerents to send delegates for a cor. fidential and unbinding discussion m the basic principles for the condustor of peace, in a place in a neutral cos: try and at a near date that would yet have to be agreed upon." LIVES OF LITTLE CHILDREN SNUFFED OUT BY SUBMARINE London. Th? British stumer Ga: way Castle of 7.9S8 tons gross ras.tcr peroed and sunk. She had 96'1 Pp sons on board, of whom more u 860 were reported saved. The missing from the Galway tie numbers 189. They includ? i passengers. 36 naval and military c. cers and men.' and 33 of the ere. Ninety third-class passengers were without exception womn 2 children. The liner floated for two days -charge o fthe captain and volunteer The passenger list included men and children. The bwfes three of the children who had i. were brought ashore. The captain ; several of the officers are reP0" have been still on board the ship she was last seen and sinking. FORCE, FORCE TO THE UTMOSj FORCE WITHOUT STINT OR UK- Washington. Germany's . peace feeler best finds its . . President Wilson's Baltimore ?P 3 "Force, force to the utmost without stint or limit. lhP ns '. and triumphant force whim -make right the law of the or;in cast every selfish dominion uu the dust." That was the President s then, and it was reiterated is his answer now. CONGRESS DISCUSSING f tf FOR FURTHER FINANCING w "" for & Washington. - Measures i f: financing of the war will o - 3 attention of Congress this the house the war revenue taken up for discussion o ments under the nve-minate rule with a view to-a final ot . the senate, when ,u nnnaldPratlOn Of tnt? . - tion Liberty bond measure. , to stimulate sale of bonds fourth :ssue.