The Meridian Tribune (Meridian, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, June 7, 1918 Page: 3 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Meridian Tribune and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Meridian Public Library.
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99
AN AMERICAN SOLDIER
WHO WENT
A
ARTIUR GUY EMPEY
MACHINE GUNNER, SERVING IN FRANCE--•
©1917 BY
ARTHUR GUY EMPEY
EMPEY JOINS THE “SUICIDE CLUB,” AS THE BOMBING
SQUAD IS CALLED.
Synopsis.—Fired by the sinking of the Lusitania, 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 sound of big guns and
makes the acquaintance of “cooties.” After a brief period of training
Empey’s company is sent into the front-line trenches, where he takes
his first turn on the fire step whil: the bullets whiz overhead. Empey
learns, as comrade falls, that death lurks always in the trenches.
Empey goes “over the top” for the first time and has a desperate fight.
CHAPTER XII.
—8—
Bombing.
The boys in the section welcomed me
back but there were many strange
faces. 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 were
in rest billets.1 The next day our cap-
sain 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 a 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 you are as to
what you are called. In France they
call you a “bomber” and give you 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 had 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 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
Boches. 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 and 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.”
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 beside 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 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 an
eld rusty and broken jackknife; 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 in
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 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
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 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. Back 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 buried the bomb maker next
day. So 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 and a spiral of smoke, like
that from a smoldering fag, rises from
it. The platoon splits 'in two and
ducks around the traverse 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-by to it as soon as
possible, so Tommy with all his might
chucks it over the top and crouches
against 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 a 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
1290320/09909027533... -
THE MERIDIAN TRIRINE
ndence of the thrower, in that he
knows it will not explode until re-
leased from his grip.
It is a mechanical device, with a
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 do not throw a bomb the way a
baseball is thrown, because, when in
a 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 in 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 in 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 air 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 British soldier is not as
expert at throwing; it is a new game
to him, therefore the Canadians and
Americans, who have played baseball
from the kindergarten up, take natu-
rally to bomb, throwing and excel it
this act. A six-foot English bombex
will stand in awed silence when he
sees a little five-foot-nothing 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” Mathewson look like a piker,
and is losing valuable time playing in
the European War bush league, when
he would be able to set the “big
league” on fire.
We had a cushy time while at this
school. In fact, to us it was a regular
vacation, 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 boys
once again tendered us the glad mitt,
but 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.
Throwing Hand Grenades.
throwing the jam-tin bomb, count
slowly one! 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 back she came to the further
discomfort of the thrower.
Then another order was issued to
count, “one hundred! two hundred!
three hundred!” But Tommy didn’t
care if the order read to count up to
a thousand by quarters, he was going
to get rid of that "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 or 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-
CHARTER XIII.
My First Official Bath.
Right behind our rest 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 and 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,’ and fall in for bath
parade. Look lively, my hearties. You
have only got fifteen minutes.” A howl
of indignation from the creek 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 a
towel. After an eight-kilo march along
a dusty road, with an occasional shell
whistling overhead, we arrived at a
little squat frame building upon the
bank of a creek. Nailed over the door
of this building was a large sign which
read “Divisional Baths.” In a wooden
shed in the rear we' could hear a
wheezy old engine pumping water.
385
a
The joys of the bath are de-
picted by Empey in the next in-
stallment.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Great Writers Lazy.
Shelley had an indolent vein. He
was very fond of the water, and many
of his finest poems were composed as
he idled at his ease in a boat. He
made the best of his short life, how-
ever, and that cannot be said for Cole-
ridge, who seemed to be afflicted with
that lack of will to work which some
people call laziness. He had one of
the greatest minds, but he left even,
his finest poems mere fragments.
Concrete Ships
Sail Seas
Government Offi-
cials Confident New
Style of ‘Vessels
Will Prove Success.
7
AST
ANY devices and inven-
tions have been offered
to the
government at
Washington to aid in win-
ning the war. These range
all the way from the feasi-
. ble to the fantastic. In
g the latter class, at' first
— glance, would be placed
the proposal to build car-
G go ships of artificial
stone as a help in over-
coming the submarine menace; ship
and stone have been absolute oppo-
sites in the lay mind since the first
ship was set afloat.
In the department of concrete con-
struction of the Emergency Fleet cor-
poration, however, no doubts are held
as to the practicability of the concrete
ship. The men there believe thor-
oughly in the proposition; they are
filled with enthusiasm at the thought
that, at a dramatic and crucial time
in the history of the world, they are
to make a revolutionary contribution
to the cause of democracy—one that
may be an important factor in the
turning of the scales against autocracy.
The concrete
ship division is
only a few
months old, says
a writer in the
New York Times.
A large body of
engineers quali-
fied to make a
study of the many
1 different prob-
lems involved in
this new design
was assembled
at Washington at
the beginning of
the year. The
work was divided
into seven sections; for the largest,
that of concrete design, 11 engineers
were engaged. Two men were called
to the organization from the bureau
of construction and repair of the navy
department, and there Were represent-
atives from Lloyds’ registry and the
American bureau of shipping. The
hull section was made up of naval
architects whose duty it was to ana-
lyze the stability, bending moments,
and shear of the ships’ hulls, both
those designed in the office and those
submitted for approval. Four sec-
tions were concerned with the struc-
tural qualities of the ship.
Not Regarded as Experiment.
Rudolph J. Wig of the government
bureau of standards, who has had
charge of the government’s investiga-
tion of concrete ships since the be-
ginning of the war, is in direct super-
vision of this department as chief
engineer.
“We here in this department,” said
Mr. Wig in Washington the other day,
“do not think the concrete ship may
be classed as an experimental ship
any longer. We think that the re-en-
forced concrete ship is structurally
just as sound as the steel ship, and
that the conclusions based on our in-
vestigations will be borne out when
observations may be taken from con-
crete ships actually under service.
“The one thing we know the least
about is as to durability. The life of
the concrete ship may not be more
than three years, but even if it be
that short we of this department be-
lieve, on account of our great need of
ships, that the construction of con-
crete ships should be begun on a
large scale as soon as possible. We,
here, are ready to go ahead at any
time.
“Damage by the salt water of the
sea? We know that this need not be
feared for three years, if at all. This
conclusion is based on examination
of all the concrete structures in sea
water of the navy department for a
period of three years. I helped to
make this inspection. We know, too,
that one concrete ship has been in
operation in sea water for one year.
That is the Namsenfjord of Norway.
Tests show that the sea water has had
no damaging effect on the hull. It is
true it is a small ship, 600 tons, while
the Faith, the concrete ship recently
launched, by the San Francisco Ship-
building company and now being out-
fitted for a trial trip, has a 5,000-ton
cargo capacity.
“Another concrete vessel much
smaller than the Namsenfjord has been
tested in salt water considerably lon-
ger, This is a little steamer built in
Boston three or four years ago. It
is only 43 feet long. The hull is of
cement mortar, and after contact with
MUCH IN LITTLE
Bid
coTRCTO woe ON DECK OFCOYCRETE -woNoW BUILDING
COYCRETE VESSEL BEFO/E wooDE FQP/S WERE PEMTOVED
THE JTEA/IER FA/7/ST GREATCO/YCRETE SHIP 70 BE LAZIYCHED
salt water for three years is in prac-
tically perfect condition; nor has there
been any cracking of cement.
2,500,000 Tons by August, 1919.
“This department has completed the
detailed plans for a 3,500-ton concrete
cargo ship, and it is at work on plans
for a 7,500-ton type. We estimate that
between 150 and 200 3,500-ton con-
crete hulls can be completed by the
end of this year if we start immediate-
ly, and that if the construction of hulls
of 7,500 tons each commences by June
250 can be completed by August, 1919;
that is approximately 2,500,000 tons.”
“What about a concrete ship if at-
tacked by a submarine?”
“A torpedo would blow a hole in a
concrete ship just as in any other kind
of a ship, but it would not crack the
hull, as some seem to have thought.
The concrete is not fragile like a
bowl; it is tough, due to the re-en-
forcing steel.”
“How does the cost of the concrete
ship compare with that of steel?”
“The ' concerete costs about two-
thirds as much. Concrete ships can
be built in much larger numbers than
ships of steel or wood, mainly because
the concrete vessels do not require a
large plant installation and because
the material is readily available. Even
a small steel plant costs $500,000. On
the other hand, a cement ship plant
can be built for $15,000. It may be
made so as to be portable. The prin-
cipal machinery required is a mixer, a
hoist, and a derrick. The time re-
quired to complete a concrete ship is
practically the same as that in a well-
organized steel yard, from two to
three months.
“The ways used for a concrete ship
are the same as those for other kinds
of ships. The first step is to build the
outside form, or mold, which is of
wood. The re-enforcing steel is then
placed in position. Next the interior
form is built. Then comes the pour-
ing of the concrete into the form. No
interval is permitted in this ; it is con-
tinued night and day in order to elimi-
nate joints as far as possible. This
operation requires several days. Three
or four weeks are given for the con-
crete to ‘age.’ Then the forms are
removed, and the ship is ready to pe
launched. Thereafter comes the In-
stallation of the machinery.
Material Is Plentiful.
“In concrete vessels a large part of
the materials used can be obtained in
almost any part of the United States.
“The steel used for the re-enforcing
is of a different character in so far as
its shape is concerned from that used
in steel ships. At present, with the
decreased amount of building of all
kinds throughout the country, re-en-
forcing steel for concrete can be se-
cured in abundance and will not inter-
fere with the production of steel
plates or shapes for steel vessels.
“The vessel contemplated in our de-
sign is of the same size, dimensions,:
and form as the 3,500-ton 'standard
wood ship, except that the sheer line
amidships has been slightly altered
and no outer keel is fitted. The gen-
eral arrangement follows closely that
of the wood ship, including the num-
ber and location of the bulkheads. The
propelling machinery designed for the
wood ship has been provided prac-
tically without change in the concrete
vessel. The length will be 268 feet,
and the beam 46; draft 23 feet 6
inches, and full-load displacement
6,175 tons. The comparative weight
of hull is as follows: Concrete, 2,500
tons; wood, 2,300; steel, 1,160; weight
of the ship, light, concrete, 2,972 tons;
wood, 2,777 tons; steel, 1,600 tons.”
Faith Built in Crude Plant
A representative of the Emergency
Fleet corporation who witnessed the
launching of the Faith at San Fran-
cisco reports as follows:
“The ship was constructed by 40 or
50 house carpenters, and the lack of
machinery of the plant was especially
noticeable. A small power saw, the
concrete mixer, a pile of lumber and
another of gravel seemed to be the
only implements and materials in the
yard.
The installation of the machinery!
will in all probability be completed in
a month, when the ship will be at
once sent on a long trial voyage.
“The appearance of the Faith at a
distance is very little different from
that of any steel vessel of the same
dimensions. She has been designed
to carry 5,000 deadweight tons, and
a steel ship of the same dimensions
probably would not carry more than;
6,000 deadweight tons. The ship is
painted black, and the imprint of the
mold of the vessel is plainly visible
on close examination of the hull, mak-
ing the ship appear very much as if
she were built of lumber.
“The engines will be of the triple
expansion typo. As this style pro-
duces the maximum vibration, the test
of the action of the vibration on con-
crete construction will be thorough.
This seems to be the only uncertainty
yet remaining to prove that the con-
crete construction of large ships is
wholly feasible. The Faith is the
first vessel that was ever launched
sideways in San Francisco. . . . She
was not launched upside down, as is
popularly considered the manner in
which concrete ships are launched.
Small boats are usually constructed
upside down because of the base in
cranking and in concrete ships be-
cause of the pouring of the cement.
The Faith was built and launched
right side up.”
In flight the kangaroo is easy prey;
a knowing dog catches him by the tail,
overturns him with a cunning wrench,
and takes his throat from a safe angle
before he can recover.
The popularity of the easily acces-
sible wrist watch was doubtless what
inspired the production by Parisian
jewelry designers of a ring watch. It
consists of a tiny timepiece mounted
on a finger ring, and, if desired, em-
bellished with precious stones.
In New Zealand the minister of rail-
ways is considering a suggestion that
railway locomotives be given names to
perpetuate some of the great events
of the war.
Among many other useful and beau-
tiful things for which we are indebted
to the Chinese wallpaper is not the
least. This seems to have first ap-
peared in Europe toward the end of
the seventeenth century. It was
brought to France by overseas traders,
and the French immediately perceived
the possibilities thus offered.
GATHERED FACTS
in high or rough water, in angling)
for black bass, light-colored and bright
flies are most effective.
The book of- the Bible called Levit-
icus is so called because it relates
principally to the Levites and priests.
Japanese utilize the hides of sea
lions for the manufacture of a water-
I, proof leather which has various uses.
Virginia, now the only state prohib-
I iting women from practicing law, has
[taken legislative action to lift the ban.
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Dunlap, Levi A. The Meridian Tribune (Meridian, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, June 7, 1918, newspaper, June 7, 1918; Meridian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1630622/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Meridian Public Library.