The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-02-03

,ant-General De Logarithm and Major
General kuberoot, placed the problems
be fore the council. Given the strength
OF our army, and the estimated
strength Of the ehemy; the style,
strength and armament, what percent
age Of losses must we encounter or
submit to before we should retire?
The deputies, each Of whom had the
rank OF brigadier- general Or colonel,
consulted the statistical histories OF
former wars, AND within an hour were
prepared to report. You can hardly
imagine the excitement Of us fighting
men as we waited for the decision. We
sat there in silence, holding our
breath; not a sound was to be heard
except the rustling Of leaves Of his
tories and tables, the slight grinding
as some distinguished officer turned
the handle of calculating machine;
then one after another reported to
General Addemmup ana handed in his
solution of the problem. At last only
one deputy was left! He was only a
colonel. At the head Of the long table
sat the three generals, looking careful
fore them. Would that colonel never
finish! 1t was dreadful, the suspense!
At last he rose, took off his spectacles,
wiped them with exasperating slow
ness and reported to the generals!
, There were 20 reports. The generals
glanced them over rapidly; could not
tell from their looks what their feel
iings were, those impressive men They
directed an orderly to bring special
calculating machine, into which they
put the returned reports-only 26, for
four deputies has agreed in their So
lutions,. Then General Kuberoot him
self turned the handle, and the estimate
was made! My heart stood still as I
saw the machine in motion, and I shut
my eyes. General Addemmup took up
the paper, and in a voice quivering
with suppressed excitement, announced
the percentage.
General Warhoss, the percentage of
losses that our army must suffer be-
fore you can retreat is 20: Twenty
nine and decimal naught three!''
Again we could breathe! The strain
once off, some Of us even TESTED on the
matter. Colonel Judgius Won Pucken-
dorf said in my hearing: That's just
one for each of the deputies, naught
for us, and the decimals for the three
big chiefs.''
The battle began. All day it waged
and very hot work it was. The ther-
mometer in my ice-box was 81; you
can imagine what it was in the sun.
The poor statisticans had a hard time
of it.. all day they were rushing from
one part Of the field to another, gather
ing figures, and making deductions.
1t is easy enough to add two and two
together in quiet office; to subtract
is harder anyway than to add, and to
subtract under fire is almost unirnag-
inably difficult. But these brave men
worked away in the sun amid the
enemy's fire. Orders came to us on the
firing line from time to time from Gen
|eral Addemup, giving the percentage
of men already lost. Each time such
an order came, we gathered around the
recipient; the men would get as near
las possible and we would hear how we
were getting on. AS the day wore
away things got more exciting.
EARLY in the afternoon the percentage
was given out as being just 1903!
Only 10 per cent more = was the cry.
And we returned to our bloody work.
At $3.50 p m. one colonel took his
command out Of action; 1t had been
in an exposed place and had lost, as
the major statistican calculated, 29.9
-.S7 per cent over its share. The col.
onel asked that this surplusage might
be credited to another regiment which
also was suffering; but General Ad-
|demup ordered him back into position,
land put the major under
arrest, on the ground that the figures
were wrong, and that the real loss. was
only 1885 per cent. II will have no
!!statistician in the army who can't do
sums better than that" was his an
swer to the arrested officer. (This Of
fcer has since the war published a
handbook Of military statistics, folio,
300 pages, attacking General Addemup.
|-Ed.) .sE5
| During the afternoon the increased
percentage came with tiresome slow
mess; it seemed to be as good as life
insurance policy to get on the firing
line. For hours the figures hung
around the 20 limit. Would they never
get to the desired height The delay
was heart breaking; the enlisted men,
not having the comfort Of a knowledge
i of higher mathematics to sustain them
and distract their minds, suffered In
tensely.
But at last orderlies and aides were
seen to ride furiously from statistical
headquarters, and presently all too
SLOWLY it seemed, came the welcome
order to withdraw. BE quick was
the order. Every man injured now
is merely wasted, And you can guess
we We're quick.
The army withdrawn, it became our
duty to raise flag Of truce and
gather our losses. There was no an
swer from the enemy. Were they
| treacherous? Did they intend to fire
on us? We could not answer the ques-
tions; but it was our duty to learn
the truth. So we advanced slowly and
cautiously, and at last we learned the
truth. The Notifications were de-
iserted.
We stood astounded; but it was true.
There was no enemy in sight. Away
in the distance we could see the smoke
of many disappearing trains; and when