The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08
Is Germany's 17-Inch Gun a Myth?


 One of the newspaper correspondents, who was at Antwerp until just before Germans entered it, tells me that he doesn't believe that the Jack Johnsons the great 17-inch field guns which we have heard so much about in connection with the reduction of Belgian and French fortresses, have any existence except in , the imagination of few correspondents. q know that the biggest guns the Ger mans had at Antwerp were 11-inch' he told me- land I have never met anyone who has seen one of the Jack Johnsons The allies haven't captured any and they have samples of every other gun that the Germans are credited with owning. We have seen one picture of a Jack Johnson and that came from Germany and looks ] uncommonly like the pattern of their H. incher You know how easy 1t Is to fake size in a photograph" It Is certainly true that no one on the side of the allies has seen one of these great guns and that none has been captured. It has been sug- gested that the damage done to fortifica- | tons by the German siege guns may be due to some new explosive which they possess.
 Teachers Scarce in London | The London county council Is having | great difficulty in finding supply of teachers for it's schools owing to the war. 1 No fewer than SIS of it's male teachers arc | now serving in the forces, and it has been l found impossible to find properly Quali- 1 fled men to fill their places. Women teach l CTS have been drafted to the boys schools and the size of the classes has been in- | creased. but still there Is a serious short age. The difficulties are being increased by the influx of Belgian refugees. The i council authorities have offered the hospi- tality of the council schools to the refugee
 children of whom there are now some
 thing like 5000 in London.
 l To some extent this phase of the situa- l ton Is being overcome by employing the
 refugee teachers but owing to the ian l guage difficulty these refugee teachers
 cannot be employed to teach the British
 children. One of the quaint side issues of
 the flight from Belgium to London is the
 opening of a refreshment stall in the
 Bank of England. So many refugees are 1 flocking to the Old Lady of Threadnsedle | street to change their Belgian money. for the bank is the only place which will | change it. that 1t was found necessary to provide light refreshments. The bank, by the way, under it's charter of 1894. has the right to sell beer and spirits without a license, but this Is the first time that It I has exercised the privilege. It's alcoholic refreshments, however, are limited to flight wine.
 Catholic Chaplains at the Front l hear from Ireland that there is a good deal of complaint about the scarcity of Roman Catholic chaplains at the front In ordinary times only the Irish regi-
 ments are supplied with Roman Catholic chaplains. but in this war there has been a great rush of Irishmen to join regi.
 Tents. whether Irish or not going or
 active service, and no one prizes the min.
 istrations of his religion more than the
 Irish Catholic. The Irish bishops hay,
 met to discuss the situation and I am tolc
 they are working out a plan to be pre-
 sented to Lord Kitchener for the appoint
 nent of unpaid chaplains with most o
 the regiments. They realize that in thes'
 times it is difficult and probably would
 require legislation. to increase the pa't
 noncombatant establishment of tn,
 army. but there seems to be no reason
 why the war office should not recogniz,
 volunteer chapa'ns and give them officia
 rank and standing. ~