The daily Alaskan., 1915-08-12
woAmericans
 Abroad
By F. A. MTTCHEL

Wilkinson enlisted for the Spanish American war when he was seventeen years old, went to Cuba and fought the dons and returned with his command at the end of the fracas. When the great European military confagration broke out, desirous of seeing something more of fighting, he went to Canada, enlist ed in the first expeditonary force that went to England and thence to France
 Wilkinson was a machinlst and very Ingenious When the British com manders learned of this they wanted him to go into the mechanical corps of the army, but he said he had had enough of that at home. He preferred to re- main in the ranks, where he would get something different. So he became trench fighter like the rest of them.
 But 1t is not every man who can get just what he wants, no matter how he arranges for It. Wilkinson had no soon CT got into a fight than he was captur- ed and taken to the rear. This was in Flanders during the la$e autumn of 1914.
 One day sn officer came into the pris- on where Wilkinson was confined and asked in English if there were any me chanics there who would volunteer to work at bridge building. Wilkinson, whose active nature rendered cOnfne- ment unbearable to him, called out that he was an engineer by profession. The officer accosted him, asking if he would agree to give his services to the Ger man government in good faith. It turned out that the officer, Captain Kaufman, was a German-American, who had gone over to fight for the fa- therland-
 Wilkinson and Captain Kaufman be ing both Americans became quite chummy. Wilkinson impressed the captain so favorably with his knowl- edge of engineering that the latter pro posed to take him to the chief engineer with @ view to his entering the en- gineer corps of the German army in 0 prominent position. Wilkinson assent ed, or, rather, pretended to assent for he was simply looking out for an op- portunity to get back to the army of which he was a legitimate part Captain Kaufman took the prisoner into an automobile for a ride to point where a large railroad bridge was be ing rebuilt, There he expected to find | one of the chief engineer officers of the army to whom he expected to turn over the American for service. During the ride the two men chatted about Amer lea and what they would do there on their return at the end of the war. Nat urally Kaufman was warm In his ad- vocacy of the German cause, while Wfkinson's sympathies were with the allies. But they talked little on this | subject, for Wilkinson, who had plan to get away from his captor, led the conversation in a line that would facili- | tate his doing so.
 T tell you what we'll do, Kaufman. be said When this slaughter busi- ness is over and we both get back to the land of the free I've got the biggest scheme on hand for making money you ever saw. It's a device that may be applied to all pumping mechsnisms. Its use will be enormous I'll take you in with me and we'll make our everlasting fortunes. You attend to | the sales while I attend to the mapH- | facture-seeT
 Where will we get the capitalT asked the captain
 Capital Why, there's caDits' enough in the United States to promote any scheme if 1t can be proved all right I can get millions for anything I propose. My device Is so simple that a child can understand 1t. Let me have a pencil and a piece of paper and I'll make you a drawing of 1t"
 Kaufman had the wheel, so hC couldn't get into his pocket without stopping, but they were approaching 6 village, and he said he would stop fol something to smoke Pulling up at q small store, Wilkinson went in and returned with some cigars, a pencil and sheet of paper. He also had something else that his companion did not see. Lighting up, the two pro ceeded, Wilkinson making a sketch ot his device. Kaufman, who had nc knowledge of mechanics, did not Un derstand 1t, so Wilkinson proceeded tc make a practical demonstration. Roll ing the sheet of paper into a tube trihe smaller at one end than at tho other, he crumpled a small portion into a little ball, which be dropped into tho tube; then, while the captains gaze was on the road ahead, he dropped into 1t some red pepper.
 "You can't watch the road and my demonstration at the same time. StoI the machine for a moment"
 Kaufman brought the auto to a stoI and turned his face to his companion
 'This tube represents the pump, ant the crumpled bit of paper inside Is m! patent ball valve. The greater tn pressure on the ball the tighter it Is fl