Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-13
Side Lights From
the War Zone

London, Feo. 12.-The majority OF
the hits made by the battle cruisers
in the North Sea battle of January
"a struck unon the decks of the ships.
The naval correspondent of the Globe,
in discussing this battle, which was
fought at long range with the shells
reaching the height of some three
miles in the curve of their projection,
says it shows a weakness of modern
r '!nship construction that the decks
were so easily penetrated. The decks,
he says, are the weakest and most
vulnerable of til the above-Wate,
parts of the up to date warship.
Another lesson he draws from this
battle is that the ship fighting end-on
is more likely to be hit than the one
fighting broadside to the enemy. 1T
has been generally believed he says,
that a ship fighting end-on STANDS
the smallest chance Of being hit, but
that is no longer the case. The sci
| ence of gunnery has been brought to
such a standard that it is difficult Tor
a competent mar to aim eff the prop
er line Of fire. That is, he may be
depended upon to send his Shells in
the right direction. Misses are most
ly made by the shell falling short or
passing over tine target; and it is,
therefore, obvious that the longer the
target is, not at right angles to, 'bu:
parallel with, the flight of the shell.
the greater will be the chance o:
hitting. Tie effective target present
cd by a Dattleship end-on is really
much greater than when she is broad
side on, besides, in the former posi-
ton. losing whatever protection Nigh:
he afforded ,by her vertical side ar
NOR"
The German sailors who were res
cued from the sinking cruiser Blue-
cher all wore NV style li%fe-preserV-
ers, with which the German navy has
been equipped since the beginning OF
the war.
The apparatus consists of a cork
belt and an intlatable vest fastened
about the shoulders. The vest is ci
rubber and is about "a inches long by
10 inches wide. 1t cal be blown up
by the wearer in a moment and is
so made that when in use the air feec
pipe cCmes opposite the mouth. e
man sailors stated that any man who
lost this article was liable to a fine
of 50.
In compliment to the large nnnHncs
of French and Belgians o in E"c'
land, some of the London theaters are
printing posers in French. Other the
alters in their advertising indicate the
time OF the performances according
to the Continental method Of reckon
ing the hours from / to "a o'clock
One theater, for example, announces
in a bilingual bill, that the box office
is open from 10 to 10" and "de 10 a
90 haurs," and ater states that the
curtain rises lat 20 - heures.'
The men who spend their nights
working on the barb wire entangle
ments in front Of the trenches have
one Of the most perilcus tasks of the
war One of them, a MEMBER of tie
Royal Engineers, writes:
"In a trench one has a sense OF Sc
curity in being below ground level
and there is collective c2""a"e due t
the knowledge that one HIS compan
ions. In putting up barb VIE one i:
working perhaps 300 feet il front O.
ones trenches, and fortunate, indeed
is the working party if The enemy's
snipers do not hear the sound of the
muff1ed mallets driving the posts into
the ground and open fire. Now anc
then a magnesius flare will be sen
up to light the landscape for the bene
fit Of tho sharpghooters. Then tn
worker has to throw himself flat or
the firound and Try to look as mucl
like a weed as possible"