Evening journal., 1915-09-08
By WILLIAM PHILIP sININs
United Press STAFF Correspondent.

United Press stan correspondent.
Copyright 1915 by the United Press.
Copyrighted in Great Britain)
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY AT
THE FRONT, Aug. 6.-(By MaiD-
Young girls and women are the prin-
cipal workers in the factories where
bombs. high-explosive shells, hand
grenades and similar man-killing de-
vices are manufactured. 1t strikes
one as odd that frail women should
be making the terrible engines OF
war. yet they seem to like their Job,
entering into the work with
patriotic fervor which one is coming
more and more to associate with the
countrywomen of Jeane dare.
Out here surprisingly near the FIR
ing line, there is a steel and iron
works which in times of peace made
pots and pans for the cooking of
fried potatoes, the boiling of cabbage
and the stewing of ragouts. Now the
military are in charge and mortars
from 60 milimeters to s inches are
the factory's products. those and the
proiectiles hurled from their muzzles.
Also several varieties of grenades,
bombs and petards are supplied here.
The "lemcn" is one of the newest
and most effective of the many
brands of hand grenades. II is like
wise the simplest 1t is made in the
shape of a lemon. from which it gets
its nickname. and one end is pro
vided with q sort of button with coil
spring-a button working on the
same principle as the one you use in
ringing for Marie to serve the coffee.
This button Is harder to operate of
course, as it sets off the grenade
when pushed in and were it too easy
on the trigger il would be too dan
gerous to operate. Before throwing
the bomb you simply hit the button
about as you would to open bottle
of soda-pop.
Here is how the hand grenades are
made.
First the shell is cast. a she'll some
quarter Of an inch thick. II Is IN
dented all over to insure its bursting
into innumerable fragments when eN-
ploded The average number OF rag
ments. determined after careful tests,
is 900. the fragments being about the
size of the tip of your little finger, oi
very rough edges and, at short DIS
tances-these weapons are never
used therwise-capable Of piercing
a two-inch plank. They make very
dangerous wounds.
These cast-iron shells, shaped like
a lemon. are next cleaned: outside
by brushes welded by women, IN
side by a revolving apparatus resem-
bling an egg -beater. This inside
cleaning is to prevent grit or parti-
cles of iron remaining to cause a
possible spark and consequent eXplo-
SION while being filled with cheditt
later.
Girls pack the grenades with tho
explosive which resembles sulphur ol
light brown sugar. A round piece o
parafned paper is put over the open
ing and with a plug is forced dow
into the grenade's neck TO the poin
where tic lemon begins TO swell.
While this is being done the stop
per" is assembled by other girls.
From the wood turning department
come the wooden plugs which clos'
the grenade and contain the Operat
ing button A hole runs through tn
middle and through this passes a
Bickford time fuse. At the uppe
end is a cap something like the cal
Of an old-time muzzlelonding gur
detonator. The various operations o
assembling this apparatus are per
formed by girls and women, SOM
quito young, some old, grandmother
ly and bespectacled. Zach girl o
woman has but one operation to per
form however simple they may be
One inserts the fuse, another adjust
the cap. a third the detonator,
fourth makes a Joint between the fus
and detonator safe by means Of seal
ing wax and so on. the shoppers
flowing smoothly down this humai
stream rapidly and without let-uI
until at last they pour INTO the gren
ades stream for final adjustment
A hole IS made in the tightly pack
ed chedite with which the grenad
is filled and into this hole the de
tonator is passed. The grenade is nov
nearing completion and becomes ex
tremely dangerous. Should one b
dropped. or the button or one hi
against any hard object with force, a
explosion results within four and
half seconds, the time those specia
grenades are set for. Consequent
from now on. until the grenades ar
packed for shipment. all workmen 81
beside a barricaded stone and brio
over which a bomb which has me
with an accident may be tossed be
fore it explcdes.
In this strange war hand grenade
have become of more importance 1
many instances than rifles and al
along the front special corps q
"grenadiers" have been forced. Thes