davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
PARIS. April 10, 1916.
E0HE automobilists of France have
made record that will aston
ish the world. They have saved
the French front.
They We're called non-combatants.
They were not on the firing line. Yet,
all through the recent terrific events
their wives and mothers awaited to
hear if they were killed: and when, at
last. the letters began arriving, it was
clear that these same automobilists,
who had not fired a shot. had neverthe-
less saved the French front.
1t is common knowledge. The French
newspapers are full of it. There have
been caravans of auto trucks, vans and
tractors, 100 miles lon6.
German long-range artillery, with
consummate skill, cut various railroads
of the French rear. The facts did not
get into the newspapers, but they may
be told now. With the experience Of
their Russian drives, the Germans OPP
Grated their giant batteries like clock
work. AS many as 10000 shells rained
single short sections of French
track behind the firing line and they
were sure that they had stopped the
arrival of French reinforcements. Yet.
each time. the automobile caravans
brought up the needful-vast supplies
of men. munitions, cannons, food and
water.
In word. the French had been
aware of their comparative weakness
in strategic railroads. 1t turned out to
be blessing in disguise. On the quiet
they had organized these vast automo-
bile trains. of which Gustave Herve
says that the world will marvel when
it learns their magnitude.
Through burning villages the drivers
lodged the falling shells. How many
of them are dead or mangled today.
how many camions demolished? But
they are not linked together. like rail-
road trains. The mass got through.
Again and again the mass got through.
Here are authentic extracts from let
ters of men who did it. They are per-
sonal friends of the writer. Their wives
and mothers permitted copying. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

200 pages on the mineral resources of
the peninsula. and the government is
doing all it can to inform the people
to the actual conditions here. The re-
suits of its work are valuable. and any
one expecting to go to Alaska should
study the subject through Uncle Sans
that no one should go without thor
oughly understanding the conditions.
and that the '.want-to-get-rich-qu quick
man should stay away. The develop
ment' of the country will be necessarily
slow. and the making OF money and the
building up of home in the wildS
will be a longtime proposition.
And now let us take look at the
eminent railroad. 1t will be the Kenai
peninsula. and the Matanuska and Su-
sitna valleys just north Of it. Within
year from now there will be regular
trains running across the peninsula
from Seward to Anchorage. and the
road should be completed from the lat
ter town up the Matanuska valley to
the coalfIelds. The distance from Sew
ard to Anchorage is less than one hun
bred miles, and the tracks of the Alas
ka Northern railroad already reach
more than three-fourths of the way.
They go almost directly northward
from Seward Resurrection bay.
crossing many beautiful valleys, to
Turnasain Arm. The distance is sew
enty-one miles and the twenty-odd
miles from there to Knik Arm or An
chorage can easily be constructed SO
far the government has done practical
ly nothing to repair the tracks of the
Alaska Northern and to put 1t into
condition. But there is a gasoline car
which runs northward from Seward
daily for distance of forty-five miles.
and this is being operated for the gov
eminent. The rates of passage are
about cents mile, and freights are
correspondingly high.
A large number of homesteads have
already been taken up along the line
of the railroad, although no cultivation
clearing of any great extent has
been done. Northward from Anchor
age in the Matanuska and Susitna val
leys. homesteads are now being taken
up and about two hundred farms have
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

great region, and the giant series of
battles up to. three days ago.
On one such return he writes:
Beyond N ] regretted that 1
could not stop to photograph the baby
carriages, but the shells were falling
too hot 1t is the queerest sight / ever
saw, dozens of baby carriages standing
empty in the field along the railroad
track or lying with their wheels in the
air. 1t is where they threw them out.
When we evacuated Nerdun, at the be-
ginning, the women brought their
babies in those carriages. but the last
trains were crowded that they had
to throw them out-not the babies but
their carts. Well. right there. beyond
N, there's a quarry by the roadside.
AS we passed l saw a peasant, among
the falling shells, wheeling a wounded
soldier to the quarry in one of those
baby carriages His poor legs dangied
over the front.
Il forgot to tell YOU he adds. that
we came back loaded with wounded
The worst is to see our wounded lying
along the edge of the road. not having
had time yet to be evacuated. What is
going on, down there, is awful for u.s.
but it is five times worse for the Ger
mans l think that they will long re-
member their offensive. M-has just
returned with his forty camions and
says that we are advancing again. SO
all is well. You understand those
wounded along the roadside-they are
all picked up in time, but the numbers
are SO great, and events move SO quick
ly! The balance sheet of this gigantic
series of battles will be 100000 men,
of whom two-thirds for the Boches
They are playing their last cards The
prisoners we take are mostly boys from
seventeen to twenty years old. They
are still drunk when we take them
they so fill them up with arrak. rum
and ether, to make them reckless
This automobile officers brother-in-
law is an army surgeon at the front
who accompanied one of the returning
caravans loaded with wounded. After
he had delivered his wounded to the
hospital authorities in the base city of
C he returned to the front in a
little touring automobile. He describes
the endless succession of trains of
trucks and vans, 100 miles long en-
numbering the entire route. The little
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

der, grew to formidable roaring. We
passed an English Red Cross auto
ambulance completely upset in the gut
ter. Before arriving at D. there is
a frightful descent Three camions up
set there. and two caught fire. Ten
minutes further on, two camions stuck
in deep ruts. and it took 100 men to
pry them out. The road was awful.
The soldiers had to jump out and work
on it with picks and shoyels. And all
hurrying. Behind US, the endless car
avian. damned on the slopes: ahead of
us the army corps which counted on
these reinforcements for the attack at
dawn. On the right flames marked the
town Of Y, and the roar of the ar
tillery drowned the noise of our motors
AT this moment" continues the army
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

ervations, and in Seward they pay high
for lumber. which has been brought
from Puget sound. distance as great
as that between Cape Cod and the Mis-
souri, river. This is SO notwithstand-
ing there is fairly good timber ten or
twelve miles away. Indeed. most peo-
pie in Alaska think the country is over
conserved. Uncle Sans fears for pos
terity hanging. like Sindbad's "Old Man
of the Sea-" around their necks-
l have made some inquiries as to the
cost of clearing the land. 1t ranges
from 800 to several hundred dollars
per acre. Even the first figure seems
high until one considers that 500 in
labor would not begin to clear and pre-
pare for cultivation any of the wooded
farm lands of the states. Every acre
of Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee and Ken
lucky has cost more than that to cut
down the trees and get out the roots.
Such clearing will be much cheaper
here. The reason is that the roots are
close to the surface. They spread out
like a net under thin coating of moss
and soil, and as soon as the tree dies
the stumps can be torn out by a good
team of h6rses. 1t is only in a few
places that dynamite will be needed.
and if the ground is burned over most
of the stumps can be jerked out with a
log chain and team. The trees are
soft and easy to cut and the roots can
be torn out by the pillow.
The greater part of the land is COW
cred with moss, which, in places, is a
foot or SO deep. The soil is wet and
so sour it needs lime. 1t seldom pro-
duces good crops at the start and needs
to be broken up and exposed to the
air to sweeten it, There is great
difference in the soils of the peninsula,
quite as much as in the United States,
and the wou!d-be settler should con-
slider such things in selecting his land
There are vast quantities of muskeg,
sort of marsh. consisting of peat so sat
urated with water that it is Doggy dur
ing the summer. 1t is of no good
whatever except when well drained.
There are other lands which are I'M
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

touring car went skidding in the mud.
past the great camions held back by
crowds of soldiers. on the deScents, to
prevent them from crashing into each
other. and pushing them up the slopes.
all to the Internal noise of cannons,"
our little car was simply obliged to
great camions threatened
to telescope US in the rear" he writes.
Ten times we skdded. splitting in the
gutter risking continually to be
crushed by an autobus which followed.
Night came. Forbidden to light Ian
terms arrived the order. From ahead
the rumbling of the cannon, like thun-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23
ms of Automobiles Save the French Front

CTORY of Throwing Men, Cannon and
- Munitions Into the Greatest Battle
World Has Ever KnoWn-When the Rail-
roads Proved Unable to Stand the Strain.
Caravans of Auto Trucks and Vans 100
Miles in Lengtt-The Road to Verdun, as
Described in Letters From the Front-A
Surprise to the Enemy.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

photographs are from pocket cameras,
snapshotted as they passed.
My camonS (auto trucks and vanS)
have just come back again. wrote one
from base city of supplies behind the
front. They can do no more; the men
are simply obliged to have nights
rest. The seventeen camions that re-
manned with me have gone out for
pose for two days. A quantity of ma
chimes have been pretty well knocked
about and require repairs. (He puts it
gently to his mother.)
Yesterday. down there, it was ter
rible. What we did in Champagne
former French offensive). artillery,
etc, was nothing in comparison with
what the Boches have been doing, and
we back to them To so. / had to cross
three villages on fire; it was so mar
mited tshelled). Every minute the big
obuses arrived. we passing, as best we
could, between them. Through the
ruins and flames, crashes and smasheS.
] shall never forget the first trip. We're
used to it at present.
X
81 arrived at x. Not cat visible
in the town. The 3S9s (giant Austrian
howitzers) rained every two and a half
minutes. We took refuge in the fortifs,
where Pierre, Maurice and I ate picnic
lunch. On the other side, where we
took the artillery. they fell less. hap
PLY none on the depots of munitions.
So we shifted. 1t was hard, I assure
you. Every now and then deluge of
destruction, half block of houses
falling. SO to speak, together. I was
frightened; it is merely physical. 1t
passes. For the return we had to re-
pass the towns in flames and a German
aeroplane followed us ten miles, drop
ping bombs and printed notices. L got
one. 1t promises a new colossal bonn
bardment of 120 hours. At N we
got into the bombardment of the rail-
road. which they had already cut be-
yond. The trains had been stopped
two days. That is why we. have been
so busy, in part 1t makes me laugh
to think how we have fooled them"
/ Will not pretend to quote the let
tiers in full or give the dates or names
of towns or localities. The caravans
go back and forth. 1t is all the same
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23
OF

surgeon. "a captain in command of a
group came up. You will assure the
medical service of the three groups
The last named is ahead. / count on
you" He shook me warmly by the
hand and dashed off. Then I said to
D., the admirable chauffeur of our
little touring car: Let's risk it and
try to pass the camions which are ahead
of us, and arrive earlier at "
From there on it was indescribable.
After we had passed a few vehicles
our car went on it's side in the gutter.
and we sprawling in the mud. Soldiers
jumped out and righted us. D.
verified the motors and we were off
again. All this in the black night! We
skidded in the mud. Down the slopes
! had to run alongside and steady the
car with my hands and my weight. All
the same We approached. 1 perceived
the arsenal. Then / heard a voice cry
ing in my ear above the roar of can
v tonight
Il said to D.: I've got to enter,
all the same. There are those wound
ed. l must find the ambulances of my
first group D. did not answer. He
was dying for sleep. Our little car
advanced like a drunken thing. To
wake D IL pinched him, thumped
him anu sung songs in his ear-which
he couldn't hear for the bombardment
An artillery commandant barred the
road.
Don't try to enter he yelled,
clinging to the footboard. It's sim
ply raining shells in there"
My commandment l replied, Tn a
surgeon attached to the first group en-
tered in the town. and 1, ought to go
to it.
insisted. won't arrive
My commandant. l ought to be with
my group!'
He barred the road. D. was tight
asleep by this time 1 took the steering
wheel and turned back 1t was time
A series of formidable explosions de.lf-
ened us. / tried to gain the road to tie
village OF L. but how find it without
lanterns: D slept like a baby. I
spilled the machine in the gutter.
couldn't even find back of matches.
Groping my way back along the road
found lot of poilus whose cannon had
broken wheel. With planks and ropes
they pried and pulled US out. D
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

copyrighted 1916 by Frank Ct carpenter)
SUNRISE. kenai Peninsula.
F1HlS letter is about the Renal
peninsula and the short valleys
just north of it. through which
Uncle Sam is now building the
first section of the railroad from Sew
ard TO Fairbanks. ! am writing a Sun
rise. on the northern end of the penin-
sula. on the shores of Turnagain Arm.
] am within few miles of the end of
the Alaska Northern railway, which
Uncle Sam bought of the builders, and
as the crow flies. within twenty or
thirty miles of Anchorage. the present
headquarters Of the railroad construc-
ton. | have come here from Seward
across country. as described in my last
letter. and am now waiting for a motor
boat of .;ome kind to take me out Of
Turnagain Arm into Cook inlet and on
up knik Arm to Anchorage. In my
travels 1 have already seen something
of the kenai peninsula. and | have
learned more concerning it from the
government engineers and scientists
who have been making topographic
maps and investigating its soils and
other resources.
The Department of Agriculture has
just completed a soil survey of the
country. Two of it's experts. Mr. Hugh
il. Bennett and Thomas d. Rice, have
recently travelled over it TO estimate
its farming possibilities. and their work
will be accessible to the public through
the department at Washington. They
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

great region, and the giant series OF
battles up to. three days ago.
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
lands RAPS
1916 BASEBALL
Judge Doesn't Like the UNI
pires and Players Don't
Suit Him

CHICAGO. July 20. - Federal
Judge Lands. In whose court the
famous suit to have organized base
ball declared trust was brought.
spoke today at a luncheon OF mem.
bers OF the Chicago Association OF
Commerce, on Baseball"
Lands. In Characteristic style.
nayed nmpires who. he said. had
too much power"
Lands said their authority should
be curtailed
This one man power stun riies
me. II had their power II would
intoxicate me"
He also said the game is lacking
In pep this year. The players
figure in hotel dining rooms what
they're going to do and then fall
down when they get on the HELD.
That thing which makes the game 10
lacking this year-'pep and BRAN
work
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
TIGERS Let Red Reach Be Hard Pick Pennant WHINE
Harnessmen Divided in Opinions as to
Peter Macs Chance for the Two Minute Mark
HOW BIG CIRCUIT MACS SPEND DAYS

curried given OF well crush
ed
1880 driven day week Goes 10
distance being IN
week worked slowly Is miles others JUST
miles
hot BATH rubbed with hnt
quarts crushed Has all the
IL all
4
M-Supper-two OF bran mixed
OF the DAY
three gallon pals OF during day.
M-Grased Brought back 10
Sleeps about i've night sometimes during me
standing lie down only few minutes
al night
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
Speed Marvel Doesn't
Like TO Train Very
Well

VIII Peter Msc EOS l-@ be a
twominute trotter'
This much mooted question is an
svered both In Affirmative and neg.
atiye by the wiseacres Of harness
dom now modified At North Ran.
dali track. Cleveland. scene OF the
arst races on the 1915 Grand Cir.
eg., program.
AZ the start OF the 1915 campaign
Nike McDevit;. boss OF Capt. David
ShaV's stable and driver OF Peter
Mac, ventured he opinion that the
sensational tro,ter would hit the
two-m'nute mark In actual competi.
ton.
But Peter Mac dislikes 20 train &C
eording 20 the railbirds who have
watched his daily workouts. The
speed marvel Is not training just as
desired and many believe he will
not prove the same kind OF race
horse as he has time performer.
McDevi,t has been working his
f'ier with hood and blinkers and de-
voting hours each morning 70
schooling the son OF Peter the
Great in the art OF scoring II Pc
ter Mac overcomes this fault he'll
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20

be the most feared starter or the
big line.
Handled by an amateur the Cleve
land stopper made his mark OF
EOS l.2 last season. With q pro-
fessional pilot in the rig behind him
Peter Mac is expected 10 prove two
seconds faster. Recently he was
clocked 2:06 IL. and experts say.
had he tried. McDevitt's trotter
could have stepped In 2OS.
There is no doubt but that Peter
Mac Is touted higher shan any other
stake horse that has ever appeared.
He has never started In race and
no trotter yet 20 take the plunge
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
COLT RACE IS
ON on CARD As6i To-Day ID
Canadian Bred Steeds Clash In
Feature Race at
Windsor

Canadian bred foals OF 1913 Will
race this afternoon In the feature
event at Windsor. Kama, K. Z.
Gaiety. Sweet Colleen and Kathleen
II. will compete for the 1900 purse
which Is offered by the Jockey club.
Sir other good races are on the
card. and several OF them have big
fields. Windsor got some rain last
night. but hardly enough to make
the track anything but very fast.
The ID. q G. stake Wednesday
was a real race, with King CORN
coming from behind and nosing out
Venetia and Fountain Fay at the
finish. A blanket could have been
thrown over all three horses. King
CORN himself made q great race OF
II. for his jockey was In trouble
several times and was more OF
handicap than help 10 the horse.
Father Riley. In the NTH race. and
Sol Gilsey, In the fret. were the
long shots OF the day. Sol paid
s477o for 81, and Riley was worth
$3.50 for a 81 ticket.
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
WORLD RECORD
FOR &. SMITHS
LATEST BOAT

PUT-TN-BAY, Ohio. July 20.-The
Interiake regatta program for
Thursday is featured by the sail
yacht lonx-ehort distance race 20
Kelley's Island. several power boat
events. postponed races, and a series
Of freak events chiefly notable for
their fun The annual ball will
De held tonight
Wedneshay|s program was teatur-
% BY tbs wonderful speeding NJ
Miss Minneapolis. Chris Smiths Lar,
est speed boat creation Tha hydro
plane ccampered around the bay az
the rate OF $3.50 milee per hour. es-
tablishing a new world record.
There was little breeze, and several
Of the sal boar events WIRE post
pcned until today.
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
Popular Sportsman Is
Victim of TOrrid
Weather

lr the death OF Frank Z McDon-
aid, who was overcome by the heat.
Wednesday afternoon, Detroit loet
one Of her best-kncwn and most
loyal baseball fans.
Until within the past few years.
Mcdonald was foremost IN the mat
ter Of organizing roo<ers' organiza.
tons 10 welcome the home players
az the opening Of the season and
upon various special occasions dur
ing the summer
HIS ~At-arboy" was familiar 70
patrons OF Bennett park for several
seasons. and old-rmers can recall
when Frank was wont 20 cheer for
the Observation-Disclosures, Richard
ecn, Rowe and w-hIte--in old Rscre-
alton park
Born In GOODRICH. Ont. ~ years
ago. Mr.. Mcdonald came 10 Detroit
when q ycungysr. de frst became
known 20 men shout town "a clerk
In the cigar sepre attached 70 Tom
swans famous cafe. WoodwarcAve.
and Larned-s:- His unfa;ling good
humor and breezy personality soon
won for him a hos. Of friends, the
number of which grew al his sphere
Of Acquaintance ss cigar sales
man and baseball er6hustas. vid.
ened
Frank MoDonald-s genial counter.
ance was familiar 20 habitues n
several former wc1l-known down.
town resorts. When Tom Swan.
place became an institution of the
past. Frank assumed charge OF c. J.
Holton's cigar stand. Holton's a.
tablishment was on the site OF San.
der's candy store Mcdonald pass
ed several years there anc then es-
taolished a stand for himself in
Norman's Sharp's chop house,
which made a speciality Of steaks.
Sharp's was located on the pres
ent Dime bank building site.
A. sharp's Frank was 'hsadquar.
tiers for baseball tickets" With the
passing Of that place he went 10
Taylors bank saloon or Ststest..
and was successively located in
" Billy" Considine establishment on
Monroe.ave.. and in lowTy's and
Ouellette's on Lafayette-blyd. For
a while he conducted stand in
the ST. Charles hotel. and two years
ago he became manager Of ID. y.
Collins cigar business. No. u Mich.
igan-ave.
Mcdonald became ia shortly aft.
er l o'clock "Wednesday. and died
soon after reaching his home, In the
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-20
Watching the
Scoreboard
YEsTERDAY,s HERO,

YEsTTERDAy's HERO,
Modest Kenny Ksun. Benny
came In from center on the
wing, picked mp o maffasl throw
and tagged out both Williams
and Mann, OF the Cubs, Who r.re
81 In q snsr st second because
Knsbe stood stiii on third.
Urban sho~ker. sent 70 Toronto nv
the Yankees won his fourth -,rstrhf
shutouf when he held the Nswsrt
Internstiossis 20 four hits.
The Pittsburgh worm, tuning
her~eiy, smote the Dodgers twice IN
the same place. reducing their Lad
60 two and one-hRif Esme..
The Athletics lost sgsin.
MsE~e, the only regular Yankee
ou~neider not on crutchss. made m
great ~nt~h Of = long ~ In the see-
Snd game
Tho Braves singled sis Hnss. drew
n bnst on balls, and n wild pitrh I'm
the met Inning sEsInst IT IooI..
ismmibg over nye runs. They got ave
mere for good measure.
The Giant md cub rIuEEeps poIed
ont - hits. intending nVe two-bsG-
gers ssd two home runs.
Jack GrsB~y. Of cleveland. went On
hat foDr times and scored four runs.
Failing - - rrIief pitcher in th.
game aGsinst birago. Walter John
son weat back sud nearly shut Tn.
sox out In the second game.