Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-11-20
LIBRARIAN VISITS THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS IN THE INTEREST OF
TRENCH CANDLE MAKING

the past week with a view of getting
the school children interested in max
ing trench candles. A few minutes
were given to the various rooms in
each school building, and the work
will not interfere at all with their
regular school work, as it is to be
done en- Saturdays or evenings or at
other convenient times. Miss Ian
sing has given a very encouraging
report as the result of her efforts the
past week. Last Saturday boys and
sirls went voluntarily to the library
where they spent the day cutting up
newspapers and rolling them for
trench candles. Many of the children
take newspapers home and roll them
and return them to the library.
All but two buildings were visited
the past week and the fourth
grade was the lowest grade Wis
tied. The children were asked
to do all they possibly can
in this work, and when short of
newspapers visit the neighbors, and
have them save the papers for this
purpose All candle ends, paraffin,
etc, which can be gotten hold of
should be sent to the library or let
the library know and they will call
for them, as a melting pot is to be es-
tablished at that place, and after a
good many candles are ready for
boiling they will set aside day to be
given over to the boiling of the can
dies, after which they must cool and
then are ready to send to the sol
diers at the front.
The trench candles are made as fol-
lows:
Spread out four newspapers, eight
sheets in all, and begin rolling at
the long edge. Roll as tightly as pos
sible until the papers are half rolled,
then fold back the first three sheets
toward the rolled part and continue
to wrap around the roll almost to the
first fold, then fold back, another
three sheets and continue to wrap
around the roll again almost up to
the second fold, then fold one sheet
and continue rolling until getting to
the margin of paper. On this mar
gin, consisting of one sheet, spread
q itfln n1r1a ocfn nd
rolling, so as to make a compact roll
of paper almost like torch. If seven
of the sheets are not turned under,
there will be too many edges to glue.
While the newspapers may be cut
along the line of the columns before
rolling and the individual columns
rolled separately, as is done in the
making of the trench candles in
France, it is easier for some to roll
the whole newspaper into d long roll
and then cut it into short lengths.
These little rolls must be boiled in
enough paraffin to cover them and
then taken out and cooled, when they
are ready to be put in bags and sent
to the front. The trench candles are
now being put in the comfort bags
sent to our soldiers.
Little children and grown-ups in
France and Italy are rolling, gluing
and parafining these ration heaters
by the million.
These little rolls of paper, saturat-
ed with hot paraffin and allowed to
cool, will burn without smoke, which
in the presence of the enemy is dan
gerous. and will boil pint of soup
in about ten minutes and keep lighted
for twenty minutes or half an hour.
By supporting the can of soup on
pieces of rock and protecting the
flames from the wind, an ideal individ-
ual camp meal can be made.
The conversion of old newspapers
and candle ends into fuel has been
carried on by the women and children
of Italy and France for long time.
III AllSllC LHCIS are ulllllOuS VI
candle ends and thousands of tons of
newspapers scattered over the coun-
try, and it would seem to be we'll
worth while for the thousands of will
ing hands in the homes to convert
them into these most useful ration
heaters for the boys at the front, or
for their use next winter in the train
ing camps. The children are urged
to spend as much time as possible
in this work either at the library,
at home or wherever convenient.
Other war activities which the chill
the knitting of squares out of odds
and ends of yarn for coverings to be
used for our soldiers cots and cover
ings for the refugee children of Bel
GUM. There are many who do not
realize the amount of work being &C
cOmplished in this line by our chill
dren and teachers OF the public
schools. The boys are knitting as we'll
as the girls.
Picture puzzles are being made al
so by the children of Wausau. Pic
lures of various kinds are being past
Ell on board and then cut up in differ
ent ways to be put together again, so
as to make the picture look exactly
like il did before cutting. This is
an amusement to be sent to the SOL
diers while confined in hospitals, and
will prove quite a pastime. The
names and addresses are placed on
the back of the picture puzzles, so that
any one from Wisconsin being in the
war hospital, and happens to sci a
puzzle to put together with the name
and address of some one from his
home state, will undoubtedly value it
highly.