The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-11-28
WEEKLY WAR NEWS DIGEST
Stories of Aetivitie sand Condition.
Throughout tho United States
and on the Battle Fronts.

Recent Investigations in the use of
cotton in war show: =
A 12-inch gun disposes of a half
bale of cotton with every shot fired;
a machine gun in operation, will use
up a bale in three minutes; in ma
val battle like the one off Jutland
over 500 pounds a minute are con-
sumed by each active warship; more
than 10000 bales year are needed
to provide absorbent cotton for the
wounds Of the injured; one change of
apparel for all the troops now en-
gagged in the war represents more
than a million bales.
Promise Of Thrills In "FI.me and
Gas" Service Brings Many Recruits
A boy just out of school feeling
himself qualified by special study
of gas engineering, rode a bicycle
200 miles to join the pioneer flame
and gas battalion. A number of
chemists, electricians, and mechanics
well known in civil life were among
the first to respond to the call for
this service.
American soldiers, largely recruit
ed from professions and trades, such
as chemical and mechanical engineer
ing, plumbing, and carpentry, are
being trained in this service to meet
enemy fire and fumes with flame and
deadly gas. There is opportunity
for limited number off enlistments
Of men with mechanical knowledge,
gas experts, carpenters, clerks, and
muscular, quick-thinking men be-
tween the ages of 18 and 40 years.
Men possessing the necessary quail
ications may volunteer at, any re-
cruiting station by asking to join the
Thirtieth Battalion, flame and gas,
forming at Washington, D. C.
Even Food Administration Men Can't
Get Their Sugar.
Members of the Food Administra-
tion at Washington, D. c., now have
an added personal reason for urging
conservation of sugar.
A recent: canvass Of retail stores
of the city showed that of % stores
Is had no sugar. Three had only
small supply of cube sugar in pack
ages. Every store had less than 100
pounds and none had prospect of an
immediate supply. Of three whole
salers and one jobber, two had no
sugar. One had a three-day supply.
No relief is promised for at least
six weeks, and Washington will be
on short sugar ration until after
Christmas at lesat.
In the Middle West and on the Pa
cifc Coast, where reserve stocks are
heavier, dealers generally are re-
spending to the cry for help by plac-
ing the same limit on sales in use on
the hard hit Eastern districts-2
pounds to a customer, providing
other purchases are made.
Percentage of Sick at Army Camps
Less Than 2 Per Cent.
Returning from inspection trips to
10 Army and aviation camps, Col.
Weston P. Chamberlain, of the Sur
geon Generals Office, reports that
the per cent of sick ranges from be-
low l per cent to slightly below 9
per cent.
Among the conditions leading to-
treatment in hospital are severe
colds, tonsillitis, slight injuries, and
other comparatively slight ailments.
About the only serious disease found
at any camp was pneumonia.
Each national Army camp has
thousand-bed hospital equipped in
accordance with most approved mod
ern practice:
American Engineers Install Entire
Railways IN French War Theater.
The Corps of Engineers of the
American Army since April has not
only been supplying the Engineer e.
quipment for more than 100000
men, but the members of the rail-
way section have undertaken to
transport and install and put in op-
GRAFTON overseas a complete railway
equipment.
The cost of materials ordered to
date is approximately $4,000, 900, in
Guiding some hundreds Of locomo-
tives, more than 100000 tons of
steel rails, more than 5000 complete
turnouts, 100000 ties, $4,000 freight
cars, 600 fill and ballast cars, 600
miles of telephone wire and appar-
atus, and vast quantities of con-
struction and repair equipment.
A duty imposed upon the engineers
has been the purchase of the neces-
sary Engineer equipment for more
than I 000 mn ,,,on V1:+1,;, TX